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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was fun. Arts galore (really, lots of info on art and art world, auctions, art history & co.), definitely my cup of tea (coffee, rather, but we gotta stay British for the sake of the novel). And quite a lot of food, not your regular French fries, mind you, but Caravaggio-inspired feasts and 18th century homages with 20 courses, aspics and birds inside birds inside birds. You get the idea.
And then there's some romance and identity theft and a rococo painting (hence the title) that calls itself moi, as snobbish as a French painting can get.
And then there's some romance and identity theft and a rococo painting (hence the title) that calls itself moi, as snobbish as a French painting can get.
Though it started slow and at times, it was hard to keep the characters straight, I really loved this book! An original concept that was entertaining and thought provoking.
Good book, fun story to read, took a long time to get through
For the first book I have ever bought that has the word 'love' in the title, I was very pleased to discover that the romance in this book didn't swallow the plot, but complimented it. I'm so glad that that shop assistant persuaded me to pick it up and try something new, it was a very worthwhile read. It's about, and partially narrated by, a fictional painting by real painter Watteau, and the humans who get caught up in its rediscovery. I know absolutely nothing about art, and I was surprised that I found a book so full of art history not only interesting, but enjoyable. By all means, there were too many characters, the plot was too intricate, the idea isolating and inaccessible to a wider audience, and yet despite the fact that it was published on the first of the month it has already been nominated and shortlisted for several fiction awards. Why? I wish I could out my finger on why I liked this book so much, but I'm not sure I can. Perhaps it was precisely that - the complexity of it - that is unavoidably drawing. There is so much detail to every character and their individual story, so much variation to them. Perhaps it's the intrigue of a national work, a story that would make headlines, unravelled and laid open for detailed study. The time and effort that must have gone into the planning and the writing of this book is extraordinary. I had to pay attention to it, I had to use my brain. It was dark and light, it was funny and heart-wrenching, it was mysterious and intriguing and everything you want in a good book. A Saturday afternoon well-spent!
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I incorrectly assumed this would be a light read concerning some beautiful paintings and some romance. But instead it's dragging chapters about art and stuffy old people and insufferable characters and a painting that talks. I'm giving up at halfway