Reading to Matisse

Summary

Reading to Matisse is a tantalizing page-turner about family relationships, the beautiful Cote d’Azur and its luscious cuisine, the turmoil of world-shattering events, and the power of art to inspire redemption—and crime.

An elderly Frenchwoman, Vivienne, goes out on a mysterious errand in her peaceful, pretty little village—only to be deliberately struck down in the street by a stranger. Although she survives, she suspects that her life is still in danger because of choices she made in her youth, when she was a night nurse to Henri Matisse.

Meanwhile Pam, a chef who lives in Connecticut, has just sold her restaurant and is wondering what her next career move will be, when she gets a telephone call from the French hospital. Her enigmatic Aunt Vivi, whom Pam has met only once, needs her help. So, Pam, and her daughter Tina, embark on what they think will be a one-week visit. But fate intervenes and forces Pam and Tina to remain at Aunt Vivi’s villa much longer—where everyone gets more than they bargained for.

Inspired by true events in Matisse’s life, with intriguing twists and turns that culminate in a highly satisfying and surprising revelation, Reading to Matisse is a sensitive portrayal of what it feels like to be young, to be old, and to be somewhere in between.