This is a must for any book club that enjoys historical fiction. Susan Vreeland brings the famous Renoir painting to life. All my book club members said "I will never look at that painting the same again." Each character in the painting has a story and the effect it has as a whole make for an interesting read. It takes you to a time in France where the people really enjoyed life in spite of their suffering. It was interesting to read about the history of the Impressionist art movment in its infancy, too. Great pick, wonderful food - perfect for a book club luncheon!

I could see, smell and almost taste the food served every Sunday - feel the texture of the fabrics on the clothes of the ladies - feel the movement of the boats during the races - all these elements make for an exciting read.

I enjoyed this book once I got into it, but it was difficult at first. Several members of my book club did not finish it because they gave up trying to figure out who was who. On the plus side, however, it gave me a wealth of information on this very famous painting, a painting that I personally have viewed many times and really love. Now I would like to go back to the Phillips Gallery and see it again. Susan Vreeland has researched well and covers the history of the era and the various artists' thinking of that period. For me it was especially interesting to read about Renoir's friends and his life because I did not have much knowledge on the subject.

Vreeland once again has taken a piece of art and its artist and fleshed out both. Her ability to weave the historical events of late 19th century France to Renoir and his painting makes for an enlivened art history/biography/fiction for the reader. My only suggestion is to print out a copy of the painting and list the characters in the painting so as not to experience any confussion and be able to assign a face to a personality. Our group enjoyed this book very much

A Must read. It captures you from the first page. We actually had fun learning about Auguste Renoir and the makings of this painting. We all felt a closeness to the people in the painting and felt a part of it all. So much so, that we dined on much of the same food as did Renoir and his Boating Party did during the sittings for this painting. A book club member had a copy of the painting in her dining room, so ate and drank and dressed in straw boating hats just like the painting. Loved it!

This is a historical fiction about Renoir's famous painting and how he recruited people to model for the painting and the different stories behind these characters. A fun read, especially if you are a fan of impressionist art!