The Painted Girls

#1 National Bestseller and New York Times Bestseller Paris, 1878. Following her father’s sudden death, Marie van Goethem is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant wage she is trained to enter the famous Ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work—and the love of a dangerous young man—as an extra on the stage. Marie is soon modeling in the studio of renowned artist Edgar Degas, who will immortalize her image forever, while Antoinette must make the choice between a life of honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a willing young woman—that is, unless her perilous love derails her completely. Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural, and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of civilized society. Praise for THE PAINTED GIRLS #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NPR BEST BOOK GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOK GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FINALIST ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARY EVERGREEN AWARD WINNER CHATELAINE BOOK CLUB PICK PEOPLE MAGAZINE PICK ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY MUST LIST PICK VANITY FAIR HOT TYPE PICK VOGUE BOOKS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT PICK HARPER’S BAZAAR WHAT WE’RE READING NOW PICK USA TODAY NEW & NOTEWORTHY PICK CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR SMART NEW HISTORICAL NOVELS PICK SAN FRANCISO CHRONICLE BOOK RECOMMENDATION BOSTON GLOBE WORD ON THE STREET PICK INDIE NEXT PICK GOOD MORNING TEXAS BUY THE BOOK PICK ASPEN DAILY NEWS BOOKSELLERS STAFF PICK ZOOMER BOOKMARK PICK SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK SAFEWAY BOOK OF THE MONTH