The Artist and The Feast by Lucy Steeds-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 6, 2025

During a scorching summer in 1920s Provence, a young journalist, Joseph Adelaide, turns up at the farmhouse of reclusive artist Edouard Tartuffe, hoping to write an article about him. There, he meets Ettie, Tartuffe’s niece, who appears to do everything for her uncle—from cooking and cleaning to catering to his maniacal moods. Joseph is beguiled by where he finds himself, not just by this foreign place or Tartuffe himself, but by Ettie, who watches everything so quietly from the periphery. Both Joseph and Ettie carry scars from their pasts and it’s as they get to know each other that they start to lay bare those scars to themselves and to each other.​

As the summer wears on, and as new ideas and passions are explored, Joseph, Ettie, and Tartuffe are propelled toward a finale that reveals long-held secrets and sets the world on fire.

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REVIEW:THE ARTIST AND THE FEAST by Lucy Steeds is an adult, historical work of literary fiction focusing on American journalist Joseph Adelaide, and Sylvette ‘Ettie’ Tartuffe.

Told from dual omniscient third person perspectives (Joseph and Ettie) following a non-linear timeline 1920 & 1957, THE ARTIST AND THE FEAST focuses on American journalist Joseph Adelaide as he ventures to Provence in the hopes of an exclusive interview with reclusive artist Eduardo ‘Tata’ Tartuffe. The year is 1920, and Joseph is desperate for a scoop; a once in a lifetime opportunity but his arrival in France is met with more questions than answers including the mysterious Ettie, Tartuffe’s niece, a woman with secrets that threaten the less than ordered life of all three.

Lucy Steeds pulls the reader into a world of changing societal norms against a backdrop of seclusion . As the world struggles in its recovery, Tata and Ettie’s world revolves around still life and food, food and still life. Joseph’s entrance into their home unbalances the relationship such that Ettie learns that freedom is but an ocean away.

THE ARTIST AND THE FEAST is a slow building, introspective story of secrets and lies, conflict and consequences. The premise is haunting and tragic; the characters are impassioned and broken.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy