I wasn't able to finish this book, so I decided not to review it on my site or any of the major retailers/Goodreads.

If you love historical fiction the way I do, you will enjoy Stolen Beauty. This story is narrated by two strong female characters, an aunt and a niece over the time period from 1900s - 2000s. I appreciated the time line and how well this story of art, war and love has been written and how they are all seperated yet entwined.

This is a historical fiction novel based on two strong women who were related to each other. One is experiencing Austria at the turn of the century while the other (her niece) is dealing with the beginning of World War II (and beyond). The story is a little slow at times, but it's really interesting, especially since it was based on real women.

There is a line from Friedrich Schiller's Ode to Joy that reads "You millions, I embrace you. This kiss is for all the world!". In Laurie Lico Albanese's vividly imagined historical novel, Stolen Beauty, Viennese painter Gustav Klimt is looking for inspiration for his famous Beethoven Frieze that decorates one of the rooms in the Secession Building. In particular he is trying to work out how to portray the arts--music, painting, sculpture and poetry--in a mural that will show an entire cycle of creativity. It is Adele Bloch-Bauer, one of Klimt's patrons and likely one of his muses, who suggests the quiet intimacy of an embrace rather than a kiss (though which is more intense is arguable).

You have probably 'met' Adele Bloch-Bauer even if you don't think you recognize the name, and a very long court battle over an iconic Klimt painting (not so very long ago finally resolved and returned to its rightful owner) put her in world news some 80 years after her death. The 'stolen beauty' of the title is Adele Bloch-Bauer's stunning portrait that Klimt painted in 1907. It hung for a very long time in Vienna's Upper Belvedere Museum where I had the good fortune to stand before this immense (it is nearly 5' x 5'), sumptuously golden portrait of a woman I knew nothing about at the time.

The story doesn't revolve so much around the portrait, rather the woman portrayed in it, as well as Adele Bloch-Bauer's family, a prominent Jewish family that lost everything in 1938 with the annexation of Austria by the German Reich. A dark time that Adele did not live to see. Stolen Beauty is a story told in parallel narratives, and Laurie Lico Albanese successfully pulls off both the glittering social whirl of fin-de-siecle Vienna as well as the harrowing nightmare world in which Adele's niece, Maria Altmann and her husband Fritz must endure the 'Aryanization' of. They lose their home, their belongings, and their business, even their country--barely escaping to safety.

Already in the early 1900s, the world in which Adele is a prominent Society lady and benefactress of the arts, along with her husband Ferdinand Bloch, there are hints of what is to come. By the time Klimt is painting Adele's portrait Vienna is showing very disturbing and outwardly blatant signs of antisemitism and intolerance. There is hushed talk of Zionism in the fashionable salons yet the idea that--surely it cannot happen here--still pervades their society. Although it's unknown just how intimate the relationship actually was, the story brings to life an imagined and very persuasive scenario between Adele and the artist. Adele Bloch-Bauer was, apparently, the only woman Klimt actually painted two portraits of. As a girl she dreamed of being an intellectual, learned, artistic woman--not boxed in by her family or a repressed and restrictive society. Her first step is marriage to an older man who seems willing to let her think and act independently, but it is through the artist that she finds her real voice, her passion and even a power.

There is surely a glimpse of the flesh and blood woman both literally and figuratively through those paintings--both the two portraits and the others where she served as inspiration if not the actual subject, as well the author infuses the woman, the 'character' of Adele with light and breath. And then later long after the war has ended, when Maria begins her fight to reclaim her beloved aunt's portrait as well as the other artworks belonging to the family but stolen by the Nazis, Adele's fierce spirit is recalled. I didn't 'know' Adele Bloch-Bauer when I stood in front of her portrait, but Laurie Lico Albanese has filled in the details for me so I can imagine the amazing women she and her niece were.

Stolen Beauty is a story every bit as opulent as Klimt's art and equally as suspenseful as any war story where happy outcomes are not assured. It's a lavish story that Albanese does not scrimp on and a page turner as well. Definitely this is a story I am happy to press into the hand's of friends who love good historical fiction or have an artistic bent! There is so much more I could (and want) to tell you about this wonderful story, but I'll let you discover Adele and her world yourself. You can check out the author's website here. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for offering access to a galley copy of the ebook, though I think I will have to splurge on a paper copy for my own shelves (Vienna being one of my favorite places, if not the actual place these days, at least in the pages of a book!).

A beautifully written story about one of the paintings stolen by the Germans in WWII and one strong woman who sues the Austrian government for its return to her family, the rightful owners.

My Review: 4.5 stars

Stolen Beauty is the fascinating story behind the people and place that sparked Gustav Klimt’s infamous artwork, Woman In Gold. I must admit that this fictionalized and well-researched novel wasn’t one I had planned on reading. I had skimmed the non-fiction book, The Lady in Gold, by Anne Marie O’Conner, after watching its brilliant film adaptation with Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren. Honestly, I thought I’d had enough of the story; I even visited the piece of art at the Neue Galerie in New York City. It wasn’t until another reviewer/friend urged me to read it and convinced me it’d be worth the time. Many thanks to her for leading me to this novel.

Albanese melds her research and imagination into a captivating story. The reader is transported to the humble Austrian countryside as well as the war torn streets of Vienna. Vienna is drawn out as her own character as we see her in her glory as a progressive, cultural city and then again, when she’s annexed into Nazi Germany.

The two main protagonists are fierce, independent and strong women, each within their own time period. Adele is finding her independence, exploring her sexuality and discovering art and what it means to the world at large. While Maria, years later, is trying to save her immediate family by escaping the ravages of war and then protecting her aunt’s legacy. I absolutely fell in love with the salons that Adele kept. I so wish that they were still in vogue, as the most esteemed scholars would come to your home to discuss art, history, community matters and politics with you and your friends. It sufficed as their evening entertainment and to host or be invited as a guest was the hottest ticket in town.

This book gets into the hearts of the characters. You understand more about Klimt, get under Adele Bloch-Bauer’s skin and can better appreciate Maria Altmann. It offers just enough about the legalities of returning Nazi stolen artwork back to the rightful owners. This book shows, not tells, about the women who inspired the art and ultimately protected the art. There’s no doubt that this will make a fabulous book club discussion choice.

Terrific historical fiction. You might know the painting and you might have seen the movie, but have you read the story of Adele and Klimt? Albanese has brought them, as well as Maria to life, humanizing them in a way that other treatments of the story have not. This is wonderfully researched and carefully written. Loved the setting- it's another character. Albanese has managed to imbue the scenes with the Nazis with real tension and the fight for the painting with drama- even though we know the outcome, I found myself a tad worried. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. This one is for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoy novelizations of the lives of famous people. Two thumbs up!

I am fascinated by the story of the Adele Bloch-Bauer painting by Gustav Klimt so I was very excited to read this book. I've seen the movie and a couple documentaries, read some books and even have some Klimt reproductions in my office. I enjoyed the discussion of fin de siecle Vienna and all the creative movements (artistic and otherwise) that were blossoming during Klimt's life. It was really interesting to read about how society was changing and art was changing with it. As a whole, I enjoyed the story but I think the characters were hard to relate to. At times, I really liked Adele's character and other times, she seemed very whiny and I had a hard time feeling sympathetic to her plight. The story also jumped back and forth between different time periods and that transition wasn't very smooth. It was an interesting story as a whole, there were just some things that bugged me a bit. 3 stars.

Set in the twilight years of the Hapsburg Empire, Stolen Beauty is a spellbinding Viennese tale at the start of the twentieth century. The novel explores the tales of two women. The first is about a woman named Adele Block-Bauer who is an the love interest and inspiration of a famed Viennese artist Guistav Klimt. The second tale is about Maria, the niece of Adele during the tie of the holocaust and beyond. The famous painting "Woman in Gold" binds the two women together.

Stolen Beauty forms the base for the movie "Woman in Gold". With its stunning prose, fast pace, excellent research, and detailed descriptions, this one story not to be missed. From the Holocaust to modern day, there is plenty to love about this intense, emotional story. I definitely recommend it!

I am a bit late with this review. I did enjoy the book. Initially I though - Oh, Woman in Gold - I know this story. That said as read on I realized I was wrong. The story of Adele Bloch-Bauer and her relationship with Klimt and art was very engaging and new for me. I would recommend this book and think it has good book discussion potential.

I am so glad that this book ran across my radar earlier this year. I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and I’m always looking for a new and interesting story to pick up. Stolen Beauty follows the lives of Marie Altmann and her aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer. If you haven’t read or seen The Woman in Gold you might not know who these very famous women are, so I’ll give you a brief overview. Adel Bloch-Bauer was a very wealthy socialite in early 20th century Vienna, who was painted several times by the famous artist, Gustav Klimt. His famous first portrait of her has become a symbol of Austrian culture, but it has a dark history. It was stolen by the Nazis during WWII and then given to the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna, where it hung for decades before Maria Altmann famously took the Austrian government to court over it in the early 2000s. She sued the Austrian government in the US Supreme Court and won, reclaiming the painting that was stolen from her family over 50 years earlier.

It’s a fascinating story, and equally fascinating is the life Adele herself lived in Vienna, where she was at the heart of culture, art, and politics. Stolen Beauty alternates between the lives of these two very different, yet also strikingly similar, women as they traverse time and do what it takes to survive and thrive in their respective environment. From the rising anti-Semitism of Adele’s time to the outright terror of the Nazi occupation of Austria, there is never a dull moment in this tense, aching, and robust tale of love, life, and survival.

I couldn’t put this book down, and read it over the course of a couple of days in every single spare waking second I had. I was enraptured by the dazzling portrayal of Viennese society, the daring escapades of Maria and her husband as they attempted to flee the Nazi occupation, and the stunning voices of both Adele and Maria.

If you are a history buff at all, or if you’re a fan of beautiful prose, interesting characters, and fantastic storytelling (so, basically, if you like books at all) then you HAVE to read this book. It is unputtdownable until the very last page, and it will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished it. And isn’t that what all great literature should do?

A well-written story with compelling characters. I loved the intertwining of the two stories. It certainly helped portray a multi-faceted understanding of the city and culture of Vienna during two pivotal moments in history.

I really enjoyed seeing Klimt's paintings in the Belvedere when I went in 2006, and of course Judith particularly stuck out. This book really brought the world of fin de siècle Vienna to life, particularly the fascinating Adele Bloch-Bauer and her position as a muse to Klimt and patron of the arts. Of equal interest was the pre-war experience of Adele's niece Maria Altmann, who experiences the rise of antisemitism even more sharply than her aunt, particularly following the Anschluss. Both stories felt like a very immersive experience, and I really liked the first 2/3 or so of the book. The characters, settings, and artwork just leapt off the page. What took away from story's fascination and power was Maria's story in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Of course the whole legal battle and issue of ownership is probably an unavoidable part of this tale, but compared to the early parts it felt rushed and almost post-scripted, seeming to take away from the historic part of the novel as well the importance of that subject. Plus, the legal element is covered elsewhere in nonfiction and film. This probably would have garnered 4 stars from me if it maintained the level of engagement and immersion it did for a majority - because of that, I still highly recommend it to all historical fiction readers and art lovers.

On the wall directly across the foot of my bed, I have hanging a large framed print of Klimt's, The Kiss. I love it, see something new in it all the time. Love his work, so naturally I was drawn to this book about Vienna in 1903, featuring Klimt and Adele Block-Bauer. I had also started another book, the subject matter about lost art and the Nazis, a theme in both books, and when I came across Adele's name, thought I had better read this one first. Coincidences abound.

The life of Adele, the salons, the glittering scene that was Austria, but also the beginning undercurrents of anti-Semitism that would be fully played out forty years later in the life her niece Maria. So a dual story line, though the first shined brighter for me, I did find them both compelling. Adele had a short life, but lives on in the many pieces of art that feature her likeness, though for a time her identity was unknown. Many of course requisitioned by the Nazis and later fought for by the rightful heirs.

The atmosphere in both stories was wonderfully rendered, the characters fully drawn. Called factual fiction, well researched fiction, and I love reading books that combine these two elements.
The author does explain in her note what was true and what she changed form the sake of her story. Now I can go back and finish the other book, contrast and compare. An endlessly interesting albeit horrific time period, so many books feature this time but love how this one centered on Klimt, Adele, his paintings and the fight to reclaim what was taken.

ARC from Netgalley.

This historical novel is about Adele Bloch-Bauer who was the wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a sugar baron who supported the arts. Gustav Klimt was the painter who immortalized Adele twice in his paintings. This story is based on real characters but fictionalized so as such in this story not only did Gustav paint Adele but they had an affair.

The novel takes place in alternate era's, early 1900's and WWII, told by Adele and her niece Maria Altman. Adele's portraits hung in the Bloch-Bauer household in Austria but were seized by the Nazi's and then they were in the Austrian Museum after the war. Through alternating chapters, we are given a glimpse into the lives of this family and what happened to them during the war and the Nazi's. During the reign of the Nazi's, they took into possession of valuable art, jewels and anything else of value from the Jews. This plunder took place from 1933 and through the end of the war in European countries.

Adele had stated in her will that she wanted to have the two paintings of her done by Klimt, donated to the Austrian Museum. After Ferdinand died, his own will indicated that the paintings were to be retained within the family, thus Maria Altman took the case to the American courts against the Austrian government and won the case and now the paintings are at the Neue Galerie in New York City.

Not only is this story about a family torn by a horrendous war, it is about the love of family, art, and survival. I really enjoyed this story, it is amazing to me, even after all of the books I have read of the Nazi's how destructive and demoralizing they really were to the Jews and others who were not Aryan. If you are looking for a great historical fiction to read, take a look at Stolen Beauty.

Klimt’s muse and art patron, Adele Bloch-Bauer, and Maria Altmann, Adele’s niece, narrate their lives and times in Vienna of fin de siècle and the first half of the 20th century. Klimt’s works of art and the Nazi occupation of Austria with the emotional scars and physical horrors inflicted on the Jewish population—first in Austria and eventually all over Europe—provide the backdrops, as do the Nazis’ thievery of art, wealth and goods.

Stolen Beauty has as its subjects the lives of Adele Bloch-Bauer—subject of Gustav Klimt’s portrait “Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer 1”, nicknamed by the Nazis “Lady in Gold”—and of Maria Altmann, Adele’s niece. Maria Altmann is the subject of the 2015 movie Woman in Gold, which chronicles her legal efforts to be recognized as the rightful heiress of the above-named portrait, and recover it after being illegally appropriated by the Nazis during their occupation of Austria in 1938.

If you saw the movie, as I did, you probably think you know the story that Stolen Beauty depicts, but it isn’t so. In Woman in Gold, Maria left her parents in Vienna and escaped the Nazis almost by chance, somehow making it to America where she lived until old age. Thus, Laurie Lico Albanese sets on a journey to bring Marie Altmann’s life as a newlywed in 1938, Vienna, her escape from the Nazis with her husband, first to England and then to America, and the dispersion of her brothers to Canada, and her uncle Ferdinand to Switzerland, where he died at the end of the war.

Stolen Beauty brings to life fin de siècle, Vienna, the Secessionist art movement of which Gustav Klimt was the most prominent figure, the upper stratus of Vienna’s society of which Adele Bloch-Bauer and her industrialist husband Ferdinand Bauer were indisputable rulers. Furthermore, the novel explores Adele Bloch’s youth as an idealist—with dreams of becoming an educated woman of the world, just as men could—, her friendship with Ferdinand Bauer (her sister Thedy’s brother-in-law), and eventually the marriage that cemented a dynasty.

Through the early years of the 20th century, we witness Adele become a woman ahead of her times as she reads philosophy, anatomy, classic literature, and art, and host salons for intellectual discussions about modernity. Of particular interest to Adele is the Secessionist art movement; she becomes Klimt’s patron, friend, and, according to Lico Albanese, much rumored lover. Adele’s friendship and patronage would spark Klimt’s critically acclaimed and much celebrated golden phase. In return, Klimt would awaken in young Adele a fiery sexual goddess.

Stolen Beauty, in case you haven’t discovered, has a dual narrative: Adele’s and Maria’s. It also includes, in italics, separate sections that focus on tidbits about the eras, and their personages. I had a hard time trying to forget what I knew from the movie Woman in Gold since both narratives are in disagreement, thus I think the novel can be best enjoyed if one has no previous exposure to the characters; that said I liked Stolen Beauty very much. The only thing that nagged somewhat was Adele and Klimt’s entanglement; I thought it was deceitful.

Stolen Beauty is a novel of art, love, loss, courage facing insurmountable odds, and sexual desire and awakening. It is also an exploration on marriage, faithfulness, and fulfillment as an individual within a marriage; it is a novel on promises broken, haunting memories, and finally, about redemption and the power of family. In all these counts, Stolen Beauty succeeds.

DISCLAIMER: I received from the publisher a free galley of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One artist, two women, two wars, and strong family ties are showcased in Stolen Beauty as the story behind Gustav Klimt’s renowned paintings is told.

Young, intelligent Adele Bloch-Bauer meets Klimt in 1903 Vienna. She longs to have the freedoms that men enjoy—both academically and socially. Klimt ignites her sexually and intellectually. While Adele pursues her interests, mounting anti-Semitism threats her mostly non-practicing Jewish circle.

Thirty-five years later, as Hitler’s Nazi regime is terrorizing Jews and relieving them of their valuable assets, Adele’s niece Maria Altmann is thrust into the harsh reality of war-ravaged Vienna. She will need her aunt’s tenacity and fortitude in order to help her family survive.

Albanese’s story of these two women is stunning. Both women are strong but face different challenges. They both find love, one finds romance, and both deal with betrayal and loss. The two world wars and the holocaust provide a stark background to an otherwise glittering story. I thoroughly enjoyed the fictional tale, in addition to the well-researched historic fact. Albanese’s story is told from a new angle; art stolen by the Nazis and then misappropriated by various people and governments isn’t a new story, but Stolen Beauty provides readers with a richly detailed version of the painting’s creation as well as the rightful owners’ feeling of powerlessness in claiming what was taken from them.

Two narrators tell the story in two timelines. The plot is well paced, and the story layout is intriguing. Stolen Beauty is a beautifully spun story about beautiful art, strong women, and trying times.

Thanks Atria Books and netgalley for this ARC.

You just have to experience this novel. It's hard to describe how much I loved it and know it will make a big impact on a lot of others also.

I liked the historical aspects and generational story line, but leaned too much toward romance genre for my taste

I'm interested in art history, and there was a Klimt shaped hole in my art education. The only thing I knew about Austrian artist Gustav Klimt was that he painted The Woman in Gold. Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese takes the perspective of two real women. One is Adele Bloch-Bauer, a prominent art patron. The Woman in Gold is a portrait of her, but she also had an ongoing relationship with Klimt. The other perspective is that of her niece, Maria Altmann, who eventually sued Austria to regain her family's ownership of The Woman in Gold. There are a number of non-fiction accounts of this well-known case, but I love the immediacy of skilfully written historical fiction. So I joined the Stolen Beauty blog tour and received an ARC from the publisher via Net Galley.

Although I learned a great deal about Klimt from this book, I am going to focus on the women for Flying High Reviews. I was more interested in Adele's narrative than Maria's. Both were courageous women, but Adele was more complex.

I noted that Adele gave up on becoming an artist as a child because she wasn't being taught to draw human beings. She didn't realize it, but this issue had held back woman artists for centuries. Women weren't allowed to learn human anatomy because it would empower them sexually as well as artistically. Society was invested in keeping women ignorant of men's bodies as well as their own.

I was also interested in the fact that Adele chose to marry a man who promised her freedom. That was her priority in the selection of a husband--not love, attractiveness or wealth. He certainly had wealth, but her own family was wealthy. She was accustomed to always having whatever she needed, yet her strict mother made her feel very constrained. She couldn't go where she pleased or follow her interests. So she married for independence, and for the most part she got it. She met artists, musicians, writers and intellectuals. She founded her own salon to discuss the issues of the day. She also founded an art museum and selected its collection. The Woman in Gold made her prominent and admired.

Adele tried to instill the importance of independence in her niece, Maria. Maria grew to adulthood in a world that was very different from Adele's. Adele's influence turned out to be a significant source of strength that allowed Maria to survive WWII.

Adele's family was Jewish, but religion was largely irrelevant to her. She grew up in a completely secular home. Adele encountered anti-semitism, but it never impacted her life very much. Maria, on the other hand, lived to see the rise of Nazi Germany and the invasion of Austria. Her uncle's collection of Klimts disappeared when the Nazis looted the art of Jewish families.

This brings me to Maria's litigation with Austria. I admit that I originally wasn't sympathetic to Maria's point of view, and I found the case that her lawyer made troubling from a feminist perspective. Yet I eventually came around to the argument that Austria shouldn't benefit from Nazi theft.

Gustav Klimt himself was portrayed as a highly ambivalent and complex character. I think it's difficult to draw conclusions about what he really believed. He seemed to like being the subject of controversy. He was the leader of an artistic movement in Austria called the Secessionists. I did research about them online after reading the book, and apparently the Secessionists had nothing in common with each other. They weren't a stylistically coherent movement like the Impressionists, for example. It seemed to me that Gustav Klimt's student Oscar Kokoschka was an Expressionist due to his variant use of color. Klimt himself is considered a Symbolist. I have to say that when I looked at Klimt's work on various websites, I didn't respond to it emotionally. I thought that a couple of his paintings were interesting, but I wasn't moved by them.

I was glad to learn about the woman behind the famous Klimt portrait. It was also important for me to find out more about the Jews of Austria during WWII. I found Stolen Beauty an enlightening and provocative historical novel.