The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan holds a well received rating of 3.61 out of 5, based on 26.8K reader ratings. First published in 2012. The book spans 357 pages.
About The Painted Girls
1878 Paris. Following their father's sudden death, the van Goethem sisters find their lives upended. Without his wages, and with the small amount their laundress mother earns disappearing into the absinthe bottle, eviction from their lodgings seems imminent. With few options for work, Marie is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant seventeen francs a week, she will be trained to enter the famous ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work as an extra in a stage adaptation of Émile Zola's naturalist masterpiece L'Assommoir. Marie throws herself into dance and is soon modeling in the studio of Edgar Degas, where her image will forever be immortalized as Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. There she meets a wealthy male patron of the ballet, but might the assistance he offers come with strings attached? Meanwhile Antoinette, derailed by her love for the dangerous Émile Abadie, must choose between honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a young woman of the Parisian demimonde. Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural, and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of "civilized society." In the end, each will come to realize that her salvation, if not survival, lies with the other.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | Cathy Marie Buchanan |
| Published | 2012 |
| Pages | 357 |
| Genres | Historical Fiction, Fiction, Arts & Photography |
| Average Rating | 3.61 / 5.00 |
| Total Ratings | 26,798 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is The Painted Girls?
The Painted Girls is categorized as Historical Fiction, Fiction, Arts & Photography. Its primary genre classification is Historical Fiction.
Is The Painted Girls worth reading?
Based on 26.8K reader ratings, The Painted Girls has an average score of 3.61 out of 5.00, which is considered "Well Received."
How many pages is The Painted Girls?
The Painted Girls has 357 pages.
Who wrote The Painted Girls?
The Painted Girls was written by Cathy Marie Buchanan. It was first published in 2012.
What is the ISBN for The Painted Girls?
The ISBN-13 for The Painted Girls is 9781594486240.0.
Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026
