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Claude & Camille

Author: Stephanie Cowell

Meeting Date: April 8, 2013  7:00 p.m. Clayton Community Library

4 Responses

  1. I did not hesitate to send my blog piece on our discussion of “Claude & Camille” to the author, Stephanie Cowell. In addition to the link I also wrote about the problem of reality in biographical novels and a few other things that interested me. I’m delighted too tell you that she did respond and here is what she had to say:

    “Thank you so much, Sunny! Yes, you are right…people have their own idea of what a real person must be like. According to Paul Tucker, America’s foremost Monet scholar, Monet was a much more selfish and self-centered person than I made him in my novel. In fact, Mr. Tucker’s work was the first I read and I had the most awful time making Monet a lot nicer. But I do think he has to go through a lot to grow to the man he is at the book’s end, to take on all those children. But I find women readers sometimes judge him on whether or not he was good husband material. He was not a good provider because he couldn’t earn money….but once he did, he helped everyone.

    But realism is hard to obtain as it is all point of view. Some other biographers of Monet thought he was just the nicest guy.

    I am very happy you chose to write about my book! Thank you so much! I look forward to your review links!

    Stephanie”

  2. Stephanie, thank you for your perspective. I enjoyed the book but Great Mother, you made him out BETTER than he was?) That’s incredible. I really like the sections when he was doing his work; he was in a trance with the color and scenes coming out of his very being. But that was at the expense of everything else, including his family. And Camille was an adventuress (is there such a word?. She did not want the ususal life of a woman of her time, and did she ever get “different”!

  3. Thought you’d all enjoy reading this: http://www.mhpbooks.com/writing-a-novel-dont-quit-your-day-job/ It was the “don’t quit your day job” that got my attention. Although most of this essay relates to writers, Mason Currey, the author of “Daily Rituals,” includes artists in the list of those who ought not to try to make it on their particular art alone. Made me think of our discussion about Monet. I doubt if he would agree with Mr. Mason.

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