For readers of Paula McLain, Nancy Horan, and Melanie Benjamin, this captivating novel is inspired by a little-known interlude in the artist’s life.
“A tasty blend of romance, mystery, and French cooking.”—Margaret Atwood, via Twitter
The French Riviera, spring 1936: It’s off-season in the lovely seaside village of Juan-les-Pins, where seventeen-year-old Ondine cooks with her mother in the kitchen of their family-owned Café Paradis. A mysterious new patron who’s slipped out of Paris and is traveling under a different name has made an unusual request—to have his lunch served to him at the nearby villa he’s secretly rented, where he wishes to remain incognito.
Pablo Picasso is at a momentous crossroads in his personal and professional life—and for him, art and women are always entwined. The spirited Ondine, chafing under her family’s authority and nursing a broken heart, is just beginning to discover her own talents and appetites. Her encounter with Picasso will continue to affect her life for many decades onward, as the great artist and the talented young chef each pursue their own passions and destiny.
New York, present day: Céline, a Hollywood makeup artist who’s come home for the holidays, learns from her mother, Julie, that Grandmother Ondine once cooked for Picasso. Prompted by her mother’s enigmatic stories and the hint of more family secrets yet to be uncovered, Céline carries out Julie’s wishes and embarks on a voyage to the very town where Ondine and Picasso first met. In the lush, heady atmosphere of the Côte d’Azur, and with the help of several eccentric fellow guests attending a rigorous cooking class at her hotel, Céline discovers truths about art, culture, cuisine, and love that enable her to embrace her own future.
Featuring an array of both fictional characters and the French Riviera’s most famous historical residents, set against the breathtaking scenery of the South of France, Cooking for Picasso is a touching, delectable, and wise story, illuminating the powers of trust, money, art, and creativity in the choices that men and women make as they seek a path toward love, success, and joie de vivre.
Praise for Cooking for Picasso
“Intrigue, art, food, and deception are woven together in a tale of love and betrayal around the life and legacy of Picasso. Touching and true, this well-written narrative made me long for my mother’s coq au vin and for the sun of Juan-les-Pins.”—Jacques Pépin, chef, TV personality, author
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Interesting premise and historical perspective of culture and morals in rural France right befor WWII. Good characters. Ending was a little too ‘neat’ but the story was compelling.
Loved this book! A wonderful blend of real and fictional characters, French cuisine and countryside, and “what-ifs”. Looking for more like this from the author…
This is a good summer book, with enough interesting dialogue between Picasso and his friends and family to seem believable. The author has interwoven enough facts regarding the painter’s personal life and artistic works to make it also informative .While not a page turner, I found it enjoyable.
Cooking for Picasso was a good story. I Learned some new things about Picasso’s life and cooking in the south of France. Easy read. Well-researched and d3scriptive.
I got to go to France. triumph over abusive males. Good relationship skipped a generation for sure.
Biography wedded with poetic license…delightful story about Picasso and the women in his life.
I loved this book because it is historical fiction. Picasso was always unpredictable…just like his works. Even though this is fiction, it makes one wonder…
wonderful characters, great story, didn’t want it to end
just what the doctor ordered ! I was laying low recovering from hip surgery and this was the perfect read! Picasso, the French Riviera, Food, a little sex…al good!
Great discussion topic for book clubs