Bryn Turnbull

This novel set in WWII Paris is centered around the efforts to save artwork considered degenerate by the Nazis. Sophie, an art restorer, uses her position at a Paris museum to replace some paintings with forgeries in an effort to keep them out of the hands of Nazi officers. But Sophie and her partner, Fabienne, cannot work fast enough and they must explore other options to save numerous iconic works of art from destruction. This novel was a very enjoyable read and I appreciated learning about the efforts to save art and culture in France during the war.… (más)

Cover: Lovely. It’s so delicate.

The first episode #1 of my exciting new series called ‘Cleaning up my backlog’ features The Last Grand Duchess, a biography of the late Grand Duchess Olga Romanova.

Let me say right from the start that this book is amazing. Its main feature is the obvious amount of research Turnbull put into it, something I’m grateful for. It allowed me to learn more about the House of Romanov and the early ‘900–from an unique standpoint.

The timeline is not linear, which is something that tends to get on my nerves quite often; however, I don’t find it jarring here, probably because the epilogue is not a mystery to anyone. Rather, the slow spiraling of the events made me go all *wringing hands* while reading, searching for the exact moment the Imperial family’s demise became–inevitable? A given, known to everybody but them?

Or maybe they’ve been doomed from the start. The melancholia that surrounds the Romanov permeates every page, and it’s hard to imagine a different ending for them.

Turnbull’s writing skills are exquisite. Olga and her sisters, her brother, her parents and relatives, they all come alive through the pages, turning The Last Grand Duchess into an immersive read.

5 stars on GR.
… (más)

This was a stunning and compelling read about the systematic looting of fine art by the Germans in World War II Paris. The story focuses on two sisters-in-law, still numb with grief in the loss of their brother/husband, who pull together to cleverly undermine the Germans' efforts. Sophie Brandt is a fine arts restorer working at the Jeu de Paume, formerly the museum of modern art and in wartime, the repository for cataloguing of German looted artworks. The rough handling of the paintings pillaged by soldiers calls for her expertise. Sophie's sister-in-law, Fabienne Brandt, is a fine arts painter. Together they mount an extraordinary effort to save the modern art which the Germans deem to be "Entartete Kunst" - "Degenerate Art".

With exquisite and painterly prose, author Bryn Turnbull has done a spectacular job of sharing the sights, sounds and smells of occupied Paris during the early 1940s. Her characters are richly developed and easily rooted for in their clever and brave efforts to salvage a tremendous part of the French culture. The research which Ms. Turnbull has done is nothing less than herculean. The details are fascinating and will linger with this reader for a long time to come. If you are a fan of well-written and well-researched historical fiction, then this is a book not to me missed.

I am grateful to MIRA (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) for having provided a complimentary e-copy of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

ISBN: 9780369732712
Imprint: MIRA (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
On Sale: May 30, 2023
Pages: 400 pages… (más)