The Portraitist

By Susanne Dunlap

Publisher Description

Based on a true story, this is the tale of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard’s fight to take her rightful place in the competitive art world of eighteenth-century Paris.

With a beautiful rival who’s better connected and better trained than she is, Adélaïde faces an uphill battle. Her love affair with her young instructor in oil painting gives rise to suspicions that he touches up her work, and her decision to make much-needed money by executing erotic pastels threatens to create as many problems as it solves. Meanwhile, her rival goes from strength to strength, becoming Marie Antoinette’s official portraitist and gaining entrance to the elite Académie Royale at the same time as Adélaïde.

When at last Adélaïde earns her own royal appointment and receives a massive commission from a member of the royal family, the timing couldn’t be worse: it’s 1789, and with the fall of the Bastille her world is turned upside down by political chaos and revolution. With danger around every corner in her beloved Paris, she must find a way adjust to the new order, carving out a life and a career all over again—and stay alive in the process.

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6 Reviews

3.5

RaynReads

Created 11 months ago

beeapinae

Created over 2 years ago

“This was a beautifully written and inspiring read, covering not only the struggles of a female artist navigating male-dominated spaces of the 18th century art world but also the chaos and tension in pre and post-revolutionary France. The descriptions of the artists' work were so rich that I often found myself putting the book aside momentarily to look up paintings. It's evident that Susanne Dunlap really put effort into her research and cared about her subjects - even taking the time to share with the reader what elements of her writing were more embellished in her author's note. Adelaide Labille-Guiard was never mentioned in any of my art history or painting classes in college, and I'm so glad that more attention is being given to her story and work. Thank you to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and Susanne Dunlap for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.”

Britt

Created over 2 years ago

Peleda Naktine

Created over 2 years ago

“This is an interesting historical fiction piece on a woman portraitist in XVIII century France. While there are many books on famous people, women included - there are not so many on less known people, who struggled all their lives to achieve something. This book is about such a person, a woman, an underdog in the art world during the times when being a woman was not an easy task, nevermind the revolution! Based on a real person and events with some added fiction (there is author's note on what is real and what is not at the end of the book), it's skillfully written, well-paced and fairly absorbing read. I would recommend to anyone with the interest in arts and history.”

Shravani

Created over 2 years ago

“The Portraitist is a historical fiction based on the true story of an artist Adelaide in a time where women were not allowed entry into the male dominated world. Adelaide breached the glass ceiling of that era and it is a fascinating story of how she survived. Liked: I liked Adelaide's story, how she struggled and persevered as an independent woman in an era where men made the rules. The author does an excellent job of portraying the French society of Marie Antoinette and the revolutionary France. Didn't Like: My issue was why do women have to be rivals of each other all the time? I understand that since a whole lot of literature is not avaliable on Adelaide, the author took creative license but couldn't two women who painted during that time have been friends instead of being rivals. Or they could just have been acquaintances. That's where I struggled. I give the book 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC of the book.”

About Susanne Dunlap

Susanne Dunlap is the author of twelve works of historical fiction for adults and teens, as well as an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach. Her love of historical fiction arose partly from her PhD studies in music history at Yale University, partly from her lifelong interest in women in the arts as a pianist and non-profit performing arts executive. Her novel The Paris Affair was a first place CIBA award winner. The Musician’s Daughter was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Children’s Book of the Year, and was nominated for the Utah Book Award and the Missouri Gateway Reader’s Prize. In the Shadow of the Lamp was an Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award nominee. Susanne earned her BA and an MA (musicology) from Smith College and lives in Biddeford, Maine, with her little dog, Betty.