Rodin's Lover: A Novel

A few weeks ago I saw a link on Twitter to a new book entitled Rodin’s Lover by Heather Webb. I immediately downloaded this book to my Kindle app and began reading, even though I was supposed to be reading a book to review. Of course this book was about Camille Claudel. Since my first trip to Paris, I have enjoyed viewing works by Ms. Claudel, chiefly at Musée Rodin. Rodin and Claudel’s story has always fascinated me. Not too long after that first visit to 79, rue de Varenne, I watched Camille Claudel starring Isabel Adjani and was even more intrigued. I now don’t remember too much about the film since I viewed it so long ago (1997), but was so happy an author of historical fiction decided to write about the artist forever in the shadow of Auguste Rodin.My love of Musée Rodin is great. I have only missed stopping by on one of six trips to the City of Light. This small but most awesome museum was just around the block from the hotel I stayed on my first four trips to Paris. Arriving at Orly Sud airport and taking an Air France bus to a local terminal near the hotel, my teacher, friend, and tour guide pointed out The Thinker from the bus that you could just see over the wall of the grounds of the museum. I was already overwhelmed by seeing the Eiffel Tower from the plane and observing the city from the bus. So different. This first trip to Europe is one of my fondest memories. I knew little about sculpture and art at the time, but I did know The Thinker. I even knew about The Kiss (from watching All in the Family, if you remember that episode). I do think the highlight of the trip was visiting Musée Rodin after most of the other tour-goers had left, but one other student and I stayed on a day or two and we hung out with the professor. We spent hours at Musée Rodin and I became familiar with many of the great works of Rodin, as well as being introduced to Claudel’s work.Rodin’s Lover was a book I devoured in a couple of days. I learned more about Claudel and her relationship with Rodin that I either forgot or never knew. I enjoyed how the author conveyed Claudel’s love of art and sculpture as a child and teenager. I did know that her brother was writer Paul Claudel, but nothing more about her family. I knew Claudel had serious mental health issues, but I certainly did not know she lived a long life, sadly nearly half of it in a mental institution. So unnecessary and really a travesty for such a creative person. Poor Camille was just born about 50 or 60 years too early.This novel held my interest from beginning to end. I am sure Claudel’s mental illness was genetic, but can’t help but realize it was most probably exacerbated by her cold, cruel, emotionally devastating mother. Thank goodness her father was a decent person. She and Paul Claudel had a good relationship until he became a militant Catholic, overnight it seemed. Camille was not particularly religious and channeled most of her passion into her art. She definitely was a woman before her time, a free spirit, full of zeal and zest for her work and for those she loved. She became friends with Jessie Lipscomb, the English sculptor, who despite Claudel’s own cruelty to Jessie at times due to her illness, worked with Claudel and Rodin until she married and returned to England.The saddest part of the story was learning that the doctors recommended that Claudel should leave the mental hospital, as she was capable of a life outside of the institution, but her mother and brother conspired to keep her there. In the 30-plus years that she was at Asile de Montdevergues near Avignon in the south, her mother never visited her and her brother did 7 times. Her sister Louise only visited her once.Since I did not know too much about Rodin’s life before and after Camille, I discovered much about him by reading Rodin’s Lover. He seemed to be under tremendous pressure the more recognized he became. I need to do some research and read some biographies of Rodin, but I believe this author was very sympathetic to Rodin and his role in his relationship with Claudel. I doubt I would have entitled the book with Rodin’s name, as it subjugates Claudel once again and as many did, in my opinion. I did know he never left the woman with which he had a child, Rose Beuret, but engaged in many affairs during their relationship. Anyway, I so appreciate Rodin’s works and believe he is one of the finest sculptors to have ever lived.

Rodin's Lover chronicles the passionate love between Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel and their passion for sculpture during La Belle Epoque. Note my absence of the word, "affair." This is one of the most memorable love stories that I have ever read.I generally shy away from historical fiction because many lesser writers distort the history in order to tell a good story. Heather Webb remains true to the era and to Rodin and Camille, having meticulously researched her subjects. Reading her notes at the conclusion of the story, I was duly impressed by the few fictional characters she had added.I was drawn to the book by the haunting face on the jacket. This is the face of Camille that follows me through her story. As the daughter of a conventional French family with a sister and brother, Camille exhibits signs of great talent as a sculptor during her early teens. When her tutor can do no more, Camille's father moves his family to Paris and agrees to help her financially with an atelier.Camille is a firebrand at 19. To Maman's dismay, she revels in thumbing her nose at the social mores of the time. I love her when she teases her horrible mother by thwarting potential suitors and any thoughts of becoming proper Mademoiselle Claudel.Instead Camille enters the man's world of art. So much great music, literature and art emanates during La Belle Epoque. Yet women are considered mere dabblers, regardless of talent. Mary Ann Evans and Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, for example, hide behind noms-de-plume, George Eliot and George Sand, respectively, to get their works published. What chance does a young woman sculptor have in an era of blatant misogyny?When Rodin ultimately becomes Camille's tutor, he quickly sees her great talent as a sculptor, romantic sparks soon crackle and he elevates her to a near partner. By this time, they are ardent lovers, despite the fact that he has a longtime lover at home and a son.The passion they share for their art almost trumps the passion they share for each other. When they no longer care about keeping their secret, Camille's and Auguste's relationship becomes a liability, especially to Camille. She is accused of copying the work of her lover, but Rodin pulls strings to secure her commissions. Her most beautiful sculptures are shunned by many who take offense at her use of nudity and in their eyes, too much eroticism. Obviously, male sculptors have different rules. With her mother and religious zealot brother, whom she had adored, leading the charge, she was excoriated as nothing better than a common whore.As Rodin's star ascends, Camille is deeply troubled by the woman he will not leave, people in her life she sees as deserting her and her inability to make her name in the politically charged, male dominated art world. A recurrent voice in her head begins to tell her that she must leave her lover. She becomes increasingly paranoid, seeing Rodin following her and stealing her ideas.This book about art is a piece of art. As I neared the end, I read more and more slowly in an effort to avoid the last page. This is a beautifully written story about two tortured souls and the time in which they live. I loved every word and wonder how many readers began Googling as I did after reading the final page.

This is the story of Camille Claudel, a brilliant sculptor and Rodin's lover, descent into madness. The book is about Rodin, the art world at the time, and it's about the women in Rodin's life, Rose and Camille. It's an interesting book. Fast and easy to read. The flavor of the artist's studios' is wonderful, the description of working the clay, the lack of funds, all come to life. Ms. Claudel's life was a difficult one. She was a woman, fighting for recognition in a man's world. Her home life was…well, you'll have to read the book, I don't want to give too much away. The book is part fact and part fiction. Ms. Claudel's work can be seen in Paris. I recommend this book, I enjoyed it very much.

I enjoyed studying art history in college, and enjoy reading fictionalized accounts of the artists in books like The Agony and the Ecstasy and Lust for Life and now, Rodin’s Lover. Webb does a great job of bringing history alive.One thing the author did that bothered me throughout the book was that she would sometimes call him Auguste and sometimes Rodin, sometimes it was Claude and sometimes it was Monet. I wished she’d decided to call a person by his first name throughout or his surname and stuck with it.I loved Becoming Josephine, and while I didn’t find this to be quite as much of a page-turner, it’s a good read. I like that Camille is not always likeable. She’s complicated, which makes her interesting. Webb is a gifted writer.

Interesting, informative, very sad ...