A ten-year old girl, Mona, and her dearly loved grandfather, nicknamed Dadé, together in Paris, each Wednesday after school, the duo head to one of three museums in Paris to see, study and discuss only one painting or piece of art each visit for an entire year.

They begin at the Louvre, viewing Raphael, Gérard, da Vinci and Turner among others. Then to the Musée d’Orsay where the Impressionists, along with Whistler, Van Gogh and Klimt become the teachers and conclude with the more modern of the three, Beaubourg (aka the Centre Pompidou), viewing O’Keeffe, Zandinsky, Hartung and Picasso just to introduce the list of many artists that play a role in Mona’s 52-week curriculum that replaces the role of a counselor as that is what Dadé has promised his daughter he is taking Mona to each Wednesday afternoon.

Les Yeux de Mona, published in France in March 2024, will soon become available in the states with its English title and translated into English as well so that even more people can appreciate, dare I say savor and learn from, this international bestselling novel by art historian Thomas Schlesser.

Being released on August 26th, Mona’s Eyes is a feast for art lovers, art curious, Francophiles and those who appreciate a well-crafted, elevated, yet approachable narrative that will leave you both grounded and inspired at the same time by the end of the novel.

I had the opportunity to read a review copy of Mona’s Eyes this summer, and as I shared with TOP Tier Members earlier this month in the A Cuppa Moments for August, which at the time I had only read half-way through, but was thoroughly enjoying the book, the concept of the storyline is quite unique. With a pace for the reader to stay engaged while also challenged as they learn about one piece of art in-depth in each chapter, paired with following along with Mona as her family tries to learn why her eyesight failed her seemingly out of the blue in the first chapter of the novel, you, like me, may find yourself reading just one chapter a night, almost like a daily meditation, giving yourself time to ponder all that has been shared about the life lesson each piece of art imparts.

Absent from the novel is sensationalized drama, and instead, Schlesser crafts human beings being human beings: loving, becoming frustrated, being frightened, exploring, trying, remembering, grieving and all the while growing, all without violence, depravity or excess to grab our waning attention. The reader’s attention is already gripped as we journey along with the family to solve the mystery of Mona’s temporary vanishing sight in a perfectly healthy young child, all the while savoring the art taught to us by an art professor who not only knows his art history, but loves and appreciates art.

Thomas Schlesser teaches Art History at the École Polytechnique in Paris and is the director of the Hartung-Bergman Foundation in Antibes, France. He is the grandson of André Schlesser, known as Dadé, a singer and cabaret performer who founded the Cabaret L’Écluse. Mona’s Eyes is Schlesser’s American debut and his second novel. This novel has been translated into 38 languages, including Braille. (The translator for Mona’s Eyes into English was Hildegarde Serle. She lives in London.)

Having finished the novel, of which it is lengthy (450 pages), but doesn’t feel to be so, part of me didn’t want it to end as I enjoyed being the student of all the art taught, and the other part of me immediately wanted to read it again. Why? As the novel concludes, along with Dadé, the reader learns a special trait of Mona’s when she speaks that is something all of us can learn, and a skill someone special taught to her and she acquired unconsciously. This special characteristic underscores the deft writing of Schlesser, and to no less do so in the French language, a culture that well … I will let you discover this treasure. May it inspire you to think and speak in such a way to elevate the quality of both your conversation, as well as your mindset.

Oh! Before I forget! A special feature you receive when you order the novel is that the book jacket contains all of the 52 pieces of art that are discussed during Mona’s ‘course’. They are organized in order with clear labeling and numbering of the week during which the pair discuss them. I found myself regularly taking off the book jacket, opening up the double-folded book cover and looking closely at each painting, even if I had seen some of them before in person (most of them I have not). Along with being a fascinating book that Francophiles and art-lovers will enjoy, this book will encourage you to go visit each museum again or for the first time, and more pointedly, seek out these specific works of art, viewing them now with a deeper appreciation.

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