Donna Tartt is a gifted author that has a way with making each of her settings throughout the book distinct and set apart from all of the other sections. So distinct, in fact, that at times I forgot that I was still reading the same book. I was looking back through my notes thinking "Oh yeah that happened in this book too didn't it? Wow"
The first section with Theo's mother was so lovely that it was jarring to see that vignette get destroyed. The section with the Barbours and Hobie gave a sense that things could still turn out alright and, though the light had changed, there was still light to be seen. Then Vegas happened and we all took a very different ride. The contrast of the bright, glaring, shiny veneer of the setting against the dusty, nostalgic but warm and inclusive scenes in New York was another jolt to the readers system. And then Amsterdam was a cluster of unbelievable proportions that seemed disjointed from everything else, yet somehow still inevitable given the path that Boris and Theo journeyed down.
I admit to page skimming a bit through some of the long tangents of art history, furniture making, sailing, and the multiple tangents about the beauty of the painting etc. The novel could have easily been trimmed by 100 or more pages by taking out some of those side cars but yet, it also showed the disjointed, stream of conscious mind of a boy that lost so much, so soon and so consistently throughout his life.
I was able to predict what Boris did by how he reacted when Theo left so I wasn't surprised about the fate of the painting. That plot line tied up a little bit too neatly considering what happened in trying to retrieve it but I did appreciate that there was gain to be had. It felt like maybe the provenance came from Theo's mother, connecting the circle back.
Goodreads rating: 4 stars
Read date: May 12, 2014
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