A story of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas, from the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter.
The young Mary Cassatt never thought moving to Paris after the Civil War to be an artist was going to be easy, but when, after a decade of work, her submission to the Paris Salon is rejected, Mary's fierce determination wavers. Her father is begging her to return to Philadelphia to find a husband before it is too late, her sister Lydia is falling mysteriously ill, and worse, Mary is beginning to doubt herself. Then one evening a friend introduces her to Edgar Degas and her life changes forever. Years later she will learn that he had begged for the introduction, but in that moment their meeting seems a miracle. So begins the defining period of her life and the most tempestuous of relationships.
In I Always Loved You, Robin Oliveira brilliantly re-creates the irresistible world of Belle Époque Paris, writing with grace and uncommon insight into the passion and foibles of the human heart.
For readers of The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan.
'In smart and supple prose . . . Oliveira's lively work illuminates these ambitious artists and rings true in the way the best fiction can.' The Seattle Times
'[This] book is accomplished and well-researched . . . Although sometimes [Degas and Cassatt] are completely alienated, they remain linked through their art and love.' Kirkus
'[Oliveira]'s illuminating portrayals of the inner lives of artists—Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot and Édouard Manet—are beautifully colored and as richly detailed as the paintings for which they are celebrated.' The Chicago Tribune
'Oliveira has woven a rich tapestry of the artists's life in Belle Époque Paris, in a close, intimate rendering.' Library Journal
'Art lovers will fall for this story full of beautiful details about the world of the Impressionists in Belle Époque Paris.' Examiner.com
'I Always Loved You is a beautifully composed—and extensively researched—blend of art history, vintage travelogue and good storytelling.' Dallas Morning News
'Emulating the powers of observation and expression possessed by the artists she so vividly and sensitively fictionalizes, Oliveira illuminates with piercing insight the churning psyches of her living-on-the-edge characters. This is a historically and aesthetically rich, complexly involving, and forthrightly sorrowful novel of the perilous, exhilarating, and world-changing lives of visionary artists breaking new ground and each other's hearts.' Booklist
