I downloaded the ebook from my local public library's 3M collection.
My review:
An artist who has been blacklisted in the Boston art scene makes a living creating reproductions of famous paintings and is approached by a gallery owner who has a tempting proposal. The problem is that what he is suggesting is not exactly on the up-and-up, but it does pay well and it's not illegal... exactly... Claire doesn't think.
While some of the art-talk verges on tedious for those not into the fine art scene, Shapiro manages to pull the novel back from the edge every time it ventures on boredom. The ethical dilemmas, Claire's love life, and the emerging mystery are enough to hold a reader's interest. The writing is also detailed and deft; the book almost crosses into literary fiction, though not quite.
Stars: 4
My book club previously read An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (yes, the actor) and I was worried that this was going to be a repeat of that: passages of long-winded discussions of art and forgery techniques that made my eyes glaze over just like a finished oil painting. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying this one very much and think others with only a passing knowledge of art will be able to enjoy it, too.
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