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roscoehuxley's review against another edition
3.0
Max lives with his family in 1930s Paris, his father a renowned art dealer and his mother a concert pianist. Max himself is encouraged to attend medical school, which he does half heartedly. When Paris is no longer safe for Jews, the family goes into hiding, thinking they have secured their art collection. They are gone much longer than they think, and return to find their house pillaged and all the art gone. Their assistant, Rose, remained in Paris, and tells a terrible story about what has happened to art all over France. Max tries to recover his father's paintings, to no avail. A deep family secret is revealed in the process.
I found the story compelling, with details about the art world and Paris in pre- and post-WWII. Might have to dig deeper into more history about the Pillage of art during this period. In the afterward, I found a little note about paintings marked with MNR, a marking that means the painting was part of a large group of recovered paintings that could be returned to their owners. I'll look for that next time I'm in Paris!
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
This is a haunting story of a father and son, war, lost art, and one kickass museum curator. It's also about the emotions around art.
Daniel Berenzon is an art dealer. More than that, he loves art and holds his son to impossible standards as they rehearse the paintings that have passed through the gallery. But then World War II comes, Paris falls, and they must go into hiding. When they return, all of the art is gone--even what was hidden in underground vaults and kept in bank vaults.
And so the son begins to desperately hunt--to find what happened to the art and to the friends. Meanwhile, there is the shadowy figure of Rose, a woman he loved and who was his father's apprentice. During the occupation, she was able to become invisible and kept impeccable records--of what was looted and where it was sent.
It's one of those books I'll be thinking about for days, especially the ending. I've seen the documentary on the Monuments Men and read some about the current issues of wartime provenance in art museums. But this is an infinitely more accessible way of telling the story--a story we really need to know (especially in light of the much more recent looting of the Iraq museums).
Beautifully written, but there were a few small annoyances. However, my copy is an ARC, so I trust that they've been fixed in the final edition.
Highly recommended to all who enjoy stories of WWII, art, museums, history. And, of course, kickass museum curators.
Daniel Berenzon is an art dealer. More than that, he loves art and holds his son to impossible standards as they rehearse the paintings that have passed through the gallery. But then World War II comes, Paris falls, and they must go into hiding. When they return, all of the art is gone--even what was hidden in underground vaults and kept in bank vaults.
And so the son begins to desperately hunt--to find what happened to the art and to the friends. Meanwhile, there is the shadowy figure of Rose, a woman he loved and who was his father's apprentice. During the occupation, she was able to become invisible and kept impeccable records--of what was looted and where it was sent.
It's one of those books I'll be thinking about for days, especially the ending. I've seen the documentary on the Monuments Men and read some about the current issues of wartime provenance in art museums. But this is an infinitely more accessible way of telling the story--a story we really need to know (especially in light of the much more recent looting of the Iraq museums).
Beautifully written, but there were a few small annoyances. However, my copy is an ARC, so I trust that they've been fixed in the final edition.
Highly recommended to all who enjoy stories of WWII, art, museums, history. And, of course, kickass museum curators.
elysahenegar's review against another edition
3.0
Heartfelt and well-written exploration of the post-WWII time when people tragically searched for lost parts of their lives, including lost loved ones. Houghteling focuses on the looting of Europe, particularly France, and develops her themes around her protagonist's search for his family's lost art collection. Deep sadness runs like a river beneath this story, but it is very engaging and well worth reading!
andrea_m93's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
anniew415's review against another edition
2.0
Confusing, odd, and difficult to follow at the end. While the history aspect was very compelling for an art lover, the characters just seemed fevered and manic. Then there's an epilogue where they all seem to have moved on with life and it's all done, but there's a mystery woman at an auction and a painting is gifted? I didn't get it, I guess...
joli_folie's review against another edition
1.0
This book was on my recommended list and when I read the review I was excited about the prospects of this book.
Unfortunately it was a huge disappointment and I have given up about half way through. In reading others reviews I came upon one that suggested 3 books with the similar topic, (Monuments Men, Rescuing da Vinci, and The Rape of Europa) all of which I read and rated highly and THOUGHT that this would be along those lines. Don't waste your time with this one and make sure you read the other 3.
autumn_dannay's review against another edition
4.0
Even though there are a myriad of negative reviews for this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first it was hard for me to understand- Max Berenzon definitely qualifies as an unreliable narrator- but I caught on to his way of "thinking." I became engrossed in the book as soon as the War ended. I couldn't put it down, I couldn't stop talking about it at the dinner table with my family, and when I finished it, I felt as if the story had ended well. Maybe not happily, but well.
kfrench1008's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting story of Paris during and after the War.
gawronma's review against another edition
2.0
The book was inconsistant and my quick note on it indicated that I found it to be ok to just good.
appletonkelli's review against another edition
4.0
When I realized that this story of a Jewish art dealer's family would be taking me into the days of World War 2 occupation I almost put it aside. I just felt like I could not handle concentration camps and death and loss and heartbreak. It's hard enough to face it in nonfiction, I was not up to letting it take center stage in my escapist fiction literature too. But, true to my vow to myself that every book deserves at least 80 pages before I give up on it, I persevered. I was very glad that I did.
This author does treat the suffering of Parisians during German occupation with compassion and honesty, but the real center of this book is what became of the art. What became of the art in public museums and what became of the art owned by private citizens? If you believe that this topic is better left to the history books and would be a yawner of a subject for a novel, reconsider and give this book a chance to prove you wrong.
I really did not find anything objectionable in this book. It deals with the cruelty of German occupation, love in time of war, and family secrets.
This author does treat the suffering of Parisians during German occupation with compassion and honesty, but the real center of this book is what became of the art. What became of the art in public museums and what became of the art owned by private citizens? If you believe that this topic is better left to the history books and would be a yawner of a subject for a novel, reconsider and give this book a chance to prove you wrong.
I really did not find anything objectionable in this book. It deals with the cruelty of German occupation, love in time of war, and family secrets.