The Fortunate Ones
Summary (from the publisher): One very special work of art—a Chaim Soutine painting—will connect the lives and fates of two different women, generations apart, in this enthralling and transporting debut novel that moves from World War II Vienna to contemporary Los Angeles
It is 1939 in Vienna, and as the specter of war darkens Europe, Rose Zimmer’s parents are desperate. Unable to get out of Austria, they manage to secure passage for their young daughter on a kindertransport, and send her to live with strangers in England.
Six years later, the war finally over, a grief-stricken Rose attempts to build a life for herself. Alone in London, devastated, she cannot help but try to search out one piece of her childhood: the Chaim Soutine painting her mother had cherished.
Many years later, the painting finds its way to America. In modern-day Los Angeles, Lizzie Goldstein has returned home for her father’s funeral. Newly single and unsure of her path, she also carries a burden of guilt that cannot be displaced. Years ago, as a teenager, Lizzie threw a party at her father’s house with unexpected but far-reaching consequences. The Soutine painting that she loved and had provided lasting comfort to her after her own mother had died was stolen, and has never been recovered.
This painting will bring Lizzie and Rose together and ignite an unexpected friendship, eventually revealing long-held secrets that hold painful truths. Spanning decades and unfolding in crystalline, atmospheric prose, The Fortunate Ones is a haunting story of longing, devastation, and forgiveness, and a deep examination of the bonds and desires that map our private histories.
It is 1939 in Vienna, and as the specter of war darkens Europe, Rose Zimmer’s parents are desperate. Unable to get out of Austria, they manage to secure passage for their young daughter on a kindertransport, and send her to live with strangers in England.
Six years later, the war finally over, a grief-stricken Rose attempts to build a life for herself. Alone in London, devastated, she cannot help but try to search out one piece of her childhood: the Chaim Soutine painting her mother had cherished.
Many years later, the painting finds its way to America. In modern-day Los Angeles, Lizzie Goldstein has returned home for her father’s funeral. Newly single and unsure of her path, she also carries a burden of guilt that cannot be displaced. Years ago, as a teenager, Lizzie threw a party at her father’s house with unexpected but far-reaching consequences. The Soutine painting that she loved and had provided lasting comfort to her after her own mother had died was stolen, and has never been recovered.
This painting will bring Lizzie and Rose together and ignite an unexpected friendship, eventually revealing long-held secrets that hold painful truths. Spanning decades and unfolding in crystalline, atmospheric prose, The Fortunate Ones is a haunting story of longing, devastation, and forgiveness, and a deep examination of the bonds and desires that map our private histories.
Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this novel as a giveaway on Goodreads.
As the war threatens Vienna in 1939, Rose Zimmer's parents make the difficult decision to send her and her older brother to safety in England. After the war, alone and attempting to build a life in the rubble of war, Rose finds herself seeking out one memento of her childhood, a painting of a bellhop by Chaim Soutine that her mother had loved. Many years later, in modern-day Los Angeles, Lizzie Goldstein is adrift after the death of her father and lingering guilt over her part in the theft of the Soutine painting that her father had in his home. Lizzie and Rose form an unlikely connection over both having experienced the loss of the same painting and as they both unravel their grief, loss, and conflicting emotions over their turbulent pasts.
I found the concept of the two characters united over the same work of art an intriguing premise, however, I never found the relationship between Rose and Lizzie believable. Rose is prickly at best, responding to Lizzie's comments curtly, such as when Lizzie comments that Rose received her letter and Rose responds, "Yes, you sent it, and I received it. That's the way the postal system works" (61). There's little evidence that the two had much in common or really enjoyed speaking to one another so their multiple interactions seemed difficult to believe. Additionally, although much time had elapsed, I had a hard time connecting the snarky, snippy older version of Rose with the wounded, introverted youthful Rose. Similarly, despite the constant description of how Lizzie had to be the responsible older sister and helped raise her younger sister, she comes across as the disorganized, fly by the seat of her pants daughter, who continually exasperates her sister with her whims and unexpected reversals. In short, there seemed to be inconsistencies in characterization.
Furthermore, the author's attempt to equate the experiences of the two women felt inherently flawed. Rose narrowly escaped dying during the Holocaust, lost nearly all of her family, and was left without any material possessions or a home to return to. Lizzie did lose her father and is recovering from a break-up (of which she is the guilty party) and the painting was stolen during a house party that she threw as a teenager. Yes, they are united over the loss of the painting and loss of family members, but their stories hardly seem truly equitable. The author attempts to assert that Lizzie grows as a result of her interaction with Rose, yet I felt like Rose's involvement was rather incidental to Lizzie's path to finding her place in the world.
Told in alternating time periods, this is told in well written prose and convincing historical detail. I did love the extremely relevant storyline of connecting two women through a work of art and depicting two very different tales of two women struggling to find their place and meaning in the world and overcome difficult pasts.
Stars: 3
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