Victorine Laurent, hasn't known much love in her life. Her upbringing was at the mercy of some "aunts" and so when she joins the Paris Opera Ballet she makes a firm decision that love won't ever be her downfall. With her youth and wiles Victorine has her share of admirers and is mistress to an elderly gentleman when she meets Eduard Manet.
Manet is enchanted by the clever beauty and asks Victorine if she will pose for him. He makes no apologies for wanting more than just a relationship of painter and subject but Victorine quickly learns that Manet can easily grow tired of his muses. She is not interested in love but all the same she wants fame so she accepts to pose for him.
Eduard Manet will go on to paint portraits that will shock society and will garner him and Victorine fame. As Victorine's star shines brighter, she is being sought out by wealthier and more important men, and eventually she becomes a favorite of the Duke of Lyon. All the while Manet still carries a torch for Victorine and in her own way she is still loyal to him.
Rumors, intrigue and world politics revolve around Victorine and even if she is no longer a simple ballerina she still feels the scorn from some of the members of society, so much that she will be involved in a scandal that will make her question who her real friends and loves are and come to terms with her background.
Finerman's creative take on the life of Eduard Manet and his muse makes for an entertaining read. I found Victorine a bit hard to root for at times but had to remind myself that she was fighting for what she believed was her survival. What I really liked was when Finerman would bring in characters like Charles Baudelaire, Georges Bizet and other artists of the time into the story. I liked picturing those moments in my mind when I read this book.
Added 09/07