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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Couldn't finish it ...
The book moves so slowly and I found no interest in it
The book moves so slowly and I found no interest in it
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well written good read. I found the description of the book not representing what it actually was. I went into it thinking there would be a fast paced book with more tension. Readjust that frame and it’s a nice story around the art world.
I think my expectations for this book were the downfall. I was hoping for some sort of dorky statistical novel about falling in love, and instead was given a story of the super rich in the corrupt art world. It took me a long time to feel invested in the characters, but as I was trapped in hair and makeup chairs for an entire day with no other options, I persevered. Not a bad book, just not my taste.
Hannah Rothschild channels her inner Shonda Rhimes and Donna Tartt while drawing on her own tremendous personal reservoir about art and the art world to create a fun and amusing story. There is some serious shark jumping in this novel and every genre is crammed into the book, but as others have said, it is nonetheless a delightful and an easy read.
When I decided to give a chance to some new book genres, I figured it would be nice to read some romance instead of thrillers and horrors and such.
This book gave me unseen satisfaction and thrill.
I really can't describe all the things I was feeling while reading, and feel now that I'm finished. I must admit, I didn't expect to experience this kind of emotions when I bought 'The Improbability of Love'. I thought: "Okay, it might be cool reading about some Annie there f*cking some guy with this painting above their bed."
But no. Once I put it in my hands, it was like the covers were glued to my fingers, and my gaze locked on the pages. It was not about her at all, and that was the most interesting thing.
This book gave me unseen satisfaction and thrill.
I really can't describe all the things I was feeling while reading, and feel now that I'm finished. I must admit, I didn't expect to experience this kind of emotions when I bought 'The Improbability of Love'. I thought: "Okay, it might be cool reading about some Annie there f*cking some guy with this painting above their bed."
But no. Once I put it in my hands, it was like the covers were glued to my fingers, and my gaze locked on the pages. It was not about her at all, and that was the most interesting thing.
The book looked promising, but it was a disappointment. It tries to be too much - a satire, a love story, a crime mystery, an art historical novel -, and does not achieve any of these in the end. The characters are not likeable, and they are all stereotypes, which would not necessarily have been a problem if It was a well-written satire, but it is not: the novel is not funny, nor poignant, and its observations about the art world are rather commonplace (I would have expected something more acute from an author who should have intimate knowledge of that world). There are many annoying plot holes and unbelievable details (a woman who is broke, but dreams of starting her own business does not care at all about potentially owning a masterpiece of extreme value - come on...). The narration keeps switching from one of the many characters and plot threads to the next, due to which it is impossible to really get into any of them; they just hold the reader up. For instance, Earl Beachendon's Odyssey visiting artists' studios could have been funny, but it is not built up properly, and this way it is simply unneccessary. All in all: a good idea badly executed - maybe it could have benefited from more rigorous editing.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Sexism, Antisemitism
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Improbability of Love is a lost painting whose recovery has led to one of the most highly publicized art auctions of all time. The story begins with a summary of all the potential bidders before rewinding six months to introduce Annie, an aspiring chef recovering from a devastating breakup with another toxic relationship with a married man. On a whim, Annie buys a painting in a junk shop, which leads her on a whirlwind adventure into the world of art collecting and a little bit of Nazi history.
This was utterly overwhelming. There were far too many plot lines, most of which were entirely unrelated to the main story and felt like a waste of time to read. Shockingly, I didn’t hate the narration by the painting because I appreciated the historical clarifications, but the Russian oligarchs and the New York billionaires were so boring to me. Ultimately, the ending was satisfying enough, but I spent most of the book considering DNFing it.
This was utterly overwhelming. There were far too many plot lines, most of which were entirely unrelated to the main story and felt like a waste of time to read. Shockingly, I didn’t hate the narration by the painting because I appreciated the historical clarifications, but the Russian oligarchs and the New York billionaires were so boring to me. Ultimately, the ending was satisfying enough, but I spent most of the book considering DNFing it.