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.
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 ... arrives at a sense of delayed justice—but also at invaluable family reconnections.
... a heartwarming and fascinating story by a superlatively gifted writer and first-rate reporter. The book is also a testament to patience and forbearance ... a remarkable book.
De Perignon’s memÂoir is a robust addiÂtion to the growÂing genre of art restiÂtuÂtion stoÂries, the depicÂtion of her own dogged quest to achieve some sort of jusÂtice for her family’s loss capÂtured deftly ... Not all the mysÂterÂies of what hapÂpened to the Strauss colÂlecÂtion are resolved in her quest, but de Perignon proÂvides a satÂisÂfyÂing tale of one person’s attempt to right a longÂstandÂing injusÂtice and redeem a family’s heritage.
