Bought in desperation at an airport book store (what are the odds of me running out of reading material?)--and completely fell in love. During a trip to DC over a year ago, I saw the original painting and it just glowed--I've never felt quite like that about seeing a famous painting in the flesh. This novel traces the lives of the models, the split of the Impressionists, and France a decade after the Franco-Prussian war. I found myself constantly flipping to the cover to check out the painting and wishing I knew more about European and art history. A wonderful, beautiful book--highly recommended.