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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
This was a beautifully told story. I appreciated that this is essentially a fictional retelling of a historical story. Both of these women existed as did their friends and family. The author really only took minor liberties with the story and of course created fictional conversations. Still the actions of what happened to these women and their family is sad and historically accurate.
I have to say I was happy to read a book dealing with the horrors of WWII that focused on a different aspect of the war. I was worried this was going to end up in too dark of a place for me to read right now with all of the upheaval in the current climate. But instead while this does not shy away from the atrocities that were being committed, that wasn't the truth of this families story. I liked switching back and forth between the two timelines of Adele and her niece Maria. There's only 30 years between the timelines, but the nature of the world changed dramatically over those years. The relationship between Adele and Klimt was fascinating and the descriptions of his art definitely has me interested in his paintings. The world of Adele was one of culture and challenging ideas. I loved how much of a force she was. Maria is just as strong in her own way. She lives through the terrors of Nazi occupation and her husbands arrest and imprisonment. Yet she manages to forge a new life for herself more than once.
The art is it's own character in this story and I was drawn into the world through a lot of the depictions of Klimt's art. The beauty that surrounded Adele and her family was such a part of their lives. It made the Nazi's actions all the more horrifying.
I have to say I was happy to read a book dealing with the horrors of WWII that focused on a different aspect of the war. I was worried this was going to end up in too dark of a place for me to read right now with all of the upheaval in the current climate. But instead while this does not shy away from the atrocities that were being committed, that wasn't the truth of this families story. I liked switching back and forth between the two timelines of Adele and her niece Maria. There's only 30 years between the timelines, but the nature of the world changed dramatically over those years. The relationship between Adele and Klimt was fascinating and the descriptions of his art definitely has me interested in his paintings. The world of Adele was one of culture and challenging ideas. I loved how much of a force she was. Maria is just as strong in her own way. She lives through the terrors of Nazi occupation and her husbands arrest and imprisonment. Yet she manages to forge a new life for herself more than once.
The art is it's own character in this story and I was drawn into the world through a lot of the depictions of Klimt's art. The beauty that surrounded Adele and her family was such a part of their lives. It made the Nazi's actions all the more horrifying.
Stunning. I was drawn into both women’s lives and cared deeply for them as their stories unfolded. I love this empowering work of strong, glorious women. This is a book to be savored.
This was one of those books that will have you googling before, during and after you read it. I loved how the author combined the facts with her own speculation on Adele and Klimt’s story. The thing about art is that it has so many interpretations especially during the symbolism period. She described the process so well and gave me an even greater appreciation. I learned a lot and really enjoyed getting a deeper look into the elite side of WW2.
I saw the movie Woman in Gold a few years ago, and the story intrigued me. When I found out that it was based off a book, I wanted to read it this year for the Popsugar Challenge.
The book alternates between Adele Bloch-Bauer's perspective from the late 1800s into the early 20th century and her niece Maria Altmann's story picking up in the late 1930s until the early 2000s. It explores the perspective of women, their responsibilities and few rights, along with the 'proper' education a woman should receive. It also talks about passion and love and being brave and daring. Self-discovery. It's about courage and being stronger than you think you can be. It is the intimate thoughts and dreams of women constrained by their society and history.
I tore the book because I wanted to know what happened to Adele and Maria. Even though I'd seen the movie already, the book is really, really different. It focuses less on the lawsuits for the Klimt painting than on the private worlds and thoughts of Adele and Maria. Both of them were incredible women in their own right, so different from what society expected of them and for them.
This is historical fiction and biography in turns - extensively researched but with the thoughts of the women being formed around history and recollections. It is amazing to think of how the world has changed from Adele's first memories, what Maria went through during the Nazi occupation of Austria, and what they both did to survive when everything seemed against them.
The book alternates between Adele Bloch-Bauer's perspective from the late 1800s into the early 20th century and her niece Maria Altmann's story picking up in the late 1930s until the early 2000s. It explores the perspective of women, their responsibilities and few rights, along with the 'proper' education a woman should receive. It also talks about passion and love and being brave and daring. Self-discovery. It's about courage and being stronger than you think you can be. It is the intimate thoughts and dreams of women constrained by their society and history.
I tore the book because I wanted to know what happened to Adele and Maria. Even though I'd seen the movie already, the book is really, really different. It focuses less on the lawsuits for the Klimt painting than on the private worlds and thoughts of Adele and Maria. Both of them were incredible women in their own right, so different from what society expected of them and for them.
This is historical fiction and biography in turns - extensively researched but with the thoughts of the women being formed around history and recollections. It is amazing to think of how the world has changed from Adele's first memories, what Maria went through during the Nazi occupation of Austria, and what they both did to survive when everything seemed against them.
3.5-4 stars.
This book is based on a true story. There is a movie and a nonfiction version of this story.
Gustav Klimt prior to WWII painted two portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer a rich jewish patron of the arts. Adele and her husband were avid collectors of art. Adele requested that when she died her husband donate the paintings to a museum in Vienna (where she and Klimt worked). The museum used this "will" to keep one of the paintings it obtained from the Nazi's who stole the painting from Adele's husband during WWII (the rightful owner). Adele's niece Maria, the rightful heir, actually took on Austria to get back this painting worth over $135 million dollars. She took the country of Austria all the way to the supreme court.
The book alternates between Adele and Maria. We learn about Adele and her desire to learn about art and life. Adele dies before WWII. The story then veers to Maria and what she remembers of her aunt and how Maria made it through WWII and her quest to get this painting back. It is a very interesting story and I recommend reading or watching some version of it.
This book is based on a true story. There is a movie and a nonfiction version of this story.
Gustav Klimt prior to WWII painted two portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer a rich jewish patron of the arts. Adele and her husband were avid collectors of art. Adele requested that when she died her husband donate the paintings to a museum in Vienna (where she and Klimt worked). The museum used this "will" to keep one of the paintings it obtained from the Nazi's who stole the painting from Adele's husband during WWII (the rightful owner). Adele's niece Maria, the rightful heir, actually took on Austria to get back this painting worth over $135 million dollars. She took the country of Austria all the way to the supreme court.
The book alternates between Adele and Maria. We learn about Adele and her desire to learn about art and life. Adele dies before WWII. The story then veers to Maria and what she remembers of her aunt and how Maria made it through WWII and her quest to get this painting back. It is a very interesting story and I recommend reading or watching some version of it.
This was a beautifully written account of the lives of two women: Adele Bloch-Bauer, subject of one of the world’s most famous paintings, and her niece, who fought for ownership after the painting was stolen by Nazis. I love art history, and the work of Gustav Klimt, so I loved reading about the history (in a novelized form) of this painting. The second to last book in my 30years30books project.
I wanted to like this more, as I love stories about art and artists, and I enjoy historical fiction. But, well, this was just not that fascinating. A bit boring actually. Both Adele and Maria remained characters and never seemed like real people to me. I learned a bit about Gustav Klimt and the cultural mecca of Vienna in the early 1900s, but the fiction parts felt forced.
I really enjoyed seeing Klimt's paintings in the Belvedere when I went in 2006, and of course Judith particularly stuck out. This book really brought the world of fin de siècle Vienna to life, particularly the fascinating Adele Bloch-Bauer and her position as a muse to Klimt and patron of the arts. Of equal interest was the pre-war experience of Adele's niece Maria Altmann, who experiences the rise of antisemitism even more sharply than her aunt, particularly following the Anschluss. Both stories felt like a very immersive experience, and I really liked the first 2/3 or so of the book. The characters, settings, and artwork just leapt off the page. What took away from story's fascination and power was Maria's story in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Of course the whole legal battle and issue of ownership is probably an unavoidable part of this tale, but compared to the early parts it felt rushed and almost post-scripted, seeming to take away from the historic part of the novel as well the importance of that subject. Plus, the legal element is covered elsewhere in nonfiction and film. This probably would have garnered 4 stars from me if it maintained the level of engagement and immersion it did for a majority - because of that, I still highly recommend it to all historical fiction readers and art lovers.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I love this book, The Kiss by Gustav Klimt was one of the first pieces of art I was ever aware of.. I remember being mesmerized by it's abstract beauty, hanging from my Aunt's bedroom. I had no idea of it's history, or perhaps of history at all. this book opened my eyes to so much..all wrapped up in the story of two incredible women. I'd recommend it to anyone