Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray

The title and the colorful cover of this book caught my eye in the used bookstore here in Bismarck. The lively shades of blue, so typical of the south of France, made the cover arresting. It turned out to be quite an enjoyable read. The plot was a bit silly and unrealistic, but made a good story. Like many books I seem to be reading lately, the time went back and forth between the present and the past. By the end of the book, the two stories came together. A modern young woman searches out her grandmother's past and in the process discovers a lot about her grandmother's life as a chef and as a cook for the real life Picasso. While the story is true fiction, the character of Picasso and most of the paintings described are based in history. Because I love Picasso's art, this was fascinating. The story is somewhat titillating and erotic as the young woman is seduced by Picasso, but it's rather tastefully done. Not X rated, but certainly a strong R!

Picasso's male chauvenism is illustrated through his conversations and actions. His wives and lovers make a few appearances, and his obsession with his art (if true) shows how selfish and unfeeling he could be. Ondine (the grandmother) and Celine (the granddaughter) are interesting characters and the writing is better than average. A great book? No. Enjoyable? Yes.