I LOVE this book!! "The Private Lives of the Impressionists," by Sue Roe. Its not very art-historically insightful, but its really very good for historical context and general getting-to-know the artists. Its pretty much just an historical description of the emergence of Impressionism, and Roe doesn't really give away any of her own opinions - a nice light read :) Makes looking at their art all the more enjoyable once you know all their sordid secrets!!
