Read for Novels at Night Book Club at the Weston Library January 2026 – “A Gem of a Novel”
In the 1920s, a young Englishman travels to southern France in hopes of writing an article on a reclusive painter. As he tries to learn about this imposing, tumultuous figure, he also forms a connection with the artist’s niece. This is a beautifully written novel full of scenes and senses you can feel, smell, and taste.
“The Artist and the Feast is an intoxicating tale of creativity, possession and freedom told by the alternate voices of a young English writer and a French woman who have been drawn into the orbit of a celebrated but reclusive artist. As they circle around him during one hot summer in Provence, both his secrets and theirs slowly come into the light. This is a compelling, beautifully textured and impressively assured debut about the risks we take to get what we want, a novel which asks questions about all those who are painted over by history.”–Joanna Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Whalebone Theatre
“The Artist and the Feast is a lush, impressive debut; the writing is rich and sensuous, especially in descriptions of food, the landscape and the act of creation. Lucy Steeds, a graduate of the Faber Academy, is one to watch.”–The Times, Best Historical Fiction of 2025
“The stifling Provence landscape and the visceral nature of creating and consuming art are evoked beautifully . . . Steeds command of language is dexterous and powerful . . . a hugely accomplished portrait of ambition and self-fulfillment.”–Observer
“A sultry, headily perfumed portrait of monstrous male egos and oppressed overlooked women . . . The Artist and the Feast uncovers its secrets by stealth.”--Telegraph
“A furiously romantic, sun-drenched mystery about the violent power of good art. The Artist and the Feast will leave you yearning in every sense of the word.”–Yael van der Wouden, Booker Prize finalist and author of The Safekeep
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