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Cooking for Picasso
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
97 posts | 35 read | 16 to read
For readers of Paula McLain, Nancy Horan, and Melanie Benjamin, this captivating novel is inspired by a little-known interlude in the artist s life. The French Riviera, spring 1936: It s off-season in the lovely seaside village of Juan-les-Pins, where seventeen-year-old Ondine cooks with her mother in the kitchen of their family-owned Cafe Paradis. A mysterious new patron who s slipped out of Paris and is traveling under a different name has made an unusual request to have his lunch served to him at the nearby villa he s secretly rented, where he wishes to remain incognito. Pablo Picasso is at a momentous crossroads in his personal and professional life and for him, art and women are always entwined. The spirited Ondine, chafing under her family s authority and nursing a broken heart, is just beginning to discover her own talents and appetites. Her encounter with Picasso will continue to affect her life for many decades onward, as the great artist and the talented young chef each pursue their own passions and destiny. New York, present day: Celine, a Hollywood makeup artist who s come home for the holidays, learns from her mother, Julie, that Grandmother Ondine once cooked for Picasso. Prompted by her mother s enigmatic stories and the hint of more family secrets yet to be uncovered, Celine carries out Julie s wishes and embarks on a voyage to the very town where Ondine and Picasso first met. In the lush, heady atmosphere of the Cote d Azur, and with the help of several eccentric fellow guests attending a rigorous cooking class at her hotel, Celine discovers truths about art, culture, cuisine, and love that enable her to embrace her own future. Featuring an array of both fictional characters and the French Riviera s most famous historical residents, set against the breathtaking scenery of the South of France, "Cooking for Picasso" is a touching, delectable, and wise story, illuminating the powers of trust, money, art, and creativity in the choices that men and women make as they seek a path toward love, success, and joie de vivre. Advance praise for "Cooking for Picasso" Intrigue, art, food, and deception are woven together in a tale of love and betrayal around the life and legacy of Picasso. Touching and true, this well-written narrative made me long for my mother s coq au vin and for the sun of Juan-les-Pins. Jacques Pepin, chef, TV personality, author Camille Aubray has created a vividly imagined tale of a young French woman s life-changing encounter with the most unconventional artist of the modern age. Intriguing and insightful, the sensory details alone will have you thinking you re reading the pages seated at a seaside cafe in the South of France. Susan Meissner, author of"Secrets of a Charmed Life" Takes the reader on a heartfelt journey to the South of France . . . In prose that is wise, atmospheric, and plain fun, Aubray expertly blends fact and fiction to create a rich and memorable tale. Michelle Gable, "New York Times "bestselling author of "A Paris Apartment" Aubray brings Picasso brilliantly to life. Her intriguing intertwined narratives are utterly spellbindingand deeply touching as rare as a page-turner with soul. Anne Fortier, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Lost Sisterhood" and "Juliet" Awarm and spicy combination of art, family intrigue, food, and romance, set in sun-drenched Provence. Erica Bauermeister, bestselling author of "The School of Essential Ingredients" "From the Hardcover edition.""
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Karisa
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Saw this video in an Art Teacher group post and thought of #SundayBuddyRead 💗😂

Pablo Picasso Song: https://www.facebook.com/reel/786171760326795?fs=e&mibextid=0VwfS7&fs=e&s=TIeQ9V

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ICantImReading
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Panpan

⭐️⭐️

2.25 stars. It‘s such a gift that you can travel through books, and especially in the summer months, I love taking a literary vacation! 😆 The French Riviera setting and food descriptions on this “trip” were lovely, but I just never really connected with the story or characters. 🎧

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julieclair
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Pickpick

Fascinating, dual timeline family saga, exploring the ways a young woman‘s acquaintance with Pablo Picasso during the summer of 1936 influences successive generations of her family for years to come. Excellent storytelling, plus I learned quite a bit about Picasso and his art. Now I want to visit a Picasso museum. And the south of France! Another excellent pick by @TheBookHippie for #SundayBuddyRead !
#24in24 @Jas16

Jas16 Wow you are making incredible progress! 10mo
julieclair @Jas16 No, just catching up on reviews from books I read in January! 😉 10mo
34 likes2 comments
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kspenmoll
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mystery,Murder, Mayhem…that‘s my genre for January. I did read 1 nonfiction book & 3 fiction- not a mystery!!! 13 books in total. #nunlit #RevThomasAquinashistoricalmystery #SavannahCat #nonfiction #NancyDrewBR #sundaybuddyread #historicalfiction #spy #mysteries #policeprocedural #serieslove2024 #seasonalcozies #January
Top 3: Mercy House, The Last Garden in England, Journey to Munich

Librarybelle Excellent stats!! 11mo
TheBookHippie ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ 11mo
TheSpineView Great job! 11mo
sblbooks I just ordered The Last Garden in England from Pango. It sounded really good. 11mo
julieclair Great month of reading! 🎉👏 11mo
47 likes5 comments
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Larkken
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

I… honestly don‘t know. There were too many threads going in this book. #butwhatofthepitcher? #justiceforjulie 😬
#sundaybuddyread was enjoyable as always, though! @TheBookHippie
#Popsugar2024 set in a travel destination on my bucket list (south of France - oh, the foooddd!)
#52books24 chapter headings have dates

34 likes5 comments
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DebinHawaii
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

#JumpStart2024 #ReadAway2024

Read for #SundayBuddyRead this book had a lot of promise & their were parts I really enjoyed( (the food, French Riviera setting, glimpse into the art world & learning more about Picasso) but it just was too all over the place with plot lines, characters that were not flushed out, & I felt myself yelling in my head at the author & one of the MCs, Celine) & not enough for it to be a pick & so it gets a so-so for me.⬇️

DebinHawaii … As usual, the discussions led by & extra research of @thebookhippie were what made it fun & interesting & I learned a lot. (Although it didn‘t help me like Picasso any better—misogynistic🐷 it did help me appreciate his talent & understand him more). The author‘s second book The Godmothers tagged below is much better but I‘m not sorry we read this one even if it wasn‘t a hit. If you have read it (spoiler if you have not) I just have to say… ⬇️ (edited) 11mo
DebinHawaii #JusticeForJulie 😡🥺😢 she got a raw deal as a character! 11mo
DieAReader 🥳Great! 11mo
kspenmoll Wonderful review. Love your graphics! 11mo
63 likes4 comments
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vonnie862
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

Well, I enjoyed the mystery of the characters trying to find the missing Picasso painting but a lot of random things happened.
However, I did learn new things about Picasso.

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Read4life
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

I finally caught up in time for the final discussion for #SUNDAYBUDDYREAD.
I definitely liked The Godmothers by this author more. Since we haven‘t finished our group discussion I‘ll 🤐
#BookSpinBingo #readyourTBR #SUNDAYBUDDYREAD #ReadAway2024

#Sharreadathon

60 likes5 comments
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vlwelser
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Pickpick

This was entertaining. Final book discussion tomorrow so 🤐

#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 11mo
33 likes1 comment
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mcctrish
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Pickpick

Céline in present day learns her grandmother cooked for Picasso in the 30‘s and so we then follow her grandmother, Ondine, in her time to unravel the mystery in present day. It‘s set outside of Nice, where I was last summer and that was delightful, there‘s lots of amazing food and talk of Picasso and art, there is some over the top trauma/drama that I think was really unnecessary to move the plot forward I‘m glad I got it from the library

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Read4life
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

1. So many wonderful memories and blessed to still be making them.

2. My fierce loyalty and capacity to love.

3. Tagged.

Thanks for the tag, @TheSpineView

TheSpineView 🥰😍😊 11mo
Eggs 🥰😌🥰 (edited) 11mo
43 likes2 comments
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Librarybelle
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

I‘ve read similar historical fiction books featuring artists and their inspirations, but this one just fell flat for me. I appreciated the second half more than the first half - I felt that parts of the storytelling were not needed, or could have been shortened. It was just a so-so read for me. #SundayBuddyRead #BookChain2024 #NewBookHasMorePagesThanLastBook

Hooked_on_books I‘m sometimes reluctant to read fiction featuring famous historical figures. I think some authors do a great job with this concept but others really miss, which I find a bit cringey. 11mo
Librarybelle @Hooked_on_books Some authors are not great bringing out historical figures…I completely agree! In this one, the author really brought out Picasso‘s womanizing. Her writing style, on the other hand, just did not really do anything for me. 11mo
See All 8 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 11mo
Read4life I‘m using this for the same #52BookClub2024 prompt. 11mo
Crazeedi @Librarybelle when is the #literarycrew discussion this month?? I don't want to miss!! 11mo
Librarybelle @Read4life Admittedly, I didn‘t think of it as the prompt until I happened to look on Storygraph! Then, I realized it would fit! 😂 11mo
Librarybelle @Crazeedi January 31st! 11mo
79 likes8 comments
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kspenmoll
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Pickpick

Since we have not discussed the last section yet,I will be circumspect in what I write.Suffice to say that while I had to suspend belief at times, & there was some parts added that were unnecessary, overall this tale was easy to get lost in.France,French cooking,the European art world, mystery, intrigue, romance-the book has it all.Two timelines,1936+ & 2014-16ish make this a dramatic 3 generational family saga. #sundaybuddyread #historicalfiction

kspenmoll I gave it a pick because this novel sent me on very tangents related to the book. The “A Conversation with Camille Aubray” enhanced my reading as she talked about how she came about to write this book. 11mo
59 likes1 comment
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CoffeeNBooks
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

This is the story of three generations of women, beginning with Céline's grandmother Ondine who cooked for Picasso one summer when he was staying in the French village where Ondine's parents owned a restaurant.

There were parts of this story that I liked, and parts of it that I didn't. Some of it was very far-fetched, some of it felt very rushed, and some of it felt like unnecessary additions to the story.
#SundayBuddyRead

65 likes2 comments
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Deblovestoread
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Mehso-so

A line attributed to Picasso “I only like to be around winners, not losers” in chapter 30 reminded me of another man I despise so took me out of the story momentarily. There were parts of this book I really liked especially the past part of the dual timeline but overall a so-so pick for me. #SundayBuddyRead I look forward to everyone‘s final thoughts next Sunday.

AmyG I did not like Picasso at all. He felt like a predator to me. 11mo
54 likes1 comment
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BarkingMadRead
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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This book has been everywhere! So so good! AtoZ: C 📚 #sundaybuddyread #52bookclub2024 non chronological order 📚 #ispybingo #circle

TheBookHippie ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 11mo
BarbaraBB Looks fun! 11mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 11mo
51 likes3 comments
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IndoorDame
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Libby and I don‘t seem to be on the same schedule with any of my buddy reads this month! This one is scheduled to disappear from my kindle tomorrow, so I had to scramble and finish it. I‘ll work on being very circumspect at our chat this Sunday, and trying to remember all the details for our final chat next Sunday. 🤫🤫🤫🤫 #sundaybuddyread @TheBookHippie

TheBookHippie 😝😬😅♥️👩🏻‍🍳 11mo
AmyG Mine is lost in a suitcase in Chicago. I am hoping my library has a copy. Libby doesn‘t. 11mo
IndoorDame @AmyG so frustrating! I‘ll keep my 🤞🏼for your library copy. 11mo
See All 8 Comments
AmyG Thank you. All the 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 11mo
AmyG And….I got a copy from the library! 🎉🎉🎉 11mo
IndoorDame @AmyG yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉 11mo
mcctrish Best thing about my library being hacked was they couldn‘t remind me I had any books out 🫣 they are all fine now and everything is due at the end of the month #lotsoftimetoread 11mo
48 likes8 comments
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kspenmoll
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Excuse the mirrored reflections from my windows…my husband & I went to a Picasso exhibit in NYC years ago. We were both taken by this poster, so we framed it & it‘s usually in the living room, but it is down waiting for work to be completed.

Librarybelle ❤️❤️❤️ 11mo
IndoorDame Gorgeous!!! 11mo
62 likes2 comments
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CatLass007
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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Bailedbailed

#SundayBuddyRead Last week I read first eight chapters and was aggravated by so much misogyny, and not just from Picasso but from every male character. It was oppressive. When I started chapter nine this morning, I decided I‘d had enough.

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DebinHawaii
Cooking for Picasso | C A Belmond, Camille Aubray
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#NewYearNewBooks

Our January pick for #SundayBuddyRead features #Artist Pablo Picasso 🖼️ 🧑‍🎨🎨🖌️

lynneamch Very cool collage! 🎨 11mo
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Brilliant 🎨 11mo
Eggs Perfection 👌🏼👌🏼 11mo
51 likes3 comments