I’ve really enjoyed Camille Aubray/C.A. Belmond in the past and was looking forward to this story. It was an interesting concept, Picasso in the spring of 1936 hidden away, incognito, situated in a small seaside town of France. No one knows what exactly happened there so Aubray created her story around this time period. It begins with Ondine a 16 year old girl living upstairs from her parents cafe. One day her parents tell her she will be delivering and serving food to a “patron” who will pay well for the service. The catch is his identity must be kept a secret. Their time together becomes intimate. Picasso paints Ondine, and makes a vow that he will give the painting to her. Picasso is painted as a huge misogynist, so he ends up leaving town without giving Ondine the painting, without a word, abandoning, unknowingly a pregnant Ondine. The story became torturous for me because I really did like the characters, but there was so much tragedy with so little joy. Also at the beginning of the story, 1936 the author uses the “g” slur for Romani which was befitting the time frame, but later in 2014 the modern day character uses the same term instead of Romani. Otherwise this book kept me intrigued enough to keep turning the pages.