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Bottom of the pile
22
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
5/100Critics
40/100Scholars
Author:
Pauline Baer de Perignon, Natasha Lehrer
Publisher:
New Vessel Press
Date:
January 11, 2022
A quest takes Pauline Baer de Perignon from the Occupation of France to the present day as she breaks the silence around the wrenching experiences her family never fully transmitted, and asks what art itself is capable of conveying over time.
What The Reviewers Say
The book’s research accounts are fascinating—a true treasure hunt through history, involving stumbling, learning on the ground, and sudden fortuitous reveals. But the bonds that De Perignon forms along the way are as heartening, including with family members whom she previously had little contact with, or with whom she had avoided the subject of the war, let alone spoliation.
... a heartwarming and fascinating story by a superlatively gifted writer and first-rate reporter. The book is also a testament to patience and forbearance.
De Perignon’s memoir is a robust addition to the growing genre of art restitution stories, the depiction of her own dogged quest to achieve some sort of justice for her family’s loss captured deftly.
The author’s quest is undeniably intriguing, bringing to light the struggles that many Jewish families have endured—and continue to endure—in their attempts to reclaim artwork and other items taken by the Nazis. Some readers may find the often combative dynamics among the author’s family off-putting, and the prose is occasionally stilted; still, the story is memorable and often moving.
