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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
i was skipping between 3 and 4 stars. the beginning was so interesting and it caught me. but around 40-50% it went downhill. i finished it just to know how it ends.
and the only thing that stays in me is - where is the love everyone is so deep in the book description? there is no characters psychic and feelings so deeply described
and the only thing that stays in me is - where is the love everyone is so deep in the book description? there is no characters psychic and feelings so deeply described
I liked it. A little slow moving at the start and confusing, the narrative switching between characters and keeping everyone straight. But overall I enjoyed the story.
Like the painting at the center of the story, this book is built layer upon layer. First there's the launch off base layer of the pretty heartbroken chef who works for a wealthy art dealer and his cold, emotionless daughter. One day in a secondhand store she buys a painting that unbeknownst to her is an original Antoine Watteau, the French rococo artist who revitalized the Baroque style of painting. What transpires after is part mystery,part love story,part revenge tale,and part history lesson told from the perspective of the painting itself. Rounding out this many layered plot is a cast of larger than life characters obsessed and/or immersed in the the current art world, eager to get their hands on the coveted work. Patience was a virtue here because I really struggled to tap in up through almost a hundred pages at the start, which is why I didn't rate the book higher. Ultimately though it's a winning and engaging meditation on art, food, and of course the improbability and mystery of love.
This was the last book my mom recommended to me before she died, so I'm really, really glad I liked it. The chapters from the painting's POV were an unexpected pleasure.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
There were many things I enjoyed about this book, the art, the cooking, the historical references to WWII, and most of all the narrator which is the masterpiece painting titled The Improbability of Love. However, there were times I was ready for the story to wrap up, mostly because the characters did not engage me. Overall, I am glad I read it. "All that matters is that artists keep reminding mortals about what really matters: the wonder, the glory, the madness, the importance and the improbabilty of love."