The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 27 October 2005
by Harriet Scott Chessman
This book is a small contribution to that subgenre of fiction in which authors imagine the lives and stories that surround a work, or works, of art (Girl with a Pearl Earring and Girl in Hyacinth Blue being notable examples). Here, Harriet Chessman imagines the relationship between famous American impressionist Mary Cassatt and her elder sister Lydia, who served as a model for several of Mary's paintings. The author takes as her starting point five of Cassatt's works, here carefully reproduced in color plates placed throughout the book. For all that visual source material, she crafts a very short book which, minus its lavish formatting, would have been shorter than the 162 pages here. Visually, the book is well-presented. As for its content, Chessman tries to bring to life Mary and Lydia Cassatt, and Edgar Degas, who is portrayed as haunting Mary's studio during these sessions. Lydia died of Bright's disease at a young age, and in these closing years of her life is portrayed as frail and detached. Her family isn't really acknowledging her coming death, but Mary continues to paint Lydia, almost as a gift to her and to guarantee her endurance beyond death. Still, Chessman leaves us a fairly thin story. The book is narrated from the point of view of dying Lydia. Her voice sounds more like she is writing a long letter rather than telling a story meaningful to her. Lydia doesn't really seem to know her sister that well, and Mary's concern for Lydia seems to hinge solely on her availability as a model. Degas and Lydia's mother are both a little more fleshed out. For a book based upon vivid paintings, the visual sensibility is detached and light. The reader doesn't come away with a deep feeling either for Mary or her paintings. Still, the book is a light and earnest read. It asks the reader to learn more about these characters.