Pollock's Last Lover
by Stephen P. Kiernan
Published by William Morrow on May 19, 2026
Page count: 352
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
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Rating: 4 stars
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Summary
After a Jackson Pollock painting sells for $140 million–the highest sum ever paid for a work of art–a woman named Ruth Kligman approaches a small auction house claiming she was Pollock’s lover, and the owner of his final painting. A painting no one knew about, and which could net over $50 million.
Seeking to bolster her career, up-and-coming associate at the firm, Gwen, must authenticate the mysterious painting before it can be sold. But can she believe Ruth’s story of a sordid affair with the painter?
Set in both the 1950s and early 2000s, Pollock’s Last Lover not only dives into Jackson Pollock’s complicated and tragic later years and death, but also highlights the ongoing struggle of women to develop power and freedom on their own terms.
Likes
Full Honesty: Let me be honest here: I wasn’t expecting to like this book. The publisher sent me this book to review (unpaid, these are my own opinions) and I honestly cringed a little bit because while I’ve taken art history courses and enjoyed them, the art world is just totally foreign to me.
I expected something more ‘high brow’ and frankly, boring. Totally not fair to the author, I know, but I’m just being real here. I’m so glad I gave this book a chance, though, because it was an engaging and really interesting read.
Dual Timelines: I loved the dual timelines–they worked well for the story and were easy to follow. Ruth’s story was especially engaging, and I found myself looking forward to her story, more so than Gwen’s.
Character Development: I say this knowing that many of the characters in this book are based on real people–Ruth and (obviously) Jackson Pollock included. But a writer of historical fiction still has to develop their characters’ personalities and make them relatable or, at least believable.
That said: The character development in this book was fantastic. Ruth as naive, Pollock as the tortured soul, and Gwen’s workaholic lifestyle and growing obsession with her attempts to authenticate a possible Pollock piece… each one felt truly human, which is super important for me to truly engage with any book.
Eh
Slightly Rushed Ending: I will say that Gwen’s story did feel a little more two dimensional than Ruth and Pollock, and her story wrapped up much more quickly than expected so that felt a little rushed.
Pacing: The pacing was also a bit slow at times–especially when reading through Gwen’s part of the story–though that was more of a problem in the first half of the book. The second half definitely picked up.
Do I Recommend?
Sure! If you enjoy complicated relationships, historical fiction, and strong female characters, you will probably enjoy this book. I certainly did!
Book source: I received the eARC of this book from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
