THE MISSING MATISSE A Memoir

WWII is a source of limitless stories, and that is the case with artist Henri Matisse's grandson, the author of this memoir. Jean Brassard narrates Matisse's distinctive childhood experiences during the war in sing-songy French-accented English. Only minimally about art, this memoir recounts how war disrupts Pierre's idyllic life, which was peppered with encounters with his famous grandfather and family friend Pablo Picasso. With increasing intensity, Brassard recounts the transient, action-packed life of a family steeped in the French Resistance. Papa involves his precocious son, and as Pierre gets closer to the war, his childish adventures become those of an adult, and he endures starvation, illness, and separation from his family. Afterward, Pierre investigates family secrets and claims his identity. Pierre Henri Matisse himself opens and closes the narration, with his gravelly, thickly accented English providing authentic bookends for listeners. R.T. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2016]