Review of Provenance
Posted: 12 Jul 2023, 15:39
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Provenance" by John Delacourt.]
Provenance, as the title suggests, is a novel that details the history and origins of some artworks that were thought to have been missing for a long time. It was October 1993, and Lt. Christina Perretti, an Interpol agent, was writing to the director of art crimes in Milan about how they discovered one of these artworks, a Schiele painting, when it resurfaced for sale. A stack of letters written by the man who was in possession of this painting, Harry Maes, to his son, Nikolaus, was found hidden behind the painting. These letters go on to tell how Harry obtained these paintings, lost them during the war, and then discovered them again. The novel then follows a timeline from when these letters stopped, disclosing their current location and what happened to them in the present day.
The book's most intriguing part was its incredibly immersive storytelling. The first part of the narrative alternated between Lt. Perretti's and Harry Maes' letters. As it was, it read like a first-person narrative, explaining what both Harry and Christina had gone through that made them pen these letters, and reading it gave me the premium feeling of being seated in the front row of a theater. It had a sense of authenticity in the words, which brings me to another feature of this story that I enjoyed: the emotional complexity and character growth. Reading Harry's letters to his son was like being transported to a point in time when Harry was present and seeing things from his point of view. Because these letters were written over a number of years, the reader was able to grow alongside Harry and live vicariously through his life. This theme ran throughout the book because you could undoubtedly comprehend what each character—even a secondary one—was feeling and see things from their own perspectives. That provided insight into the motivations behind these characters' actions, whether legal or not. This, I believe, was a key component of the novel that was essential to understanding the overall backdrop of the plot. That kept me glued to the pages as I learned that some of Harry's actions were no doubt selfish, while others were due to his limited options. Those may not have been the noblest things he had done in his life, but at least one could understand why.
However, there were a few aspects of this novel that I did not enjoy. The first was that the story's glacial pace felt unnecessary towards the end. More characters were introduced, sparking the need for more character development, but I believe the plot would have been just as good without them. The second issue was that the letters were so detailed that they felt unbelievable at times. Harry’s letters were so detailed that he could remember conversations with people verbatim even after all those years. That was very off-putting, and I thought it would have been better if the narrative had been written in a different style than a letter. Finally, I discovered certain editing flaws that periodically interfered with my reading. Because of these elements, I rate Providence 4 out of 5 stars. The story was truly immersive and accomplished its goal well, revealing some unique secrets concerning the fate of many artworks we see today. This book would appeal to individuals who appreciate historical stories and have an open mind, as many of its aspects may appear to be conspiracies.
******
Provenance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Provenance, as the title suggests, is a novel that details the history and origins of some artworks that were thought to have been missing for a long time. It was October 1993, and Lt. Christina Perretti, an Interpol agent, was writing to the director of art crimes in Milan about how they discovered one of these artworks, a Schiele painting, when it resurfaced for sale. A stack of letters written by the man who was in possession of this painting, Harry Maes, to his son, Nikolaus, was found hidden behind the painting. These letters go on to tell how Harry obtained these paintings, lost them during the war, and then discovered them again. The novel then follows a timeline from when these letters stopped, disclosing their current location and what happened to them in the present day.
The book's most intriguing part was its incredibly immersive storytelling. The first part of the narrative alternated between Lt. Perretti's and Harry Maes' letters. As it was, it read like a first-person narrative, explaining what both Harry and Christina had gone through that made them pen these letters, and reading it gave me the premium feeling of being seated in the front row of a theater. It had a sense of authenticity in the words, which brings me to another feature of this story that I enjoyed: the emotional complexity and character growth. Reading Harry's letters to his son was like being transported to a point in time when Harry was present and seeing things from his point of view. Because these letters were written over a number of years, the reader was able to grow alongside Harry and live vicariously through his life. This theme ran throughout the book because you could undoubtedly comprehend what each character—even a secondary one—was feeling and see things from their own perspectives. That provided insight into the motivations behind these characters' actions, whether legal or not. This, I believe, was a key component of the novel that was essential to understanding the overall backdrop of the plot. That kept me glued to the pages as I learned that some of Harry's actions were no doubt selfish, while others were due to his limited options. Those may not have been the noblest things he had done in his life, but at least one could understand why.
However, there were a few aspects of this novel that I did not enjoy. The first was that the story's glacial pace felt unnecessary towards the end. More characters were introduced, sparking the need for more character development, but I believe the plot would have been just as good without them. The second issue was that the letters were so detailed that they felt unbelievable at times. Harry’s letters were so detailed that he could remember conversations with people verbatim even after all those years. That was very off-putting, and I thought it would have been better if the narrative had been written in a different style than a letter. Finally, I discovered certain editing flaws that periodically interfered with my reading. Because of these elements, I rate Providence 4 out of 5 stars. The story was truly immersive and accomplished its goal well, revealing some unique secrets concerning the fate of many artworks we see today. This book would appeal to individuals who appreciate historical stories and have an open mind, as many of its aspects may appear to be conspiracies.
******
Provenance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon