content: Vreeland does a wonderful job with this book, which follows the life of a painting, from the present day back to its creation. The style of the story is reminiscent (albeit in reverse chronology) of the movie Tales of Manhattan (Ginger Rogers, Cesar Romero, you remember), which follows a tail coat through its remarkably adventurous life. What makes such a journey insteresting is the way the painting is bound inextricably to the scandals, loves, secrets, and desires of the characters who, at various times, own it. Reading the frankly personal chapters, I almost felt like a private eye, tracing the painting's history and linking the characters together.While Vreeland doesn't claim to be an art expert, she does a wonderful job describing the nuances of the painting, and she clearly has admiration for the craft of the artist. I very much enjoyed this book, and it reads surprisingly quickly. You can easily finish it in one or two sittings. A real gem.