Overview

It's 1920, and an aging Claude Monet struggles against approaching blindness, declining health, and depression over losing loved ones while fighting to complete his greatest masterpieces, the Grande Decorations. Enter a young American soldier who takes him on a journey through his long life for one last look before it's over. Oscar helps Monet revisit the beginnings of his career, his struggles with the art establishment, the formation of the Impressionist movement, his rise to fame and success, and his lost loves. Throughout it, Oscar falls in love with Monet's extended family and a young artist from Chicago as he nurtures Monet's Garden and Lily Pond. This is an enthralling and beautiful story filled with art, love, passion, self-discovery, and a reconciliation with the past. Set against the backdrop of Monet's famous garden at Giverny, France, this book offers a new, historically accurate depiction of Monet told through the eyes of a fictional character, Oscar. Monet & Oscar: The Essence of Light reveals the personal life of one of your most beloved painters. It was the end of WWI when Oscar, an American soldier in a French Army hospital, learned of his mother's death. Oscar decides to remain in France with no reason to return home to find his father, an impressionist painter whose identity he never knew. Oscar accepts a job working in Monet's world-famous garden at Giverny. Hopeful that the most renowned Impressionist can help him find his father, Oscar searches for clues as Monet, tired and disheartened by his deteriorating eyesight, introduces him to his previous painting venues and Impressionist friends. Thus begins an enthralling and beautiful story filled with art, love, passion, self-discovery, and a reconciliation with the past. Set against the backdrop of Monet's famous garden at Giverny, France, this book offers a new, historically accurate depiction of Monet told through the eyes of a fictional character, Oscar.

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Reviews

""With remarkable historical insight, Joe Byrd has created a beautiful tableau of life with Monet, his notable friends, and his gorgeous gardens. It makes you feel as if you're stepping into one of the painter's canvases."" -Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of ThThe Henna Artist and the Jaipur Trilogy. In Joe Byrd's Monet and Oscar, we are introduced to Claude Monet in his twilight years. Grouchy, going blind and pampered by his family, the patriarch is ensconced in Giverny, his personal Shangri-la. Byrd gives us insight into Monet's life and working habits and sheds light on just how revered and well-connected Monet was in his dotage. _ Lilianne Milgrom, acclaimed author of L'Origine: ThThe secret life of the world's most erotic masterpiece, winner of the Publishers Weekly 2021 Selfifies award for Best Adult Fiction. The suspenseful quest plot and love story unfold upon a variegated canvas revealing the author's passion for his subject. ThThrough rich details and lush descriptions, Joe Byrd evokes the good life in France: the love of art, the colors of the light, delicious food, road trips, and marvelous scenery. _Linda Lappin, Loving Modigliani: ThThe Aftfterlife of Jeanne Hébuterne, Amedeo Modigliani's wife and muse. ​I enjoyed your story. You've got a great foundation here. You do a good job taking the reader through Oscar's story with a nice ending that ties up all the threads.​ The plot is engaging. It immediately drew me in as I follow Oscar through his quest of trying to find his biological father. Because I cared about him, I was emotionally engaged in the story. I grew angry and frustrated with Isabelle, yet you captured what it was like for a young woman in that time period. There are several plot lines that kept my interest throughout. This book is exemplary in character appeal (or interest) and development. All main characters (including antagonists) are unique and fully fleshed out with compelling, layered motivations and traits. Secondary characters are unique and have a meaningful purpose.​ I enjoy how you have Oscar evolve through what he experiences while working for Monet. The plot with Isabelle and Genevieve was particularly emotional and sad and it changes him. You do a good job showing those changes. Oscar is very likeable and I immediately cared about him. The secondary characters were also well drawn out. From what I've read, you captured Monet's personality beautifully.​ I enjoyed meeting Oscar and sharing his quest in trying to figure out who his father is. You do a good job bringing Monet back to life and adding characters and plots that kept my interest throughout. Judge, 29th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Author Information

Joe Byrd's BS in Journalism and MA in Communications degrees in-spired him to become a pioneer in electronic publishing. As a McGraw-Hill editor, he developed one of the first computer publish-ing systems. In the rapidly developing PC software industry, he co-authored one of his two books using PC desktop publishing software, the first for a major publishing house. He developed the first tech-nical support website in the software industry. He published maga-zines, wrote research reports, and produced conferences in the US and Europe for the digital photography industry in his fifty-year ca-reer. He launched one of the first digital photography dot-com com-panies. This is his first novel.

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