The Art Forger

by B. A. Shapiro, Sands Xe (Narrated by)

Overview

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 nineteenth century may be the only evidence that can now save her life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611749274
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	10/23/2012
Edition description:	Unabridged; 10 hours
Pages:	600
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

B. A. Shapiro is the author of the award-winning New York Times bestseller The Art Forger and the bestseller The Muralist. She has taught sociology at Tufts University and creative writing at Northeastern University and lives in Boston with her husband, Dan, and their dog, Sagan. Her website is www.bashapirobooks.com.

XE SANDS is a published audiobook narrator with more than a decade of experience bringing stories to life through narration and performance. From poignant young adult fiction to powerful first-person narrative, Sands’ characterizations are rich and expressive and her narrations evocative and intimate.

What People are Saying About This

Tom Perrotta

“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

From the Publisher

“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

“Blazingly good. Shapiro drops you where you’ve never been before, into the whole, crackingly alive world of art galleries, art forgeries, and the unexpected recesses of the human heart. As original as a real Degas, it’s also as unforgettable.”
—Caroline Leavitt,New York Timesbestselling author ofPictures of You

“An engaging journey. Will not only keep you as entertained as any thriller but leave you with a new appreciation of how paintings are made, evaluated, and understood—not to mention how they’re copied.”
—Arthur Golden, bestselling author ofMemoirs of a Geisha

Arthur Golden

“The Art Forger will not only keep you as entertained as any thriller but leave you with a new appreciation of how paintings are made, evaluated, and understood—not to mention how they’re copied.”
—Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha

Caroline Leavitt

“Blazingly good. Shapiro drops you where you’ve never been before, into the whole, crackingly alive world of art galleries, art forgeries, and the unexpected recesses of the human heart. . . . As original as a real Degas, it’s also as unforgettable.”
—Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You

Editorial Reviews

“A satisfying, plot-driven novel of revelation. . . . An engaging tale about art, cupidity, and a Faustian bargain. . . . Shapiro convincingly depicts the rarefied art world that lionizes a chosen few and ignores the talented, scrabbling outsiders on the fringe. Shapiro is adept, too, at showing the white-hot heat of an artist engaged in creating a painting. She knows art history, painting techniques, and how forgers have managed through the centuries to dupe buyers into paying for fakes. . . . Inventive and entertaining.”
—Boston Globe

“Engrossing.”
—New York Daily News

“A fabulously suspenseful story of a young woman who is in over her head. Narrator Xe Sands does a wonderful job imbuing Claire with emotion.”
—AudioFile

“The Art Forger is smart, sexy, and spellbinding. With a twisting plot, irresistible characters, and a spunky, memorable heroine . . . this book’s a recipe for fun.”
—Redbook

“This classy crime novel is most appealing in audio.”
—Booklist

From the Publisher

Addictive.”
—Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

“Professionally and skillfully read by Xe Sands. This work is highly recommended and will be popular with fans of literary fiction and anyone with an interest in the art world.”
—Library Journal [starred review]

The Washington Post

“Filled with delightful twists, turns, and ruminations. . . . Shapiro’s research, well-integrated into a strong premise, captivates.”
—Publishers Weekly

USAToday.com

If Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Da Vinci Code had a love child, this would be it.”
—Elle Reader’s Review

Elle Reader's Review

Ingeniously and skillfully plotted.”
—The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post

“Addictive.”
—Entertainment Weekly

The Oprah Magazine O

“Rewarding for its skillful balance of brisk plotting, significant emotional depth and a multi-layered narration rich with a sense of moral consequence.”
—The Washington Post

Boston Globe

“The Art Forger is the real thing.”
—USAToday.com

New York Daily News

“Ingeniously and skillfully plotted.”
—The Huffington Post

Redbook

“[A] gripping novel.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine

Booklist

What if a forger discovered that the painting she was forging might itself be a forgery? That is Claire Roth's dilemma in Shapiro's (The Safe Room) fascinating novel about the art world, major thefts, and the struggle for authenticity. Claire's reputation was ruined after a scandal in which she covered for a famous artist; since then she has made a meager living painting for Reproductions.com. When she is offered money and a show of her own if she will agree to make a copy of a famous Degas stolen from the Gardner Museum in Boston, she jumps at the chance but quickly becomes suspicious that the supposed original is a fake. VERDICT Shapiro expertly includes details about Degas, Isabelle Gardner, and the art world, as well as describing techniques used by artists and forgers. The first-person narrative is professionally and skillfully read by Xe Sands. This work is highly recommended and will be popular with fans of literary fiction and anyone with an interest in the art world. ["This well-researched work combines real elements…with the understanding that the art world is as fragile and precarious as the art itself…. A highly recommended debut that would be great for book discussion groups," read the review of the New York Times best-selling Algonquin hc, LJ 8/12.—Ed.]—Mary Knapp, Madison P.L., WI

Library Journal - Audio

Boston Globe's Best Crime Books of 2012
2012 NetGalley Pick
Kobo's Best Fiction Ebooks of 2012

“The Art Forgeris the real thing.”—USAToday.com

“[A] nimble mystery.”—The New York Times Book Review

"Gripping." —O, The Oprah Magazine

“[A] highly entertaining literary thriller about fine art and foolish choices.” —Parade

"Precise and exciting . . . Readers seeking an engaging novel about artists and art scandals will find "The Art Forger" rewarding for its skillful balance of brisk plotting, significant emotional depth and a multi-layered narration rich with a sense of moral consequence." —The Washington Post

"If Bridget Jones's Diary and The Da Vinci Code had a love child, this would be it." —Elle (Reader's Panel Reviewer)

“[Shapiro] has such interesting things to say about authenticity—in both art and love—that her novel becomes not just emotionally involving but addictive.” —Entertainment Weekly

"Ingeniously and skillfully plotted." —The Huffington Post

“Warning: Don’t dig into this book if you have something to do . . . An addictive thriller.” —Redbook

“An engaging tale about art, cupidity, and a Faustian bargain . . . Shapiro convincingly depicts the rarefied art world that lionizes a chosen few and ignores the talented, scrabbling outsiders on the fringe. Shapiro is adept, too, at showing the white-hot heat of an artist engaged in creating a painting. She knows art history, painting techniques, and how forgers have managed through the centuries to dupe buyers into paying for fakes . . . Inventive and entertaining.” —The Boston Globe

“Smart, sexy . . . spellbinding.”—Redbookmag.com

“An intelligent, cleverly plotted page-turner.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Engaging storytelling. Intelligent entertainment.”—Kirkus Reviews

Review