Bloomsbury are delighted to be offering two reading groups ten copies of the compelling new novel from the author of Madwoman, THE PARIS MUSE.
‘An unforgettable novel about an extraordinary woman’ – MAGGIE BROOKES
‘A powerful, absorbing read’ – GILL PAUL
‘An absolute page turner’ – ESSIE FOX
‘Treger probes the complexities of love, power and creativity’ – ANNABEL ABBS
‘Living with him was like living at the centre of the universe. It was electrifying and humbling, blissful and destructive, all at the same time.’
Paris, 1936. When Dora Maar, a talented French photographer, painter and poet, is introduced to Pablo Picasso, she is mesmerized by his dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity, it isn’t long before she embarks on a passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that sometimes includes sadism and masochism, and ultimately pushes her to the edge.
The Paris Muse is the fictionalized retelling of this disturbing love story, as we follow Dora on her journey of self-discovery and expression. Set in Paris and the French Riviera, where Dora and Pablo spent their holidays with their glamorous artist friends, it provides a fascinating insight into how Picasso was a genius who side-stepped the rules in his human relationships as he did in his art. Much to Dora’s torment, he refused to divorce his wife and conducted affairs with Dora’s friends. The Spanish Civil War made him depressed and violent, an angst that culminated in his acclaimed painting ‘Guernica’, which Dora documented as he painted.
As the encroaching darkness suffocates their relationship – a darkness that escalates once the Second World War begins and the Nazis invade the country – Dora has a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized.
Atmospheric, intense and moving, The Paris Muse is an astonishing read that ensures that this talented, often overlooked woman who gave her life to Picasso is no longer a footnote.
To be in with a chance of winning copies for your reading group, please email [email protected] with the subject line ‘RA: THE PARIS MUSE’ by 19th May.
