Wilson skillfully portrays a woman who defies tradition in a mild way when she goes to Paris by herself. Cassatt never loses the social and moral standards with which she was raised and disapproves of the unconventional behavior exhibited by many Parisian artists. Wilson does not editorialize; she simply presents Cassatt's opinions. A perceptive student with a little knowledge of modern art will realize that some of the artists who met with Cassatt's disapproval, such as Pablo Picasso, are held in the highest esteem today. The critical approval extended to these artists lends weight to Cassatt's questions about dramatic changes in the world and in art.

Although it sometimes causes her art to suffer, Cassatt's devotion to her family is always portrayed as a virtue. In fact, at the end of the book, Cassatt wonders whether she has made a mistake by dedicating most of her...