Degas & Cassatt : A Solitary Dance is a graphic novel told from the point of view of Edgar Degas himself, the flow of the text is romantic, artistic and even a bit abstract. We see the life of an artist with contradictions surrounding him, the selfishness and the reasons behind his lifestyle. The arrogance of the Degas oozes off the page, the haughty attitude towards dogs (nothing is worse than a dog, unless it is …. and he rattles off a laundry list of worse things, turning back eventually to dogs). The snobbery of his father (finally allowing his son to pursue being an artist with the stipulation “don’t be a bohemian” and yet, Degas’ path would lead him on a similar path). And that was just the first quarter of the book, and where I stopped reading. 
The start of it is what looks like an older woman (perhaps Mary Cassatt, but if there was a clue to her identity, I missed it) speaking of Degas at his death. Author Salva Rubio then goes into the life and times of our male artist. Perhaps more of a “feel of the person and times” than a true biography, a lot is going on in this book. The illustrations have a feeling of the style of the times, the colors and details being not only a supporting character of the text, but also its own character. Plus, you can locate some fun Easter Eggs that find their way to the page, allowing you to glimpse art in a new fashion. This allows for things to have a classical tone and brings you to the era being lived. Many artists will be mentioned such as artists that inspired Degas and ones he immensely disliked. You might need a scorecard to keep track of them! Also, be careful of looking at them and their works (works mentioned) because I found myself going down one wild rabbit hole looking into a few.
While the book is currently available, I started reading via an online reader copy, however, I hope to find a finished copy due to the fact that things are a bit crowded on the page, and even though the panels are neat, they can flow into each other, making for a slow read. Still, there is definitely potential for the art lover, history lover or someone looking for something a bit different to read, and I will find a way to finish, it’s just important y’all learn of this first!
Additional comments: As I did not publish this review after I had finished it, I will add that after further reading, we are given a new point of view with Mary Cassatt’s point of view brought into the mix. This book does keep getting better. And complicated but is good for those who like history, art or something not your usual read. However, it is not an easy read, as things are dense and the font can make it a smidgen hard to read at times. However, overall I am enjoying the journey.