Thanks for this info. Where is The Floor Scrapers exhibited, if it is?

I'm in Paris now, it would be wonderful to see it here. Merci!

Cameron, I saw it at the D'orsay.

I didn't know of this author or this series. And I thought I was something getting Cara Black's latest release!

This gives you an idea how powerful this painting is

http://tinyurl.com/o1xi

Back when I was in college, I spent a summer as a museum guard at the Phillips. "My" room was the one with the Luncheon of the Boating Party. I'm not actually a Renoir fan, but I did come to like the painting by the end of the summer. Other paintings that were nearby were van Gogh, Vuillard and Bonnard. It was by far my favorite summer job.

The Afternoon of the Boating Party has been moved at The Phillips after the renovation. You no longer have to walk through the entire museum to see it. I guess you might say they were accomodationg the "fast tourist" when they relocated it.

Actually, I did not think all that much of Vreeland's other books. It is obvious, however, that she has hit a niche market. I might try and get it out of the library.

Don't knock yourself out, Faux. I'm sure the list for the new book will be long because there are so many avid fans of Vreeland. If you're not one of them, put yourself at the end of the list.

cigalechanta, merci beaucoup!

ComfyShoes, re Vreeland's other books:
Girl in Hyacinth Blue traces the history of a fictional Vermeer painting. The Passion of Artemisia is about the 17th c Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Life Stories is a collection of short stories, some set in the 19th/early 20th c, the rest contemporary times, all with art themes. The Forest Lover is about Canadian painter Emily Carr. I've read all except The Forest Lover. Passion of Artemisia is my favorite (but I haven't finished the new one yet).

I like her work because she researches thoroughly. She changes things to suit her story not out of ignorance of the facts, but for creative purposes--big difference between the two in my world. She looks for creative ways to mix fiction with the facts, and the research is so deftly woven in there, it goes down easily and doesn't feel 'academic'. Her writing is lively, clear, and character-driven. I'm definitely a fan, and I'm always recommending her books to my art history students for fun reading.

So nice to see your "pleasant" comments online, StCirq.

Still dictating to people?

I am currently reading this book. It did not get a favorable review in "The Washington Post", and the post was 100% correct. The characters are very flat without real development and the story is, in my opinion, less than riveting. It is also hard to follow the stories of all the individuals in the painting, who have long been identified. You would think Renoir would have been a riveting subject, but in Vreeland's hands, he isn't. We learn nothing of what is going on in his mind or in any of the other characters' minds either. It is just "He did this. He went there."

I am only 150 pages into the book, but, believe me, it is enough to say it is not really worth your time.

I am only reading it because I occasionally guide in DC and could get asked about it; guides do have to be familiar with all the literature and new books about Washington, DC. I will slog through it to the end only for that reason. I definitely do not recommend that others read it, but you can all make up your own minds.