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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a fun read, but it took me awhile to read because I would read it in small increments, and then forget I was reading it. Part of the book is told from the perspective of a painting, which sometimes works, but sometimes gets caught up in the details of the painting's history. At one point the painting was describing a historical period, and I got lost in who was doing what because there were too many people involved. My biggest problem with it was the end. She wrapped it up by giving a "happily-ever-after" paragraph about each character at the end, which I always feel is kind of lazy. For the most part I enjoyed it, but the ending definitely left me a little irritated.
Mixed feelings about this book. I found the story slow with unnecessary extra characters until over half way through. Second half of the book was a page turner but I still didn't find the plot engaged me as a reader.
Maybe it was just my mood at the time, but many of the descriptions of how someone looked and/or felt made me roll my eyes. The story was okay, but just because the author points out what an amazing coincidence something is, doesn't make me find it more believable.
Not really my cup of tea which surprised me because I usually agree with the Bailey Prize.
Not really my cup of tea which surprised me because I usually agree with the Bailey Prize.
3-3.5
In short, a lot of this book was very interesting: the insight into the art world, the history, the scandal... I really enjoyed the main character, Annie’s storyline, and both Rebecca Winkleman’s and the painting’s narratives ended up becoming my favourite parts. If this novel had been (at least almost) exclusively written with those three POVs, it could have easily been 4+ stars. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting the point of all the other side-narratives, as they all felt very filler and those characters too caricature-y. The ending also felt very rushed and anti-climactic, with the stakes rising excitingly towards the end but then just skimmed over, with the reader being told how everything panned out rather than experiencing it.
In short, a lot of this book was very interesting: the insight into the art world, the history, the scandal... I really enjoyed the main character, Annie’s storyline, and both Rebecca Winkleman’s and the painting’s narratives ended up becoming my favourite parts. If this novel had been (at least almost) exclusively written with those three POVs, it could have easily been 4+ stars. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting the point of all the other side-narratives, as they all felt very filler and those characters too caricature-y. The ending also felt very rushed and anti-climactic, with the stakes rising excitingly towards the end but then just skimmed over, with the reader being told how everything panned out rather than experiencing it.
I wanted to like this more than I did, but alas, it failed to manifest for me. For my complete review visit: https://readingstewardess.wordpress.com/2015/10/20/the-improbability-of-love-book-review/
Great book! Thought the way the chapters are narrated from different perspectives, including the painting itself!
On the whole The Improbability of Love was a fun read. The plot focuses on a painting which is discovered in a junk shop. When various art connoisseurs discover the value of the painting, it leads to a bizarre hunt.
The writing style is great, funny, precise and flowing. The plot is good. If you are an art lover it helps a bit and some chapterss are inspired - the Czech painter scene is brilliant. However it does get a bit predictable, bordering on the silly, towards the end and the characters are not fleshed out properly but it was a great read and I learnt quite a bit from it too. One could see it as a satire of the art world but it could also be a depiction of how much history a painting goes through.
I enjoyed the story, but could have done without the unconventional first "person" narrator used in some chapters.