Picasso's Lovers

By: Jeanne Mackin

Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt, Hillary Huber, Gilli Messer

“A complex, absorbing portrait”—People

A tangled and vivid portrait of the women caught in Picasso’s charismatic orbit through the affairs, the scandals, and the art—only this time, they hold the brush.

The women of Picasso’s life are glamorous and elusive, existing in the shadow of his fame—until 1950s aspiring journalist Alana Olson determines to bring one into the light. Unsure of what to expect but bent on uncovering what really lies beneath the canvas, Alana steps into Sara Murphy’s well-guarded home to discover a past complicated by secrets and intrigue.

Sara paints a luxurious picture of the French Riviera in 1923, but also a tragic one. The more Sara reveals, the more cracks emerge in Picasso’s once-vibrant social circle—and the more Alana feels a disturbing convergence with her own life. Who are these other muses? What became of them? What will become of her?

Desperate to trace the threads, Alana dives into the glittering lives of the past. But to do so she must contend with her own reality, including a strained engagement, the male-dominated world of art journalism, and the rising threat to civil rights in America. With hard truths peeling apart around her, it turns out that the most extraordinary portrait Alana encounters is her own.

©2024 Jeanne Mackin (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Mackin paints a bold, sumptuous portrait of a great artist and the women who inspired, frustrated, loved, and loathed him. Aspiring journalist Alana, daunted by her impending wedding and fearful of landing on the wrong side of a McCarthy witch-hunt, buries herself in a new story about the loves and muses of the great Picasso—but the more she learns about his jealous wife, his artist mistress, his American hostess, and the mysterious Spanish maid who captured his eye and brush for one tantalizing summer before disappearing, the more Alana realizes that the true mystery waiting to be unraveled is her own. Picasso’s Lovers is an epic, sensuous delight!" (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author)

“Lyrical writing intertwined with a vibrant, richly detailed history makes Jeanne Mackin’s Picasso’s Lovers a delight for historical fiction readers. Art comes alive in this intimate glimpse into the women behind the masterpieces. A beautiful read!" (Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author)

“Utterly absorbing and vivid! Picasso’s Lovers invites the reader to spend the summer on the beaches of Antibes in 1923 as the guest of Gerald and Sara Murphy, where Picasso churns out lust-driven masterpieces and casual cruelties in equal measure. Richly woven into the outsized shadow of the famous artist lies the surprising heart of the book—a resonant, honest tale of women and lovers, mothers and daughters.” (Suzanne Rindell, author of The Two Mrs. Carlyles)

Vivid and Sensous

As soon as I finished Picasso’s Lovers, I wanted more—more of the intrigue among the famous artist’s liaisons, more of the sensual descriptions of life on the Riviera in the 1920s, more of the vivid characters, and more of the mysteries confronting Alana, a young journalist in the 50s trying to discover Picasso’s secrets from 30 years earlier. I loved the dramatic twists and vivid characters, both real and fictional. Mackin has created a whole world and fascinating story that takes on a life of its own. I hope she writes a sequel!

The three narrators portraying the main characters are stellar! Mackin is a cinematic writer, so for me the experience was like watching a fabulous film. I totally recommend the audio version!

Loved this book!

I really enjoyed learning about Picasso through the voices of his lovers. I also loved the different storylines.