The Lost Masterpiece

A Novel

De: B. A. Shapiro

Narrado por: Lucy Rayner, Christine Lakin, Hannah Curtis, B. A. Shapiro

An enigmatic painting. The mystery of who painted it. A riveting thriller from the bestselling author of The Art Forger.

In a gripping novel full of plot twists, B. A. Shapiro embeds us in a circle of famous painters in late-nineteenth-century Paris, centering on the anguished Impressionist artist Berthe Morisot—the one woman in their midst who never got her due—and the story of Morisot’s great-great-great-great granddaughter, Tamara Rubin, who has inherited Édouard Manet’s Party on the Seine, a painting that completely upends her life.

When Tamara inherits Party, she discovers a long-hidden family history replete with unanswered questions: How had it been stolen by the Nazis? How had the painting managed to survive three disasters that destroyed every other artwork around it? And most of all, why had she never known about her ancestor, Berthe Morisot? As the painting begins to metamorphose into darker and more terrifying versions of itself, Tamara’s ordinary life is thrown into turmoil. What wounds and resentments plagued Morisot, and to what lengths will her spirit go for revenge?

The Lost Masterpiece is a story of love, adultery, betrayal, family secrets, and the grueling birth of Impressionism, taking the listener on a whirlwind adventure from the streets of Paris in the late 1800s and the studio Berthe Morisot shared with Manet, Degas, and Renoir to the present day. Shapiro brings Berthe’s world to life, tracing her work through generations of descendants and introducing us to a painter as brilliant and original as her male counterparts across 150 years of triumphs, struggles, passions, animosities, and malevolence.

©2025 B. A. Shapiro (P)2025 Algonquin Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"B.A. Shapiro has painted a truly marvelous novel of passion -- passion for art, for creativity, for love and for the truth. With one deft stroke after another she evokes the past and connects one of the most important times in Impressionism to a moving present day search for roots, connection and meaning. Riveting, compelling and intensely powerful."—M.J. Rose, bestselling author of The Museum of Mysteries

"How could you not be enraptured with a brilliant new Shapiro novel showcasing what she does best—showing us how art shapes our world. Real life painter Berthe Morisot shared a studio with Impressionists Manet, Degas, Renoir and other luminaries, but being a woman, she never got the attention she deserved. But here, Morisot haunts both a stolen masterwork painting and its modern day owner, crafting a story of love, scandal and revenge, into a triumphant page turner that’s part art history, part ghost story and totally original."—Caroline Leavitt, bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder

"Once again, B.A. Shapiro is in a league of her own, this time taking us on a riveting ride into the world of stolen art with her latest page-turner The Lost Masterpiece. Readers of art history will devour this book filled with love, loss, passion, ambition, and resilience, and will especially delight in the cameos of real artists and their art. And Shapiro, with her signature twists and turns and exquisite descriptions and timing, will always have the last stroke."—Lisa Barr, NYT bestselling author of Woman on Fire

So enjoyable!

Being pulled into the times, lives and thoughts of the impressionists was exciting and inspiring - think perseverance. I stopped often to query paintings and artists, though am familiar with most. Sadly I had never heard of Berthe Morisot but I delighted in learning she and the others often painted together, enjoying the camaraderie of painters discovering new methods of artistic expression. A mystery of the past and present. I’m lead to search out more about each artist and their works. They were courageous people. Such an enjoyable book.

Stunning audio performance.

A real high level follow up to the Art Forger in quality. Plot. Character development & writing. Difficult to put down since the 2 major story lines were so compelling

Very enjoyable

Great story. I know this isn’t major, but the performance was very good except I wish the narration had been checked for accuracy in pronunciation. I cringed every time I had to listen to the narrator pronounce Tremont Street with the stress on the second syllable. Bostonians, be forewarned. ☺️

Clever look at an under recognized artist

I know of Berthe Morisot and her work. This is a great novel telling what might have happened.

Great Intertwining of History and Fiction!

I enjoyed the story line, the narrator and the interplay of characters across the decades.
Very ennjoyable!