In her latest novel, Barbara Shapiro mixes Manet, Boston, and a possible haunted painting

Boston Globe

29-07-2025

But the Connecticut native, who writes as B.A. Shapiro, cut her teeth as a novelist writing Boston-set ghost stories and thrillers with paranormal elements.
In her latest, '
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'I actually published five novels very
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The book in a nutshell: Boston resident Tamara Rubin — great-great-great-great granddaughter of Impressionist
Tamara hangs 'Party' in her Tremont Street home and becomes so obsessed with it she must leave the house to get work done, 'to avoid the lure, like an addict who can't be anywhere near her drug of choice.'
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The plot shifts between current-day Boston and 19th century Paris, where readers meet members of the famed impressionist circle, including Manet, Degas, Monet — and
'Party' apparently holds some kind of magic power. It somehow survives major disasters; it seemingly can't be destroyed. Tamara sees a character wink. The artist's signature at the bottom of the painting changes before her eyes. She begins to have nightmares about the painting. She wonders if Morisot's ghost haunts it.
The historical story unperpinning the plot is compelling, well-researched and at least loosely true. While 'Party' is fictional, it sparked me (and likley more readers) to Google: Morisot really
was
to Manet's brother. Manet really
did
With events upcoming at
What sparked this book?
I'd read about Berthe Morisot when I was working on 'The Art Forger.' I'd scribbled her name down and threw it into my file of ideas. When I was thinking about the next book, I saw that note, and got totally fascinated with her.
The whole idea of this unsung talent grabbed me. The quality of her work, the misogyny, what it was like for a woman in those days. I felt she really got screwed, and that if I wrote a book, people might
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Was there really a romance between her and Manet?
There was. Historians acknowledge that she and Manet were in love, but no one knows for certain whether they had a physical affair. But, hey, I'm writing novels, so of course they're going to have a physical affair– and they're also going to have an illegitimate child.
Right. What draws you to the lives of artists?
When I was little, I wanted to be an artist. My parents were very supportive. My mother signed me up for classes. My father built me a studio in the basement. It was great, except for the fact that it became clear really quickly I had no talent. So I became an art-appreciator.
You earned your Masters from Tufts in Sociology in '75 and your PhD in Sociology from there in '78. You said you never studied art history. How do you begin researching?
I read piles of books, [research] online. I go to lots of museums. Like Tamara, I discovered that a lot of museums have tons of paintings by Degas, Manet, and Monet. While most museums have at least one or two Berthe paintings, the numbers don't match at all.
You've written about Abstract Expressionists, Post-Impressionists, Impressionists. What group of artists would you write about next?
I'm actually working on a novel about
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What caused the pivot from ghost stories/mysteries to artist-based historical-fiction?
Once our kids finished high school, we moved back from Lexington to Boston [in 2005]. We were in the South end and just
surrounded
by artists. I could walk to different museums. I decided to take a chance on writing a book about art. And I loved it. I switched from murder-mystery/ supernatural into art-mode.
You said you painted as a kid. Do you paint now?
I actually tried taking watercolor classes recently, and once again –
ehhh.
I'd love to sing, but I can't do that either.
Lauren Daley can be reached at [e-mail]. Follow her on Twitter
and Instagram a
.
Lauren Daley can be reached at