Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a one-woman show in his gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this long-missing masterpiece - the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years - may itself be a forgery.
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Summary
Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a one-woman show in his gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this long-missing masterpiece - the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years - may itself be a forgery.
Description
Almost twentyfive years after the infamous art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—still the largest unsolved art theft in history—one of the stolen Degas paintings is delivered to the Boston studio of a young artist. Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a onewoman show in his renowned gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this longmissing masterpiece—the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years—may itself be a forgery. The Art Forger is a thrilling novel about seeing—and not seeing—the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.
Critic Reviews
“"Gripping." --O, The Oprah Magazine "Precise and exciting . . . Readers seeking an engaging novel about artists and art scandals will find The Art Forger rewarding for its skillful balance of brisk plotting, significant emotional depth and a multi-layered narration rich with a sense of moral consequence.-The Washington Post If Bridget Jones's Diary and The Da Vinci Code had a love child, this would be it.-Elle (Reader's Panel Reviewer) Ingeniously and skillfully plotted.-The Huffington Post "A cleverly plotted art-world thriller/romance . . . . convincingly researched, engaging storytelling. Intelligent entertainment." --Kirkus Reviews "Filled with delightful twists, turns, and ruminations on what constitutes truth in art." --Publishers Weekly "By page two of this novel, the reader is fully engrossed into the world of struggling artist Claire Roth, nicknamed "The Great Pretender" who copies famous paintings for a website called Reproductions.com . . . A highly recommended debut that would be great for book discussion groups." --Library Journal "Classy and pleasurably suspenseful . . . an entrancingly visual, historically rich, deliciously witty, sensuous, and smart tale of authenticity versus fakery in which Shapiro artfully turns a clever caper into a provocative meditation on what we value most." --Booklist”
Boston Globe's Best Crime Books of 2012
“The Art Forger is the real thing.” —USAToday.com
“[A] nimble mystery.”—The New York Times Book Review
"Gripping." —O, The Oprah Magazine
“[A] highly entertaining literary thriller about fine art and foolish choices.” —Parade
"Precise and exciting . . . Readers seeking an engaging novel about artists and art scandals will find "The Art Forger" rewarding for its skillful balance of brisk plotting, significant emotional depth and a multi-layered narration rich with a sense of moral consequence." —The Washington Post
"If Bridget Jones's Diary and The Da Vinci Code had a love child, this would be it." —Elle (Reader's Panel Reviewer)
“[Shapiro] has such interesting things to say about authenticity—in both art and love—that her novel becomes not just emotionally involving but addictive.” —Entertainment Weekly
"Ingeniously and skillfully plotted." —The Huffington Post
“Warning: Don’t dig into this book if you have something to do . . . An addictive thriller.” —Redbook
“An engaging tale about art, cupidity, and a Faustian bargain . . . Shapiro convincingly depicts the rarefied art world that lionizes a chosen few and ignores the talented, scrabbling outsiders on the fringe. Shapiro is adept, too, at showing the white-hot heat of an artist engaged in creating a painting. She knows art history, painting techniques, and how forgers have managed through the centuries to dupe buyers into paying for fakes . . . Inventive and entertaining.” —The Boston Globe
“Smart, sexy . . . spellbinding.” —Redbookmag.com
“An intelligent, cleverly plotted page-turner.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Engaging storytelling. Intelligent entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews
Boston Globe's Best Crime Books of 2012
“The Art Forger is the real thing.” —USAToday.com
“[A] nimble mystery.”—The New York Times Book Review
"Gripping." —O, The Oprah Magazine
“[A] highly entertaining literary thriller about fine art and foolish choices.” —Parade
"Precise and exciting . . . Readers seeking an engaging novel about artists and art scandals will find "The Art Forger" rewarding for its skillful balance of brisk plotting, significant emotional depth and a multi-layered narration rich with a sense of moral consequence." —The Washington Post
"If Bridget Jones's Diary and The Da Vinci Code had a love child, this would be it." —Elle (Reader's Panel Reviewer)
“[Shapiro] has such interesting things to say about authenticity—in both art and love—that her novel becomes not just emotionally involving but addictive.” —Entertainment Weekly
"Ingeniously and skillfully plotted." —The Huffington Post
“Warning: Don’t dig into this book if you have something to do . . . An addictive thriller.” —Redbook
“An engaging tale about art, cupidity, and a Faustian bargain . . . Shapiro convincingly depicts the rarefied art world that lionizes a chosen few and ignores the talented, scrabbling outsiders on the fringe. Shapiro is adept, too, at showing the white-hot heat of an artist engaged in creating a painting. She knows art history, painting techniques, and how forgers have managed through the centuries to dupe buyers into paying for fakes . . . Inventive and entertaining.” —The Boston Globe
“Smart, sexy . . . spellbinding.” —Redbookmag.com
“An intelligent, cleverly plotted page-turner.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Engaging storytelling. Intelligent entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews
Boston Globe's Best Crime Books of 2012
2012 NetGalley Pick
Kobo's Best Fiction Ebooks of 2012
“The Art Forger is the real thing.” —USAToday.com
“[A] nimble mystery.”—The New York Times Book Review
"Gripping." —O, The Oprah Magazine
“[A] highly entertaining literary thriller about fine art and foolish choices.” —Parade
"Precise and exciting . . . Readers seeking an engaging novel about artists and art scandals will find "The Art Forger" rewarding for its skillful balance of brisk plotting, significant emotional depth and a multi-layered narration rich with a sense of moral consequence." —The Washington Post
"If Bridget Jones's Diary and The Da Vinci Code had a love child, this would be it." —Elle (Reader's Panel Reviewer)
“[Shapiro] has such interesting things to say about authenticity—in both art and love—that her novel becomes not just emotionally involving but addictive.” —Entertainment Weekly
"Ingeniously and skillfully plotted." —The Huffington Post
“Warning: Don’t dig into this book if you have something to do . . . An addictive thriller.” —Redbook
“An engaging tale about art, cupidity, and a Faustian bargain . . . Shapiro convincingly depicts the rarefied art world that lionizes a chosen few and ignores the talented, scrabbling outsiders on the fringe. Shapiro is adept, too, at showing the white-hot heat of an artist engaged in creating a painting. She knows art history, painting techniques, and how forgers have managed through the centuries to dupe buyers into paying for fakes . . . Inventive and entertaining.” —The Boston Globe
“Smart, sexy . . . spellbinding.” —Redbookmag.com
“An intelligent, cleverly plotted page-turner.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Engaging storytelling. Intelligent entertainment.” —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
B. A. Shapiro is the author of six novels (The Art Forger, The Safe Room, Blind Spot, See No Evil, Blameless and Shattered Echoes), four screenplays (Blind Spot, The Lost Coven, Borderline and Shattered Echoes) and the non-fiction book, The Big Squeeze. In her previous career incarnations, she has directed research projects for a residential substance abuse facility, worked as a systems analyst/statistician, headed the Boston office of a software development firm, and served as an adjunct professor teaching sociology at Tufts University and creative writing at Northeastern University. She likes being a novelist the best. Shapiro lives in Boston and teaches fiction writing at Northeastern University. Author website:
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