The author of the Love in Provence series returns to the South of France with a poignant portrait of a woman who must learn how to create a new life for herself…

Sixty-two-year-old Arianna arrives in the South of France for a two-week artists’ workshop full of anticipation but burdened by guilt. Back home in Toronto, she has been living with the devastating diagnosis of her husband’s dementia and the heartbreak of watching the man she has loved for decades slip away before her eyes. What does her future hold without Ben? Before her is a blank canvas.

Encouraged by her family to take some time for herself, she has traveled to Arles to set up her easel in the same fields of poppies and sunflowers that inspired Van Gogh. Gradually, she rediscovers the inner artist she abandoned long ago. Drawing strength from the warm companionship and gentle wisdom of her fellow artists at the retreat—as well as the vitality of guest lecturer Jacques de Villeneuve, an artist and a cowboy—Arianna searches her heart for permission to embrace the life in front of her and, like the sunflowers, once again face the light.

Patricia Sands lives in Toronto, but her heart’s other home is the South of France. An avid traveler, she spends part of each year on the Côte d’Azur and occasionally leads groups of women on tours of the Riviera and Provence. Her award-winning 2010 debut novel, The Bridge Club, is a book-group favorite, and The Promise of Provence, which launched her three-part Love in Provence series, was a finalist for a 2013 USA Best Book Award and a 2014 National Indie Excellence Award, an Amazon Hot New Release in April 2013, and a 2015 nominee for a #RBRT Golden Rose award in the category of romance. Sands also contributes to such Francophile websites as The Good Life France and Perfectly Provence and appears as a public speaker for women’s groups. Celebrating the power of friendship and the courage to embrace change, her writings draw personal responses from male and female readers alike.

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“Set in the magical French countryside, Drawing Lessons tells a remarkable tale of separation and loss. Patricia Sands unfolds a passionate story of self-discovery and learning to love again that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.” —Christine Nolfi, bestselling author of Sweet Lake and The Comfort of Secrets

“A beautifully written story that is both heartbreaking and soul satisfying. Sands is at the top of her game as she takes the reader on a woman’s life changing journey in the South of France and into the lifestyle that inspired the Impressionists. A rich experience that will leave you with a sigh.” —Bette Lee Crosby, USA Today bestselling author of Spare Change

“I have journeyed to Provence captivated by Patricia Sands’s gifted prose in Drawing Lessons. I have shared Arianna’s heartbreak. I was there as she found reconciliation for the present and joy for her future. Ms. Sands’s novel revolves around heartbreak and emotional healing, exquisite descriptions of Provence, and art as life restored. I went to Provence with Ms. Sands via her novel and I want to go back again as soon as possible. This book is a keeper!” —Grace Greene, USA Today bestselling author, author of The Memory of Butterflies

“I feel as though I’ve been to the South of France after reading Patricia Sands’s richly crafted novel of one woman’s journey of rediscovery. Colorful and beautifully written, the landscape captured my heart. I loved this story!” —Heather Burch, bestselling author of One Lavender Ribbon and Something Like Family