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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Art & European history lover's take note, this book is full of names you don't find in your average fiction book. From Catherine the Great to the secrets of Nazi Germany to the present English art scene The Improblity of Love is the creative debut novel of Hannah Rothschild.
A full roster of characters, both past & present, tell the history of a lost masterpiece and it's affects on all those who have possessed it through out the years. Most of the historical references come from the painting herself (she is definitely French) as she recounts her long life.
My only complaint is the sheer number of characters over whelms the story. Some characters came off as flat & completely underdeveloped leading me to believe that they were only there to add diversity & color. Rothschild wraps up all her collective character threads in the last chapter but does a disservice to the Annie/Jesse and Memling/Rebecca storylines. That's why I couldn't give the book my usual 4 star rating as the ending felt rushed and incomplete.
A full roster of characters, both past & present, tell the history of a lost masterpiece and it's affects on all those who have possessed it through out the years. Most of the historical references come from the painting herself (she is definitely French) as she recounts her long life.
My only complaint is the sheer number of characters over whelms the story. Some characters came off as flat & completely underdeveloped leading me to believe that they were only there to add diversity & color. Rothschild wraps up all her collective character threads in the last chapter but does a disservice to the Annie/Jesse and Memling/Rebecca storylines. That's why I couldn't give the book my usual 4 star rating as the ending felt rushed and incomplete.
A fun, playful romp through the art world. I enjoyed the different layers of the story, the family and relationship struggles of the cook who finds the painting in a junk shop, the extravagant society of the elite buyers, the cut throat experts, and even the painting herself providing a first person point of view of her provenance.
"Make the tone and writing style more consistent. Is this book a mystery, a love story, a satire, an art history lesson, an exposition on dysfunctional families, a cooking tutorial, or a put down of the wealthy? Some of these stylistic elements can be combined in a single novel, but they need to be intertwined, not turned on and off like a series of light switches." -- Mac's review of this novel encapsulates the faults from which most of its failings flow.
I was disappointed with this mess of a novel. The prologue led me to expect Jonathan Coe-like satire, but Rothschild is no Jonathan Coe. She knows her art world though, so she could have shone if she'd been more organised (the brief section where a restorer examines Annie's junk-shop find is fascinating -- I'd have liked more of this forensic detail). Annie herself turns out to be a dim (in every sense of the word), flat character; impossible to imagine why Jesse falls for her. Rebecca develops into someone much more interesting and I think the sections where she explores her family history were my favourites. A good novel could have been made of these -- although it would need to be more subtle. The talking painting was a gimmick too far; a couple of times it worked, but mostly it didn't.
Just in case all the art stuff isn't enough to snare the reader, Rothschild throws in some truly ghastly food writing. As a cook, I love to read recipe books, but this detail-laden prose is awful, like those over-the-top menus in fancy restaurants. I want those minutes of my life I spent reading the three-page description of Annie making an omelette back. Sample:
Argh -- I can't go on. I'll just add that Jesse and Annie must be the only people ever to use "meld" in conversation.
And as for the dénouement -- gah! This is where Annie reveals herself to be a complete idiot. And the final rushed account of the auction and the painting's ultimate fate is a real letdown.
I'm giving it two stars because of the Rebecca sections; otherwise it would be a solid one.
Oh-- and no copy-editing. Again. Riddled with errors.
I was disappointed with this mess of a novel. The prologue led me to expect Jonathan Coe-like satire, but Rothschild is no Jonathan Coe. She knows her art world though, so she could have shone if she'd been more organised (the brief section where a restorer examines Annie's junk-shop find is fascinating -- I'd have liked more of this forensic detail). Annie herself turns out to be a dim (in every sense of the word), flat character; impossible to imagine why Jesse falls for her. Rebecca develops into someone much more interesting and I think the sections where she explores her family history were my favourites. A good novel could have been made of these -- although it would need to be more subtle. The talking painting was a gimmick too far; a couple of times it worked, but mostly it didn't.
Just in case all the art stuff isn't enough to snare the reader, Rothschild throws in some truly ghastly food writing. As a cook, I love to read recipe books, but this detail-laden prose is awful, like those over-the-top menus in fancy restaurants. I want those minutes of my life I spent reading the three-page description of Annie making an omelette back. Sample:
'Go on,' Annie said as she placed pats of butter in a saucepan and waited for them to melt. Then she stirred two tablespoons of flour in to make a smooth paste. In a separate bowl she dissolved gelatine into some boiling water and combined it with her sauce.
Jesse expertly cracked the eggs with one hand into the bowl, added two twists of pepper and a generous pinch of salt and whisked them hard. Once they had turned into a frothy golden cloud he asked for the next job.
"Can you layer that Gruyère and toast on top of the bowls of onion soup?" Annie asked, making sure that her clarified butter frothed up but didn't burn.
Agatha moaned slightly as she bit through the crispy outer layer of fish and felt the warm butter ooze into her mouth.
Argh -- I can't go on. I'll just add that Jesse and Annie must be the only people ever to use "meld" in conversation.
And as for the dénouement -- gah! This is where Annie reveals herself to be a complete idiot.
Spoiler
Agatha has already hinted that the painting is genuine 18th-century and could be valuable. While Annie is musing, after her successful themed dinner, on how to raise capital to start a business, every single person she's met in the art world leaves messages on her phone begging her to get in touch urgently about the painting. Then she answers the phone, to find the police asking her to come and bail out her mother and the purloined painting. She promptly refuses. She really doesn't deserve to keep it. The way Annie is rescued is also full of holes (it's never explained how Abufel's account proves her innocence; Rothschild clearly hasn't figured it out herself, hence swiftly glosses over it).I'm giving it two stars because of the Rebecca sections; otherwise it would be a solid one.
Oh-- and no copy-editing. Again. Riddled with errors.
I enjoyed this offbeat novel about the art world. The characters are not exactly realistic but hey ho it's a cracking read.
I quite enjoyed this book, a look into the art world in London. I've never read a book where a painting is a character! It was set in London, so I muchly enjoyed that aspect as well.
In the prologue we meet a dizzying number of people that are attending an art auction and ALL want their hands on a The Improbability of Love -- a work of art by an artist that introduced the world to Rococo art (and was ahead of his time with his impressionistic brushstrokes). There are rappers, museum directors, art historians, wealthy Russians, heads of State, and so many others that want THIS piece of (art) history.
Then we go back six months and meet Annie McDee, a lonely young woman that has been recently dumped (and dumped again), while she's out shopping for her current boyfriend's birthday. While out she stumbles upon a painting that grabs her attention and impulsively she decides to buy it and gift it to her gentleman friend. This one quick decision will alter Annie's life and left me wondering for dozens of chapters how the painting went from masterpiece to antiques shop to auction.
The painting is both an object and a voice in this book (and one of the reasons why I finally picked this one up to read -- a painting as narrator?! OK!). We get to hear of its rescue and its history through its own sometimes cranky, sometimes snobby, sometimes tragic voice.
There were problems with this book: it took me quite some time to keep all the characters straight. There was one scene that still sticks out where a woman climbs into the backseat of a car, but is then hitting her hands on the steering wheel (small car? really long arms?). Occasionally, we would jump between characters and I couldn't tell how much much time had passed, if any has passed at all.
Overall, I found it to be an interesting glimpse into the world of capital-A Art filled with smart observations about the increasingly rising costs of art, how cost is tied to desire, and the connections between art & power. Definitely a book to pick up if you appreciated Theo's love of art in [b:The Goldfinch|17333223|The Goldfinch|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378710146s/17333223.jpg|24065147] (this is a much faster read!) or if you liked the historical and modern day connections to a piece of art in Jojo Moyes' [b:The Girl You Left Behind|17572903|The Girl You Left Behind|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366558957s/17572903.jpg|19249629].
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Then we go back six months and meet Annie McDee, a lonely young woman that has been recently dumped (and dumped again), while she's out shopping for her current boyfriend's birthday. While out she stumbles upon a painting that grabs her attention and impulsively she decides to buy it and gift it to her gentleman friend. This one quick decision will alter Annie's life and left me wondering for dozens of chapters how the painting went from masterpiece to antiques shop to auction.
The painting is both an object and a voice in this book (and one of the reasons why I finally picked this one up to read -- a painting as narrator?! OK!). We get to hear of its rescue and its history through its own sometimes cranky, sometimes snobby, sometimes tragic voice.
There were problems with this book: it took me quite some time to keep all the characters straight. There was one scene that still sticks out where a woman climbs into the backseat of a car, but is then hitting her hands on the steering wheel (small car? really long arms?). Occasionally, we would jump between characters and I couldn't tell how much much time had passed, if any has passed at all.
Overall, I found it to be an interesting glimpse into the world of capital-A Art filled with smart observations about the increasingly rising costs of art, how cost is tied to desire, and the connections between art & power. Definitely a book to pick up if you appreciated Theo's love of art in [b:The Goldfinch|17333223|The Goldfinch|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1378710146s/17333223.jpg|24065147] (this is a much faster read!) or if you liked the historical and modern day connections to a piece of art in Jojo Moyes' [b:The Girl You Left Behind|17572903|The Girl You Left Behind|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366558957s/17572903.jpg|19249629].
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The Improbability of Love is the improbable story of a lonely, heartbroken woman down on her luck, buying a valuable but somehow lost masterpiece in a junk shop. The painting as the centerpiece of the book, is entitled The Improbability of Love. The novel is a combination of mystery and romance with a very detailed history of art. Unfortunately it's that detail that bogs down the book and makes the reader want to quit reading in despair.
At times the writing was very good and once I waded through the abundant and overwhelmingly detailed narrative, I found I sort of enjoyed the story. I hate to admit that I skipped through sections of the book rather than slog through pages of unending background information which in the end had very little to do with the plot of the book and in no way enhanced the story. Its sad that the editor did not see fit (or the author did not heed the editor's advice if it was given) to shorten some of the lengthy narrative making the book much more palatable and probably increasing it's popularity.
At times the writing was very good and once I waded through the abundant and overwhelmingly detailed narrative, I found I sort of enjoyed the story. I hate to admit that I skipped through sections of the book rather than slog through pages of unending background information which in the end had very little to do with the plot of the book and in no way enhanced the story. Its sad that the editor did not see fit (or the author did not heed the editor's advice if it was given) to shorten some of the lengthy narrative making the book much more palatable and probably increasing it's popularity.
Started slow, but really picked up in the last 100 pages. Glad I stuck with it.
What a fun book. Kept me engaged the whole time. Interesting characters. Don't get me wrong- not a great piece of literature but definitely worth a read!
This was an exhausting book. Not only because of its 400+ pages but because of the inclusion of characters that failed to add much of anything to the story. Barty & Vlad? Why were they in the story? I almost got to the point of skipping every chapter by the painting - so tiring. It could have been a very good read with 60% fewer characters. Just my opinion.