Monday, January 26, 2015

My First Book Tour: Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb

Author Heather Webb

on Tour January 19-28 with

Rodin's Lover cover

Rodin's Lover

(historical fiction/ women's fiction) Release date: January 27, 2015 at Plume/Penguin 320 pages ISBN: 978-0142181751
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SYNOPSIS

A mesmerizing tale of art and passion in Belle Epoque France.  As a woman, aspiring sculptor Camille Claudel has plenty of critics, especially her ultra-traditional mother. But when Auguste Rodin makes Camille his apprentice and his muse, their passion inspires groundbreaking works. Yet, Camille's success is overshadowed by her lover's rising star, and her obsessions cross the line into madness. Rodin's Lover brings to life the volatile love affair between one of the era's greatest artists and a woman entwined in a tragic dilemma she cannot escape. [provided by the author]
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ADVANCE PRAISE

"Dazzling!  In Rodin's Lover, author Heather Webb brings to life, with vivid detail, the story of brilliant and tormented sculptress Camille Claudel and the epic love affair with the legendary sculptor who worshiped her. Deeply moving and meticulously researched, this book will capture your heart, then hold it tightly long after the final page."  --Anne Girard, author of Madame Picasso

"A rich, sensuous novel, [was] written with great empathy for the very human Rodin and his lover, this novel of the visceral world of the 19th century Paris ateliers, of clay-stained dresses and fingernails, lithe models who vow to remain and then go, family love which stays through all difficulties and talent which endures, comes vividly to life."--Stephanie Cowell, author of Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rodin's Lover- Heather WebbHeather Webb is the author of historical novels BECOMING JOSEPHINE and RODIN'S LOVER published by Plume/Penguin, a freelance editor, and blogger. You may also find her contributing to award-winning writing sites including WriterUnboxed and RomanceUniversity.org. When not writing, Heather flexes her foodie skills and looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world. Visit her website and her blog. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter Subscribe to her newsletter. Buy the book: Plume/Penguin | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
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From moi, The Sabbatical Chef:

Okay, I THINK I have successfully inserted the information I should about Heather's new novel. When I heard that she had written a new book and that it was about to be released, I got so excited that I signed myself up for a "Book Tour" through the Sabbatical Chef blog.  The things I manage to get myself into... And then forget that I have done.  Anyway, I am more than happy- thrilled, actually- to do this for Heather and her newest work.

I have been interested in the story of Camille since seeing the 1988 movie, Camille Claudel, starring Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu.   I made my first visit to the Rodin Museum in Paris in 1987. In the years since, I have watched as more and more statues attributed to and signed by Auguste Rodin have now been identified as Camille's work.  Camille was born in 1864.  Her's is the story of a fiercely independent, extremely talented young woman at a time when a woman's place was not in an artist's studio sketching and sculpting nude models.  Art for women at that time was a mere past time until a suitable marriage could be arranged.  Camille wanted to be taken seriously by her family and her contemporaries.  This is the story of her struggle and her love (or obsession, perhaps) for a married man.  Heather takes the reader inside Camille's thoughts and shows us her tormented struggle to keep her thoughts to herself or blurt them out, no matter the consequences.  There are tensions between Camille and the other women in her life, first and foremost her mom, but also between her and her studio mates and fellow women students.  Camille holds them up to her own self-imposed standards, they fall short and the friendships die.

Historical fiction is at the top of my favorite genres of novels.  Becoming Josephine, Heather's first novel, made me feel as if I was one of Josephine de Beauharnais Bonaparte's intimate confidantes.  I completely lost myself in her story.  I couldn't tear myself away from Rodin's Lover, either. Although I already knew the fate of Camille, I wanted to know her feelings and feel her suffering.  That may sound strange to some, but for those of us who love to have an intimate peek into the lives of women who have been historically overshadowed by the men they attached themselves to, Heather does not disappoint.

Find out for yourself where the title Rodin's Lover comes from...  You may be surprised.  I was.  As a voracious reader (and, admittedly, a lover of everything French), I highly recommend this book.

Merci et bon appétit, Heather Webb et Camille Claudel.  Who is your next subject?


Auguste Rodin par Camille Claudel
wikipedia creative commons

Click on Entry-Form to enter the giveaway:

Entry-Form

Visit each blogger on the tour: tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time! [just follow the directions on the entry-form] Giveaway open to US/Canada residents: your choice of print/kindle copy of this book 2 winners

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO READ OTHER REVIEWS, INTERVIEW AND EXCERPT

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