The Art Forger: Book Review by Arlene.
The Art Forger Review
Claire Roth, an aspiring young artist, has a Boston studio apartment and is the central character throughout. She makes a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner to forge a Degas painting stolen in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist in exchange for a one woman art show in his gallery.
As Claire begins her work on the forgery she begins to suspect the original painting delivered to her apartment may very well be a forgery itself.
She begins her quest to unravel the truth and as she pursues her interest in the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner herself begins to reveal a relationship into this world of art not imagined.
The Art Forger Recommendation
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts and the details of the 1990 robbery that occurred there are factual, and as Shapiro noted, the robbery remains the longest unsolved art heist in history.
The Art Forger is a work of literary fiction inter-laced with fact. It brings you into the world of Fine Art and, in my opinion B.A. Shapiro nailed it with her extensive research into the world of art history and art forgery plus her own imagination. She created unique and interesting characters who develop as the plot thickens into this page turner until the very end of the book. I did not find the ending of the book to be predictable so as to prematurely give the conclusion away.
As mentioned in our monthly suggested reading, The Art Forger is a Boston Globe Best Crime Book of 2012. It certainly lives up to that claim as you will feel the vibe of the city of Boston come alive as you go along with Claire for her quest of the truth.
The Art Forger is described as a multi-layered narrative with a sense of moral consequences and lives up to that description.
Skillfully plotted, The Art Forger book will entertain you and keep you turning the pages. Although you may stop for a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy as you continue on reading,
The Art Forger will keep you entranced as you delve deeper and deeper into this addicting novel.
If you enjoyed The Art Forger book review, please buy: The Art Forger Book.
Please join us in our conversation in The Art Forger Book Club Questions, part 1 and
Claire Roth is a struggling artist living in Boston. After a tumultuous affair with her professor Isaac, she finds herself paid to do professional reproductions of famous works. Surrounded by an eclectic group of friends and filled with a burning desire to show her own personal work Claire longs to escape the label as the great pretender. Claire enters into an agreement with an unlikely, handsome art dealer that changes her life in every way. She is forced to choose how far she is willing to push aside her conscience to get what she has long desired. An intriguing look into the art world of the masters, forgeries, art dealers and museums. Likable characters, a little romance and a unique world all its own. Highly recommend this read!
Hello Karen,
Thanks for your comments on The Art Forger book review.
Our book club really appreciates it when one of our book selections piques the interest of our readers. I am happy that you enjoyed reading the book. The Art Forger is an interesting look into the art world and the challenges of being an artist.
We are looking forward to hearing from you again. Our list of the books we have read and reviewed has grown so please stop by again!
If you look in what people are saying about this book, you may find something interesting. People who don’t like what Claire (a character) does won’t like the book. And people who like the prose, scene and setting would love the book. What do you think about it?
But all of them would agree on something, towards the end, it’s not easy to put the book down. I guess I will read it this Christmas.
Cheers
Hello Jagulba,
while reading The Art Forger I did not find Claire’s ability to replicate a painting by the Master’s to be a bad thing as it gave the average person an opportunity to enjoy a painting they could obviously never have.
I felt as I continued to read when someone with her skill was willing to participate in a forgery on the scale that was pivotal to this novel that decision would have dire consequences for her. That would be a decision she would regret.
All of that being said, The Art Forger gave the average reader an in depth look into the world of art forgery. I hope you enjoy it!
Great review!
Based on you review this book will be a fabulous read, filled with history, mystery and romance. The main character, Claire, is interesting and the story twisted beautifully between history and present time to draw you in. I enjoy learning about the world of art, about forgeries and how they’re done, about art heists and the thieves themselves. This will be an interesting story, learning about the background of art and artists, and a mystery that keep you engaged.
Very interesting
Hi Bella,
The Art Forger is an interesting book set in the art world.
It’s nice to be able to envision what painters/artist have to do to get ahead. I like that there’s conflict in Claire about what is right and wrong. The moral compass can steer you one way before you know what has happened.
I enjoyed the book and hope if you pick it up that you will like it too. 🙂
Hello Farshid,
Thank you for your comments. We gave The Art Forger a great review as it has many interesting facts of the art world as a whole and B.A. Shapiro wrote a great story line as well. Our readers seem very interested now in reading this book.
Thank you for stopping by.
Sincerely appreciate the efforts you go through to present an excellent overview of the Art Forger! Truly would like to thank you for helping me determine what gift to purchase for friends this Christmas!
Kind regards,
Sal
Hello Sal,
I hope your gift of our book choices are enjoyed. We are trying to give our readers a variety of topics to choose from. We really appreciate your stopping in to chat with us.
Hello Arlene,
I, like Yvonne who commented above, had not heard of “The Art Forger book before nor the author B.A. Shapiro” …but your review has definitely stirred up my interest in reading it! I absolutely love stories that are based off of “real life” events, so thank you for bringing this book and this author to my attention!
So do you know if this book is available in digital format for an iPad, or is it just on Kindle and/or physical book form? And if it is available on iPad, where is the best place to purchase it? Through Apple or elsewhere? Could you supply me a link?
All The Best,
Jeremy David Wilson
Hello Jeremy,
The Art Forger is a very good book. If you have the iBooks App you can purchase it in the iBooks Store. If you have a Kindle you can purchase it here:The Art Forger Book.
We hope to hear from you after you read it as we always appreciate knowing if our readers agree or disagree with our ratings and our reviews. After all, we always try to give an honest review good or bad.
We appreciate your comments. Thanks!
Hi Arlene, I have not heard of The Art Forger book before nor the author B.A. Shapiro. The background of Fine Art is great as I love the arts. You always have the most interesting reviews! I’ll check in next time when I need reading suggestions. Do you read the books that your readers recommend?
Hi Yvonne,
So nice to hear from you. Thank you for enjoying our reviews- we certainly appreciate your comments!
To answer your question, absolutely yes! We do read ALL the books that we recommend to our readers and we do encourage suggestions.
In the coming year we are looking forward to hearing about what books and authors our readers are enjoying.
Please drop by again. 🙂
Very short and sweet review. You really summed up things well. Looks like a pretty good book that I may have to look into. Keep it up!
Hi Rashaad,
Thank you for your positive comments on The Art Forger. We are trying to keep our reviews informative and at the same time not give the story line away. We know all books will not appeal to everyone so we are try to pique our reader’s interest into experiencing new genres and new authors.
Thanks for stopping by at Arlene’s Book Club!
Hi Arlene,
I read a lot but never heard of The Art Forger. It definitely seems like a very interesting novel and I might actually read it. Great site full of interesting books.
Thank you very much for this review.
Lukas
Hello Lukas,
Thanks for visiting Arlene’s Book Club. I always feel “So many books, so little time.” We are trying to select books that will not waste the time of our readers if they choose to read our selections. I hope we can keep great picks from great authors coming your way!
Thank you for stopping by.
Finally I found a website with all the information that I was looking for.
You have some great information here! I was searching for a good review of the Art Forger Book, so I learned a lot.
Thanks!
You saved my day.
Hi Emanuel,
So happy to have saved your day! We are trying to pick books that will appeal to a variety of readers. We hope you enjoy the Art Forger. Please stop by again!
Just visiting. May visit this Blog again. Thanx for your review.
God bless.
Thanks for stopping by Victor. We hope to hear from you again!
LOVED The Art Forger! Claire Roth is a struggling artist living in Boston. After a tumultuous affair with her professor Isaac, she finds herself paid to do professional reproductions of famous works. Surrounded by an eclectic group of friends and filled with a burning desire to show her own personal work Claire longs to escape the label as the great pretender. Claire enters into an agreement with an unlikely, handsome art dealer that changes her life in every way. She is forced to choose how far she is willing to push aside her conscience to get what she has long desired. An intriguing look into the art world of the masters, forgeries, art dealers and museums. Great characters, a little romance and a unique world all its own. Highly recommend this read!
Hello Karen,
Thanks for your positive comments and recommendation of The Art Forger. This novel opened up the world of art to those of us who would have never thought about it and really gave the reader an insight into the lives of the past masters and the art world of today.
Your positive take on the book was very much appreciated. Please feel free to check out The Art Forger book club questions https://arlenesbookclub.com/the-art-forger-book-club-questions-part-1
We hope you come back for a look at our upcoming selections!
Another good review! Sounds like a very interesting read. I love stories that have some reality to them.
Keep up the good work- your reviews are very well written!
Julie
Hi Julie,
Thanks for stopping by at Arlene’s Book Club. We certainly appreciate our reader’s comments on our selections. Oftentimes when I am reading a great book I don’t want it to end.
I agree with your comment on reality playing a part. In the story so we get some insight into the author’s creativity when laying out the plot. When it all comes together we get to enjoy their work.
Another great review, and you may or may not know that I am using the recommendations on this site to branch out and try books that I wouldn’t otherwise have considered. As a matter of fact, I just got this book and I’m delighted to report that I liked it from the outset – always a good sign. There are too many books to read to force yourself to suffer through one. I wasn’t aware that the heist was a real “event” and that there are pieces of fact woven into the story. Makes it even more interesting!!
Hello again Hindy!
We think it is great you are using our book club to explore new choices in the books you read. I feel the same way as you when I am reading a book that I wish I had not chosen. I do although suffer through to the end as you put it.
I think we have some pretty interesting choices coming up so keep stopping by. We are looking forward to your future comments on our selections.
I might read the Art Forger. I typically read John Grisham and in high school read Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew. So I like mystery, intrigue and who done its. This one sounds fascinating with a lot of twists and turns.
Right now I’m reading Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes but I’ll put the Art Forger on my list. Thanks for this great review and sharing this with us.
Thanks for your comments Rawl.
I also have read John Grisham. When an author has his novels made into movies you have to know the books were fantastic reads.
Thank you for stopping by at Arlene’s Book Club and hope to hear your opinions again on our choices of the books we choose to recommend.
Another great book review Arlene.
I really like books that mix fact with fiction like this. I learn a lot and I aren’t bored during the process.
I am curious why the protagonist compromises her morals by agreeing to do the forgery, but then feels compelled to discover the truth.
Guess I will just have to read it and find out…
David
Hello David,
Thanks for your comments on The Art Forger. The main character in the Art Forger finds herself at a crossroads in her professional and personal life as this novel unfolds. She makes her decisions based on where she is in her life at those moments.
I am sure when we all are faced with life choices that take us down unknown roads, we are either happy with our choices or regret ever making a particular decision.
Without giving the whole story away Claire begins to discover what is truth and what isn’t as she goes on. If you decide to read the book you will discover her motives and discover the truth with her.