In 1937, newlyweds Andre and Lisette Roux move from Paris to the pastoral southeastern town of Roussillon to care for his grandfather, Pascal, who has written that he is dying. A passionate Parisian, Lisette is at first miserable in the backwater town, and infuriated when Pascal turns out to be healthier than he let on: he simply wanted their company.
But Lisette is as fervent about art as she is about Paris, and she's captivated by Pascal's collection of seven paintings by Cézanne and Pissarro, and one possibly by Picasso. By the time Pascal eventually dies, Lisette has made a home of sorts in Roussillon; her love for the paintings further compels her to stay in Provence when Andre hides them (fearing their destruction or seizure by German troops). He enlists to fight for France--but doesn't tell Lisette where they're stowed.
Over the next decade and more, Lisette keeps a list of "Lisette's Hungers and Vows." Inspired by Pascal and his paintings, Andre's love and the quiet strength and beauty of the Provençal surroundings, she pledges to "learn what makes a painting great," "learn how to be self-sufficient" and "love without reservation." Lisette will experience love and loss, joy and deep pain; learn animal husbandry as well as art history; and parse the moral questions raised under Vichy French rule, as the years go by. Readers will likely rush through Susan Vreeland's (Girl in Hyacinth Blue) lovely Lisette's List, only to be bereaved when the final stroke is painted and the portrait is complete. --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia