Published March 6th, 2025 by Doubleday UK
Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Biographical Fiction
Today is my stop on the blog tour for this enthralling story. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Doubleday for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
This is the story of three women – one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores.
Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both. Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband’s art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment.
Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France’s golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite. Eventually she finds employment with the Matisse family. From this point on, their lives are set on a collision course….
Marguerite is Matisse’s eldest daughter. When the life of her family implodes, she must find her own way to make her mark and to navigate divided loyalties.
Based on a true story, Madame Matisse is a stunning novel about drama and betrayal; emotion and sex; glamour and tragedy, all set in the hotbed of the 1930s art movement in France. In art, as in life, this a time when the rules were made to be broken…
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MY REVIEW:
Atmospheric, evocative and enthralling, Madame Matisse peels back the curtain to tell the story of the three women in the life of celebrated artist Henri Matisse: his wife, Amelie, her assistant, Lydia, and his daughter, Marguerite. Told from multiple points of view over multiple decades, truth proves stranger than fiction in this compelling story of art, glamour, love, passion and betrayal.
The story opens in Nice, 1939. Henri’s wife, Madame Amelie Matisse, has been at his side for forty years. Now suffering from chronic pain and mostly housebound, she has employed Russian emigre Lydia Delectorskaya to assist her in her daily tasks. They had initially got along well, but recently Amelie has begun to fear that Lydia has stolen the affections of her husband and invaded her household. Desperate to regain control, Amelie issues Henri with an ultimatum: her or Lydia. Meanwhile, Henri’s daughter Marguerite is caught in the crossfires of their conflict, unsure how to help either of her parents.
First of all, can we take a moment to admire the beautiful cover, which is matched by Sophie Haydock’s beautiful storytelling. This is merged with her meticulous research and evocative imagery, bringing these historical characters to life once more. Each of the women take turns to narrate their story: first Amelie, Henri’s formidable and loyal wife, then his deviated assistant, Lydia, and finally Marguerite, the loving daughter. They are three very different women whose lives are shaped by one man. Exploring themes of identity and sexism, Haydock examines how each of the women sacrifice so much of themselves for Henri, struggling to find their place in the world other than as his wife, companion or daughter. All three women are very intelligent, but they have little opportunity to explore their own potential as they are pushed to the sidelines for Henri, making themselves smaller in order to elevate him and end up becoming part of his story instead of creating their own. Haydock finally gives them the chance to be the star of their own story and I loved learning about these fascinating women.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sophie Haydock is an author, editor and journalist (Sunday Times, Financial Times, Guardian), based in Folkestone, Kent, where she is curator of Folkestone Book Festival. Her debut, The Flames – about the women who posed for the scandalous artist Egon Schiele in Vienna a century ago – was named by the Times as one of the Best Historical Fiction Books of 2022. It was longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award, and the Italian translation, Le Fiamme, won the Premio Letterario Edoardo Kihlgren for debut novels. She worked for the Sunday Times Short Story Award and is associate director of the Word Factory.
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BUY THE BOOK:
Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These links are affiliatel links
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx
Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 
One reply on “BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Madame Matisse by Sophie Haydock”
Nice review. As you know Emma I usually share your posts. However, I am trying to NOT share anything on Twitter/X for the foreseeable.
I would be happy to share your posts on Bluesky if you provide a Bluesky sharing button.
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