How does Kate change/evolve by the end of the book?

How does Kate change/evolve by the end of the book? In what ways is she a different person after her time in France is over?

I think Kate realizes people are not always who they seem to be. She realizes most people have motives behind their friendships. Some people want to use you, others want you to love them. It is hard to find a truly honest person in this book.

She gains self-confidence and learns how to deal with the disappointments she encounters in the people she lives with and makes friends with throughout her stay in Paris. She becomes more discerning and able to see these people she is dealing with for what they really are. She learns the value of her own real family including her cousins, Jacques, Solange, and Etienne. She also develops her own individual style in her paintings and no longer needs the approval of others to feel successful. It was interesting to me how she grew "older and wiser" in such a short time.

Kate learns a realistic lesson that life can be cruel- not just the cruelty of losing a parent at a young age, but she discovers that humans with whom one deals might not have any loyalty, kindness, or sympathy towards you at all.

She "grew up" and learned to appreciate family.

The author wants the reader to see a maturation process in Kate. I agree with the comments about the fact that she learns how to appreciate family more. She is also a bit less naive in her expectations of people. She also has developed a bit more of a backbone in how she interacts with people who are trying to take advantage of her and/or manipulate her. I personally felt that while Kate had grown in all these ways that she still had a lot further to go. I found her character to be immature and difficult to have respect for.

Kate does grow and mature as the book progresses. Like many young people, she really didn't know what path she wished to pursue. She learned to take control of her life more effectively by the end of the book.

I liked Kate as a character, and I am sure that many female readers could relate to her feelings of being instantly attracted to a male near her age. That said, Kate seemed so insecure as the book began that I wondered how she had the strength of character to take off on her own.

I thought that Kate was awfully naive to take on a job in France (even tho she didn't have an accent) and move there with this family. It took her nearly a year to contact the family that she had there -who could have given her the love and support (and perspective to look at her situation appropriately) long before she needed it. I don't think that she changed a whole lot in the year in Paris other than to establish her own sense of perspective in her art. She certainly didn't learn any life lessons.