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angelajuniper 's review for:
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
by Dominic Smith
This would have earned five stars if not for the holes in the women characters. For example, 'Jake' took Ellie out for drinks, took her home, called her, showed up at her door, left while she was asleep then called her again... all in quick succession, in a single evening. Ellie did not seem to feel uneasy about this attention-bombing and I found it hard to swallow. Perhaps women in 50's Brooklyn, especially those who lived alone, didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable about this sort of thing? I'm sceptical.
Apart from this and similar observations, I found myself learning about art and wanting to strengthen my own attention to detail. Ellie's intimate knowledge of the process behind an artwork was fascinating.
The novel could have been made more poignant by further exploration of Sara's grief and Ellie's post-incident trauma and how it effected her in the intervening years. Nevertheless, it was a gripping, well-written novel that brilliantly wove three timelines around one historical artwork.
Highly recommend.
Apart from this and similar observations, I found myself learning about art and wanting to strengthen my own attention to detail. Ellie's intimate knowledge of the process behind an artwork was fascinating.
The novel could have been made more poignant by further exploration of Sara's grief and Ellie's post-incident trauma and how it effected her in the intervening years. Nevertheless, it was a gripping, well-written novel that brilliantly wove three timelines around one historical artwork.
Highly recommend.