[OOPS! Commenter Elle points out an egregious error in my post. The book wasn’t longlisted for the Booker as I thought, it was shortlisted for the Bailey’s Prize. ]
When I posted about the tower of 26 hardcover books I want to focus on from now until the end of the year, there was a bit of a Twitter war about one title. Okay, it was nowhere near a war, but it was a lively discussion about whether The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild was terrible or kind of amusing. Having now plowed through said novel I am ready to pass judgement.
- I found it amusing.
- I love a story about art treasures found in junk shops. (See also Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologue The Hand of God.)
- I not only didn’t mind the fact that the painting talked, I actually kind of liked his perspective.
- This book in no way deserves to be longlisted for any literary prize let alone the Booker.[see my OOPS above]
- It’s all way too pat. It’s in the Potato Peel Pie, Marigold Hotel, Maisie Dobbs, Harold Fry, school of plotting. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it isn’t prize-worthy.
- It seems to have served as an “I know a lot about art history and want to show you” fiction delivery system.
- I saw one of the mysteries coming a mile away.
- Why do so many books/movies think that spurned women are going to cook their way to a new life? (I’m thinking of that Keri Russell pie making movie and a Julia Glass novel to name just two.)
- Worth a read, found it a page turner, but no great shakes.
hogglestock 
Have you ever compiled a list of your favourite ten books of all time?
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Agree with all of the above. Though I’d add that one of my biggest gripes is that there were too many characters. I was never lost or confused, but a few characters lines just didn’t go anywhere or came and went so quickly that I didn’t really see the point.
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Anything that falls into the same bucket as Marigold Hotel, Gurnsey Potato Peel Society is going to be low down on my list of what to read.
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I fell into the terrible camp, but I can see why people found it enjoyable (I just couldn’t get past the voice of the painting, I didn’t particularly mind that it talked). I’m still BLOWN AWAY that it’s on the Booker list.
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It isn’t on the Booker list (thank gawd), it was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize (and didn’t win). Your breakdown of it is excellent, though – fun, fluffy, not a serious contender for owt.
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