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A review by pipparature
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
3.0
I read the first few chapters of this book in a preview and couldn't get it out of my head so purchased the full novel. I wish I'd enjoyed the rest of the novel as much as I did those chapters as but I simply can't say I did.
The book opens with the preparations for an auction. A missing masterpiece has resurfaced and it has been brought to market. Some of the wealthiest people in the world will be attending and the world is agog to know who will buy the painting. The title of the novel is shared with that of the artwork and, from the auction preparations we are cast back in time to find out how the painting has come to light.
I'm so conflicted by this book. On the one hand it's beautifully written and cleverly plotted but, on the other, it simply didn't engage me the way I hoped it would. Annie McDee is responsible for purchasing the painting in a junk shop and I really enjoyed her story strand but there is a large amount of 'other' cleverness which added to the plot's complexity but not to my enjoyment of the overall story. Sometimes less is more and I think a lighter touch with the history of the painting and some of the supporting cast would have made it more enjoyable. Some characters were superfluous and added little but confusion to the already complicated storylines.
As an observation on the global art market and the issues at play it's quite illuminating, just not as compelling as I hoped it would be.
The book opens with the preparations for an auction. A missing masterpiece has resurfaced and it has been brought to market. Some of the wealthiest people in the world will be attending and the world is agog to know who will buy the painting. The title of the novel is shared with that of the artwork and, from the auction preparations we are cast back in time to find out how the painting has come to light.
I'm so conflicted by this book. On the one hand it's beautifully written and cleverly plotted but, on the other, it simply didn't engage me the way I hoped it would. Annie McDee is responsible for purchasing the painting in a junk shop and I really enjoyed her story strand but there is a large amount of 'other' cleverness which added to the plot's complexity but not to my enjoyment of the overall story. Sometimes less is more and I think a lighter touch with the history of the painting and some of the supporting cast would have made it more enjoyable. Some characters were superfluous and added little but confusion to the already complicated storylines.
As an observation on the global art market and the issues at play it's quite illuminating, just not as compelling as I hoped it would be.