Woman on Fire: A Novel

An entertaining summer page-turner. Barr’s research on art stolen by the Nazis and the convoluted path so many pieces have taken over the decades is fascinating and nicely woven into the book.On the whole, Woman on Fire is a good novel. Our primary character, journalist Jules Roth carries the storyline well, and most of her interactions with the other characters are well written. Unfortunately, the book is unnecessarily wordy in places. In addition, some minor scenes were too long as they ultimately contributed very little to the plot.Barr gets carried away with certain characters, especially Margaux de Laurent; she was just too much. Pages that go on and on about her emotions, especially when angry, made her more cartoonish than powerful.The portrayal of world-famous shoe designer Ellis Baum was uneven. Was he ageing but still creative or ageing and feeble? His sudden intense relationship with Jules and her equally sudden devotion to him felt forced to enhance the story.One of the other main characters, Adam Chase, was nothing unusual; rich boy, talented artist, drug addict, nearly dies, gets clean, becomes a hermit, creates brilliant art, art world welcomes him back.The book’s core was still excellent, and I recommend it; just expect an enjoyable novel, nothing more or less.

It’s a book. I read it.

This was such a good book that I wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t sure how interested in an art scandal that was centered around Natzi stolen art I’d be. However, I was so engaged both emotionally with many of the characters and also on the edge of my seat to see who would ultimately own the piece in question, Woman on Fire. In the first quarter of the book Barr takes her time to introduce the reader to all the key players. scandal. It’s satisfying to see how they all fit together. I really grew to love Jules’ ambition and gutsiness, Ellis’s undying love for his mother and even the villain, Margaux, had her tender side showing Barr’s ability to create multidimensional characters.Synopsis:The playersJules- an ambitious journalist that will do anything for a story. She just talked her way into a job with the leading investigative reporter in Chicago.Dan Mansfield- runs an investigative team and is completely committed to his career sacrificing his family. He hires Jules to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. But Jules doesn’t have much time; the famous designer is dying. Margaux de Laurent - powerful and seductive also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, includingAdam Baum, Ellis’s grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux’s clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he’ll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first. A thrilling tale of secrets, love, and sacrifice that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and historyI highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction, mysteres or thrillers! You won’t be disappointed. I can definitely see this book being translated to the big screen!

Woman on FireAuthor, Lisa BarrPublisher: Harper PaperbacksPub date: 3.1.22Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours, @lisabarr18, and NetGalley for my e- arc and candle!Do you ever love an e- arc so much that you just have to buy it and add it to your shelves? Hope it's not just me... but I just pre- ordered my physical copy!So, I was lucky enough to welcome February with a 5 star read! Woman on Fire was powerful- secrets, greed, deception, beauty, history, and love. She has it all!Jules, a young journalist, manages to land a secret story- but it's not just a story, it's a wild chase to find a beautiful painting- the Woman on Fire, that was stolen by the Nazi's during World War II. But she's already running out of time... Ellis Baum, the world- renowned shoe designer wants this beautiful, valuable, and mysterious painting for deeply personal reasons- -but he's dying and Jules resources are running thin everyday...Woman on Fire was a fast- paced thriller filled with twists and turns, romance, scandal, and intrigue! The history was fascinating and the characters intense. I really do love novels with plots in the art world filled with dark history. An absolutely addictive page- turner!

A story rich with art history, a touch of murder, and one painting that everyone wants.I want to begin this by saying that I love Lisa Barr’s work. She has a real talent for storytelling that keeps the reader engrossed.What works: the story is entertaining, the characters are well drawn, and the writing is good. The characters stories are compelling and their motivations are very relatable. I even felt sorry for the villain at times.The book is readable and enjoyable and I will recommend it to all of my reading friends.There were a few things that didn’t work for me as a reader. I’m not a fan of prologues, especially when they do nothing to enhance the story. It may have just been my headspace at the time, but this prologue made it difficult for me to acclimate to the story at first and it didn’t add to the story.I love flashbacks, finding out tidbits of a character’s history peppered throughout a narrative. I do not, however, enjoy chapters of backstory or half chapters of backstory that take me out of the story. Sadly, I’ve found this in several books lately. I’m not sure why authors are choosing to do this, but I’m not a fan.Most of all, though, were the two POVs that were added for one instance each. This is another thing I’ve seen recently that really bugs me. POV is like a promise to the reader and it really yanks me out of the story when a POV is dropped in out of nowhere for one chapter or one small scene.This would’ve been a five star read for me, but I can’t forgive the POV thing, so I give this one 4.5 ⭐️