Claude and Camille begins when as an old man in Giverny, Claude discovers a letter from Camilles sister written nearly forty years earlier, holding him responsible for her death. Through the book, traveling back and forth between the young man so in love and the old man remembering, the reader will decide for herself if the terrible accusation is in anyway true and if so, does the great work he gave the world including the many water lily paintings make up in beauty and perfection for what he could not give others in his life?
“What a man! To be swept up by this novel which reveals the man and woman behind the waterlily paintings, the seascapes and landscapes, is, and must be, a heartbreak. For me, reading Claude and Camille is like seeing old friends, learning them anew, from the inside, their passionate lives pulsing again by virtue of Stephanie Cowell’s sure pen. The story is lovely, touching, delicately written, extraordinarily compelling, and nearly all true. Read it with a book of Monet’s paintings by your side, and be prepared to marvel, and to weep.”-Susan Vreeland, author Luncheon of the Boating Party and Girl in Hyacinth Blue
An engaging, lyrical, and spirited work of fiction about the great love of Monet’s life. Cowell creates a vivid world here, of art, friendship, and ardent love within the Impressionist circle. -Harriet Scott Chessman, author of Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper
“Reading Claude & Camille is like inhabiting an Impressionist painting filled with luscious, tactile imagery. But in this novel of passion and heartbreak, Stephanie Cowell never forgets the emotional price exacted by such vivid, trembling beauty.” – Lauren Belfer, author of City of Light
“With elegant prose that blends color, light, and shadow to perfection, much as Monet did in his canvasses, Stephanie Cowell offers us a gorgeously rendered tale of love, genius, and haunting loss set against the dramatic backdrop of a world on the verge of inescapable change.” – C.W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen
Stephanie Cowells new novel of art and love is focused on Claude Monets great passions: painting, friendship, and Camille Doncieux. With her uncanny ability to inhabit the hearts of historical characters, Cowell creates a wholly fascinating milieu as vividly as a film-maker. She has a special gift for rendering the scene-knowing which moments excite the reader, illuminate the characters, and create memorability. I was touched by the novels tenderness and compassion, and moved to immerse myself in my books of Impressionist paintings. -Sandra Scofield, author of Opal on Dry Ground and Occasions of Sin
Claude & Camille offers a fascinating look at nineteenth-century Paris, the bohemian lives of the Impressionists, and their struggle to create a new way of seeing the world. From Parisian ateliers to Givernys lush gardens, Stephanie Cowell paints an unforgettable portrait of Claude Monet and the two passions that framed his life: his beautiful, tragic wife, Camille, and his pursuit of art. -Christi Beverly, author of The Devlin Diary
Stephanie Cowell s Monet and his Camille are achingly real, and the miserable garrets of Paris where they struggle to survive are so sensitively portrayed you can almost smell the paint. Cowell sweeps the reader up into a story as dazzling and turbulent as the art whose creation she depicts. Laurel Corona, author of Four Seasons
Source: www.stephaniecowell.com
