Review: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper

I wasn’t familiar with Harriet Scott Chessman until I won an autographed copy of Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper and now I find myself wondering why.  In a word, this book is delightful.  The writing is artistic and the photos of Mary Cassatt’s paintings that are featured are stunning.  This book is a fictional account of the relationship between the American Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt and her sister Lydia.  It is set in France in the late 1800’s and focuses on five paintings Mary did of Lydia during that time.  Mary and Lydia had an incredibly close bond that only sister’s can share.  Lydia was Mary’s favorite model and sometimes struggled to pose because she was battling Bright’s disease, which eventually took her life.

This book is helps you imagine what it was like in Paris in the late 1800’s.  I felt like I knew the Cassatts by the time I was through.  It is a wonderful story of family, love, strength and endurance.  I will definitely be looking for more of Harriet’s work.