Portrait of a Woman in White

NOMINATED for Library of Virginia Literary Awards in the ART in LITERATURE: Mary Lynn Kotz Award category.

“Two cultured French families lose everything in the Second World War, even each other. Winkler spins from this tragic tale a thing of beauty, as delicately radiant as the imagined painting at its core, even as she keeps the pages turning until the end.”
―Nicole Mones, author of Night in Shanghai

France, 1940. Nazi forces march towards Paris. Lili 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 Lili’s mother has been brought from their Paris salon for safety. It is the day before young lovers Lili and Paul are to be married that they are forced to flee and their fortunes change irrevocably. Lili and her family escape but Paul must stay behind to defend his 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 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

Publication Date: September 2, 2014

Categories: Fall 2014, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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About the Author

Description

NOMINATED for Library of Virginia Literary Awards in the ART in LITERATURE: Mary Lynn Kotz Award category.

“Portrait of a Woman in White is a fairy tale, interrupted . . . a poignant novel about the members of a close Jewish family whose beautiful lives are suddenly shattered when the Nazis invade France. Placed against the backdrop of Hitler’s efforts to plunder a nation’s cultural treasures, the story gives us characters and a world of such refinement that any reader will be captivated.”
―Ellen Heltzel, book critic and author of Between the Covers: The Book Babes’ Guide to a Woman’s Reading Pleasures

“I’ve read PORTRAIT with great enjoyment. What a beautiful story.”
―Douglas Preston, NYT best-selling author of WHITE FIRE

“Winkler takes a topic of growing interest, the recovery and return of art stolen by the Nazis, and weaves a story spanning 23 years about one family and one painting. Not a novel about the horrors of war… (but) the struggles of trying to reestablish a life when everything you know and love is gone.”
―Booklist

“A captivating novel about love and art and Paris and Nazis. With war-torn lovers, a family saga plot, and a stolen Matisse, Portrait of a Woman in White is a terrific historic novel. Each copy should come with a ‘Perfect for Book Club’ sticker on the cover!”
―Rose City Reader

About the Author

Susan Winkler is the author of the four editions of The Paris Shopping Companionand a former print journalist for Fairchild Publications in New York. She studied French literature at Bennington College (BA), Stanford University (MA), L’Academie in Paris, and the University of Geneva. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her family.