It's clear that trouble lies ahead for Ernst Volger from the first pages of this historical novel set in the years leading to World War II. Volger is a German clerk tasked with retrieving an iconic Greek sculpture from Italy for Germany's growing national collection (this much is historical fact. The Discus Thrower was repatriated after the war). The expected two-day journey becomes a drawn out, dangerous, and life-changing experience. Though it works well as a thriller, it succeeds even more as a character-driven drama. I am looking forward to reading the author's other novels. I had mixed feelings about this book. Some of the writing was beautiful, and parts of the story were very moving. Additionally, I'm always a sucker for a happy ending. However, my main critique is that the author was trying to do too many things at once. This was a love letter to art, a contemplation on how ordinary people inadvertently contributed to the rise of Hitler, a romance, and a commentary on the long-term effects of physical and emotional abuse by a parent. Then throw in some action and violence for the sake of the plot. I thought the story of Ernst's physical deformity was unnecessary, and the suspense building up to what had taken place between father and son was just annoying. I understood that Ernst's deformity was supposed to be analogous to the larger themes of "purity" and the "Aryan race," but I thought this subtext didn't really add any value to the story. And I thought that the final message to the reader("there was a brief window of time...when I and Mueller and my coworkers could have done something") was a bit heavy-handed -- and I felt manipulated, as though the author had used the story and characters to lecture me. In some ways the story would have been more interesting if Ernst wasn't such a good guy -- his main flaw was passivity, but it seemed that the author was trying to protect her character and the reader by not making him more controversial. If Ernst had been likeable but more morally objectionable, the story would have been more complex and therefore more interesting to me. I guess what it comes down to is that this book didn't challenge me enough as a reader.
What do You think about The Art Lover (2012)?
An easy read and a great premise for the story, but not as substantial as I was expecting/hoping.
—jurasveltes
This is a great story that deals in historical fiction. I loved the characters and the setting.
—daniela
I saw this in a bookshop recently, also published as 'The Art Lover' .Why?
—jaehanseo
