Portrait of a Woman in White

September 1, 2014
As the Germans approach Paris in 1940, Jewish families must decide quickly to stay or leave. The Rosenswigs decide to abandon their antiques shop and move in with family in the countryside. They take several valuable art pieces with them, including a portrait of Mrs. Rosenswig painted by Matisse. The Rosenswigs soon realize that they are not safe anywhere in France and try to escape to Portugal and then on to the U.S. At the border, Lili Rosenswig is separated from her fianc', Paul, who is conscripted to join the French Army. But their fates and the fate of the beloved painting are nothing anyone could have imagined. Winkler takes a topic of growing interest, the recovery and return of art stolen by the Nazis, and weaves a story spanning 23 years about one family and one painting. But this is not a novel about the horrors of war or the detective work involved in art recovery. Instead, Winkler focuses on the struggles of trying to reestablish a life when everything you know and love is gone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)