A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET

A new novel is due in the bookshops in April by Stephanie Cowell, the New York based author of several historical novels. Her latest book Claude and Camille took six years to research and write, as Stephanie says in her own words "Monet’s discovering art and who he was, the journey of the motley group of obscure painters who are now known as impressionists; and then the story of his impulsive passionate love for the upper-class Camille".

Here is a brief outline provided by Stephanie about her new novel.

THE STORY:
Monet is one the world’s most esteemed painters, known as one of the founders of the Impressionist movement, as the old man in his garden at Giverny, and as the master behind the famous painting Water Lilies. But what is known of Monet before he was “Monet,” when he was simply “Claude”—a handsome, obscure, twenty-five-year-old painter, loyal to his friends and in love with an enigmatic upper-class girl? In Stephanie Cowell’s CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A Novel of Monet (Crown; April 2010), she tells the tragic love story of the young, unknown painter and his great muse, Camille Doncieux.

In his early twenties, Claude Monet comes to Paris, determined to make his fortune as an artist. Instead, he finds poverty but also camaraderie in a group of similarly unknown painters—Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Bazille, Manet, and Cézanne—who share his vision and passion. After a few years of living as a penniless artist, Monet walks into a bookshop in Paris and finds Camille Doncieux, a mysterious and beautiful upper-class girl. His life is irrevocably changed. Monet falls madly in love with Camille, who rejects a life of privilege to be with him and lives as his greatest muse. Through years of painting, misunderstanding, and love, they carve out a life together, but adversity eventually takes its toll. Even as Monet begins to sell his work, his marriage to Camille descends into tragedy—and Monet realizes that he has never completely known his true love.

Stephanie Cowell’s cinematic writing transports the reader to nineteenth-century Paris and blends three stories: Monet’s discovery of painting, his passionate love for Camille, and the struggle of a small group of painters who would bond together to form the most famous art movement in history: Impressionism.

CLAUDE & CAMILLE also offers readers an intimate portrait of the muse behind one of history’s most esteemed artists.

REVIEWS AND ENDORSEMENTS:

"To be swept up by this novel which reveals the man and woman behind--no, in, the waterlily paintings, the seascapes and landscapes -- is a heartbreak. The story is lovely, touching, delicately written, and extraordinarily compelling. Read it with a book of Monet's paintings by your side, and be prepared to marvel, and to weep." -- SUSAN VREELAND, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue and Luncheon of the Boating Party

"One winter's day, a young, frustrated Claude Monet waits for a train on his way to boot camp; through the crowd, he spies a lovely young woman in tears. Captivated, he sketches her face before she disappears with her mother and sister into the bustle of the station. A few years later, he has not forgotten the girl's beauty and is stunned to meet her again in a Paris bookshop. Her name is Camille Donceaux, and she is destined to become Monet's first wife and greatest muse. Moving through war, illness, prosperity, and poverty, Cowell writes the couple's love story with an eye for perspective as skilled as any painter's. By novel's end, readers are left with not only the satisfying drama of life among the Impressionists but also a greater appreciation for Monet's art and the driving forces behind it....a rich, artsy read." LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Beautiful bourgeoise Camille Doncieux leaves her family for Monet, whom Cowell depicts early on as a rebellious young man trying to capture in his paintings fleeting moments of color and light. A convincing narrative about how masterpieces are created and a detailed portrait of a complex couple, Cowell's novel suggests that a fabulous, if flawed, love is the source of both the beauty and sadness of Monet's art." - PUBLISHERS' WEEKLY

"CLAUDE AND CAMILLE is a wonderfully absorbing and romantic novel, the story of Claude Monet's passion for his painting and his equally passionate love for a woman who is as elusive as the water lilies that he strove to capture on canvas. This elegant novel was hard to put down, and once I did, I rushed to view Monet's paintings with a deeper understanding. Stephanie Cowell is a wonderful writer. - SANDRA GULLAND, author of the Josephine B. Trilogy and Mistress of the Sun.

Stephanie Cowell, is also the author of several acclaimed historical novels and winner of an American Book Award. Here latest book is to be published April 6th, 2010 by Crown. Available at that time from all online and independent booksellers.

Stephanie has also written other novels and for more information, reviews, readings, appearances and translations, please visit http://www.stephaniecowell.com or e-mail Stephanie at StephanieCowell@nyc.rr.com.