Editorial Content for The French Impressionist

“We must find different ways to tell the world who we are.” Rosemary has always had difficulty finding her true voice. When she speaks, her words get tangled. Due to her communication disorder, she wishes to find her voice in the art of painting. There is just one problem. In order to be good at art you must have some artistic talent, which Rosemary does not possess. Through an artist exchange program and many lies, Rosemary finds herself in Nice, France with a new family and a new life style. She hopes to never leave; to live a new life where she is not always being sheltered by overbearing her mother. With help from her host parents and an old mystery in the apartment next door, Rosemary learns how to deal with tough situations and find the beauty in the world around her. Through many lies and deception, she retains the goal of staying in her new world, not caring about the effects they have on her normal life.

"THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST plays strongly into the description of the architecture of France and the other sensory aspects of being in a new area."

Bischoff created a story about a subject that I have never read about. It was interesting and challenging, because I have never dealt with someone with a communication disorder. This book introduced new ideas and showed me that there are many different types of “voices” --- it does not necessarily need to be through words. I really enjoyed the ending of the book. This is because of one of the characters who is introduced later on. He is very knowledgeable and acts as quiet mentor to Rosemary. Rosemary grows as a character and tries to find her voice which leads to many positive changes in her life. The beginning of the book did not catch my attention. I expected more from Rosemary’s character. She was so blinded by the need to get away from her former life that she lied whenever it would help her. I was not able to like her character which made it hard for me to have a connection to her story. However, the author writes in such a descriptive manner that makes it sound like a poem. It was an interesting writing style; it was not overbearing, her words flowed and allowed me to be immersed in the book. 

I recommend this book to any young adult readers who are interested in learning about the struggles of having a communication disorder. While it was not one of my favorite books, I now have a better idea of what some of the difficulties and challenges that people with speech-language disorders go through. THE FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST plays strongly into the description of the architecture of France and the other sensory aspects of being in a new area. This may be interesting for many people who have the aspiration to travel and explore new worlds. Its description and different topic made the book interesting.