Ken Follett started out by writing thrillers, but history novels were all I had read from him. The Modigliani Scandal was, in that sense, a great surprise. It's one of the earliest Follett has written, although that does not show, and it introduces different characters whose paths cross due to their links with the art world.
It's also the shortest Follett novel I have ever read. Unfortunately, that does impact the novel. Some of the characters, I felt, needed a little more development space. I was particularly interested in the characters Samantha Winacre, a rich and famous actress with a rebel side due to a sudden awakening at the injustices of the world, and Julian, a frustrated man with an intense need to rise in society.
Dee was also a pleasant character, even though one could only get to know her through the eyes of other characters and even side characters. She, too, would benefit from a broader narrative, since she seems to be the one kicking off most of the events with her curiosity and interest for paintings.
I appreciated what I took to be satires and even blunt criticism about the art world and its cruelties and its vanity. The plot seemed to have been told from an insider's perspective, which made it even more capturing.
I was expecting (sort of a spoiler here) that the Modigliani scandal was something from the past with an impact in the present. Instead, it was a modern scandal that only concludes, really, at the last page.
This is certainly not a favorite Follett novel for me, but it will leave a pleasant memory.
6/10
Vanessa
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