Lori M. (lormac) reviewed on + 120 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Reading this book was not a waste of time, by any means. Martin does a great job of opening up the world of art sellers and art collectors and teaching the reader about this universe that very few average people understand. He throws out some great thought-provoking passages about the nature of art collectors and the peculiar mindset that one must have to attach a monetary value to art. The book is best considered as a easily digested history of collecting art in America from 1960 to the present. If that was all, this book would have earned a couple of extra stars from me.
The plot is where Martin gets into trouble. You see where he is going from pretty early on, so the mystery of what Lacey exactly did is fairly obvious,and denouement lacks the imact it should have. He also wanders about a bit, throwing in some subplots (the narrator/Tanya romance)that are just uninteresting.
The other problem is the character of Lacey. Are we meant to like/admire her or detest her? I wasn't clear, and the book is lightweight enough that Martin shouldn't be toying with us on this point. (Let's face facts - this is not "War and Peace.") It did give me pause to consider whether my dislike for Lacey would have turned to respect if she had been a man, but I don't think so. Also, there didn't seem to be anyone in Martin's little world that didn't view every relationship from a "whats-in-it-for-me" vantage. Genuine affection may have resulted in some of these relationships, but that is not how they started. Is that the way the world is? Am I being naive? Hmmmm. Now that I lay it out on paper (screen?) maybe I should give Martin more credit for making me think more carefully about his characters.
The plot is where Martin gets into trouble. You see where he is going from pretty early on, so the mystery of what Lacey exactly did is fairly obvious,and denouement lacks the imact it should have. He also wanders about a bit, throwing in some subplots (the narrator/Tanya romance)that are just uninteresting.
The other problem is the character of Lacey. Are we meant to like/admire her or detest her? I wasn't clear, and the book is lightweight enough that Martin shouldn't be toying with us on this point. (Let's face facts - this is not "War and Peace.") It did give me pause to consider whether my dislike for Lacey would have turned to respect if she had been a man, but I don't think so. Also, there didn't seem to be anyone in Martin's little world that didn't view every relationship from a "whats-in-it-for-me" vantage. Genuine affection may have resulted in some of these relationships, but that is not how they started. Is that the way the world is? Am I being naive? Hmmmm. Now that I lay it out on paper (screen?) maybe I should give Martin more credit for making me think more carefully about his characters.
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