The Art Forger: A Novel

Fun Read and Well Crafted Story

This was such a fun story, especially made for art lovers and museum enthusiasts. Reads like a great beach read; the story is interesting enough that you want to tear through it, but not quite the page-turner of Hunger Games or Gone Girl. Even so, i will read it again, and soon, because of course my curiosity rushed me through.

Clare's story is told through three different story lines that come together beautifully in the end without redundancies, which impressed me. The first story of her history three years ago: her torrid affair with a married art professor, a tortured artist type, and their "collaborative" painting she paints for him while he suffers a creative block in order that he not miss a great opportunity to show at New York's MOMA.

The second storyline, told thru letter's of Isabelle Gardner about her friendship with Edgar Degas in 1890's Paris, which will help explore some of the mystery surrounding the Gardner Museum of Boston and the famous unsolved heist of paintings including one masterwork of Degas.

The current storyline of Clare's life as a struggling artist who pays the rent by painting reproductions of masterworks, specializing in Degas while she bides her time waiting for discovery and a show of her own. Clare is offered an opportunity she cannot pass up from a promiment (and of course superbly attractive) gallery owner, something so great she wonders if it is a deal with the devil... and indeed, it may be.

It makes for some very fun, very interesting, very imaginative reading!

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Recommended for art and mystery lovers

A good mystery about the meaning of art. Highly recommended.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Captivating!

Oh wow, this book is just captivating! I wanted to immediately read it again when I was finished! The suspense definitely had me going hours on end with this book and I didn't want to put it down. I kept wanting to know more about Claire's past with Isaac and her future with Aiden, her past with scandal and her future with forgery. When would Claire learn that her dependency on men to get ahead in the world as an artist only causes trouble?

"When I accepted Markel's offer, I thought I'd be learning at the feet of a master painter; instead, my most powerful lessons have come from a master forger." (loc.1664)

I had no idea how this book would pan out, and the ending was very satisfying. Perhaps it's because of my own love and hobby of the arts that sparks my intrigue, but the author did a wonderful job in telling this story. The slight of humor, the intensity of seriousness, the lightness in characterization was great! In particular I love the imagery she uses, as well as the metaphors and the personification of the artwork. I will absolutely want to reread this book again, as well as any other books by B.A. Shapiro.

First Line: "I step back and scrutinize the paintings." (loc. 13)

Last Line: "And no matter how big the commissions or how great the museums, I suppose I'll never know." (loc. 3815)
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Quotes

"The sweet possibility of reclaiming all that's been lost, everything I've ever wanted. But a forger? A pretender? The absolute last thing I want to be." (loc. 152)

"'It's your call, Claire,' he reminds me. 'I can get someone else if I have to...'
Someone else? 'Okay,' I tell him. 'I'm in.'" (loc. 404)

"A writer friend once told me that when she walks into a library anywhere in the world, the smell makes her feel instantly at home." (loc. 730)

"I'm astonished I was able to fool myself for as long as I did. That I, a self-proclaimed Degas expert, could be so taken in. I felt the truth the first moment I set eyes on the painting, yet I convinced myself otherwise. And I'm not alone." (loc. 1054)

"A woman who makes a Faustian bargain is not without responsibility." (loc. 3810)

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Excellent.

Excellent.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A fun and fascinating mystery. From the first page I was engaged

A fun and fascinating mystery. From the first page I was engaged in the story and found it difficult to put the book down. The intertwining of fictionalized events involving people who once lived and the facts surrounding the infamous (and still unsolved) theft of 13 works of art from the Garner Museum, coupled with an intriguing what-if scenario about the reappearance of one of those missing treasures decades after the fact make a very satisfying story. Glimpses into the art world and the art of forgery add color and texture without distraction. I highly recommend The Art Forger.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommend

I have read a lot of books and I have to say that The Art Forger is my favorite, it just kept me reading when ever I had time to do so. Great book.
B.A. Shapiro, I can't wait for your next book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Interesting and informative of the Art World.

If your interested in oil paintings this is a good story and a look into the art world you may not know.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read it!

If you like museums, art, impressionism and mysteries this book will keep you interested for one night..... My only concern is that there were no more pages to read

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read in one sitting

Really enjoyed this book, well written and researched from the history, the art of creating a fake, while bringing everything in a well crafted story and characters. As an art student just out of school I love reading books that relate to the art world and this has to be one of the best ones I've read.
While some of the side characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, it was a clever read for my afternoon.

Liked this book a lot! Good read! 

Liked this book a lot!
Good read! 

Highly Recommend-Couldn't put it down!

The Art Forger was recommended to me by my mother's best friend who is very well read...so I knew it was going to be good! This book caught my attention from the beginning! I am from Boston and very familiar with the Isabelle Gardner Museum heist. This past week there has also been a lot of hype due to new evidence in the case. If you like art history and historical fiction then you will love this book.

Well written, I would follow the other works of B. A. Shapiro.

Well written, I would follow the other works of B. A. Shapiro. I felt a connection with Claire and her life.

Art Forger is an intelligent read. One can't go wrong with the The Art Forger.

Very intriguing.

I have just recently begun reading this book, but was immediately pulled in to all of the details and the mysteries of the situations involved. The descriptions bring everything to life without being too exhaustive.

Quite Entertaining

It is well written and most informative about artists, forgery and selling of art, in particular oil painting.

I learned all about Degas and loved the wonderful descriptions of the painting in question. There is also the mystery of the great Boston art heist from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum which adds to the complexity of the story.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Great Read for Mystery and Art Lovers

Well-plotted mystery crosses over multiple genres -- history, "true crime", art, and art crime. Skillfully drawn characters, well-crafted details about the complexities of art forgery and engaging historical detail. Also provides intimate glimpses into the art worlds of Boston and New York and into what happens when artists go bad.

Art and mystery - good combination !

I love historical fiction and this book offered up an interesting and educational view of those passionate about the collecting of masterworks of art. A deep dive into a famous work by Degas and how it linked together a group of current Bostonians with forgery, theft, passion, secrecy, and even a love story. I am recommending this to my friends and anyone who has wanted to know why we place so much value the original creations of artists past and the quest to replicate their greatness.

This book, by B.A. Shapiro, came to me free due to a comedy of

This book, by B.A. Shapiro, came to me free due to a comedy of errors. I reported the error and the sender told me to read it and enjoy. And so I did.

I had read a little about the book beforehand, but wasn't sure if I would choose it. After it came to me the way it did, I felt I owed it my best attention. Wow! Am I ever glad I did.

This is one of the finest executions of writing I've read, plus the story is a web of deceit in the art world. A web that will keep you turning the pages from one possibility to another.

I learned the difference between painting a copy and forgery. The particular painting at the center of the tale is a Degas. I know so much more about the style and techniques of various artists. As a lowest-rung amateur painter (I can't even think of myself as an artist,)I finished the book with a burning desire to get out the supplies and try just one more time with some of the new information.

You don't have to like art to love this book. The tide of tension will keep you looking for more ... and then more.

I hope this young woman has another book in the works.
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In 1900, $500 million worth of art was stolen from the Isabella

In 1900, $500 million worth of art was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  This is the largest unsolved heist in history.




Aiden Markel approaches artist Claire Roth to paint an exact replica of a real Dega painting that was stolen during the Gardner Museum heist.   She agrees to paint in exchange for a show at his gallery and cash payment.  As she starts to paint, she begins to suspect that the painting Aiden has brought her is not the original as suspected, but a forgery.   She is very into research and finds the ways to prove it is not a true Degas.  If this is not the real Dega, where is the real one?   As Claire searches for answers she discovers there is more going on with the painting, the heist, and with Aiden than she originally thought.




I will admit that art is a subject I don’t have much knowledge of, but I found The Art Forger easy to read and understand.  Even not having art knowledge I was able to follow the terms and descriptions of the techniques that Claire was using to replicate the Degas.  Every chapter flowed easily into the next, keeping the drama going.  The suspense of having to know what Claire would discover next kept me reading late into the night.
 
I loved reading of her past relationship with Isaac and the drama that surrounded it.  Seeing how Claire dealt with the people in the art world who doubted her talent due to the relationship with Isaac was great.  Claire managed to stay strong and convince others around her to believe as she did, even if it was a struggle at times.   Shapiro did a great job weaving Claire’s past and present into one amazing story.




As the end was coming I had no clue as to how the novel would pan out, but was happy with the ending.  There was humor, love and sex, drama, and intrigue in the novel and I totally enjoyed it from beginning to end.  I highly recommend The Art Forger to any art lover.

Interesting

A pretty good read about an unteresting topic