The Art Forger: A Novel
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Almost twenty-five 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 one-woman show in his renowned 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. The Art Forger is a thrilling novel about seeing--and not seeing--the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.
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Community Reviews
The story is told from three time periods, 100 years ago, three years ago and present day. I was not wild about the story told from three years ago. I do realize it was necessary for us to understand where Claire was coming from, but from the beginning you can see that Isaac is a jerk and that it will end badly.
I liked Belle's story and thought it could have been longer. I liked how she was almost eager to to defy convention, it seemed to spite anyone who would dare to disapprove. When push came to shove she did not want anyone else to see just how far she was willing to go.
I did find the process of forging the painting and everything that went along with it interesting. I also liked when Claire worked on her own paintings. The rest of the book, when the mystery became prevalent, Claire seemed to be naive and as if she was grasping at straws. At one point I found myself speed reading to get past her fumbling. I keep thinking wow in her personal life she can be somewhat stupid.
Now the plot and romance that developed in the story was predictable and less brilliant than the "nerdy" art details that I found so fascinating, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
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