The Swan Thieves

The last 100 pages made it worth reading the first 450 or so. Most of the characters annoyed me. In the end, Beatrice was worth the reading. Robert came off as selfish in addition to his often untreated mental illness, which although unstated seems to be bipolar disorder. Marlow seemed to be walking Robert's footsteps and pretending it was vital for his patient. He isn't as awful as Robert in my eyes because he just didn't seem to be much of his own person. I still feel sorry for Kate. Less so for Mary. Mary was definitely a star struck girl who got in over her head, but I still don't have a bunch of sympathy for her. I don't particularly like Beatrice, but she was worth reading. Henri might be my favorite character in the whole book. I think it was him that made the whole book worth reading.
This is a deep look into living with the mentally ill, as much as it is about art. It isn't as fast paced or academic as The Historian. However it is a historical mystery and a deep look into these characters.
I have read several books that deal with fictional art and artists. I don't really love any of them. So it isn't much of a surprise that this one is not my favorite. However, the lady 100 pages made the whole book better than I expected from the first 450 or so.
(I actually listened to this on CD, so I am guessing on the page numbers. And I do think listening to this book was vital to my finishing it. If I had a physical copy, I wouldn't have made it through so much to get to a part that I genuinely enjoyed.)