Reviews

Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr

juliereads37's review

medium-paced

3.0

rendarm's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

There’s just way too much going on. Unnecessary details that don’t drive the story at all, threads that aren’t really relevant, outlandish characters, etc. 

tyreadsbooks_'s review

challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

"You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life."

⟡ 𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨

This is a tale of a young, ambitious journalist   & an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece. In a fight against the clock with a psychopath who would stop at nothing to get whatever she wants - forcing the ultimate showdown between passion & possession, history & truth. Woman on Fire tells the remarkable story of an exquisite work of art, moving through hands, hearts, & history.

 ⟡ 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 : 

•   multiple POVs + timelines
•   WWIl + art history
• investigative journalism 
•   strong female characters
• cat + mouse suspense
• action packed spy movie vibes
• femme fatale villains
• plot driven stories

⟡ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 

This book was so much more than I expected, the most perfect blend of my 2 favorite genres: thrillers & historical fiction!

This one has it all - action, international travel, a suspenseful investigation, thrilling twists, a little romance, & a glimpse of history. 

It's mostly present day, but it was so interesting to read about an aspect of WWII history that I’d never learned about. Through the lens of a journalist on a mission, we learn about Nazi stolen art & the attempted eradication of the “degenerate” Expressionism art movement. It was so well researched & presented in such a fascinating way. The story is incredibly cinematic - I was so excited to see that it’s been picked up for a movie! I think this story will be great on the big screen.

If you love thrillers but aren’t sure about historical fiction, I definitely recommend Woman on Fire! I think this book has something for everyone. I’m looking forward to reading her new book The Goddess of Warsaw ◡̈ 

anne_11_k's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

thepagelady's review

4.0

This stunning novel tells a beautiful story of love, family, mystery, art & courage! The vivid writing brings not only the settings & characters but also the art to life as if you were standing right in front of it! With exquisite writing, well written characters & a plot that has enough suspense & a villain that will satisfy every mystery lover! Well written, loveable characters & a satisfying ending!

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours, Harper Paperbacks & Lisa Barr for sharing this absolutely stunning novel with me!

hbrowder's review

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

mikaylanh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Sooo much happening here… and not in a great way. The concept of this was intriguing because I took several art history courses in college (though I don’t typically read this genre, like, ever) but the writing style was really not for me.

1. This being written in present tense IMMEDIATELY turned me off from it. I really struggled through the first few chapters because of this.

2. The number of adjectives and metaphors throughout the book was just over the top and  got in the way of the storytelling - very distracting. I personally suck at being concise but this book could have benefited significantly by cutting a lot of this fluff out.

3. I typically love multi-perspectives but there were too many this time. It also didn’t help that characters and names started to sound way too similar to me and got confusing - Jules Roth and Wyatt Ross, Lilian Dassel and Art Basel, Ellis Baum and Bram Bakker… I just had a hard time with this too

I don’t regret reading this and I did still enjoy the heist part so I’m going with a 3/5, but I don’t know that I would recommend it to others unless they’re really passionate about art history or WWII.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Alcoholism

Moderate: War, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Genocide, Stalking, and Trafficking

allore's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

poeca4's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

cjeanne99's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I don’t know anyone who can communicate so clearly with just their eyes as they do in this book. 
Margaux de Laurent makes Miranda Priestly look like your favorite grade school teacher. Yes, Margaux is that nasty. 
WWII Art thievery, accompanied by 21st century art duplicity.  
In real life - Jules Roth would never have gotten that job with Dan Mansfield - but - that’s what makes for a good book - right?