From here, the book unfolds like a conversation under the stars. Thomasson introduces us to the circle of friends around that table: the daring photographer Lee Miller, the incredibly brilliant but complex Pablo Picasso, the surrealist icons Man Ray and Dora Maar, the poet Paul Éluard and his wife Nusch, and others like the dancer Ady Fidelin and the artist Eileen Agar. Some names you may recognize, others you may not, but when you finish the book, you feel as if you have walked alongside them through sunlit fields and shadowed war rooms.

What makes A Vast Horizon so compelling is Thomasson's gift for bringing these lives to the page through the art they made, the poems they wrote, the letters they exchanged, and the photographs that survive. She does not limit herself to telling facts; She invites you into her world, showing how art, friendship and love were her anchors even as the specter of war loomed ever closer.

As the years pass, the carefree days of that Mediterranean summer give way to the harsh realities of World War II. Plans change, loyalties are tested, and the very notion of freedom changes as Europe descends into turmoil. What I loved most was how these real people, rebellious in their own way, fought to hold on to creativity and connection in a time that sought to destroy everything.

In some ways, this book feels like a bedtime story told around a campfire: it's vivid, colorful, and stays in your thoughts long after you've finished reading. I found myself turning pages late into the night simply because Thomasson writes with that rare combination of intimacy and spaciousness. You can almost hear the laughter from that summer picnic, feel the tension of the war years, and feel the resilience of the friendships that endured.