The Renoir Girls: A Hidden History of Art, War & Betrayal

by Catherine Ostler

The true story of one of impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s most famous paintings, and an astonishing exploration of the rise and fall of a prominent French Jewish family from the Belle epoque to World War II. Paris, 1881. The artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir knocks on the door of a wealthy Jewish family’s home in the 8th arrondissement, the grandest quarter of Paris. He has arrived to paint the portrait of the family’s two youngest daughters. The parents, the Cahen d’Anvers, are bankers, collectors, philanthropists, and pillars of Parisian society. They go to balls, breed racehorses, and ride in the Bois de Boulogne with their aristocratic friends. But for the Jewish community, the undercurrents of Parisian sentiment are already moving in a sinister direction. The story of the Renoir girls will end in the duplicity and the horror of the Second World War. With an extraordinary cast of characters, from the girls themselves, their mother’s lovers, a heroic British General; from the King of Spain to Dreyfus, Proust, and Maupassant—this is a story about one of the world’s most famous pictures, The Pink and the Blue. But really it is a story about Paris—one that prefers to be hidden. With access to never-before-seen letters, diaries, and personal recollections—it is a tale of privilege, beauty, and betrayal almost lost in the shimmering memory of a vanished world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Art

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ostler did an excellent job of researching this work. The high level of detail opened a French perspective on many historical events (e.g., WWI and WWII) centered around a single aristocratic family. The writing was also so emotive, and I was truly emotional at the end as Ostler described the movement from Paris to Auschwitz. I had tears in my eyes.

I also really appreciated that Ostler examined the interpersonal dynamics within the Cahen d’Anvers family. I found the findings in the Epilogue and the exploration of Irène's legacy within her family the most interesting parts of the book. I do wish that there had been a few more pieces of information or interviews regarding the rest of the family members about Irène, but the few glimpses that were present in the text spoke volumes.

Where this book fell short for me was in the structure. The book is broken up into three parts, which appear to be the early Cahen d’Anvers family history/Renoir's influence on art, the development of the family and Renoir's work with the family, and the outcome of the family after WWII. However, this breakdown felt in tension with what I considered the three components of the book: a biography of Renoir, the Cahen d’Anvers family, and French history. As a result, many of the facts presented in this work felt muddled and confused. For example, the reader was often introduced to the aristocratic and political people that the Cahen d’Anvers were associated with, or that played a role in French history. While this was interesting, I often felt lost about where these relationships linked to the Cahen d’Anvers, as they were also a large family.

I also felt that Renoir's biography was well integrated at the start of the story to set the stage for how he came to paint the daughters of the Cahen d’Anvers, but it seemed to just peter out. Now that I've finished the book, I could not tell you if it mentions his death (it might), but it did mention some of his romantic entanglements and friendships.

Additionally, I think that Ostler's exploration of Jewish heritage and how specifically for the Cahen d’Anvers it impacted them during the German occupation of France was beautifully written. She was able to capture the fear and unease of those living through those experiences on the page. I think that the complexity of this discussion, even though it was sometimes eclipsed by the larger French history details, did allow a unique look at how certain members of a family could survive, and others could not.

Overall, this book was interesting. If you look at it simply as a historical work that follows the life of a painting (i.e., Renoir's "Pink and Blue"), I think that it makes coherent sense. However, if you are looking for a biography of Elizabeth and Alice Cahen D'Anvers, you may be slightly disappointed. The biographical information is there, it is just somewhat hidden within a larger context that sometimes subsumes the information.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNINGS
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Renoir Girls is a story I thought would be a blend of art history, specifically Renoir, and the Cahen d’Anvers family, particularly the girls in the painting (and on the book’s cover); from the subtitle, I knew it would deal with war. But it is a far more complex and extensive story than that. You can really see all the research the author has put in; it covers art, Impressionism, the Parisian Belle Époque, the girls’ family history, the bourgeoisie, and the treatment of Jews in Europe, even more than half a century before WWII. It’s fascinating, but I think a bit complex if you don’t know anything about this period. 

My favorite part is the Cahen d’Anvers family; it begins with the girls’ grandparents and ends with their grandchildren. They were a rather wealthy Jewish family, and most of their story is set in Paris. In 1880, Renoir was commissioned to paint the family’s three girls. Irena (8 years old) has her own portrait, whilst Elisabeth and Alice (6 and 5 years old)  share the canvas. The paintings are very popular; I’ve always liked them, the girls look adorable, and it’s only through this book that I’ve learnt the family didn’t like them very much, and they had them displayed in the servants’ hall. 

It’s divided into three main sections, with family and the political climate being the central themes. Right from the start, it mentions that the lovely girls of the 1880s, decades later, lost their lives in the Second World War, and provides information on what happened to the rest of the family. What I found interesting is that, although it’s a story set in France and the WWII is not the main focus, it offers a great context on the perception of Jews over the decades, (although we know that anti-Semitism goes back centuries, most modern history books, always focus on the WWII), here is mention how they had been persecuted in various countries, how there were people who would defend them but how many others were hostile, and how it seems they were living better when something happened and there was scandal and once again the hostility began.

As for Renoir, although he is the artist most frequently mentioned, little is said about his life, just a few details here and there about his family and other paintings. There is also some discussion of Impressionism and the various artistic movements, as well as what France was like at the time. However, the chapters do not read like a traditional biography, as there are several jumps in time, and his other paintings are not analyzed. (I was expecting that)

I think that, in essence, the story was more political than anything else; France takes centre stage, as do the political climate and Jewish heritage. Renoir, Irene, Elisabeth, and Alice are mentioned quite a lot, but it doesn’t really end up being a biography of them. It’s good, but I’d recommend it to someone who’s interested in this historical period as a whole, rather than just for a couple of specific elements. 

[Brianne]

I've decided to call it, and DNF this book.

The author includes a wealth of information and a lot of details. While I did enjoy the parts of the book that followed the Cahen d'Anvers family and Renoir, I found the other parts of the book to be overwhelming.

There were paragraphs of new information and characters being introduced without any time to remember who was who.

I wish the author had narrowed down the scope to the family working with Renoir and then the history of the painting.

With so many people being introduced, it was difficult for me to connect with the individuals, which left everything feeling flat to me.

I think this could appeal to people who are interested in the time period and are looking for detailed historical information.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

[Juliana Soria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering the blurb of the book I was expecting something more fluid. It is a very dense and well researched history for sure. But I don't think the content itself has much to do with the title! It does a great job of recounting (with much detail) the lives of the family and the girls portrayed in the pictures!