Louise and Vincent - by Diane Byington (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

French innkeeper Louise Ravoux is struggling to keep her inn afloat while raising her two daughters and avoiding her abusive husband. One afternoon, a scruffy redheaded painter walks in, wanting to rent a room. Vincent van Gogh reminds her of her first love, and he has the most arresting eyes of anyone she's ever seen. Though attracted to Vincent, Louise still bears the scars her husband gave her the only time she flirted with a man during their marriage. Still, something about Vincent makes her feel alive, and when she sees him painting outside, she stops to admire his work.

Louise gathers her courage and asks Vincent to give her painting lessons, and he agrees. She soon realizes that art and this man are calling her to change her life. Because of her husband's temper and propensity for violence, Louise walks a dangerous path, but she's determined to do whatever it takes to find a meaningful life and experience love.

Both a love story and a chronicle of a woman's awakening, Louise and Vincent richly portrays the last months of one of the most iconic artists in history.