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A review by bioniclib
The Painter by Peter Heller
2.0
This book was very close to being a one star for me. Books with unlikable main characters just don't work for me. There's a difference between a main character with a fatal flaw and one that is just not a good person. When I read, I like to put myself in the shoes of the main character. If he (or she) isn't someone who holds values at least close to mine, then I can't do that. I realize that in this case, Jim is deeply scarred but I found myself hoping for him to get his at the end.
The end was actually pretty great. It avoided the cliche or predictable. In fact, some of the twists of the plot actually drew me in. I would go dozens of pages fully immersed. Then, Jim, would do something that doesn't sit well with me, or the author would go off on long descriptions of painting techniques and I'd come up for air. When that happened, it took a while for me to get back into it.
In the end, I spent far more time disliking Jim and struggling to connect with the story than I did losing myself in it. Mr. Heller is a very skilled writer but this story wasn't for me.
The end was actually pretty great. It avoided the cliche or predictable. In fact, some of the twists of the plot actually drew me in. I would go dozens of pages fully immersed. Then, Jim, would do something that doesn't sit well with me, or the author would go off on long descriptions of painting techniques and I'd come up for air. When that happened, it took a while for me to get back into it.
In the end, I spent far more time disliking Jim and struggling to connect with the story than I did losing myself in it. Mr. Heller is a very skilled writer but this story wasn't for me.