When I visit museums, I seek out the works of sculptors and painters I enjoy. Rodin has always been a favorite of mine, though I admittedly knew little about the artist or his life.
When my friend Heather Webb announced that she was writing a historical novel about Rodin’s lover, Camille Claudel, I didn’t want to admit that I had never heard Camille’s name. When I saw the lovely sculptures Camille produced – works which rival (and in some cases, surpass) those created by Rodin and the other male masters of their age — it made me wonder how this talented woman fell so far into the murk of history.
Camille and her works are well known in the art and art history world, but the population at large doesn’t know her or her story nearly as well as her talent and passion deserve.
Heather’s new novel changes that, and brings RODIN’S LOVER into the spotlight. This vibrant, passionate novel tells Camille’s story, from her struggles to train as an artist in an art world where women were usually relegated to the role of model or muse, to her passionate affair with Auguste Rodin. Unfortunately, just as Camille’s star began to rise in the world of art, her talented mind began a descent into madness that would ultimately cost her both of her true loves: her art and her relationship with Rodin.
RODIN’S LOVER is beautiful and passionate, as skillfully crafted as the works of art Camille herself produced. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I hope you’ll pick up a copy. It is truly a book to savor.
The novel is available today, in trade paperback and ebook, online and in bookstores throughout North America.