I received this eBook as part of the Early Reviewers Program on LibraryThing. The more I got into this book, the more I liked it. That isn't to say that I didn't like it at first it just got more interesting the more I got into it. I don't know much about Judaism or Jewish history, but that part of the story was compelling. I particularly liked the info about the art world she began to delve into just a bit. There was drama around arranged marriages, between sisters and fiances, affairs, stolen money, and art. I kept getting confused about the storyline as it went back and forth between the present time and the mid-1800s, but she brought it around in the end and sealed up the ending nice and tight.
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Daisy Staunton needs to sell a painting of her great-great grandmother Lady Helen Fromme to pay for her mother's rising medical costs. Ben Tarrant needs to sell a portrait of his great-great grandaunt Lena Tarrant to fund his fiancée's extravagant wedding. The only problem for them both is that their paintings are identical Thomas Rafferty works and the auction house will not proceed with either auction until the paintings are examined and their histories revealed. While Daisy and Ben work together to unravel their paintings' history, they may also discover the mysterious past that connects their two families. How did two families come to own the same painting, of the same woman, with completely different names, pasts, and families?

This book was very interesting and was woven between the past to explain the stories of sisters Lena and Rosa and their descendants Ben & Daisy. A good book with an interesting history of the Jewish people living in Kiev, Vienna, England, and Ireland from the 1850s to 2011. Thank you LibraryThing for the Early Reviewers copy and the opportunity to read this intriguing story. ( )

Thank you to the Library thing for sending me this book as part of Early review program.

I found this book quite interesting in regards to the time placement. It's unusual (at least for me) to read about things that Jews had to endure in their lives that weren't part of the Holocaust. It saddens me to learn that they suffered for a long time before that.

As for the story, I found it interesting, however for me, it didn't have as much suspense and mystery as I would have liked. I'm no researcher, and I understand that finding information depends on what's written, but it seemed to me that finding the information needed was simple and easy.

However, the way the author tells Lena and Rosa's story is very compelling, like we are living it with them and seeing firsthand all the feelings.

I would recommend this book to others because we all love a bit of a scavenger hunt in our lives, even if it's to find the origins of art. ( )

Daisy is hoping to auction off an old family portrait painted by a famous artist. But then Ben shows up with an identical painting, claiming the subject is one of his ancestors. Is one of the paintings a fake? Daisy and Ben team up to find out, and their research uncovers the surprising history of two Jewish sisters, Rosa and Lena, who leave their impoverished Eastern European village in the 1860s to seek better opportunities in Vienna, Paris, and London. The book alternates between the historical and present-day timelines, which worked fine for me, as I was equally interested in both. The plot is exciting and full of drama, though the characterization is a bit weak and the writing style is clunky at times. Overall, I liked this book fine, and it was certainly a quick read, but I’m not tempted to try more by the author. ( )

I was given this book by Library thing so that I can review it.

I loved the historical mystery of the book and I was hooked until the end to find out exactly what happened. I felt that moving between the two time periods was great and it was always clear which time period I was reading. I felt that the book was well written and engaging.

I know that this might not be a point for most people but for me personally there was too much "sexual" description. I felt that this was unnecessary and I almost put the book down. I decided to skim where needed to find out the conclusion. I will probably not read any books by this author again just for that point. ( )