A second rate architect, only accepts his benefactor’s offer to design hiding places for Jews so he can get contracts building factories for the Germans.
Mr. Johnson manages to tackle tough issues with grace and humor using interesting characters and plot twists. This book would make an excellent choice for a book club, as there is much to discuss and address.
I enjoyed reading this book, the way the story unfolds is interesting and how the protagonist works through it from the past, to present-day, back to the past is skillfully written. I liked how the author managed to makes the reader think the answer to the question is just on the next page, and then he just pulls it from us to be out of reach again.
e protagonist of the book, an art dealer named Giovanni Fabrizzi, finds an old painting of an Italian Count that starts talking to him. The picture tells Giovanni that it was painted by famed artist Sandro Botticelli and its history from the 15th Century to the 20th Century when it was stolen from a Jewish family by the Nazis.
Even though I liked this book, and it is a well written novel, the message the author tries attempts to send (personal forgiveness and redemption) seems a bit heavy handed at times and the ending, which to me was mostly predictable. The author handles multiple timelines well and even though the chapters not only jump from time, but also to a different place and characters it all seems to fit and not disjointed at all.
I did enjoy the premise of the story, which seemed to be edited heavily to the point where character development took a second seat to length. A quick, quirky read with a noir feel about a feisty lady and a soldier, both trying to make a difference out of place.
I did not know what to expect, I knew it wouldn’t be a magnificent piece of literature, but I have heard many positive reviews and several bad ones.
About: Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman is a fictional multi-generational story. Ms. Waldman is a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction novels, essays and short stories. 352 pages Publisher: Knopf Language: English ISBN-10: 0385533543 My rating for Love and Treasure — […]
I truly enjoyed the part of the story where Clark Kent, as a young man, is searching for something interesting to do when he grows up.
Sound easy, right? After all, he can do anything, dance, sing, lead a football team.
He could probably win the World Cup all by himself.
But is that who he wants to be?
Wolf Hunt: The Napoleonic Murders by Armand Cabasson takes place during the Napoleonic wars while the Austrians and the French battle over some small villages by the Danube. The mystery takes second place to the author’s impressive research of the time, whether it would be battlefield tactics or a Viennese ball.