From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

The Painted Girls

Cathy Marie Buchanan

Start date: February 1, 2016

Finish date: February 29, 2016

Discussion: Past Book Discussions 2014-19

Discussion leader: Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu

Why we're reading this: Our February 2016 member selected theme read.
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What Members Thought

Jul 09, 2013 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, themechallenge2016

Edgar Degas’ masterpieces come to life in The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. I was captivated at once by the synopsis of the story. When I was a young girl, sharing a bedroom with a younger sister, my mother, an avid art lover, decorated our bedroom with Degas’ artwork. We had curtains of “Ballet Dancers on Stage” and other framed art featuring his ballet series. So, when a Goodreads’ group voted to read the story, I was quite pleased, pleased to learn more about Degas and his beautiful Edgar Degas’ masterpieces come to life in The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. I was captivated at once by the synopsis of the story. When I was a young girl, sharing a bedroom with a younger sister, my mother, an avid art lover, decorated our bedroom with Degas’ artwork. We had curtains of “Ballet Dancers on Stage” and other framed art featuring his ballet series. So, when a Goodreads’ group voted to read the story, I was quite pleased, pleased to learn more about Degas and his beautiful creations including “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen.” Fortunately, I grew up in a city filled with great artwork and the centerpiece for the story, “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen,” is one I’m quite familiar with, having visited The National Gallery of Art on numerous occasions. I could sit for long moments and just stare at the little ballerina, wondering about her story, why she pouted so.

Ms. Buchanan’s research of the Van Goethem sisters was quite detailed and I learned so much of Paris, the petite rats, and the depravity that many of the young hopeful dancers faced at the hands of their sponsors. The relationship with the sisters is the main plot that arched the individual stories of the young girls. All three, Antoinette, Marie, & Charlotte, strive for love: love of ballet, theater, and men of various distinctions.
Their hope was to move beyond the squalor of their abysmal Paris’ neighborhood and to achieve successful lives The novel builds on the relationship between the sisters from its most volatile to its most content. These three sisters were faced with the challenges of most siblings from caring enough to protect one another, to sharing meager earnings for a hearty meal, to raising the hope necessary to succeed & get through hard times. I greatly enjoyed the author’s attention to the little details of the rising ballerinas in Paris from humble homes. I found the clips from Le Figaro to be a wonderful addition to support the story.

My constructive criticism comes from the limited background or development of Mr. Degas. I would have preferred a storyline about his interest in the ballet with more detail, to understand his interest in these impoverished young women. I also was curious to learn more about the older men that ‘sponsored’ the hopeful dancers. The book could have also benefited from a Paris map of the era as well as samples of Degas’ artwork.

Overall, I did like the story and am inspired to read more about Degas and the Franco-Prussian War.
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