I loved this book. I loved the story, I loved the art, I loved the different styles used for different scenes and different states of mind, I loved thI loved this book. I loved the story, I loved the art, I loved the different styles used for different scenes and different states of mind, I loved the variety of fonts and speaking bubble shapes for the different characters, and speaking of the characters - I loved the characters.
I enjoyed the flashback/present day narrative thread, which added so much to the book's complexity. I feel like this is just calling Asterios Polyp a graphic novel is an understatement. It's also a visual masterpiece, it's a coming-of-middle-age story, it's a puzzle, it's a love story. Basically, it's much more than a novel.
This is a complex and beautiful book, so layered and detailed that it begs to be read again and again. I read it twice, starting it again only hours after I finished it. I've since been occasionally Googling it to see what others thought and what they've caught that I missed.
Reading this book was like watching a movie from the 1940s, with lots of screwball moments and a good love story developing throughout. And the pinup Reading this book was like watching a movie from the 1940s, with lots of screwball moments and a good love story developing throughout. And the pinup photo shoot scenes would be hilarious.
The characters were perfectly portrayed, Sal with her mix of spunk and business sense and Wink's easy-going nature and corny jokes. I thought the dialogue was dead on, never sounding forced, never unrealistic, even with the hearty helping of 1940s slang. The romance and humor was balanced by the lousy treatment of women in the workplace and the challenges of housing and employment for returning GIs. It put the reader in a snapshot of the time and place, exactly as a novel should.
Overall, it was light and funny and captivating without being consuming. A very nice break from required reading. ...more
Boser's approach to telling the story of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist is just right. He sets the scene of the night of the crime with allBoser's approach to telling the story of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist is just right. He sets the scene of the night of the crime with all the known details in place and adding in all the clues the experts have. This gives the reader the feeling of an insider, getting our interest piqued and developing our attachment to the artwork.
He weaves in the museum background, a brief history of the world of art theft and museum security standards and glimpses of the adventures of artwork once it's on the lam. Boser manages to make it both educational and exciting - all the background provided makes the details of the Gardner heist more interesting.
However, my adoration for the book faded slightly toward the end. Boser's decision to solve the crime on his own was ludicrous. His attempt, which mostly consisted of talking to untrustworthy "connections" and scoping out Irish bars for Whitey Bulger, came off as a childish foray into art crime superhero-ism.
I thought it was an example of how wrapped up an author can get in the story being researched. I'm fine with passion for subject, but this fantasy of being a lost art savior was ridiculous. He could be equally helpful by looking into every dumpster he passes in case Vermeer's "The Concert" happens to be hidden there.
If you are an art lover, if you enjoy a real-life unsolved mysteries, you are definitely going to enjoy this book. And if you happen to solve it, please let Ulrich Boser know.
I'm not sure why a story with such potential of setting and plot was so boring and bogged down with the emotional and romantic agonies of character thI'm not sure why a story with such potential of setting and plot was so boring and bogged down with the emotional and romantic agonies of character that no one in the book seems to regard very highly. In the afterword, Houghteling discusses basing Rose Clement on the true story of Rose Valland and after reading a bit about Valland, I would vastly have preferred just to read her autobiography and "The Rape of Europa."
Fans of Jackie Kennedy and the Camelot years will enjoy this account of the Mona Lisa’s high profile visit to Washington, D.C. and New York City in 19Fans of Jackie Kennedy and the Camelot years will enjoy this account of the Mona Lisa’s high profile visit to Washington, D.C. and New York City in 1963. The author lovingly recounts Jackie’s love affair with art and art history, as well as the impact her taste and style had on the White House and Washington, D.C. at large.
There are episodes of diplomatic disaster and success, charming society anecdotes, private correspondence and behind-the-scenes glimpses at the planning and security it took to bring the world’s most famous painting to America.
The whirlwind of black-tie affairs surrounding the accomplishment moves the story along, but expect much of the focus to remain - adoringly - on Jackie. ...more
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