Book Review: Portrait of a Woman in White

France 1940. Nazi forces march towards Paris. Lilli Rosenswig’s wealthy and eccentric family is ensconced in their country chateau with their sumptuous collection of arts and antiques. The beloved Matisse PORTRAIT OF Lilli’s mother has been brought from their Paris salon for safety. It is the day before young lovers, Lilli and Paul are to be married that they are forced to flee and their fortunes change irrevocably. Lilli and her family escape but Paul must stay behind to defend their country. In their struggle to adapt to changing circumstances in an unpredictable world, all are pushed to reinvent themselves. When top Nazi, Herman Goring loots their Matisse portrait, their story is intertwined with the fate of the painting Portrait of a Woman in White. This is a moving family saga, an obsessive search for lost love and lost art and how far we will go to survive.

Author:
Susan Winkler
Susan is the author and has also written four editions of The Paris Shopping Companion. A former print journalist for Fairchild Publication in New York, she studied French literature at Bennington College (BA), Stanford University (MA),  L’Academine in Paris, and the University of Geneva, and has a lifelong interest in art. She lives in Portland Oregon with her family. You can also find Susan on Facebook and Goodreads.

My Review:
I loved this book. Even though this is historical fiction, it is a great look at how things must have occurred during WWII. I highly recommend this book to individuals or a book club. My book club, Book Chicks loved it. There was no one in our group that didn’t enjoy this book. Great questions for the group in the back of the book.