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adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is the kind of book you plow through on a nice spring afternoon, but that you think about for the next 20 years. It's artfully done, to the point of being haunting. It beautifully ties a myriad of lives together through centuries and across continents. The descriptions in this book are so minute and delicate, they almost disappear. It's really quite a lovely read.
This book definitely had its flaws, but I love it for being beautiful and lovely and exactly what I needed right now.
This was a very entertaining story that moves among centuries and decades seamlessly. Regardless of the period the reader is in, the characters are captivating and the story intriguing. The art of the story (in many senses of the phrase) is certainly the book's core; but I found myself equally absorbed with the descriptions of aging, death, and the life lived. This is one of my favorite books of the year of one I look forward to recommending.
slow-paced
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this to be slow moving and struggled to keep with it for most of the book.
Beautifully written and set in two of my favorite places/periods: 17th-century Holland and Manhattan in the '50s (plus present-day Sydney). I loved the way Smith wrapped his entire plot around a single painting. The characters were sympathetic and believable, and the ending was exquisite.
Interesting premise, fairly well executed. Several stories set in different times unfold simultaneously, each slowly answering each other's mysteries. I liked learning about painting, Holland's Golden Age, and some of the workings of the art world. But ultimately the book failed to make me care very much about the people at the heart of the story.
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It took me a while to get through this book. The first 150 pages felt like a lot of necessary background, but slow to read. Halfway through I would have given the book a 2.5 or 3 but by the end it exceeded my initial expectations. I didn't do too much research into the author but it is obvious that he either had significant knowledge of art history or learned A LOT in order to write this book. Very impressive!