Review: The Masterpiece

Title: The Masterpiece 

Author: Belinda Alexandra

Publisher: 4th September 2024 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 419 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Post WWII

Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

Paris 1946: A young woman, Eve Archer, has come to Paris to find Serge Lavertu, the father she never knew. But before Eve can find the courage to tell him who she is, Serge is arrested, accused of selling a French national treasure to Hitler during the war and murdering the original owner. Could Serge truly be guilty of treason or has he been set up?

Only one person knows the truth that might save Serge from execution: Kristina Belova, a beautiful Russian artist recently returned from a concentration camp and suffering amnesia. As Eve desperately prompts Kristina to recall what happened during the war, she uncovers a passionate love triangle and a secret about her own heritage that will change Eve's view of life forever.

My Thoughts

Eve Archer, has come to Paris to find the father she never knew only to discover he is accused of not only selling art to Hitler but murdering the original owners in order to do so. In Eve’s effort to prove her father’s innocence, she must not only take on Parisian society but also uncover the world of art pre and post war and an artist talented enough to defy them all. A betrayal of the highest order and the race again time to deliver justice. 

'It's a masterpiece, I said.

'It certainly deserves to be considered as one,' sighed Madame Bonne. 'Unfortunately, "masterpiece" is a title that seems reserved for works by male painters.’

With so many WWII stories out there for readers, it is essential that there is a key component that sets it apart from others. The focus and detail of the art world certainly ticks that criteria with the overall focus mainly on art from the 1920s through to the end of WWII. It gets especially engaging with art forgeries and resistance fighters in Paris during the Nazi invasion which makes for fascinating reading. Belinda has really done her homework in that department and it’s fascinating. Her attention to detail and accuracy is remarkable as the story delves into everything from aspiring artists pre world war, espionage and resistance during the occupation and then life and rebuilding post war, Belinda has done an amazing job in weaving storyline’s, plots and characters into a highly engaging story. It’s complex, it’s intriguing that all comes to a riveting and satisfying conclusion. 

‘It was then that she decided she would give each forgery a ‘time bomb'. She would make a tiny mark - a personal signature of her own - on all the forgeries so they could be identified as fake after the war.’

I have loved all Belinda’s books and she just seems to get better and better with each one. The Masterpiece being such a well rounded novel with love and loyalty, secrets and spies and a story that will sit with you long after turning the final page. I highly recommend this to not only historical fiction lovers but anyone who wants to get lost in a great story. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Sister Stardust

Title: Sister Stardust

Author: Jane Green

Publisher: 30th March 2022 by Harlequin Australian, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 304 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: romance, historical adult fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

In her first novel inspired by a true story, Jane Green re-imagines the life of troubled icon Talitha Getty in this transporting story from a forgotten chapter of the Swinging '60s

  

From afar Talitha's life seemed perfect. In her twenties, and already a famous model and actress, she moved from London to a palace in Marrakesh, with her husband Paul Getty, the famous oil heir. There she presided over a swirling ex-pat scene filled with music, art, free love and a counterculture taking root across the world.

 

When Claire arrives in London from her small town, she never expects to cross paths with a woman as magnetic as Talitha Getty. Yearning for the adventure and independence, she's swept off to Marrakesh, where the two become kindred spirits. But beneath Talitha's glamourous facade lurks a darkness few can understand. As their friendship blossoms and the two grow closer, the realities of Talitha's precarious existence set off a chain of dangerous events that could alter Claire's life forever.

My Thoughts

Sister Stardust by Jane Green is a novel that certainly captures all the groovy vibes of the 1960s. It felt like being transported back in time with the gorgeous cover truly capturing all the hippy feels. Jane vividly recreates the classic ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ in this engaging novel. 

‘I felt that my life would only begin if I transformed myself into the look of the moment. If only I had known how dangerous it would be.’

This is a biographical fiction story of the infamous Talitha Getty - someone I had not heard of until reading this book. Jane makes her sound so charming, exotic and glamourous, I was furiously googling and finding photos to learn more. Always a positive sign. The fictional character of Claire is your eyes and ears for all that happens in this remarkable time period. What Jane also does, is offer Claire’s journey - literally and figuratively - of what living at this time was like as she thought this to be a world she wanted to belong to and be a part of. It is, in fact, her personal growth through everything she experiences that proves the most engaging - perhaps to come full circle to find the life truly suited to you. 

“She is gorgeous, just a spectacular woman. She’s got more life and fire in her than anyone I’ve met.”

Another key aspect is the locations. London and especially Morocco of the 1960s are vibrant places that literally jump off the page. The ambiance of Marrakech is wonderfully captured in all its exotic richness, as are the taxi rides and extreme partying in London in the 1960s. It did, at times, become somewhat exhausting and tiring with names being dropped left, right and centre and all the parties seeming to merge into one drunken stupor. 

“Lucky us, getting to spend time in this beautiful city, welcomed by the Moroccans. I adore them, the most welcoming, wonderful people. They’ve made us so at home.”

If you are someone who is obsessed or desires a window into the swinging 60s, then this is most certainly the book for you. There is an overload of celebrities, partying, fashion, drugs and sex in this wealthy madness. Yet at its heart is a coming of age story of a girl from the English countryside who, for a time, travels to Morocco and lives the high life (pardon the pun).

‘Will she understand that those were different times? Is she able to hear the story without judgment? Will she understand what it was like to emerge from the repression of the fifties’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.