One of the things which I enjoyed most about Shocking Paris was author Stanley Meisler's rich details of the personal and artistic lives of a number of immigrant Jewish painters in Paris between World Wars I and II. I was especially interested in his depiction of Chaim …more Soutine. Although I was not previously familiar with Soutine or his paintings, the author's vivid descriptions of his art and his appearance and behavior made me want to learn more about this artist and to see his paintings.
I would recommend this book to all readers interested in the early years of these immigrant artists as they sought to establish their reputations in the School of Paris during unimaginably difficult times. In the early years of World War II, the rampant anti-Semitism caused these Jewish immigrants to live in constant fear of death, deportation, or being sent to extermination camps by the German Gestapo. Despite the horrors of the war, some of the artists were still able to sustain their creativity. (less)

Lois Leveen has done a superb job of presenting the lives of both the poor and the rich in Verona, Italy in the 1300s. The author's extensive research is evident in the many details that Angelica, Juliet's nurse, shares as she describes her daily life within the Cappelletti …more household.
Initially, Angelica seemed like a simple peasant woman who happened to be hired as the wet nurse to new born Juliet. But the many facets of her personality were gradually revealed as her importance to the family grew and she realized that pain and suffering were felt by all people, regardless of their station in life. Although Angelica came to the Cappelletti family filled with grief, she coped with her losses by knowing that "loving what's in this life is the only remedy for death."
I recommend Juliet's Nurse to readers who would like to know more about the characters in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as well as what it would have been like to live in Verona in the 1300s. (less)