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There are currently 19 member reviews
for The Art Forger
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Joann M.
Shapiro's Masterpiece!
I loved this book! From the moment I started reading I was absorbed in the story and I could not put the book down! I was eager to learn the secrets of Claire's past and see how that past played a role in the choices she struggled to make as the mystery of the art forgery unfolded. The author has also instilled in me a new appreciation and interest in art. I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to the next offering from Shapiro.
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Beth F. (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
The Art Forger
There is alot of information regarding the art world both original and forgeries. But there was something about the story and the mystery that got be going from the first page. An enjoyable read.
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Patricia H. (Norman, OK)
When is a forgery better than the original?
Perception is not always reality and getting it right sometimes is less important than keeping face, especially if you belong to the upper echelon of the art world. Claire Roth has a real artistic talent but also a stubborn streak that won't let the truth hide even if it costs what she most wants. Can she afford the price?
The book pulls the reader into the world of art, only some of it is not pretty. But it is a page turner. Not a mystery per se but certainly suspenseful.
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Mary G. (River Forest, IL)
An artistic soap opera
I'm an art fan and spent wonderful hours with Shapiro's explanations of the business of art forgeries, how they are perfected, how they are unmasked, and how they've made dealers rich - or incarcerated. On that score, I highly recommend the book and confess i enjoyed it all the way through. It is, however, a novel, so demands a story. As a thread tying together the more interesting facts about artists, especially Degas, and the forgery business, it's good enough to fool the reader into feeling like it's a summer read but, on its own - not so good. I turned the last page without feeling I knew the characters, or that they were worth knowing. But who cared? Somehow, as a whole, it's a book I'll pass along to friends, and I salute Shapiro for working fascinating knowledge into soap opera. One frustration: because so much of the story is based on fact, I spent a lot of time on the internet trying to separate truth from fiction - and maybe that's not such a bad thing either.
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Bob W. (Oakland, TN)
The Art Forger
In 1990 the largest unsolved art theft occurred in Boston at the Isabella Stewart Museum: thirteen works of art worth more than $500 million in today's economy. "The Art Forger" is a novel that is tied to this theft. Claire Roth, a struggling artist, is the primary character.
The writer knows her subject matter. She is extremely knowledgeable regarding the art world---descriptions of the details of various paintings are fascinating: brushstrokes; thickness of paints; color saturation; etc. The descriptions of forgers and their "works" are effective additions to the story. In addition, there are descriptions of the tests to determine the authenticity of classical paintings and conversely how forgers can duplicate those test results.
But the book is uneven at times---continuous flashbacks; entire chapters that are unnecessary and add little or nothing to the novel.
In summary: I really wanted to like this book and did enjoy part of it. However, for me it's an average read.
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