‘Pablo Picasso had been my mother’s favorite artist, her aesthetic touchstone. Reproductions of his paintings had lined the walls of my childhood room. .. In our apartment, Picasso was an almost godlike figure, or at least a giant figure, the greatest artist who ever lived,’

My thanks to Headline for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Picasso’s Lovers’ by Jeanne Mackin.

This is a work of historical fiction that focuses upon the love life of Pablo Picasso, primarily during the early 1920s. First off, I am a great admirer of Picasso’s art though have been less interested in his turbulent private life.

Paris, 1923. Following the end of the Great War, many wealthy foreigners come to the city drawn by the Bohemian Parisian lifestyle. The artist Pablo Picasso is already famous and is very much at the heart of this vibrant community. He is also infamous for his many love affairs with his Muses.

In New York, 1953 aspiring journalist Alana Olson has always been fascinated by Picasso. When alive her mother had decorated their home with reproductions of his art. Alana is assigned by the editor of Art Now to write an article about him.

She decides to take a different approach from others and focus on two of his iconic works: The Lovers, painted in the South of France in the early twenties, and his masterpiece, Guernica, painted in 1937. To this end she seeks interviews with Sara Murphy and Irène Lagut - two women from Picasso's French social circle who can provide background on these paintings. During these interviews Alana uncovers surprising details about her mother’s life.

In addition, Alana is concerned about the attention of Senator McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee who are currently investigating Professor Grippi, a world-renowned art historian with Socialist sympathies. Alana had studied with him and attended a number of demonstrations. In those days, such an association could be enough to ruin a career even though Alana was likely ‘small fry’.

While the story is set primarily in 1953 we experience the past through the recollections of Alana’s interviewees. I felt that the movement between these various sections flowed well.

I was impressed by the author’s attention to period detail and her commitment to honouring her subjects, seeking to keep them true to their known personalities and lives. Obviously, others including Alana and her mother are purely fictional though I felt that they too were well fleshed out.

I also enjoyed the romantic aspects of the novel as Alana comes to an awareness of what she wants in this respect.

I would expect this novel to be popular with reading groups and the novel concludes with a list of questions to facilitate group discussion.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘Picasso’s Lovers’ finding it an engaging read that imparted information about Picasso’s art as well as his turbulent life. I was pleased that Picasso had a brief appearance when Alana finally travels to France to complete her article.

Born in Spain Pablo Picasso spent most of his working adult life in France, it’s estimated he drew, painted and created over 20,000 piece of art, but what he was most famous for was his affairs with women, he was a cad and a notorious heart breaker.

American's Sara and Gerald Murphy like to entertain, are friends with talented artists and writers in Paris, including Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway and Dorothy Parker. They invite Pablo Picasso and his wife Olga to a party they hold on the Seine River and Sara feels drawn to the master and he wants her to model for him. The Murphy’s convince the owner of Hotel du Cap in the French Riviera to stay open for the summer, with their three children, they like to sun-bake, swim and the French weren't fans of the beach and they started a new trend.

The story has a dual timeline and it's set during 1923 and 1953 and is told from two main female characters Sara Murphy's and Alana Olsen's points of view and the connection they had to one of the Lost Generations artist’s Pablo Picasso.

Alana Olsen is an inspiring journalist, her mother Anna has recently passed away and her fiancée William is keen for them to set a date for their wedding. Alana isn’t sure she’s ready to get married, as she sits thinking in her mother’s New York apartment and decides she’s going to write an article about Pablo Picasso for the Art Today magazine.

Alana travels to New Jersey hoping to speak to Sara Murphy as she knew Pablo Picasso and she agrees to be interviewed. As Sara tells Alana about her life, the glamorous and tragic incidents that took place and Sara also discusses what happened between her and Picasso, and they uncover an unexpected connection to her mother Anna and no wonder she took Alana to view his paintings.

I received a copy of Picasso’s Lovers by Jeanne Mackin from Headline and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The author uses real events and people to write about Pablo Picasso and what occurs during the drama filled summer of 1923.

Alana discovers her mother has been keeping secrets from her, Anna had always been very vague about her life prior to courting and marrying her husband and did she meet the great man? A story about Alana not only finding out all she can about Pablo Picasso, it’s about her deciding what she wants to in her own life, she’s been like a ship without a rudder since the loss of her mum and she finds her own course.

I did know a little about Pablo Picasso prior to reading this book, I knew he'd been married several times and he was a womanizer. I was shocked to discover he had a long term relationship with Irene Lagut and I guess you would refer to her as his mistress. I can now understand why some people had a love or hate attitude towards the famous artist, Pablo Picasso was a complex and fascinating man, the perfect person to base a historical fiction novel around, it certainly kept my attention, I highly recommend and five stars from me.

An unusual and interesting take on a famous artist that the world thinks they know through his art. To see this from a female lens was captivating and interesting. A unique writing style to this as well which kept me intrigued. If you are looking for something a little bit different, I highly recommend this read.

A quick but explosive read. Gripping from page 1 right up until the ending. One to recommend. 5* from me. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Phenomenal . . . truly remarkable and amazingly un put downable