The Impressionists were revolutionaries, pushing at every boundary of societal and artistic convention. The Belle Epoque was just beginning, and opulent nightclubs hosted aristos and slum-girls alike in a riot of glamour and clash of cultures. Trains, which offered unprecedented movement and travel to the growing middle classes, were the Titans of the day with their mighty steam engines powering the length and breadth of the country. Everyone and everything, it seems, was on the move.
1860’s Paris was the perfect place for a girl like Mimi, full of ambition and talent, with a lust for life, to slip through a chink in the status quo and make a better life for herself.
The Painter’s Girl
Paris, 1860s. For Mimi Bisset, survival is everything on the cobbled streets of the Paris slums. She tries to forget the pain of losing her daughter Colette: born out of wedlock and forcibly given away to a rich family. But Mimi’s world turns upside down after a chance encounter with handsome artist Édouard Manet. Boldly posing for portraits on Manet’s chaise longue, Mimi feels a wild freedom – and as Manet teaches her how to layer the vivid paints on canvas herself, a passion grows between them that breaks all the rules…
A completely gripping and heartbreaking read that will whisk you away to 19th-century Paris. Perfect for anyone who loves Marie Benedict, Chocolat and Dinah Jefferies.
What everyone’s saying about The Painter’s Girl
‘A completely gripping and heartbreaking read that will whisk you away to 19th-century Paris Helen Fripp is a fantastic author and I love the way she draws you into the characters and storyline. This one was easily read in one sitting. It’s an absolute triumph. This is truly an unstoppable read! And I loved every minute of it!’ Netgalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Just like the author's previous book (The French House), it's exactly the kind of historical novel I love to read - a great mix of history and fiction, real people and imaginary ones who become so familiar to readers we might find ourselves surprised not to see them mentioned in non-fiction texts later.’ Isabella D ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Helen Fripp gives us a peek into the world of artists in Paris during The Impressionist period. The protagonist, Mimi, is likable, and believable, and a strong, positive person in spite of obstacles and stumbles. I loved her, and loved the book.’ Netgalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Impressionist muses and inspiration
It’s often just one detail that sparks my imagination. In this case I read a quote about a muse painted by one of the Impressionists. The critics of the day dismissed her as a ‘syphilitic whore with two children, totally unsuitable as a companion for the artist.’ And I thought, what about her? What about her children? She had syphilis, but she was still working, and must have been absolutely desperate. She’d lose her looks, and therefore her living, if she didn’t lose her life first. It seemed so unfair that the man was lauded and this poor woman was dismissed in all her misery. So I started to read up, and found all these amazing women who became artists in their own right, or lit up the Paris social scene with their dazzling wit, beauty and talent. From there, I came up with Mimi, an amalgam of some of the famous muses I researched. I breathed life into her and dropped her in the world of the early Impressionists, who were the rebels and revolutionaries of their time, in a Paris where class lines were blurring.
