The Matisse Stories

by A. S. Byatt

‘A.S. Byatt’s three-tale sequence, The Matisse Stories, hits the imagination’s retina with all the vibrant splatter of an exploding paintbox. Daubs of gaudy colour gleam out from the pages… Everywhere, scenes sizzle with chromatic intensity… Each story is suffused with an atmosphere ripely redolent of the world Matisse’s pictures glowingly conjured up: a realm of refined hedonism, sensuous harmony, relaxed and responsive bodily euphoria, connoisseur delight in life’s stimuli and satisfaction’ Peter Kemp, Sunday Times

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?