Ellen Umansky

Dual timeline story about two women with ties to the same famous painting. In 1939, with war looming in Europe, Rose Zimmer and her brother, Gerhard, are sent by their parents from Austria to England on Kindertransport. Rose retains memories of the painting, The Bellhop by Chaim Soutine, hanging in her mother’s bedroom. The second timeline is set in Los Angeles in 2000’s. Lizzie Goldstein is attending her father’s funeral, where she meets Rose, and the two form a friendship. Lizzie’s father had later owned the same painting, and it had been stolen. We gradually learn the backstories of both characters as well as what happened to the painting.

The chapters alternate between World War II times and present-day. While the painting is the common link between the two stories, it is much more focused on the lives of the characters. Rose’s story is one of devastating loss, and how the painting becomes the focus of finding a link to her past. Lizzie’s story cannot possibly equal Rose’s, but the two are blended well.

I liked the premise of this book in tying together two stories to a piece of art that had been stolen more than once. It takes a while to get the groundwork established, and the second half is much more compelling than the first. This book is quiet and reflective. The poignant scenes of separation and loss are well done and believable. It contains an emotional depth of feeling, especially in bringing to life the gut-wrenching decision to send your children away without knowing what would happen to them. It is a strong debut.… (més)

There have been a number of "Lost Painting" books in the past few years. In most of them the search for the painting merges with the soul searching of the protagonist. "The Fortunate Ones" is no different in this respect. However, Rose's WWII trauma and the Nazi theft of art in the possession of Jews juxtaposed with more recent art scandals is entirely new. Umansky pulls off a psychological thriller with a bonus whodunnit.
The one problem I had with this novel was the composition. Even though the jumps in time and point of view were announced at the beginning of a chapter, the flashbacks within the text made it sometimes confusing.… (més)

"The Fortunate Ones' centers on an intriguing painting stolen from an Austrian family during the Nazi's World War II occupation of that country. Storylines intertwine as the painting's owners, old and new, recognize the significance of the artwork and the personal relationships attached to it.

There are already many excellent novels that reflect the generational human cost of World War II as well as non-fiction works about the wartime theft of artwork from Jewish families. "The Fortunate Ones," although readable, does not contribute to this rich genre of World War II fiction and non-fiction. Not recommended.

Note: I received my free copy of "The Fortunate Ones" through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.… (més)