loved the writing style and especially loved the descriptions of Italy. Even though I've never been, it managed to make me feel like I was there. Beautifully written - it makes Italy come alive, but with a cast of thoroughly despicable gilded youth and a clever tying together of the artistic term pentimento with the events of the summer, where everything is painted over, but the dark original is uncovered.
There were parts of this book that I found very slow, and I was skim reading and not really invested. But I persevered to see what happened and I'm pleased that I did. It starts with a cultural trip to Italy for Ada, as part of the Dilettante. We are taken on two journeys- the sights and sounds of marvelous Italy and the observations and revelations of all the characters in the group. The former is filled with indepth and interesting information on various artworks and the latter highlights the differences between the haves and the hoping to be like the haves.
There were parts of this book that I found very slow, and I was skim reading and not really invested. But I persevered to see what happened and I'm pleased that I did. It starts with a cultural trip to Italy for Ada, as part of the Dilettante. We are taken on two journeys- the sights and sounds of marvelous Italy and the observations and revelations of all the characters in the group. The former is filled with indepth and interesting information on various artworks and the latter highlights the differences between the haves and the hoping to be like the haves.