Artist from Montmartre by Olga Levitzki

Artist from Montmartre by Olga Levitzki is a simple love story set in the heart of Paris. If you’re looking for a cute romance novel set in France, or consider yourself a francophile, then this book might be something you enjoy. The book took me back to my childhood because when I was younger, I loved Paris and would enjoy anything set in Paris. I like Olga Levitzki‘s light and lyrical is a good writer, and I find it admirable that she can speak in 6 languages. Sometimes I wonder if some things get lost in translation or had the use of other translators, put as far as I know, there’s just this English version.

It’s a shame the author went with Austin Macauley for publishing. Austin Macauley Publisher LLC is a vanity publisher that I’ve heard nothing but bad things about. Vanity publishers are looked down on for their high promises, but little delivery. As an author myself, I can tell you that it dosen’t matter how much money you spend on your book, most of the work will always fall back on you. Despite my views on this publisher, it dosen’t change my views on the book. However, it’s the author’s choice and it seems she’s happy with her choice to publish here.

I think the cover is really nice. The title is perfect as well because Montmartre is famous for it’s artistic history. It suits the theme and the plot of the book. The main protagonist, Sofia, is an art student and her love interest, Claude Duval, is a street artist. The official blurb on Goodreads and Amazon are very short, shorter than the standard, but it gives you the basic storyline.

The author does a great job sucking us into Paris. I also like the annotations spread out throughout the story, some may find this distracting, but I personally didn’t. These annotations are useful because there are French phrases added in the story and French things not everyone will know so I found these useful for immersion.

When I was reading, I thought this would be a three-star-read, but over the course of the novel there is are twists, and all the little things that pop up throughout the story like Sofia’s diaries, Claude visiting the grave and the big reveal about Claude’s past and their turbulent relationship propped by initial rating up to 5 stars.

As I was reading there were some things I would see coming. I knew that Picasso and Dali would be brought up. I knew Mona Lisa and The Louvre museum would be relevant. One thing that did surprise me was Claude’s age. I had a feeling that he was obviously older than Sofia, but not 48. I was guessing he was in his older thirties.

I had the feeling that Sofia was around 19 from the way she spoke and how she expressed her devotion towards Claude. There’s one part of the novel where Claude and Sofia are compared to Humbert and Lolita because of their age gap. In page 124, Claude is referred to as an old pedophile. Sofia may be young, but she’s a legal adult.

Halfway through the novel, I was concerned that Claude and Sofia were incompatible because of how different they are. However, it is these kind of opposites attract stories that seem to pull the readers hearts in the most. Their passion for the arts and each other is clearly bringing them together. From the very beginning, I coulf sense that Claude is being crippled by a tragic past and mental health issues. One of my favourite scenes in the book is where Sofia askes Claude to paint her and uses a reference to the Titanic movie.

I was confused a few times. Sometimes Sofia is referred to as Sofia and in most of the narrative, she’s referred to as Sophie. In page 127, there’s a sentence that confused me. I wondered if Sopha is another nickname or if it’s a typo. I also wonder if Missis is her mother’s name or just a mispelling of Mrs and meant to write missus. When I looked it up on Google, Missis does appear to be used in Americian English which is why I think it’s odd. It’s only a few times it’s done so I got over it quickly.

“Hello Sopha,” Missis Lanskaya pronounced coldly.

I was glad Sofia got to make up with Taya and got round to talking to her family, as it was something she was putting off a few times throughout the book. I was glad I read this right through to the end. I found the ending of the novel to be satisfying and poignant. I like how all the things get tied together in the end.

Overall, I thought this was a great book that’s easy to get into. I thought the pop culture references were done tatstefully and were relevant to the story. We see Sofia as the young naive student and in the end, she matures into a strong and successful woman. She does not get the happily ever after ripped from a fairy tale, but the end of this story is satisfying and complete.