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Friday, July 19, 2013

July Book Club -- The Art Forger

The Art Forger
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
My enjoyment rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Book hangover: 3
Source: Personal copy
Genre: Fiction
Objectionable material: Some sexual innuendo; one F bomb.
July Book Club selection
 

Claire Roth, trying to resuscitate her career after being humiliated by a former art professor, accepts a nefarious offer from a gallery owner to “copy” as Degas painting – one that is eerily similar to a piece stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum some 20 years earlier.

With clever twists and loads of information, author B. A. Shapiro, treats the reader to a fascinating “art” mystery, which at its heart is based on an actual event.

There was so much to love about this novel: an education in art forgery, museum hierarchy, art experts, art galleries, and internal moral conflict -- it was really a ton of fun to read.

My only complaint – the ending. I was expecting something more – startling – gasp worthy. But the end was nothing more than a Disney-Nicholas Cage-National Treasure cop-out.

Oh well.

I know now why I will never be an author – endings are really difficult to write.

However – this made an AWESOME book club discussion! There was so much to discuss – everything from the actual heist to the recovery of art during WWII. It totally made up for the lack of satisfying conclusion.


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5 comments:

  1. Julie July 20, 2013 at 9:09 AM

    Sometimes the ending makes the book ... sometimes .. well, it takes away from it. Glad the lead-up to it was good!

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  2. Laura at Library of Clean ReadsJuly 20, 2013 at 10:32 AM

    I loved this one too and we had a good book club discussion as well. I was totally fascinated by the art of forgery.

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  3. Melissa @ Confessions of an Avid ReaderJuly 21, 2013 at 6:38 PM

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I've heard good things about it and do have it on my shelf waiting to be read. I'm a little concerned about the ending now though :-)

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  4. Tina's BlogJuly 22, 2013 at 11:33 AM

    Totally not related to reading...yay! Kate is having her baby! I knew you could appreciate the excitement that I feel :) My middle daughter is very excited as well.

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  5. SusanJuly 25, 2013 at 3:12 PM

    I really liked this one. It kept me totally engaged. I don't remember having a problem with the ending, but I can't really remember what it was either ... *sigh* I think I read too many books ...

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