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avidlyreading 's review for:
The Improbability of Love
by Hannah Rothschild
Overly ambitious in scope [b:The Improbability of Love|24044141|The Improbability of Love|Hannah Mary Rothschild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1446486184s/24044141.jpg|43643842] is a book that wants to tell an epic, moving emotional story but doesn't quite succeed in its execution. [a:Hannah Mary Rothschild|5825091|Hannah Mary Rothschild|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1453529323p2/5825091.jpg] tries to tell an action story with an emotional heart yet it's that core which isn't rendered convincingly enough that lets it down.
The novel opens with an auction for the painting named in the title and there is wild speculation on the final price the piece will achieve. The novel mostly alternates between two different characters: Annie McDee, an aspiring chef, who initially wants to find an impressive birthday gift for her casual boyfriend and Rebecca Winkelman, a specialist in selling art and part of a powerful family; we also see from other perspectives that have an interest in the painting for their own reasons ranging from the academic to emotional attachment. What results once the canvas appears is a pursuit to obtain it at whatever the cost.
One quirky feature I loved was how the painting itself had a narrative voice. Its monologues were more revealing than anything in the main narrative about possession and ownership of beautiful art; it was interesting to read of its long line of illustrious owners, conveying how art becomes a commodity through time yet ownership and interpretation change. The painting has a perspective that looks outwards: analysing its surroundings, owners as well as its artist to deliver insight about each of them.
The Improbability of Love also appeals to the sight and imagination. Numerous descriptions of the painting is given, highlighting why the piece is so sought after; it allows for some exploration of how art's worth is determined by the extent it is desired. Rothschild also describes in detail the magnificent feasts Annie prepares which are so vivid that you can almost taste the numerous dishes from the different eras. The marriage of historical context with the meals in the era brought alive just how integral food is to experience and society when other times the dinners Annie serves the Winkelman are bland as well as her talents as a professional chef.
Where the novel fell down for me was in its sterile characterisation as we do get to know character and motivation but you don't gain any particular insight into them as people. Neither Annie nor Rebecca were particularly protective over the painting and because of this disconnection it does separate the novel into a narrative of the painting and people who are incidentally connected. I have read other novels that have been focussed on a painting and the story behind it to great effect due to the emotional connection the current owner towards their art ([b:The Goldfinch|17333223|The Goldfinch|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451554970s/17333223.jpg|24065147] by [a:Donna Tartt|8719|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409871301p2/8719.jpg]; [b:The Girl You Left Behind|17572903|The Girl You Left Behind|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366558957s/17572903.jpg|19249629] by [a:Jojo Moyes|281810|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1400624880p2/281810.jpg]); however, for Annie the painting is more an inconvenience than desired object and for the aloof Rebecca she is an outsider in pursuit of another's cause.
Another aspect that bored me was the repetition of Annie's history regarding her love life. Rothschild stated often how her protagonist had left a long term relationship; the failure of her new one; her insecurities etc. Annie's alcoholic mother is another unchanging constant in the book as we hear her history and failure of her relationships too. It's unnecessarily grimmer than needs be to show how Annie deserves something good to happen to her.
I also had issues with the third act of this novel as the action did speed up towards the end but was so hastily concluded that any emotional impact was lost in the condensed resolution. Throughout the book a sense of the danger caused by ownership of the painting lingers at the margins of the book: however, an unconvincing key change in Rebecca's character catalyses the pace of the action. It had one of those endings you had to accept from the author despite the many objections I had as a reader as well as the various threads of the novel not getting the attention it needed to play out their characters' stories to a natural conclusion.
The novel opens with an auction for the painting named in the title and there is wild speculation on the final price the piece will achieve. The novel mostly alternates between two different characters: Annie McDee, an aspiring chef, who initially wants to find an impressive birthday gift for her casual boyfriend and Rebecca Winkelman, a specialist in selling art and part of a powerful family; we also see from other perspectives that have an interest in the painting for their own reasons ranging from the academic to emotional attachment. What results once the canvas appears is a pursuit to obtain it at whatever the cost.
One quirky feature I loved was how the painting itself had a narrative voice. Its monologues were more revealing than anything in the main narrative about possession and ownership of beautiful art; it was interesting to read of its long line of illustrious owners, conveying how art becomes a commodity through time yet ownership and interpretation change. The painting has a perspective that looks outwards: analysing its surroundings, owners as well as its artist to deliver insight about each of them.
The Improbability of Love also appeals to the sight and imagination. Numerous descriptions of the painting is given, highlighting why the piece is so sought after; it allows for some exploration of how art's worth is determined by the extent it is desired. Rothschild also describes in detail the magnificent feasts Annie prepares which are so vivid that you can almost taste the numerous dishes from the different eras. The marriage of historical context with the meals in the era brought alive just how integral food is to experience and society when other times the dinners Annie serves the Winkelman are bland as well as her talents as a professional chef.
Where the novel fell down for me was in its sterile characterisation as we do get to know character and motivation but you don't gain any particular insight into them as people. Neither Annie nor Rebecca were particularly protective over the painting and because of this disconnection it does separate the novel into a narrative of the painting and people who are incidentally connected. I have read other novels that have been focussed on a painting and the story behind it to great effect due to the emotional connection the current owner towards their art ([b:The Goldfinch|17333223|The Goldfinch|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451554970s/17333223.jpg|24065147] by [a:Donna Tartt|8719|Donna Tartt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1409871301p2/8719.jpg]; [b:The Girl You Left Behind|17572903|The Girl You Left Behind|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366558957s/17572903.jpg|19249629] by [a:Jojo Moyes|281810|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1400624880p2/281810.jpg]); however, for Annie the painting is more an inconvenience than desired object and for the aloof Rebecca she is an outsider in pursuit of another's cause.
Another aspect that bored me was the repetition of Annie's history regarding her love life. Rothschild stated often how her protagonist had left a long term relationship; the failure of her new one; her insecurities etc. Annie's alcoholic mother is another unchanging constant in the book as we hear her history and failure of her relationships too. It's unnecessarily grimmer than needs be to show how Annie deserves something good to happen to her.
I also had issues with the third act of this novel as the action did speed up towards the end but was so hastily concluded that any emotional impact was lost in the condensed resolution. Throughout the book a sense of the danger caused by ownership of the painting lingers at the margins of the book: however, an unconvincing key change in Rebecca's character catalyses the pace of the action. It had one of those endings you had to accept from the author despite the many objections I had as a reader as well as the various threads of the novel not getting the attention it needed to play out their characters' stories to a natural conclusion.