The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art

By: Lisa Groen

Narrated by: Julia Holland

In 1877, the Paris art scene is very competitive for men but nearly impossible for thirty-three-year-old Mary Cassatt, an American woman. Bored by traditional methods of painting, she admires the work of avant-garde painters, especially Edgar Degas. So, when Edgar visits Mary's studio to view her paintings, she is exhilarated by his invitation to join him, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and other Impressionists in the collective.

Meeting the standards of the Impressionists is nerve-racking. Mary is judged not only as a painter but as a woman. She takes comfort in her close bond with her sister, Lydia, who often poses for her. But Mary's growing attraction to Edgar threatens to derail the plans Mary and Lydia have made for their future. When an opportunity arises to work side by side with Edgar, Mary begins a clandestine love affair that utterly upends her life and career.

In The Cassatt Sisters, author Lisa Groen paints a dazzling picture of Belle Époque Paris and the extraordinary life of artist Mary Cassatt during her time with the Impressionists. At the heart of this compelling historical novel is an age-old question: What must a woman sacrifice to live a life of freedom and accomplishment?

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Critic reviews

“Replete with emotional interactions that bring the sisters and their world to life, The Cassatt Sisters is hard to put down, intensely revealing, and a work of art itself.” –Midwest Book Review