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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
An interesting blend of historical and current fiction, with a painting and art theft as the link.
I kept having to remind myself that the historical part was set in World War I, not II, because the story of the German occupation of France was so familiar from WWII books (just as was the train rides and work camps). The art theft in question(of the titular painting) from then is compared to the Nazi thefts and treated in much the same way, rousing the same passions.
To be honest, the historical part's familiarity was a large part of what cost it a star: excepting the time frame, there was nothing new here in how the village was isolated, starved, commandeered and terrorized by the Germans or how people who were forced to work with them were often accused of collaboration. The only interesting question (for me) was how far Sophie would go to be reunited with her husband. How the painting from that small village to Liv Halston's wall was more interesting and I wish we'd had more of the search for provenance, or of other cases that could be used as precedent.
One question that I wish Liv's attorneys had asked was why the Lefever family felt that the painting was theirs. It had been a gift from Edouard to his wife Sophie, so shouldn't Sophie's descendents rightfully own the painting? The case's conclusion was also a little reliant on a convenient coincidence.
ARC provided by publisher.
I kept having to remind myself that the historical part was set in World War I, not II, because the story of the German occupation of France was so familiar from WWII books (just as was the train rides and work camps). The art theft in question(of the titular painting) from then is compared to the Nazi thefts and treated in much the same way, rousing the same passions.
To be honest, the historical part's familiarity was a large part of what cost it a star: excepting the time frame, there was nothing new here in how the village was isolated, starved, commandeered and terrorized by the Germans or how people who were forced to work with them were often accused of collaboration. The only interesting question (for me) was how far Sophie would go to be reunited with her husband. How the painting from that small village to Liv Halston's wall was more interesting and I wish we'd had more of the search for provenance, or of other cases that could be used as precedent.
One question that I wish Liv's attorneys had asked was why the Lefever family felt that the painting was theirs. It had been a gift from Edouard to his wife Sophie, so shouldn't Sophie's descendents rightfully own the painting? The case's conclusion was also a little reliant on a convenient coincidence.
ARC provided by publisher.
Rakastin tätä kirjaa. Mielettömän upea juoni ja punainen lanka, jonka ympärillä paljon mielenkiintosia henkilöhahmoja. Osa henkilöistä ärsytti tai niiden toiminta ärsytti, mutta silti en kuitenkaan keksi, miten ne voisi olla toisin🤷🏽♀️ Toosi koukuttava ja ainakin mussa tunteita herättävä 😍
Maravilloso. Una historia realmente increíble. No pude evitar llorar al leer ese final.
this is an absolutely fabulous read. Easy to get into, I could not put it down. The writing is multi layered as the action switches from 20th century France to 21st Century England . There is so much i could say about this novel which engendered ever emotion in me during its reading
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love Jojo Moyes' writing style. It leaves me guessing...not predictable for me at all. Plus she seems to always make things turn out right.
I loved this book, couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend.
I loved this. While the beginning was a little rough, once the present started interacting with the past, I was hooked once again by Jojo Moyes. The twists and turns kept me interested. The characters were people I'd want to know and the ending, while not at all what I expected, it was lovely. And perfect. It is true, that it was never about the painting. It was always about Sophie and Edouard...
