An Impressionable Novel

Luncheon of the Boating Party
by Susan Vreeland

You have to like Impressionist art, or art in general, to enjoy reading this novel. The story follows Auguste Renoir over the course of about eight weeks in 1880. As one of the founding members of the Impressionist movement he feels as though he owes his loyalty to the "revolution". But, the group is changing and shifting, they can't achieve the sort of commendation they're seeking. Renoir doesn't want to spend the rest of his career painting portraits of the wealthy so that he can buy food and pay his rent. He has the idea to paint a scene of fourteen people using a combination of Impressionist and classic style. The problem is he is very low on funds and time, he has to have the money to pay fourteen people to model for him every Sunday for weeks. He also has complicated relationships with some of them. 

 The woman on the left leaning on the railing is Alphonsine, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant. She loves Renoir. The woman on the back right, with her hands over her ears, is a former lover of Renoir's.  The man in the foreground sitting on the backwards chair is Gustave, also an Impressionist painter. The woman on the left in the foreground with the dog is Aline, she also loves Renoir. 
Throughout the novel a continuous problem for Renoir is whether or not he can finish the painting. He wants to make it an example of how brilliant the Impressionist movement is, but loses his motivation sometimes. Renoir is afraid that if the critics disown his work then his career will be over and it would just be safer for him to continue receiving commissions from the wealthy. But Renoir says many times, "I can only paint what I love." He finishes the painting and learns several important lessons along the way. 
It's a charming read, enjoyable and sweet. Paris seems to leap right off the pages with descriptions of every class of life and how they view their city.