Quotes
“Elegantly conceived and tenderly written, this cameo of a novel ushers readers into a small, warmly lit corner of art history.” Publishers Weekly
“Chessman’s soft, clear voice wears well as Lydia, and her French is excellent. You can tell she wants you to get inside her subject as she has. Lydia comes across as earnest, observant, and sometimes dreamy, painting May in words as May captures her in colors.” AudioFile
“Be prepared for an insightful and moving tale about a great American painter and her family…Like Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, this book beautifully limns the impact of art on a woman close to a great artist though the women involved are very different.” Library Journal
“Lydia’s view of her receding world is at times laden with bitterness, but mostly there is an unearthly, ladylike composure to Chessman’s characterization of her…This translates into a light, enjoyable read, and Chessman does an outstanding job of articulating the wordless exchange between a model and a painter.” Booklist
“Chessman, author of Girl With a Pearl Earring, handles strong emotions with a delicate yet revealing hand, her prose painting a picture as revealing as the paintings, skillfully insinuating herself into the minds of characters, the spirit of the times and the breathing entity of Paris. A novel that vibrates with life.” Kliatt
