"If ever you are looking for a book to provide an escape from your own reality, I heartily recommend Emily Gray Tedrowe’s The Talented Miss Farwell. Becky Farwell is the most sympathetic, art-collecting, money-laundering villain I have ever encountered. She literally bleeds her hometown dry — the empty swimming pools of Pierson are heartbreaking — and yet somehow, I loved her."
"There’s just nothing as compelling as a juicy, sordid scam—which makes Emily Gray Tedrowe’s latest a must-read."
"Becky Farwell is one of the most wickedly compelling characters I've read in ages—a Machiavellian marvel, a modern Becky Sharp, a character to root for despite your better judgment—and her story, both topical and timeless, will knock you off your feet."
"Riveting. ... With Becky Farwell, Tedrowe has created one of the year’s most fascinating, complex, nuanced characters."
"A page-turner about a con woman who steals from her town government to make it big in the art world. ... A fantastic character — and compelling story."
"Smart, psychologically insightful. ... Tedrowe makes the pages fly through the secrets and self-delusions, skillfully inspiring empathy and identification with a criminal mastermind."
Both light-hearted and deeply conflicted, Tedrowe's caper, with its Becky Sharp allusions, raises significant moral issues.”
★ 09/14/2020
Tedrowe’s zany, perfectly executed latest (after Commuters) follows Becky Farwell, a comptroller in Pierson, Ill., who uses the small town’s budget to fund her double life as a renowned New York City art collector and dealer named Reba Farwell. Becky has always had a head for numbers and problem solving, but remains tethered to Pierson by her hapless dad and his farm-equipment business. Though she knows nothing about art and never attended college, Becky is drawn to a painting in a Champaign-Urbana gallery. After coming across a surplus of town funds, Becky uses the money to purchase the painting, setting off a decades-long scheme of borrowing more and more from the town coffers to procure art with the intent to resell at a profit to benefit Pierson—but trouble hits when she borrows more than she returns to fuel her habit of bidding for coveted works. Becky’s relationship with the art world gets off to a rough start, but she manages to hit the big-time with the help of mentor Mac Palliser, who both nurtures her collecting habit and betrays her. Tedrowe does a spectacular job of demonstrating the mindset of a character who justifies her criminal activity while believing she’s ultimately good (“Becky breathed a tight little prayer of gratitude, yet again, that she hadn’t been caught. If only she could pay it back, that stupid $542”), as well as making the process of rationalization credible. The unusual plot and Tedrowe’s spirited execution of it make this one sing. (Sept.)
"Stylish. ... The fictional Becky is playing a more morally complex game.” — New York Times Book Review
"Becky Farwell is one of the most wickedly compelling characters I've read in ages—a Machiavellian marvel, a modern Becky Sharp, a character to root for despite your better judgment—and her story, both topical and timeless, will knock you off your feet." — Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers
“The gritty underbelly of the art market and the pathology of decades of financial chicanery meet their delirious match in Tedrowe’s Miss Farwell, who stands glaring up at the reader from the intersection of Hitchcock’s Marnie and Highsmith’s Ripley. Watch out for paper cuts.” — Jonathan Lethem
"There’s just nothing as compelling as a juicy, sordid scam—which makes Emily Gray Tedrowe’s latest a must-read." — Harper's Bazaar
"Perfectly executed...Tedrowe does a spectacular job of demonstrating the mindset of a character who justifies her criminal activity while believing she’s ultimately good." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"If ever you are looking for a book to provide an escape from your own reality, I heartily recommend Emily Gray Tedrowe’s The Talented Miss Farwell. Becky Farwell is the most sympathetic, art-collecting, money-laundering villain I have ever encountered. She literally bleeds her hometown dry — the empty swimming pools of Pierson are heartbreaking — and yet somehow, I loved her." — Marcy Dermansky, author of Very Nice
"The Talented Miss Farwell is utterly magnificent. Not since Tom Ripley have I fallen so hard for a con artist...Becky Farwell is an unforgettable character. She is the beating heart of this spellbinding page-turner about art, greed, and self-invention." — Cristina Alger, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us
"A read-it-to-believe-it page-turner about a con artist whose luck can’t last." — Real Simple
“Both light-hearted and deeply conflicted, Tedrowe's caper, with its Becky Sharp allusions, raises significant moral issues.” — Booklist
“Sharp, darkly comedic, and full of fascinating facts about the art world.” — CrimeReads
"Riveting. ... With Becky Farwell, Tedrowe has created one of the year’s most fascinating, complex, nuanced characters." — Medium
"A page-turner about a con woman who steals from her town government to make it big in the art world. ... A fantastic character — and compelling story." — Alma
"Tedrowe has a talent for incrementally (and believably) stacking a house of cards and keeping readers wondering just how crazy things will get. The answer: way crazier than you’d expect for a small-town art lover." — Chicago Magazine
"Smart, psychologically insightful. ... Tedrowe makes the pages fly through the secrets and self-delusions, skillfully inspiring empathy and identification with a criminal mastermind." — National Book Review
The gritty underbelly of the art market and the pathology of decades of financial chicanery meet their delirious match in Tedrowe’s Miss Farwell, who stands glaring up at the reader from the intersection of Hitchcock’s Marnie and Highsmith’s Ripley. Watch out for paper cuts.
"The Talented Miss Farwell is utterly magnificent. Not since Tom Ripley have I fallen so hard for a con artist...Becky Farwell is an unforgettable character. She is the beating heart of this spellbinding page-turner about art, greed, and self-invention."
Sharp, darkly comedic, and full of fascinating facts about the art world.”
"A read-it-to-believe-it page-turner about a con artist whose luck can’t last."
Both light-hearted and deeply conflicted, Tedrowe's caper, with its Becky Sharp allusions, raises significant moral issues.”
"Tedrowe has a talent for incrementally (and believably) stacking a house of cards and keeping readers wondering just how crazy things will get. The answer: way crazier than you’d expect for a small-town art lover."
Narrator Allyson Ryan’s lighthearted approach provides a believable element to this story of a young woman leading a double life. Becky is the smart and seemingly honest accountant for the small town of Pierson, Illinois. But a passion for high-stakes dealing in the art worlds of New York and Chicago, where she is known as Reba, leads her to divert funds into her own accounts in order to sustain her secret obsession. Ryan never waivers from Becky’s girl-next-door persona as she frantically tries to pay the town back before anyone notices. While it is hard to imagine a farm girl with no college degree or art training succeeding in the rarefied world of art dealers, Ryan’s voice keeps Becky likable right to the conclusion. J.E.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Narrator Allyson Ryan’s lighthearted approach provides a believable element to this story of a young woman leading a double life. Becky is the smart and seemingly honest accountant for the small town of Pierson, Illinois. But a passion for high-stakes dealing in the art worlds of New York and Chicago, where she is known as Reba, leads her to divert funds into her own accounts in order to sustain her secret obsession. Ryan never waivers from Becky’s girl-next-door persona as she frantically tries to pay the town back before anyone notices. While it is hard to imagine a farm girl with no college degree or art training succeeding in the rarefied world of art dealers, Ryan’s voice keeps Becky likable right to the conclusion. J.E.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
