---
product_id: 37360202
title: "The Improbability of Love: A Novel"
brand: "hannah rothschild"
price: "RM160"
currency: MYR
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/37360202-the-improbability-of-love-a-novel
store_origin: MY
region: Malaysia
---

# The Improbability of Love: A Novel

**Brand:** hannah rothschild
**Price:** RM160
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Improbability of Love: A Novel by hannah rothschild
- **How much does it cost?** RM160 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.my](https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/37360202-the-improbability-of-love-a-novel)

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- hannah rothschild enthusiasts

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## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![The Improbability of Love: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51i+qfcVc1L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Mixed bag, sometimes really good, sometimes lame
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 17, 2015*

There are two books embedded in this single novel: one is excellent and the other so-so. The book begins with preparations for the auction of a highly-sough-after painting called "The Improbability of Love," which is about to set all kinds of records. We're introduced to the various key bidders who want to acquire this work of art -- the Russian tycoon, the rap singer, the aged American collector, agents for the governments of Britain and France etc etc. They are all described in broad strokes -- stereotypes if not caricatures. At this stage, my heart sank because I really thought reading the rest of the book would be a chore.Fortunately, the author knows a tremendous amount about the art world. The painting in question is revealed to be by the 18th century French artists Watteau (although it seems improbable in itself that a work from this not terribly popular era would command such attention). Parts of the novel are narrated by the picture itself. We learn how it came to be, inspired by a severe case of unrequited love. We learn how it passed through the hands of kings and popes and emperors. We learn about paints, canvases, marks on the backs of canvases, and the short, unhappy life of the artist whose work the author clearly adores.A young woman, Annie, has bought the picture, badly discolored by grease and dirt and the grime of centuries, from a junk shop. We learn much about the art of restoration and the forensic methods used to authenticate an old painting. All this is very interesting. Annie is a chef recovering from a failed love affair. An artist, Jesse, falls in love with her and helps on her somewhat half-hearted quest to discover the origins and provenance of the work. Annie is not interested in Jesse romantically but gradually discovers his real strengths.It previously belonged to a Jewish dealer, Memling Winkleman, who survived the Holocaust and established a giant auction house. He keeps discovering amazing Old Masters and other works of art that build his fortune. But of course there's more to his story than meets the eye. Here we inevitably get into the issue of the grand Nazi theft of art.There are many other characters, some more convincing than others, representing various aspects of the art business. We meet an impecunious British peer struggling to stay afloat. weird experts who devote their lives to studying one artist in immense depth, a fashion adviser who dictates taste and various others. Some of these emerge as real characters but others are very two-dimensions. Tension rises when Annie, a babe in the woods in a world of sharks, is targeted in a diabolical plot.I wish the author had stuck to what she knows because the book is fascinating and strong when it delves into the murky world of the international art business. But she tries to do a bit too much and dilutes the strength of the book with too many sub-plots that rely too much on cliches.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A delicious and delightful book about a wonderful painting
  

*by F***K on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2016*

This was a delightful, delicious and most wonderful story. It grew on me with every page and every chapter, and the moment that the best character of all, the painting itself, was first introduced, I was in love.I should clarify. I was IN LOVE with the story of the painting, The Improbability of Love, not with the main character Annie McDee - a dull, uninteresting, foolish-on-many-levels 31-year old chef-but-more-of-a-loser.All in all, Annie remained as someone that I could care less about. And to be able to still LOVE and ADORE this book despite a boring main character (as well as her Jesse and her old beau) is saying a lot. The story of this painting is fascinating and I could so appreciate both the creativity and the depth of research and hard work that Rothschild has put into her labor of love.Speaking of the author, she is incredibly accomplished and it was her debut novel (well, she has another book but this is her first major work, methinks.) This was an extremely well-written book, pulling aspects of history and modern world and giving us the grand tour of the fascinating world of art and artists and art lovers. The characters were out of this world crazy rich, and yet, real. If you love art, and especially paintings, you will enjoy this book.My disappointments were again with Annie the main character and her boring fascination with food and her ex-boyfriend and her lack of interest in this amazing piece of art, as well as the very ending. I think I would have really loved more of a grand finale but alas, it all worked just fine.I'd read anything else by the author, especially if it's about a piece of art! She captures the world impeccably well.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    The  Improbability of Love
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 23, 2020*

I  thought that  Hannah  Rothschild's  book was  in many ways a fascinating  look at the London art  world, very high end  art auctions, and also dealing with  WW2, and  a lot of skanky dealings.  Most of it very interesting, although the book was too  long, and  it could probably have  used  a  good tweaking / editing to  shorten it and  have it more concise, but it was still very interesting, and despite the length I zipped through it.  This is the 3rd. book I've read by  Rothschild, I've  found all of them very  worthwhile and very interesting.

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*Product available on Desertcart Malaysia*
*Store origin: MY*
*Last updated: 2026-02-19*