As other reviewers have stated, this book was a bit too dry for me and I was not able to finish it. I thought it would read a bit more like fiction, but it did not.

A fascinating study of the Louvre having visited blimey most people to see the Mona Lisa .I really enjoyed learning the details backstory history of this world class famous museum.Soo interesting I learned so many interesting facts.Perfect for lovers of history for those who have visited the LOUVRE.#netgalley#groveatlantic

An interesting look at the Louvre from fortress to gallery and how it evolved.Interesting history about it.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for sharing an ARC of The Louvre with me. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

I must give accolades to James Gardner for his outstanding research and thorough amount of historical details and fact finding. This book takes readers on a very academic journey of the creation of the Louvre, it’s inhabitants, it’s roles in history and finally it’s housing of the world’s most prestigious art and artifacts. It’s chock full of information and sometimes it was too much for me, the casual reader. I find this book fascinating but dry and personally too much telling. I prefer nonfiction that is more narrative and engaging. I was obviously the wrong reader for this book.

I was expecting a lot more pictures but there were a few that were all in black and white. I was hoping there would be more. This is more of a history book, a little dry for me. But does have a ton of detail about The Louvre and many people through history that were involved with The Louvre one way or the other.

Excellent guide to the Louvre, French/European history and cultural heritage.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, but well-researched words combined with quality pictures of art become a real treasure to cherish and enjoy.
The academic background of the author adds to the intelligent flavor of the whole book.
Overall, quite deep, objective, immersive and telling numerous stories of significant past events.

This is hard to give feedback on, mainly because I am just not the right kind of reader for this book. This no doubt a thorough and well researched book, it was full of detail, too much detail for me, I got lost in all the facts fairly early on and it was a little overwhelming. I would recommend this for avid history and/or architecture fans.

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

I found this book fascinating.
I have visited previously for the same reason that most do, to see the Mona Lisa, but found the building fascinating and knew a little of the history of the building but this gives the whole picture.

Lots of fascinating facts and figures and found the whole premise so interesting. I learned so much

Well written, so well researched I found this engrossing