Luncheon of the Boating Party

Susan Vreeland again explores the life and times of an artist in this novel which, while taking some liberties with the facts, delightfully reveals Pierre Auguste Renoir and his friends (models, other painters experimenting with Impressionism, and the restauranteur’ family (La Maison Fournaise) on the Seine where this most famous of his paintings was created.

I was reminded of our pleasant strolls on the Seine and picnics in the Bois du Boulange as well as of all our river experiences in the boating accounts.  It was enlightening to learn of the Parisian interest in simple pleasures at this time, the customs of artists and models, and the struggles of the Impressionists to gain acceptance.