Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-297) and index.

Study and reevaluation of Monet's work, with more than 400 illustrations and 125 color plates. Traces Monet's life and work from his early years at Le Havre and Paris to his final days at home among his gardens at Giverny. Forge writes of Monet's family, his friendships, his relations with the professional art world; and, he travels to the sites of Monet's exploratory campaigns--on the Normandy coast, at Bordighera, Belle-Ile, Antibes--to see what Monet saw and to share with the reader the struggles that Monet faced, his anguish, and his joy.