Matisse’s muse. Russian emigre Lydia flees as a child to Paris with her aunt after the 1917 revolution with the aim of joining the Sorbonne. She later becomes assistant to Madame Amelie Matisse and her soon to be famous artist husband in Nice and their relationship deepens. The story is told from both Amelie’s and Lydia’s point of view.

Based on historical research, the author gives us the story of Matisse's career through the eyes of the three, main women in his life. His wife, his longest serving assistant and his daughter all get their moment in the spotlight to reflect on what it is to live in the shadow of a man who was essentially wedded to his art with a singular passion. I only knew a bit about Matisse before starting this and after I'd finished it I did a bit of reading about his life and was impressed by the author's ability to stay so close to the facts of the story and make the fictionalised elements work so seamlessly with them. I really enjoyed this book.

Sophie Haydock seems to understand painters and their muses, and how their interdependence is crucial to the art produced. In this, the so-called difficult second novel, she gives an extra dimension to understanding what makes Matisse so special, through her depiction of the women in his life. It is often not just the artist’s own sacrifice which allows genius to grow, but those of the women who devote themselves to him.

Here she tells the stories of not just his wife, but of the other women associated with him, notably his daughter and assistant/muse Lydia.

In the process she brings the South of France to vivid life and colour. This is a beautiful, tragic and inspiring novel. Engrossing.

This is the story of Henri Matisse, a twentieth century artist, told through the accounts of the three main women in his life - his wife, Amelie, his daughter, Marguerite, and his housekeeper/muse, Lydia. I really enjoyed this. The writing style is easy and flows well, the characters are interesting and the settings and background are well-researched. I did not know much about this artist or his life, and it was interesting to see how truthfully the author has stuck to the known facts.

The artist and his women. The life and loves with inevitable heartbreak and joy. An insight into all this and more about the time.

I think this may have been wrong book, wrong time for me. I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I'd randomly picked it up in a bookshop when craving reading group fiction. It was beautifully written and the characters were carefully wrought. I found it less compelling that The Flames. However another 'muse' story is very welcome.

It wasn't until the afterword of this book that I realised I had already read this author, having very much enjoyed The Flames previously. Maybe Sophie Haydock is giving us the series that we didn't know we needed, all about the strength and character of the women who stood behind the artists that we consider legends today. Madame Matisse is an engaging book. It colours in the outlines of a story many of us already know and infuses the characters with life and feeling. The shadow of Lydia, the scandal of her is forever entwined with the name Matisse but we can never definitively know the nature of that relationship and in the end, it doesn't matter. At one point or another, each of the women in his life are the Madame Matisse to the great man himself. And the only truth is that he may never have become great at all without them.

Having loved another book from this author I was very excited to be approved for an arc of this. The author once again did not disappoint with her lush prose, engrossing plot and realistic characters who come to life on the page
Recommended for fans of art history and historical fiction

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

Nice 1939
Madame Amélie Matisse, wife of celebrated artist Henri, suffers chronic pain and has employed mysterious Russian émigré Lydia Delectorskaya since 1932 to help her in the home. Initially, Amélie has nothing to fear from the much younger woman but now Lydia has ‘invaded’ the household and seems to have laid claim to the affections of Henri, pushing Madame Matisse to the sidelines. Despite what Lydia claims, Amélie knows this is a battle for control and caught in the middle is Henri’s daughter Marguerite. This latest novel from Sophie Haydock takes the reader back to Paris of 1897 to Amélie and Henri’s first meeting and takes the storytelling on a journey to post World War Two.

One thing I learn very early on as a history graduate and teacher, is that truth is often stranger that fiction and aspects of this fascinating story bear this out as there are plenty of surprises in store. All the central protagonists are interesting. I knew nothing about the women in Matisse’s life and precious little about him beyond his works so learning about them all has been very rewarding. I especially enjoy when the couple are first in each other’s company as this is a meeting of two unconventional souls. I especially admire Amélie’s independence of spirit and pragmatism which is well ahead of her time. Things change as they often do as she hitches her wagon to the eventual success of her husband. Lydia’s story, traced from 1917 is interesting and the author does a good job on capturing a sense of her as she does of Marguerite. There are moments when each of them acts in a remarkable way which often impacts the others. You also witness what they are pushed to or risk when events dramatically change.

I love the art elements and Matisse is an artist whose work I like and have been lucky to view some of his pieces in various galleries. One of the things I enjoy most via the novel is looking up the art pieces that are mentioned which sheds new light on them, adding an extra dimension to the story.

Although I do enjoy this, after all I’ve rated it 4 stars, and it’s also fair to say my interest in their stories does not wane. However, I do think that the narrative feels a bit detached at times, reading like a biography. This may of course be a deliberate choice by the author but as there are moments of high drama I personally would like a bit more fire.

Overall though, it’s a good read and one I can recommend to fans of historical fiction and/or art and artists. I would also like to mention how fantastic the cover is, which perfectly captures the novel.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K., Transworld, Doubleday for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.