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Lisette's List: A Novel Paperback – June 23, 2015

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,620 ratings

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From Susan Vreeland, bestselling author of such acclaimed novels as Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany, comes a richly imagined story of a woman’s awakening in the south of Vichy France—to the power of art, to the beauty of provincial life, and to love in the midst of war.

In 1937, young Lisette Roux and her husband, André, move from Paris to a village in Provence to care for André’s grandfather Pascal. Lisette regrets having to give up her dream of becoming a gallery apprentice and longs for the comforts and sophistication of Paris. But as she soon discovers, the hilltop town is rich with unexpected pleasures.

Pascal once worked in the nearby ochre mines and later became a pigment salesman and frame maker; while selling his pigments in Paris, he befriended Pissarro and Cézanne, some of whose paintings he received in trade for his frames. Pascal begins to tutor Lisette in both art and life, allowing her to see his small collection of paintings and the Provençal landscape itself in a new light. Inspired by Pascal’s advice to “Do the important things first,” Lisette begins a list of vows to herself (#
4. Learn what makes a painting great). When war breaks out, André goes off to the front, but not before hiding Pascal’s paintings to keep them from the Nazis’ reach.

With German forces spreading across Europe, the sudden fall of Paris, and the rise of Vichy France, Lisette sets out to locate the paintings (
#11. Find the paintings in my lifetime). Her search takes her through the stunning French countryside, where she befriends Marc and Bella Chagall, who are in hiding before their flight to America, and acquaints her with the land, her neighbors, and even herself in ways she never dreamed possible. Through joy and tragedy, occupation and liberation, small acts of kindness and great acts of courage, Lisette learns to forgive the past, to live robustly, and to love again.

Praise for Lisette’s List

“Vreeland’s love of painters and painting, her meticulous research and pitch-perfect descriptive talents . . . are abundantly evident in her new novel.”
The Washington Post

“This historical novel’s . . . great strength is its lovingly detailed setting. . . . Readers will enjoy lingering in the sun-dappled, fruit-scented Provençal landscape that Vreeland brings to life.”
The Boston Globe
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Susan] Vreeland’s love of painters and painting, her meticulous research and the pitch-perfect descriptive talents that distinguished such books as Girl in Hyacinth Blue and Luncheon of the Boating Party are abundantly evident in her new novel.”The Washington Post
 
“[
Lisette’s List] great strength is its lovingly detailed setting, a mountaintop village—‘like some fantasy kingdom from a child’s folk legend, altogether dazzling’—whose charm gradually enwraps the reader just as it does the initially resistant Lisette. . . . Readers will enjoy lingering in the sun-dappled, fruit-scented Provençal landscape that Vreeland brings to life.”The Boston Globe
 
“Part romance, part historical fiction, part travelogue, part art history text . . . Vreeland knows her art, she knows Provence, and she’s done her historical homework. . . .
Lisette’s List offers its readers a pleasurable opportunity to learn something about art, history and ocher, and to enjoy a plucky heroine who grows in ways she never thought possible.”St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“Mesmerizing . . . Vreeland’s passionate writing is as good as a private showing at the Louvre.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“An entrancing novel of joy and heartache . . . Vreeland provides the reader with a broad spectrum of emotions.”
The Free Lance-Star

“The novel’s heart is its patient interweaving of sensuous, meticulously observed details with themes of forgiveness, female strength, and survival.”
Publishers Weekly
 
Lisette’s List is heartfelt, loving and lovely, and asks difficult questions beautifully.”Shelf Awareness

About the Author

Susan Vreeland is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Clara and Mr. Tiffany and Girl in Hyacinth Blue. She died in 2017.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (June 23, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812980190
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812980196
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.17 x 1.02 x 7.93 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,620 ratings

About the author

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Susan Vreeland
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Susan Vreeland's short fiction has appeared in journals such as The Missouri Review, Confrontation, New England Review, and Alaska Quarterly Review. Her first novel, What Love Sees, was made into a CBS Sunday Night Movie. She teaches English literature and Art in San Diego public schools.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
1,620 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging and well-written. They appreciate the detailed descriptions of the artists and their styles. The characters are described as compelling and human.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

138 customers mention "Story quality"130 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story with vivid descriptions that immerse them in the setting. They find the intricate details about art, artists, and paint colors interesting and informative. The book provides an insightful introduction to painting and artists, and readers appreciate the historical context.

"...There is grief, happiness, friendship, jealousy, love and great food!" Read more

"...This completely believable work of fiction connects Paris and the artists of the late 19th and early 20th century with the Provençal village of..." Read more

"...about art as all of Ms. Vreeland's books are and teaches readers much about painting and artists. I enjoy books set in France...." Read more

"...The mining of ochre, the back story of the Impressionists paintings which were the focus of the story and the Nazi interest in the artistic..." Read more

136 customers mention "Enjoyment"130 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it interesting and engaging, especially for those who love art and artists. The book holds their interest throughout with its descriptions of lovely villages.

"...the town and environs are described accurately, saturated with the south of France sun and colors...." Read more

"...and of the village throughout seasons and years, and the role of art and beauty in life. This is a wonderful read!" Read more

"...It is set in Paris and the beautiful little town of Roussillon, now much loved by tourists...." Read more

"I read this one for my book club and I did enjoy reading it for the information about survival in rural Provence during and just prior to WWII..." Read more

64 customers mention "Writing quality"61 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They praise the author's descriptive style and find the story engaging. The characters are well-drawn and the writing is easy to read.

"...The writing is very nice with lovely descriptions of art, nature, and characters...." Read more

"I love Susan Vreeland's books. They are extremely well written and well researched and this book is no exception...." Read more

"...overall, a good read." Read more

"...the discussion of Pisarro and Cezanne was insightful, and the descriptions were clear. The discussion of ochre and paint hues fascinated me...." Read more

40 customers mention "Insight"40 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's insightful and captivating descriptions of artists and their styles. They appreciate the author's knowledge about painting and the progression of painting styles. The stories about well-known painters and the memories it brings back are also enjoyed by readers.

"I loved this book! The novel is about a real town in Provence and 3 famous painters...." Read more

"...It is intellectually challenging in a very good way in that I often had to call on my knowledge of many things disparate to understand what was..." Read more

"...’s concept provides Vreeland with the opportunity to showcase her knowledge about artists and painting, enthrall the reader with glorious scenic..." Read more

"...It suited the purposed perfectly; the discussion of Pisarro and Cezanne was insightful, and the descriptions were clear...." Read more

37 customers mention "Description"33 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the detailed descriptions of villages and countryside in France. They find the book enthralling with its vivid scenery, Provence region, and Paris. The author also provides wonderful descriptions of artists and painting.

"...Much of the town and environs are described accurately, saturated with the south of France sun and colors...." Read more

"...The descriptions of the Provence region are breath-taking. Makes me want to go there. Soon. In case you're wondering, I seldom give any book 5 stars...." Read more

"...her knowledge about artists and painting, enthrall the reader with glorious scenic descriptions, and display the product of meticulous research...." Read more

"...It is a tale of art, characters, customs and country life in a time of war. The author paints pictures with her words." Read more

33 customers mention "Character development"29 positive4 negative

Customers find the characters compelling and well-developed. They also appreciate the intriguing story and heroine.

"...The focus is on the characters, The life in and of the village throughout seasons and years, and the role of art and beauty in life...." Read more

"...writing is very nice with lovely descriptions of art, nature, and characters...." Read more

"...The main characters, especially Lissette, were well developed and human...." Read more

"...It is a tale of art, characters, customs and country life in a time of war. The author paints pictures with her words." Read more

12 customers mention "Survival"12 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's survival story. They find it fascinating and heartwarming, with a tale of history, art, and hardship during wartime. The story is full of love, heartache, and friendship.

"This is a slow-moving, beautifully written story of history, art, survival and patience...." Read more

"...The connection to the art world was fascinating. Lisette's strength and determination was inspiring...." Read more

"...history of France and WW11, French farmhouse cooking, or a fascinating story of survival, you will love this book." Read more

"...insight into lives of painters, the region of Roussillon and the hardships of war." Read more

21 customers mention "Plot complexity"13 positive8 negative

Customers have different views on the plot complexity. Some find it complex with original characters and a bit of mystery, history, and love. Others feel the story is predictable with repetitive details and unrealistic praise for the artist.

"...The characters are original and complex. It's a great reminder that humans are amazingly adaptable and creative, even in difficult situations." Read more

"...While the plot is a bit predictable the story unfolds with accurate information of 20th century French artists, the specialized ochre industry, and..." Read more

"...Lisette's strength and determination was inspiring. I loved the development of each and every character and was so sad when the book ended...." Read more

"...A bit of mystery, a bit of history and every form of love." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2024
    I loved this book! The novel is about a real town in Provence and 3 famous painters. Much of the town and environs are described accurately, saturated with the south of France sun and colors. The three famous painters are described in reality with several paintings that I had to see on the internet.
    There is grief, happiness, friendship, jealousy, love and great food!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2019
    Susan Vreeland has again created a novel about art and artists that brings the reader into their world. This completely believable work of fiction connects Paris and the artists of the late 19th and early 20th century with the Provençal village of Rousillon where the pigments used in the paints were mined, through the characters of the Parisienne Lisette and her grandfather-in-law, Pascal, a miner and pigment seller. It also traces the progression through Pisarro and the earliest pre-impressionist art through Picasso and up to Chagall, who appears as a character in this novel.

    Although the story covers the period from 1936 through 1949 and includes the Nazi occupation of France and the war, The focus isn't on the war. The focus is on the characters, The life in and of the village throughout seasons and years, and the role of art and beauty in life. This is a wonderful read!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
    This book takes place from 1937, just before the war in Europe broke out until 1948, a period of eleven years, just before, during, and right after the war. It is set in Paris and the beautiful little town of Roussillon, now much loved by tourists. The story is about art as all of Ms. Vreeland's books are and teaches readers much about painting and artists. I enjoy books set in France.

    Lisette is the main character, but Pascal, her grandfather-in-law is the character who begins the book. Pascal began as a miner in the ocre mines, then a paint seller in Paris, a frame maker who is given several paintings because the artists cannot afford to buy materials to work on their paintings. Pascal helped them moneyways. As time goes on, these artists, Cezanne and Pissarro,become famous. Pascal realizes they will be, their paintings are priceless. Lisette and her husband, Andre, move to Roussillon. Pascal is aged, health failing. Oh how Lisette misses Paris where she has always lived and loved. Her mentor is the wonderful nun, Sister Marie Pierre, who taught Lisette to love life and to be aware of the world around her. Lisette was raised in a Catholic orphanage in Paris, her parents are gone.

    Cezanne is from Provence, much admired by Lizette, Andre and Pascal. His paintings remind them so much of their home which all three love. Lisette falls in love with Roussillon, Provence and its people. Lisette writes out her list of seventeen different accomplishments she needs to work on. She has a hard time living during the war time, needing to live by herself, to do for herself. Andre has enlisted, leaving her alone in a strange world, a small provincial village. She is gifted with a small goat she names Genevieve, the Patron Saint of Paris, a hen she names Kooritzah, to provide milk to make cheese and get eggs. She loves these animals. There are the seven priceless paintings Andre has hidden that Lizette must find. The question is are these paintings worth more than human lives.

    Ms. Vreeland writes beautifully about Roussillon and the countryside surrounding the village, plants, flowers, trees, birds in that part of the world. She knows much about Roussillon, Provence, Vaucluse and the history during the war. People are struggling to provide food, material to make clothes and shoes needs to be able to live. The Vichy government is stealing everything away to send to Germany. There are citizens who are traitors to their own country and turning in friends, neighbors, relatives to do well with the enemy. There are Resistance fighters fighting to save France.

    Lisette loves art more and more and meets others who share her passion. She meets artist Marc Chagall and wife Bella who love goats and chichens as much as she does. Marc paints beautiful, different paintings. The couple are living in Gordes, needing to escape to America. Refugees from Paris are moving into Vaucluse,fleeing the Nazis, moving into abandoned buildings. Gypsies wander around. Waiting for Godot was written by Samuel Beckett possibly when he and two British ladies were living in Roussillon. Ms Vreeland has done much research on this book.

    After a long, horrible time, the war finally ends. The Arlington Art Museum is presenting paintings by Toulouse Lautrec, Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth is presenting art by Braque. Timely.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2019
    I read this one for my book club and I did enjoy reading it for the information about survival in rural Provence during and just prior to WWII occupation by Germany. The mining of ochre, the back story of the Impressionists paintings which were the focus of the story and the Nazi interest in the artistic treasure in France held my attention. The writing is very nice with lovely descriptions of art, nature, and characters. However, it is basically a romance novel that goes on a little too long.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2016
    I love Susan Vreeland's books. They are extremely well written and well researched and this book is no exception. It is intellectually challenging in a very good way in that I often had to call on my knowledge of many things disparate to understand what was going on--Latin (I never took French), art, European History, and WWII. The main characters, especially Lissette, were well developed and human. The man that you initially think will be a villain turns out to be just another lonely man. The man she falls in love with is not easy to win because of his own struggles with PTSD. The descriptions of the Provence region are breath-taking. Makes me want to go there. Soon. In case you're wondering, I seldom give any book 5 stars. This one deserves it.
    8 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Ann Victoria Roberts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love, Life & Art
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2017
    This novel held my attention from the first few pages. Art, I love; France, I love; so to have both those elements in a beautifully-written wartime novel, was a pleasure indeed. Susan Vreeland conveys the beauty of Provence, its harshness and privations before and during WW2, with the story of her heroine, Lisette Roux, a stranger from Paris. Weaving through the novel is the gripping tale of seven significant paintings.
    As Lisette’s husband, Andre, leaves for the war, he hides the canvases, but gives only a small clue as to their whereabouts. Lisette’s determination to find them again, keeps the reader turning pages.
    Other reviewers have given details of the story, so I will not repeat them here, except to say that criticisms of ‘lack of plot’ are, I feel, unfounded. This is a novel about character and place, and the effects of one upon the other. Roussillon changes Lisette, as do the local people; the war and its deprivations teach her not simply how to survive, but what is important in life. And as ‘Lisette’s List’ of hungers and vows increase, so do they change as she grows and matures as a woman.
    The author’s research must have been extensive, and yet the details were perfectly blended – like the artists’ pigments – into a truly beautiful story. I have visited Roussillon, in Provence, and seen the glowing colours of its ochre cliffs, so perhaps I was already halfway there - but I loved ‘Lisette’s List’ and will delight in reading it again.
  • Fireweed 9
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lisette's List casts a spell
    Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2014
    There are never enough stars for Susan's work. This book is wonderful. It brings the south of France, it's people, the land, the art, alive. As well, there is a mystery to be solved and I always find that engaging.

    The characters grow on you just as they did for Lisette.

    I was disconcerted however by the way the first chapters were written-- crowding a lot of details about the Impressionists' lives and art into a short time frame--but then this treatment began to make sense in terms of the little time available to one of the characters to convey this information.

    I was very pleased to learn more about the lovely town of Rousillion (where I actually visited this summer). And I enjoyed reliving the sounds, smells, and beauties of that area of France through Susan's word pictures. Similarly, I gained a new perspective about what the French people had to go through during the war years.

    The love of Paris features here too as Lisette reflects upon her earlier life there and often compares her provincial way of living to the urban wonders of that city. It is fun to visit her favourite haunts with her.
    This book also shares numerous love stories and overcoming various types of adversity. I admire the way Susan weaves in and develops the characters that come to mean so much to Lisette and to the reader.
    A delight of a book. Highly recommended.
    I bought the kindle version but I will buy the hard copy version too, to have it on hand in my library.
  • Paula Ney
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
    Reviewed in Canada on October 21, 2021
    An interesting historical novel. Enjoyed it very much.
  • Marilyn MacMullen
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating story
    Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2018
    The author made me fee that I too was living in rural France during the war and its aftermath. I loved Lisette’s list and her search for meaning and purpose. Her appreciation of the paintings and of art and artists along with rich descriptions of scenes and colours and skies compelled me to read on avidly to the end.
  • Mrs. Mary Mcginlay
    2.0 out of 5 stars not good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2018
    could not get into this