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Chrysis

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After recovering from grave wounds suffered in the Great War, Bogey Lambert, a young cowboy from Colorado, makes his way to 1920s Paris, where he encounters the beautiful painter, Chrysis Jungbluth. Precocious, passionate, talented, the free-spirited Chrysis rebels against a society and an art world in which men have all the privilege and women none. By day, a serious student at the prestigious l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, at night Chrysis loses herself to the sensual pleasures of the Montparnasse nightlife, where all seems permissible. There, she and the American cowboy will live the love of a lifetime."

282 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2013

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About the author

Jim Fergus

36 books1,203 followers
Jim Fergus was born in Chicago on March 23, 1950. He attended high school in Massachusetts and graduated as an English major from Colorado College in 1971. He has traveled extensively and lived over the years in Colorado, Florida, the French West Indies, Idaho, France, and Arizona. For ten years he worked as a teaching tennis professional in Colorado and Florida, and in 1980 moved to the tiny town of Rand, Colorado (pop. 13), to begin his career as a full-time freelance writer. He was a contributing editor of Rocky Mountain Magazine, as well as a correspondent of Outside magazine. His articles, essays, interviews and profiles have appeared in a wide variety of national magazines and newspapers, including Newsweek, Newsday, The Denver Post, the Dallas-Times Herald, Harrowsmith Country Life, The Paris Review, MD Magazine, Savvy, Texas Monthly, Esquire, Fly Fisherman, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, and Field & Stream. His first book, a travel/sporting memoir titled, A Hunter's Road, was published by Henry Holt in 1992. Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Kirsch called A Hunter's Road, "An absorbing, provocative, and even enchanting book."

Fergus' first novel, One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd was published by St. Martin's Press in 1998. The novel won the 1999 Fiction of the Year Award from the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association, and has become a favorite selection of reading groups across the country. It has since sold over 250,000 copies in the United States. An international bestseller, One Thousand White Women (Milles Femmes Blanches) was also on the French bestseller list for fifty-seven weeks and has sold well over 400,000 copies in that country.

In 1999, Jim Fergus published a collection of outdoor articles and essays, titled The Sporting Road. And in the spring of 2005, his second novel, The Wild Girl: The Notebooks of Ned Giles was published by Hyperion Press. An historical fiction set in the 1930's in Chicago, Arizona, and the Sierra Madre of Mexico, The Wild Girl has also been embraced by reading groups all across the United States. Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump called it, "an exhilarating and suspenseful tale that makes the heart soar."

In 2011, Fergus published a family historical fiction in France entitled, MARIE-BLANCHE. The novel spans the entire 20th century, and tells the devastating tale of the complicated and ultimately fatal relationship between the author’s French mother and grandmother. The American edition of MARIE-BLANCHE will be published in the United States in 2014.

In the spring of 2013, Fergus published another novel in France, CHRYSIS: Portrait d’Amour, a love story set in 1920′s Paris and based on the life of a actual woman painter, Chrysis Jungbluth. Reviewing CHRYSIS in French ELLE magazine, Olivia de Lamberterie,wrote: “This novel is an arrow through the heart.”

Chrysis has just been published in America with the title THE MEMORY OF LOVE.

Jim Fergus divides his time between southern Arizona, northern Colorado, and France.
http://jimfergus.com/bio/

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5 stars
214 (40%)
4 stars
145 (27%)
3 stars
121 (22%)
2 stars
37 (6%)
1 star
16 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
Profile Image for Sandra Deaconu.
816 reviews129 followers
October 29, 2022
Doar personajul masculin mi-a plăcut, dar nici el în totalitate pentru că e un soldat, iar eu nu am urmă de respect pentru soldați. Să omori necunoscuți la ordin nu te poate face decât un criminal, nicidecum erou. Iar hedonismul acela văzut ca artă... Câh!

,,Bărbatul continua să o fixeze cu privirea, iar ochii lui întunecați păreau că-i deschid pieptul, lăsându-i inima descoperită, cu toate fricile și dorințele secrete vărsându-se pe podeaua cafenelei, într-o baltă de sânge.''

,,Ființele umane, ca și animalele, au instincte care le ajută să se apere și să-i protejeze pe cei dragi, spuse Bogey. Uneori, dacă privim foarte atent, s-ar putea să ni se pară întunecate și urâte, însă de cele mai multe ori ele ne țin în viață.''

,,Poate că, dacă avem parte de noroc, ne e dat să trăim o mare dragoste în timpul acestei vieți. Și poate că, dacă suntem extrem de norocoși, dragostea aceea supraviețuiește și rezistă până la moarte. Ne trecem zilele pe acest pământ în mici sfere separate ale timpului, căci lucrurile stau o vreme într-un fel, iar apoi, fără să ne dăm seama, se schimbă, iar și iar. Oamenii vin și pleacă din viețile noastre, ei mor, noi murim, visurile se șterg ori sunt înlocuite de alte visuri sau, la fel de bine, de niciun vis, și atunci visurile dispar."
Profile Image for Tessa Nadir.
Author 3 books375 followers
December 30, 2021
"Pentru ca dragostea pe care o simti, dar nu se implineste, e cea mai buna dintre toate. [...] Pentru ca traieste in continuare ca un vis, nu moare niciodata, nu aduce dezamagire niciodata."
Romanul se bazeaza pe o poveste reala: iubita autorului, care sufera de cancer, face o pasiune pentru un tablou intr-un anticariat din Franta. Acesta se numeste "Orgie" si apartine pictoritei Chrysis Jungbluth. Inainte sa moara autorul ii cumpara tabloul, apoi incepe sa se intereseze si sa se documenteze despre viata artistei care l-a pictat si astfel se naste acest roman. Pictura exista in realitate si chiar reprezinta o orgie, in care apreciem totusi ca nu apar barbati goi. Pentru curiosi romanul descrie in detaliu scena infatisata in tablou.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, il avem in prim plan pe Bogart Lambert, un cowboy de 17 ani, care paraseste ferma familiei sale din Colorado si pleaca in Franta pentru a se inrola in Legiunea Straina, sa lupte impotriva nemtilor. Sunt povestite apoi aventurile sale din razboi, cum a devenit boxer profesionist, cum a cunoscut-o pe rebela pictorita Chrysis si cum s-a infiripat povestea lor de dragoste pe melodia "Let's misbehave!".
Romanul este distractiv de citit si zugraveste intr-un mod foarte viu lumea artistica a Montparnasse-ului anilor 1925: "Gabrielle respira coplesitorul parfum al libertatii, al independentei si al anarhiei - un melanj vibrant de barbati si femei, arta si sex, dragoste si violenta, saracie si bogatie."
Numele protagonistei, Chrysis, este inspirat dintr-un roman al lui Pierre Louys, "Afrodita" si este despre o curtezana:
"Cei care n-au simtit pana la capatul puterilor cele mai adanci chemari ale carnii, ca pe o binecuvantare ori ca pe un blestem, nu pot sa inteleaga pe deplin chemarea spiritului."
"Senzualitatea este o conditie tainica, dar necesara si plina de creativitate, a evolutiei intelectuale."
In concluzie va recomand romanul, fiind jovial si placut de citit, mai ales pentru ca aflam multe detalii despre lumea artistica si boema a acelor timpuri. Iar nuditatea si erotismul trebuiesc interpretate in mod suav, artistic si nu in sensul vulgar.
Atasez si cateva citate ce sunt pline de invataminte:
"Iar tineretea zbura, asa cum se intampla de obicei, cu asemenea repeziciune, intensitate si nerabdare, incat nici nu ne dam seama ca nu va tine toata viata, pana in momentul cand se sfarseste cu adevarat."
"In cele din urma, a ajuns la concluzia ca limbajul razboiului nu putea fi redat in proza, ci exprimat doar prin sunete - bubuitul infiorator al obuzelor, vuietul artileriei care se apropia, impactul violent al exploziilor si ropotul mitralierelor."
Profile Image for Jovi Ene.
Author 2 books303 followers
September 7, 2016
Jim Fergus descoperă într-un magazin de antichități din Paris o tabloul fascinant și contradictoriu, numit ”Orgie” (pe care vi l-am arătat tot aici aseară). După achiziționarea sa, încearcă să reconstituie povestea realizării lui.
Pentru asta, scrie acest roman foarte antrenant, călătorind în Parisul interbelic, printre barurile, cluburile de noapte, bordelurile și artiștii din Montmartre, pentru a o descoperi pe aproape necunoscuta (acum) pictoriță Chrysis Jungbluth și povestea ei de tinerețe și de iubire cu cowboy-ul erou Bogey. Este o carte intensă, cu senzații tari, cu subiecte grele precum durerile războiului mondial, prostituția, destinul artiștilor boemi sau suferința în dragoste.
O carte care m-a fascinat, așa cum puține au făcut-o de-a lungul acestui an, am îndrăgit personajele, le-am simțit aproape, m-am întristat alături de ele.
Profile Image for Erin.
83 reviews
January 4, 2014
Even though this isn't my favorite Jim Fergus novel, I am still a fan. Jim Fergus brought to life the character of Bogie (Bogart Lambert) in such rich detail, a young cowboy from Colorado who travels across America, and then across the Atlantic, to France. However, I feel the character of Chrysis, who is based on a true Parisian painter of the '20s, became stilted due, perhaps, to the abundant research. In trying to keep Chrysis true to his historical findings, perhaps Fergus lost the fullness of character that he is so adept at creating. Funny how the "real" character feels counterfeit while the fictional character feels genuine and full of life.
Profile Image for Maddysbook.
472 reviews34 followers
August 15, 2017
Je n'ai pas été séduite par le personnage féminin principal. Elle ne m'a pas touchée et sa quête d'indépendance et de reconnaissance artistique sonne creux pour moi.
Le personnage masculin ma bcp plus plu et j'aurais aimé que ses partie (ou les parties en couple) soient plus longues, plus développées.
L'écriture de l'auteur est bien et on sent un tr s gros travail de recherche sur l'époque et la personne de Chrysis Mais je trouvé ça un peu mièvre, cliché malgré tout!
Profile Image for Iulia.
324 reviews40 followers
September 4, 2016
cam 2,5 .....pacat, ca subiectul era interesant si era loc de mai multa analiza si redare a emotiilor. stilul prea simplu, direct de exprimare, povestirea la persoana a III-a si personajele seci, au facut sa-mi doresc sa termin cartea cat mai repede....parca citeam un rezumat:) cat despre scenele de dragoste, mai bine nu le punea deloc....

Profile Image for Kim.
1,456 reviews
January 30, 2022
found this morning I won this book from goodreads giveaway. can't wait to get it, got in the mail today Sept 26 and started reading it is different from the other books I have read. I am sure I will like it. this is my first book by this author. the book wasn't to bad. it was interesting.
8 reviews
February 29, 2016
Enthralling!

I chose this book for the author. He writes so beautifully one doesn't want the story to end. You can visualize the landscape as it goes by, this was a wonderful love story.
Profile Image for Brothier.
23 reviews
August 1, 2013
Belle histoire d'amour entre 2 êtres a forte personnalité . Un tableau de l'année 1916 a 1929.
Profile Image for Charlène.
159 reviews18 followers
January 30, 2014
Très beau personnage de Chrysis. Merci à Jim Fergus de nous faire partager ce Montparnasse du début du XXeme. Beaucoup de plaisir à la lecture!
Profile Image for Isabela Latis.
7 reviews7 followers
November 1, 2024
Terrible writing, couldn't focus on the actual story because of that. Worst description of an orgy I've ever read :)) But the story isn't that bad.
Profile Image for Laetitia.
1,186 reviews9 followers
Read
February 27, 2024
Cette biographie romanc�e s'ouvre sur "Bogey" Lambert, un jeune am�ricain aux origines vaguement europ�ennes qui veut s'engager dans la Grande Guerre, aux c�t�s des Fran�ais. Puis Jim Fergus nous pr�sente Gabrielle Jungbluth, jeune artiste qui int�gre la prestigieuse �cole des Beaux-Arts. L'auteur nous raconte ensuite l'adaptation au "monde de l'apr�s guerre", la premi�re guerre qui a fait tant de d�g�ts sur plusieurs nations et qui a �t� si m�diatis�e (pour l'�poque, �videmment).Une Alsacienne et un Am�ricain, une jeune ing�nue de l'art et du sexe face � un jeune accident� ayant roul� sa bosse , la peinture d'un c�t�, la boxe de l'autre et des soldats au milieu : voici quelques uns des ingr�dients de cette romance.Jim Fergus introduit la biographie en explicitant les raisons qui l'ont pouss� � �crire sur cette artiste peu connue : l'un de ses tableaux est intimement li� � la perte d'un �tre cher. Les quelques explications sur l'origine de l'ouvrage lui donne une autre dimension, bien plus personnelle.J'ai aim� le r�cit de l'arriv�e progressive des femmes dans l'univers artistique, en tant qu'artiste et non plus muse. La part de f�minisme naissant, les pr�mices de l'�mancipation vers la libert� relative des ann�es d'entre deux guerres m'ont beaucoup int�ress�e. Je me suis moins attach�e au personnage masculin (Bogey), m�me si je lui conc�de un certain charisme.En revanche, j'ai trouv� l'�criture agr�able mais un peu fade, peut-�tre trop pragmatique s'agissant d'art, de sexualit� et de sentiments ? Sur le th�me des milieux artistiques des ann�es 1920 � 1940, j'ai largement pr�f�r� "L�gende d'un dormeur �veill�" de Ga�lle Nohant.
500 reviews
January 29, 2021
Jim Fergus, autorul cărții, pornește de la povestea reală a vieții artistei Chrysis Jungbluth și a tabloului Orgie pictat de aceasta, la Paris, în anul 1925. Înainte de a muri răpusă de cancer, partenera de viață a scritorului se îndrăgostește de acest tablou, într-un anticariat din Nisa, iar autorul i-l cumpără – un cadou pentru ultimul Crăciun pe care îl petrec împreună. Apoi, pornește pe urmele nonconformistei pictorițe și descoperă o poveste fascinantă despre feminitate, artă, destin și iubire. Relația dintre tânărul Bogart Lambert, un cowboy din Colorado, care vine în Europa și se înrolează în Legiunea Străină pentru a lupta împotriva nemților, în Primul Război Mondial, și Chrysis Jungbluth, o artistă aflată la început de carieră, talentată și pasionată de artă se petrece pe fundalul Parisului anilor ’20,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Karen Rae.
77 reviews3 followers
January 12, 2018
What a great premise! But I was disappointed in the execution. Midway through the book, I felt that the events could have been put in just about any order: the author and I were spinning our wheels rather than experiencing the development of the plot. I'm afraid I felt the major conflict near the end of the book was somewhat contrived. Most of us would not have viewed that situation as an insurmountable challenge. And then, I surmise that the author tired of writing this book and decided to end it, but not with a cliff-hanger. He ends it with a quick summary of The Rest Of Their Lives. I finished the book a bit dissatisfied.
Profile Image for RICHARD STENTON.
293 reviews6 followers
June 10, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the story reminded me a little of Bridges of Madison County but with a more interesting story line. The cowboy from Colorado going to France where I spend a lot of time and then the artist in Paris and her desire, although a little over the top, was an insight into the artist life and then her strict parents and the change in circumstance between the lovers was very real and well described. Thank you Jim Fergus for one more enjoyable adventure.
19 reviews
July 15, 2023
I A Love Story: both tender, and Erotic

Beautifully written, the reader experiences the passion and eroticism of what would seem at first to be an unlikely couple. A budding artist whose fiery emotions make her art, outstandingly, vivid, and her openness to sensual, sexual growth take the reader with them to experience. Their erotic passions are thoroughly engrossing. A really great read. And I will not be a spoiler and tell you the end. Just read it for yourself and enjoy.
Profile Image for Szilard Raduly.
62 reviews6 followers
February 7, 2022
Un roman care m-a umplut de fiori. O poveste despre dramele vieții, despre întâlnirile marcante de care avem parte de-a lungul unei vieți, despre experiențele care formează oamenii și despre dragoste, Dragostea care nu apune nici chiar când îndrăgostiților le este luată posibilitatea de a o manifesta în realitate.
Profile Image for Paulina Joe.
10 reviews
November 19, 2025
I came across The Memory of Love through one of my book clubs, and I’m so glad I did. Jim Fergus creates a sweeping, emotional story set against 1920s Paris that feels both romantic and tragic. Bogey and Chrysis are unforgettable characters whose worlds collide in the most mesmerizing way. A beautifully written novel that lingers.
Profile Image for Samuel Barrett.
6 reviews
November 25, 2025
I first discovered The Memory of Love through a book club, and I’m so glad I did. Jim Fergus weaves history, art, and romance together beautifully. Bogey Lambert’s journey from the battlefields of The Great War to the vibrant streets of 1920s Paris is captivating, and Chrysis is such a strong, fascinating character. I couldn’t put it down.
Profile Image for Zoey Franklin.
7 reviews
November 25, 2025
Jim Fergus has outdone himself with The Memory of Love. The story of Bogey Lambert’s journey from the battlefields of World War I to the vibrant streets of 1920s Paris is gripping, and Chrysis Jungbluth is a character you can’t help but root for. The romance is passionate, the setting is vivid, and the historical detail is beautifully woven in.
Profile Image for Petitjean.
191 reviews2 followers
October 15, 2025
3.5
Après avoir déniché le tableau "Orgie" chez un antiquaire, Jim Fergus décide de nous conter l'histoire romanesque de Chrysis et Bogart, entre Montparnasse et le Colorado.
J'ai trouvé le concept original : partir d'un tableau et des personnages qui le composent pour retracer l'histoire de celui -ci.
Profile Image for Jackson Pierce.
8 reviews
November 19, 2025
Recommended to me in a book club, this novel completely captivated me. Fergus vividly paints Paris between the wars, blending art, passion, and heartbreak. Chrysis is such a fierce, complex heroine, and Bogey’s quiet strength balances her perfectly. Their love story is one I won’t forget.
Profile Image for David Malone.
10 reviews
November 19, 2025
I discovered this book through a book club pick, and what a gem it turned out to be. Jim Fergus masterfully blends historical detail with deep emotional storytelling. The contrast between Bogey’s rugged American background and Chrysis’s artistic Parisian life is compelling and beautifully executed.
Profile Image for Natalie Spencer.
6 reviews
November 19, 2025
One of my book clubs introduced me to this novel, and it exceeded all expectations. The chemistry between Bogey and Chrysis is electric, and the setting in Montparnasse’s golden era is rich and immersive. It’s a love story that feels both intimate and epic.
Profile Image for Jacob Riley.
6 reviews
November 25, 2025
Coming across this book via a book club was a happy accident. The story of Bogey and Chrysis is both tender and adventurous, set against the lively backdrop of post-war Paris. The author captures the era perfectly, and I loved the blend of historical context and passionate romance.
Profile Image for Andrew Mitchell.
6 reviews6 followers
November 25, 2025
I came across The Memory of Love thanks to Madison Blake, and it quickly became one of my favorite reads. The story of Bogey Lambert and Chrysis Jungbluth is beautifully written, full of passion, heart, and vivid historical detail. Paris in the 1920s truly comes alive.
Profile Image for Matthew Doyle.
7 reviews
November 25, 2025
The Memory of Love is a rich, immersive read. The contrast between Bogey’s rugged American background and the glamorous, free-spirited world of Parisian nightlife makes for a story full of tension and heart. Chrysis is fearless and unforgettable, and the love story is both tender and exhilarating.
Profile Image for Aria Kennedy.
8 reviews
November 25, 2025
I read The Memory of Love after a recommendation from my book club, and it exceeded all my expectations. The characters are so vivid, the romance feels real, and the Parisian art scene comes alive on the page. Jim Fergus has a way of making history feel intimate and immediate.
Profile Image for Chloe Armstrong.
6 reviews
November 25, 2025
A book club brought this gem to my attention, and I’m thankful it did. The story of Bogey Lambert recovering from war wounds and finding love with the spirited Chrysis Jungbluth is deeply moving. The mix of art, passion, and the Paris nightlife of the 1920s kept me completely engrossed.
Profile Image for David Mark.
6 reviews
November 25, 2025
Madison Blake recommended this book to me, and I’m so grateful she did. The romance between Bogey and Chrysis is tender and compelling, and the depiction of post-war Parisian life is fascinating. It’s a novel that stays with you long after the last page.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews