The Art Forger

By: B. A. Shapiro

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

On March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art, today worth over $500 million, were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It remains the largest unsolved art heist in history, and Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, is about to discover that there's more to this crime than meets the eye.

Making a living reproducing famous artworks for a popular online retailer and desperate to improve her situation, Claire is lured into a Faustian bargain with Aiden Markel, a powerful gallery owner. She agrees to forge a painting - a Degas masterpiece stolen from the Gardner Museum - in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But when that very same long-missing Degas painting is delivered to Claire's studio, she begins to suspect that it may itself be a forgery.

Her desperate search for the truth leads Claire into a labyrinth of deceit where secrets hidden since the late 19th century may be the only evidence that can now save her life.

©2012 Barbara Shapiro (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A clever, twisty novel about art, authenticity, love, and betrayal. B. A. Shapiro knows about Degas, and she knows about art theft and forgery, and she also knows how to tell a gripping story." (Tom Perrotta)

Great story, okay narrator.

The story was great, the female voice narration was great, but the male voice narration all sounded the same, and wasn’t even a single voice that was great. It never got co fusing as to which character was speaking and didn’t ruin the experience, but it did impact the experience. I would still recommend it.

This is a great start for Wispersync.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, for anyone who wants a good thriller mystery

What other book might you compare The Art Forger to and why?

In a class by its self.

What about Xe Sands’s performance did you like?

I truly loved her delivery.

Any additional comments?

Once i started this book I couldn't stop until it was finished. I went back a forth between Audio and kindle the whole time. I look forward to the next one of her novels that make it to Audible.

Much-enjoyed!

If you could sum up The Art Forger in three words, what would they be?

03 words: I wish the painting have been there Vermeer. The plot draws upon an intriguing story in real art history. The characters are very well done. It's not overly thrilling, overly scary… It's just not over the top. However it was eminently listenable. And my immediate reaction upon concluding the book was to see if the author had another available on audible.com.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot kept me going in no small part due to the characters and their relationships. Yet this is an easy book to have going on while doing other things around the house.

Which character – as performed by Xe Sands – was your favorite?

The main character. I think the narrator did a poor job with male voices and it took some real getting used to. Plus all the male voices were the same to my ear.

Any additional comments?

In many ways this book was just exactly what I wanted and needed. I wish I had more of them. Not too heavy. Not too twisty. Not too dark. Yet grounded and not out floating around somewhere in the universe of lost threads. I like the insight into the main character and thought that was very well written. That character was humanized. Artist or not, it could've been so many of us.

Engrossing and Exceptionally Performed

This story is fantastic, but Xe Sands is incredible! I wish she performed every novel with a female protagonist.

A Piece of Art Lost to History...

A piece of art lost to history is sought by an artist hired to copy it.
A very different kind of mystery from my usual. Three different timelines reveal their stories bit by bit, keeping me on the hook especially about the goings-on at the end of the 19th century storyline, though the author predominantly focused the story on modern day plot - the stolen Degas and the painter who spotted it as a forgery, sparking her own investigation into its history. An appreciation of art would be a plus (I happen to love Degas), but not necessary, especially if you're just as interested in the theft and mystery itself. Kept me on edge as developments grew in suspense and gravity. Cynical commentary on the art world and media. The tragedy of the main character's past haunts much of her present actions, which was a little overly included, even harped on; I think you could have deleted a few instances without losing the message of its significance, but it did impact her whole outlook and course of action so not irrelevant. She also seemed a bit too naive and trusting going into this endeavor for having been through what she has (but maybe its more illustrative of my reading habits and being on the lookout for deceivers and solving the whodunit before the end, rather than about her...) After all, I figured it out the same moment her own thoughts lead her to her final conclusion. It was a fascinating story of a painting.

The narrator was wonderful at the tones of the women, but seemed to have only one, maybe two distinct male voices, which confused me once or twice.

Overall a good read, couldn't put it down near the end- the moment i had the chance i listened to the last 3 hours straight through. Makes me want to go view some impressionist masterpieces.

Interesting art world romance

Would you consider the audio edition of The Art Forger to be better than the print version?

The narrator was very good and held characters persona well,

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt the protagonist was naive and only somewhat plausible,

Any additional comments?

Reviews comparing voice to print is missing the basis for reviews.... Is it a good story? Is it read well consistently with story and characters? Did it hold my attention? Your questions do not lead to accurate reviews.

good story slow at some parts

the art aspect of the story was interesting. The main female character through the middle part of the book was was annoying and that part of the story was a little slow. The narrator was okay at the beginning and got better as the story went on. if there was an Abridged version of this book I would prefer that.

This story grabbed me at the start.

I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns amid the museum. And the narrator's different character voices kept me listening to the very last minute.

Wanted to shoot the main character.

... But it didn't take away from this being a great story. I loved the settings and all of the interesting art info. The politics were sadly very believable.
I knocked off a star because the narrator used weird speech affectations that bugged me

Great Storyline!

I enjoyed the story, (and even learned some painting jargon!) but I honestly struggled to finish it...because of the performance. The reader just sounded really seductive all the time for no reason, and had a lot of vocal fry. I wish I would have just bought a hard copy. Otherwise, I loved it.