In Stores Now Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell and Winners

"When art student Claude Monet glimpses a fetching girl at the train station en route to Paris, it is, as they say, love at first sight. When he tracks Camille Doncieux down months later and convinces her to become his model, it is an embarrassment of riches. The two become lovers, but because starving artists have always been deemed poor husband material, Camille’s family mightily objects to the affair, just as Monet’s father vehemently opposes his son’s career. The couple finds solace in the company of Monet’s fellow aspiring painters: Renoir, Pissaro, and Bazille chief among them. While commercial and critical success elude him, Monet’s love for Camille eventually succumbs to the forces of physical and financial ruin. The connection between artist and muse potentially offers a rich trove for authors, and Cowell mines the tempestuous relationship of Monet and his romantic and artistic inspiration with a nimble and discerning command as she indelibly evokes the lush demimonde of nineteenth-century Paris".

The winners of the "Claude and Camille" giveaway are:

Cindi Hoppes, Terra Baker, sharon blajev, Kendall, Nancy

In stores today and if you did not manage to snag yourself a copy in the giveaway today is the day it is finally released in book stores everywhere. For more on this incredible book check out my review, Stephanie's guest post on Monet, and my best reads of 2011.

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