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A review by okiecozyreader
Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Read this with the Jen Hatmaker bookclub
A little of something for everyone is in this book - historical fiction, mystery & suspense, romance, family and friends - mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, legacies.
Jules has always wanted to be a reporter. She brazenly approaches the man she has always wanted to work with and goes out on a limb for a story he wants. When he sees her work ethic, he lets her in on a story he’s researching for a friend, a famous shoe designer. Turns out, his mother was the subject of a well beloved portrait that has gone missing since the Nazis confiscated and destroyed large collections of art. They are on a mission to find this piece and bring it back, but the undercover world of fine art turns out to be quite dangerous.
Short chapters from a couple pov make this story go quickly and kept me turning pages. I loved all the art information. From the first page, like a movie, we get a glimpse of what is to come and then go back to see what happened before it. I loved when I got to the same scene from a different perspective later in the book.
Epigraph
Good artists copy, great artists steal. —PABLO PICASSO
You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life. —JOAN MIRÓ
“She told no one and let it go. And yet, it never really went away. It cleaved and clawed at her, until it became a new layer of skin: thicker, tougher, and impenetrable.” Ch 6
“Rule of thumb: The closer you are to a story, the further away you will be from the truth.” Ch 9
“and self-destruction—well, just ask Van Gogh. It makes everyone feel better about their own inner demons.” Ch 14
“Hugo Boss is based on principle: Boss designed the Nazis’ uniforms.” Ch 19
“A deal forged between a meeting of mouths, sealed by two highly skilled art thieves. Or, as Margaux likes to call them, the most honest humans in the world. No pretense, no deception. They are, for each other, exactly who they are.” Ch 20
“Everyone in the room knows that this is a story not just about a painting but about the lives around it.” Ch 21
““Did you know what Mark Twain said about Baden-Baden? ‘After ten minutes you forget time, after twenty, you forget the world.’” Ch 36
“The intense heat, followed by the insatiable need to hurt someone, to break something apart.” Ch 37
“Some truths are best remained buried.” She takes Jules’s wet hand inside her own. “The trick is knowing what to hold on to tightly and when to let go.” Ch 40
“Usually, that girl didn’t survive her defiant nature, but she gave others hope that while the body may be tortured, the human spirit can’t be broken. No matter what.” Ch 44
A little of something for everyone is in this book - historical fiction, mystery & suspense, romance, family and friends - mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, legacies.
Jules has always wanted to be a reporter. She brazenly approaches the man she has always wanted to work with and goes out on a limb for a story he wants. When he sees her work ethic, he lets her in on a story he’s researching for a friend, a famous shoe designer. Turns out, his mother was the subject of a well beloved portrait that has gone missing since the Nazis confiscated and destroyed large collections of art. They are on a mission to find this piece and bring it back, but the undercover world of fine art turns out to be quite dangerous.
Short chapters from a couple pov make this story go quickly and kept me turning pages. I loved all the art information. From the first page, like a movie, we get a glimpse of what is to come and then go back to see what happened before it. I loved when I got to the same scene from a different perspective later in the book.
Epigraph
Good artists copy, great artists steal. —PABLO PICASSO
You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life. —JOAN MIRÓ
“She told no one and let it go. And yet, it never really went away. It cleaved and clawed at her, until it became a new layer of skin: thicker, tougher, and impenetrable.” Ch 6
“Rule of thumb: The closer you are to a story, the further away you will be from the truth.” Ch 9
“and self-destruction—well, just ask Van Gogh. It makes everyone feel better about their own inner demons.” Ch 14
“Hugo Boss is based on principle: Boss designed the Nazis’ uniforms.” Ch 19
“A deal forged between a meeting of mouths, sealed by two highly skilled art thieves. Or, as Margaux likes to call them, the most honest humans in the world. No pretense, no deception. They are, for each other, exactly who they are.” Ch 20
“Everyone in the room knows that this is a story not just about a painting but about the lives around it.” Ch 21
““Did you know what Mark Twain said about Baden-Baden? ‘After ten minutes you forget time, after twenty, you forget the world.’” Ch 36
“The intense heat, followed by the insatiable need to hurt someone, to break something apart.” Ch 37
“Some truths are best remained buried.” She takes Jules’s wet hand inside her own. “The trick is knowing what to hold on to tightly and when to let go.” Ch 40
“Usually, that girl didn’t survive her defiant nature, but she gave others hope that while the body may be tortured, the human spirit can’t be broken. No matter what.” Ch 44