Scan barcode
evaribaker's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this 3.5 stars. It dragged in some places, but the historical elements were very interesting. I enjoyed it.
krystyn13's review against another edition
3.0
The story moved a but slow for me through the first half. I even thought about giving up... I continues however and the story got better though it's far from a favorite for me. What I found most interesting was the authors notes at the end.
pswords72's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 to be fair. Parts were a bit slow. Did not realize it was a true story. Rise, fall and rise again for 3 young women.
greenthumbgeek's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn't finish. The characters were flat and boring. The flow of writing was jarring.
juniperd's review against another edition
5.0
okay - so this book ticked all the boxes for me: ballet, belle époque paris, degas, zola, la figaro.
while fictional, i loved the way buchanan wove the history of the real events throughout this story.
i read the book quickly - two very late-night reading sessions that kept me up way, waaaay past
bedtime. heh. the daytime sleepiness was worth it though.
17 july 13:
edited to add my review as it appeared in book browse, march 2013:
A documentary about the real-life model for Edgar Degas' famous sculpture, Little Dancer of Fourteen Years (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans), captured author Cathy Marie Buchanan's interest and set her on a course to bring the dancer's story to life.
The Painted Girls is the result of Buchanan's meticulous research and it is a wonderful novel of historical fiction that is also a lovely tribute to a girl many would otherwise never know. Buchanan creates a vivid world – that of Paris during the early years of the Belle Époque (see 'Beyond the Book'). This era was a time of growth in art and literature. As well, the Industrial Revolution allowed for continued advances in science and technology. While the Belle Époque may conjure images of beauty, optimism and art, it also had a seedy underbelly. Buchanan does not shy away from showing readers this world, and what life was like for the less privileged - those from the slums and lower classes who did not have access to family wealth or good education. Juxtaposition really speaks to the heart of The Painted Girls. The fine lines between depravity and dignity, wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness, truth and fiction are all taken on by Buchanan and woven together in a mesmerizing novel.
As the story begins, the van Goethem family is about to be evicted from their one-room tenement. Mrs. van Goethem is pleading for an extension on their rent, asking for some compassion as she is mourning the very recent death of her husband. The landlord reluctantly agrees to a short deferment. Mrs. van Goethem instructs her oldest daughter, Antoinette, to take her two younger sisters to the Paris Opera in the hopes of having them accepted to the ballet school. The ballet school trains girls with potential, offering them strict daily instructions, exams and advancement, while paying them to attend classes. Many families living in Parisian tenements view the ballet school as a way for daughters to escape their situations and have a chance at a better life. After successfully passing their entrance exams, Marie and Charlotte, the youngest daughters of the van Goethem family, are both invited to join the Paris Opera's ballet school and begin their studies and work as 'petits rats' ((little rats, a description still sometimes used to describe students of the Paris Opera Ballet School).
For her part, Mrs. van Goethem works as a washerwoman, earning a pittance. She develops an addiction to absinthe, which not only depletes her earnings but also effectively absents her from any role as a caring and nurturing mother. In this household, the sisters are left to take care of each other and rely only upon themselves. Centered on the two oldest sisters, Antoinette and Marie, The Painted Girls is a heartfelt story about the importance and strength of a sisterly relationship. Seventeen year-old Antoinette has not had much formal education and becomes increasingly street smart as she searches for employment. Marie, a very bright girl, had been favored by their father and encouraged in her scholarly studies. Though younger than Antoinette, Marie is a bit more refined. The differences in their speech and behaviors are nuanced but evident in the language they use and in their manners. Told in voices alternating between these two sisters, Buchanan's skills as a writer truly shine.
As the oldest, Antoinette feels the burden of responsibility for her two younger sisters acutely. She eventually lands a small role in a play, a controversial staging of L'Assommoir, a novel by Émile Zola. Through cast-mates, Antoinette is led down a path of dishonor. She is pulled, unknowingly into a murder mystery when her boyfriend, Émile Abadie, is accused and tried for murder. The relationship between the two sisters is strained and nearly broken as Marie fights against Antoinette's support of Émile.
Meanwhile, at the ballet school, it is discovered that Marie, though not a physically beautiful girl, has a surprising flexibility and instinctive feel for the music that makes her a dancer with huge potential and enviable natural skill. Artist Edgar Degas often watches the ballerinas in class and pays some of the girls to pose for him at his studio. Marie becomes his muse and visits him regularly, earning extra money for her family.
Through Degas, Marie also attracts the attention of Monsiuer Lefebvre, a season-ticket holder at the Paris Opera ballet. It was common for dancers to have patrons who helped with their expenses and, hopefully, their elevation through the ballet company. Lefebvre takes a shine to Marie and, again driven by the need for money, she accepts his offer of patronage. This was an unknown side of ballet to me and I was very surprised by the revelation that a high art form that is now viewed as full of grace and elegance, went through such a notorious era. These male patrons, for the most part, did not act altruistically or nobly. They preyed on young girls in a manner tacitly accepted by society.
William Shakespeare wrote "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." The Painted Girls gives the van Goethem girls a stage and they play roles necessary to survive and escape. Buchanan offers an unsentimental look at family and love during an era more noted for its glamour and optimism, wealth and excess. While the story can be heartbreaking at moments, Buchanan's beautiful prose gives this emotional read, hope. The reality of life off stage may be hard but despite where we are born, despite circumstances that seem designed to prevent us from rising, these hardships can be overcome.
the documentary can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XDREBSf6IAE
while fictional, i loved the way buchanan wove the history of the real events throughout this story.
i read the book quickly - two very late-night reading sessions that kept me up way, waaaay past
bedtime. heh. the daytime sleepiness was worth it though.
17 july 13:
edited to add my review as it appeared in book browse, march 2013:
A documentary about the real-life model for Edgar Degas' famous sculpture, Little Dancer of Fourteen Years (La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans), captured author Cathy Marie Buchanan's interest and set her on a course to bring the dancer's story to life.
The Painted Girls is the result of Buchanan's meticulous research and it is a wonderful novel of historical fiction that is also a lovely tribute to a girl many would otherwise never know. Buchanan creates a vivid world – that of Paris during the early years of the Belle Époque (see 'Beyond the Book'). This era was a time of growth in art and literature. As well, the Industrial Revolution allowed for continued advances in science and technology. While the Belle Époque may conjure images of beauty, optimism and art, it also had a seedy underbelly. Buchanan does not shy away from showing readers this world, and what life was like for the less privileged - those from the slums and lower classes who did not have access to family wealth or good education. Juxtaposition really speaks to the heart of The Painted Girls. The fine lines between depravity and dignity, wealth and poverty, beauty and ugliness, truth and fiction are all taken on by Buchanan and woven together in a mesmerizing novel.
As the story begins, the van Goethem family is about to be evicted from their one-room tenement. Mrs. van Goethem is pleading for an extension on their rent, asking for some compassion as she is mourning the very recent death of her husband. The landlord reluctantly agrees to a short deferment. Mrs. van Goethem instructs her oldest daughter, Antoinette, to take her two younger sisters to the Paris Opera in the hopes of having them accepted to the ballet school. The ballet school trains girls with potential, offering them strict daily instructions, exams and advancement, while paying them to attend classes. Many families living in Parisian tenements view the ballet school as a way for daughters to escape their situations and have a chance at a better life. After successfully passing their entrance exams, Marie and Charlotte, the youngest daughters of the van Goethem family, are both invited to join the Paris Opera's ballet school and begin their studies and work as 'petits rats' ((little rats, a description still sometimes used to describe students of the Paris Opera Ballet School).
For her part, Mrs. van Goethem works as a washerwoman, earning a pittance. She develops an addiction to absinthe, which not only depletes her earnings but also effectively absents her from any role as a caring and nurturing mother. In this household, the sisters are left to take care of each other and rely only upon themselves. Centered on the two oldest sisters, Antoinette and Marie, The Painted Girls is a heartfelt story about the importance and strength of a sisterly relationship. Seventeen year-old Antoinette has not had much formal education and becomes increasingly street smart as she searches for employment. Marie, a very bright girl, had been favored by their father and encouraged in her scholarly studies. Though younger than Antoinette, Marie is a bit more refined. The differences in their speech and behaviors are nuanced but evident in the language they use and in their manners. Told in voices alternating between these two sisters, Buchanan's skills as a writer truly shine.
As the oldest, Antoinette feels the burden of responsibility for her two younger sisters acutely. She eventually lands a small role in a play, a controversial staging of L'Assommoir, a novel by Émile Zola. Through cast-mates, Antoinette is led down a path of dishonor. She is pulled, unknowingly into a murder mystery when her boyfriend, Émile Abadie, is accused and tried for murder. The relationship between the two sisters is strained and nearly broken as Marie fights against Antoinette's support of Émile.
Meanwhile, at the ballet school, it is discovered that Marie, though not a physically beautiful girl, has a surprising flexibility and instinctive feel for the music that makes her a dancer with huge potential and enviable natural skill. Artist Edgar Degas often watches the ballerinas in class and pays some of the girls to pose for him at his studio. Marie becomes his muse and visits him regularly, earning extra money for her family.
Through Degas, Marie also attracts the attention of Monsiuer Lefebvre, a season-ticket holder at the Paris Opera ballet. It was common for dancers to have patrons who helped with their expenses and, hopefully, their elevation through the ballet company. Lefebvre takes a shine to Marie and, again driven by the need for money, she accepts his offer of patronage. This was an unknown side of ballet to me and I was very surprised by the revelation that a high art form that is now viewed as full of grace and elegance, went through such a notorious era. These male patrons, for the most part, did not act altruistically or nobly. They preyed on young girls in a manner tacitly accepted by society.
William Shakespeare wrote "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." The Painted Girls gives the van Goethem girls a stage and they play roles necessary to survive and escape. Buchanan offers an unsentimental look at family and love during an era more noted for its glamour and optimism, wealth and excess. While the story can be heartbreaking at moments, Buchanan's beautiful prose gives this emotional read, hope. The reality of life off stage may be hard but despite where we are born, despite circumstances that seem designed to prevent us from rising, these hardships can be overcome.
the documentary can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XDREBSf6IAE
jules14's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
inkwitchery's review against another edition
3.0
THE PAINTED GIRLS by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Spanning the years of 1878-95 during the Belle Époque (beautiful age) period in Paris, this book spins the backstory of artist Edgar Degas’ statue “Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen” and his series of ballerina paintings. It also highlights the dark and gritty side of Paris and the daily struggles of the working class and poor.
The story revolves around the real life van Goethem sisters (Antoinette, Marie and Charlotte) and their recently widowed, absinthe-addicted, selfish mother. The family is barely surviving on their mother’s meager income and the sisters have to go to great lengths to keep themselves afloat.
I usually enjoy books that combine art, history and real-life people into a compelling story however, I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I nearly gave up about halfway through, but I’m a completist and the end did make up for it.
I enjoyed the behind the scenes ballet and theater politics. It’s not all about fame, money and being the best dancer or actor. These young girls were overworked, undernourished, underpaid and subjected to the whims and deviant fancies of “abonnès” (rich old men/patrons).
While this a slow paced story, it did hold my interest enough to see it through the end. Parts of it were disturbing and may be triggering for some. If you enjoy art history or Edgar Degas’ art you may like this fictional backstory of his ballerina muse. If not, I’d pass.
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
#ThePaintedGirls #CathyMarieBuchanan
Spanning the years of 1878-95 during the Belle Époque (beautiful age) period in Paris, this book spins the backstory of artist Edgar Degas’ statue “Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen” and his series of ballerina paintings. It also highlights the dark and gritty side of Paris and the daily struggles of the working class and poor.
The story revolves around the real life van Goethem sisters (Antoinette, Marie and Charlotte) and their recently widowed, absinthe-addicted, selfish mother. The family is barely surviving on their mother’s meager income and the sisters have to go to great lengths to keep themselves afloat.
I usually enjoy books that combine art, history and real-life people into a compelling story however, I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I nearly gave up about halfway through, but I’m a completist and the end did make up for it.
I enjoyed the behind the scenes ballet and theater politics. It’s not all about fame, money and being the best dancer or actor. These young girls were overworked, undernourished, underpaid and subjected to the whims and deviant fancies of “abonnès” (rich old men/patrons).
While this a slow paced story, it did hold my interest enough to see it through the end. Parts of it were disturbing and may be triggering for some. If you enjoy art history or Edgar Degas’ art you may like this fictional backstory of his ballerina muse. If not, I’d pass.
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
#ThePaintedGirls #CathyMarieBuchanan
jennyjjs's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to know how to rate this book. But any book that makes me want to learn more about the era when I'm done reading it deserves to be rounded up to the next star. I actually saw the artwork of Degas including the 14 year old dancer back in D.C. when it was on a traveling tour for museums. At the time I didn't really feel moved by it, I just thought it was different, but after reading the book it kind of all came together why I might have felt the way I did seeing the artwork. And that's why I think art can be fascinating, we all come away with a different perspective.
lauraash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0