“Cooking for Picasso: A Novel” by Camille Aubray

In a novel that fictionalizes a mysterious interlude Picasso had in the French Riviera in 1936, two stories emerge, one of which involves a 17-year-old girl, Ondine who finds herself cooking and eventually seduced by Picasso, and the second, Ondine’s modern-day granddaughter, Celine dealing with a dysfunctional family, and traveling to France to solve the mystery of a Picasso portrait ostensibly given to her grandmother. I enjoyed parts of this book, especially the descriptions of French cuisine, the glorious countryside, and the mystery that Celine puzzles out, however, the characters of Celine’s brother and sister were as shallow as cardboard cutouts, and parts of the plot were contrived and predictable, but what bothered me the most was the focus on Picasso’s sexual proclivities and predatory sexual grooming of Ondine, which were portrayed as part of his charisma, without a hint of censure. 3 Stars – a fairly good read.

“Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival” by Velma Wallis

It is well worth the effort to read this wonderful novella (that you can easily read in one day), as it chronicles an Athabascan Indian legend handed down through generations of mothers and daughters, preserving the tale of two elderly Alaskan women, left behind by their tribe near the Arctic Circle. With deft and insight, the author reveals a story of courage, amazing survival, and friendship, while illuminating themes of the empowerment and value of both women and aging adults. 5 Stars