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Suzanne
Painted by the great men of Paris, a teenage model secretly teaches herself to paint, determined to step out of the frame even as poverty, motherhood and scandal conspire to push her back in.
Inspired by the life of Suzanne Valadon, Suzanne follows a young French woman through the studios, cafés and scandals of Belle Époque Paris as she moves from model and muse to artist in her own right.
Born into poverty and drawn into the orbit of painters, poets and performers, Suzanne learns by watching. While others paint her, she studies them: their technique, their ambition, and their assumptions about women and art. But talent is only part of the struggle. Motherhood, desire, reputation and survival all threaten to pull her back into the frame others have made for her.
A novel of art, ambition, motherhood and self-invention, Suzanne is historical fiction about the cost of becoming oneself.
Inspired by the life of Suzanne Valadon, Suzanne follows a young French woman through the studios, cafés and scandals of Belle Époque Paris as she moves from model and muse to artist in her own right.
Born into poverty and drawn into the orbit of painters, poets and performers, Suzanne learns by watching. While others paint her, she studies them: their technique, their ambition, and their assumptions about women and art. But talent is only part of the struggle. Motherhood, desire, reputation and survival all threaten to pull her back into the frame others have made for her.
A novel of art, ambition, motherhood and self-invention, Suzanne is historical fiction about the cost of becoming oneself.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Michael Saxton
2 books2 followersMichael Saxton writes historical fiction inspired by real lives, private loyalties and the moments when ordinary people are caught inside larger events.
A lifelong reader, he studied History of Art at UCL before beginning a career in public relations and marketing. Fiction was always there in the background. Early on, one of his short stories unexpectedly won him a £10,000 motorbike, a wonderfully surreal encouragement to keep going.
After years of writing around the edges of working life, Michael returned more seriously to fiction. A Faber course helped him find the discipline and momentum to complete his first novel, All Friendship Brings.
His new novel, Suzanne, follows a young Suzanne Valadon through the studios, cafés and scandals of Belle Époque Paris as she moves from model and muse to artist in her own right.
Michael lives and works in London. His fascination with art, politics, friendship and the private lives behind public events continues to shape his fiction.
A lifelong reader, he studied History of Art at UCL before beginning a career in public relations and marketing. Fiction was always there in the background. Early on, one of his short stories unexpectedly won him a £10,000 motorbike, a wonderfully surreal encouragement to keep going.
After years of writing around the edges of working life, Michael returned more seriously to fiction. A Faber course helped him find the discipline and momentum to complete his first novel, All Friendship Brings.
His new novel, Suzanne, follows a young Suzanne Valadon through the studios, cafés and scandals of Belle Époque Paris as she moves from model and muse to artist in her own right.
Michael lives and works in London. His fascination with art, politics, friendship and the private lives behind public events continues to shape his fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 24, 2026
3.5/5 Stars
I'm always wary when an author approaches me directly to read their self-published book, at least when it is someone I don't know personally. However, I had a window in my reading list, and was excited to get a book that would qualify for #ParisInJuly this year, so I agreed. While this isn't perfect, it has the potential to be excellent, and is still a good read if you have patience to get over 1/3 of the way into it.
My full review can be found here https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2026/07/2...
I'm always wary when an author approaches me directly to read their self-published book, at least when it is someone I don't know personally. However, I had a window in my reading list, and was excited to get a book that would qualify for #ParisInJuly this year, so I agreed. While this isn't perfect, it has the potential to be excellent, and is still a good read if you have patience to get over 1/3 of the way into it.
My full review can be found here https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2026/07/2...
July 26, 2026
I received an advance copy of Suzanne and read it over two days on holiday, reluctant to put it down.
The cleverness lies in refusing to make Suzanne either a victim or a saint. She is driven, contradictory and frequently her own worst enemy.
The novel also sidesteps the well-worn trap of treating women in art history as decorative satellites orbiting famous men. Suzanne is not the footnote, she is the story. The historical detail is vivid without ever becoming showy and the narrative moves with real assurance.
What stayed with me was not simply the world of Belle Époque Paris but Suzanne herself. Flawed, wilful and endlessly resourceful, she refuses to be defined by the gaze of others. Her determination to become an artist rather than remain someone else's subject gives the novel its pulse.
The writing has an easy confidence and the pacing never falters. As someone who has long been fascinated by art history, I loved that Suzanne Valadon emerges here not as a muse attached to famous names but as a formidable talent in her own right.
The best historical fiction reminds us that the past was never black and white. It was always as vivid, chaotic and complicated as the present.
The cleverness lies in refusing to make Suzanne either a victim or a saint. She is driven, contradictory and frequently her own worst enemy.
The novel also sidesteps the well-worn trap of treating women in art history as decorative satellites orbiting famous men. Suzanne is not the footnote, she is the story. The historical detail is vivid without ever becoming showy and the narrative moves with real assurance.
What stayed with me was not simply the world of Belle Époque Paris but Suzanne herself. Flawed, wilful and endlessly resourceful, she refuses to be defined by the gaze of others. Her determination to become an artist rather than remain someone else's subject gives the novel its pulse.
The writing has an easy confidence and the pacing never falters. As someone who has long been fascinated by art history, I loved that Suzanne Valadon emerges here not as a muse attached to famous names but as a formidable talent in her own right.
The best historical fiction reminds us that the past was never black and white. It was always as vivid, chaotic and complicated as the present.
August 3, 2026
Suzanne is a great read. It's a beautifully written story of a very real & fascinating female artist (Suzanne Valadon) living in a very male world in Paris at the end of the 19th Century. The basic facts and friendships of her life are so amazing that it's hard to believe that she is not more well known. My time was equally split between reading the book and looking up various Wikipedia pages to do background research on the artists, paintings and events mentioned - all part of the fun of the read!
Michael Saxton does a great job of bringing the various fascinating (and real) characters, relationships and events to life, while never losing sight of Suzanne as the central figure of the story and her journey to becoming a major artist in her own right. I thoroughly recommend it.
P.S. And it would make a great movie!
Michael Saxton does a great job of bringing the various fascinating (and real) characters, relationships and events to life, while never losing sight of Suzanne as the central figure of the story and her journey to becoming a major artist in her own right. I thoroughly recommend it.
P.S. And it would make a great movie!
July 20, 2026
I was lucky to receive a free advance copy from the author.
I really loved the book.
It’s fascinating and very well documented and I discovered Suzanne Valadon’s life and her famous painter son, Maurice Utrillo. I was genuinely impressed how this book kept me engaged from beginning to end, I simply couldn’t put it down. I am myself French and lived in Paris and I could feel myself in the Montmartre beginning of last century. I highly recommend this book, may you know the story of Suzanne Valadon or not (I didn’t know this painter), I found this book a page turner. My hope is that it would be published as it deserves to be read by a wider audience.
I really loved the book.
It’s fascinating and very well documented and I discovered Suzanne Valadon’s life and her famous painter son, Maurice Utrillo. I was genuinely impressed how this book kept me engaged from beginning to end, I simply couldn’t put it down. I am myself French and lived in Paris and I could feel myself in the Montmartre beginning of last century. I highly recommend this book, may you know the story of Suzanne Valadon or not (I didn’t know this painter), I found this book a page turner. My hope is that it would be published as it deserves to be read by a wider audience.
July 21, 2026
The book by Michael Saxton, is the perfect intersection of historical fiction and great storytelling. The real-life artist Suzanne Valadon comes alive on the pages with raw emotion as she tries to break into the heavily male dominated art world, while navigating motherhood, strained relationships, mental illness, and war. But her talent simply can't be silenced.
I'd never heard of her before reading this, and now I feel I've come to know her. What a gift!
I'd never heard of her before reading this, and now I feel I've come to know her. What a gift!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews