In Libreria
Sinossi
È l'estate del 1922 e la giovane Paulien Mertens, il cuore a pezzi e duecento franchi in tasca, è in esilio a Parigi. Diseredata e ripudiata dai genitori a causa della truffa finanziaria messa in atto dal suo fidanzato George Everard, che ha condotto le Fabbriche tessili Mertens sull'orlo della bancarotta, Paulien vaga per la città chiedendosi come riuscirà a dimostrare la propria innocenza e a restituire al padre almeno una piccola parte di ciò che ha perso. Dopo aver dato un taglio ai suoi lunghi capelli e cambiato il proprio nome in Vivienne Gregsby, la giovane donna decide di sfruttare le sue competenze nel campo dell'arte per rientrare in possesso della collezione di dipinti postimpressionisti di suo padre e ottenere, così, il perdono della famiglia. Grazie alla sua intraprendenza, riceve la proposta di fare da assistente al dottor Edwin Bradley, collezionista d'arte americano con l'ambizione di creare un museo a Philadelphia. Vivienne dovrà accompagnarlo nelle sue visite agli studi degli artisti, fargli da interprete, da segretaria, aiutarlo a fissare gli appuntamenti e a prendere accuratamente nota delle transazioni. Un lavoro che la giovane accetta con entusiasmo, conscia del fatto che potrebbe consentirle non soltanto di venire a contatto con opere straordinarie, ma anche di incontrare gli artisti i cui dipinti la emozionano fin da quando era solo una bambina, come Henri Matisse, ad esempio, che col suo piglio giovanile, la barba folta e lo sguardo intelligente, non mancherà di far breccia nel suo cuore. Un lavoro, tuttavia, non privo di rischi. Qualcuno potrebbe smascherarla, magari lo stesso George Everard, in vena di architettare uno dei suoi malefici raggiri...
- ISBN: 8854519715
- Casa Editrice: Neri Pozza
- Pagine: 368
Recensioni
Schemers and scoundrels hide and blend behind the scenes like the blurred textures within an art masterpiece. Within time, though, the eyes focus more readily and true colors are ultimately revealed. It's 1922 at a small estate in Belgium and we find Paulien Mertens lost in the pangs of love. Her nin Leggi tutto
B.A. Shapiro has done it again. If you loved The Art Forger, you will love this one. Mystery, romance, art, and intrigue - what's not to love? Highly recommended and suspenseful. A great novel and a great read. You won't be disappointed - true to character and story line, you won't want to put it do Leggi tutto
This is my second novel by Shapiro. The first, The Art Forger , was impressive. She used the magic of words to make paintings come alive so that they could be loved by the reader as they were loved by her main character; just as art has been loved by me from time-to-time. And while the novel was tech Leggi tutto
Maybe I'm over clueless, entitled heroines. And immoral/amoral heroines who course along in life on the coattails and hard work of someone/everyone else. In either case, Paulien didn't do it for me. I very much enjoyed the Art Forger and was looking forward to The Collector's Apprentice. But at the 2 Leggi tutto
3.5 stars, rounded down. In 1922, 19 year Paulien Mertens finds herself penniless, rejected and alone in Paris after her fiancé cheats her wealthy family of their fortune and runs out on her, leaving her to bear the brunt of the notoriety and shame of the scheme. She reinvents herself as Vivienne Gr Leggi tutto
Two and a half stars. I think I would have liked this book more if I weren't thoroughly knowledgeable about Albert Barnes, the Barnes Foundation, and the battle over Barnes' collection. Shapiro states in the afterword that the book is "loosely based" on Albert Barnes and Violette de Mazio and that i Leggi tutto
I have to admit, I am a sucker for novels that are based on the fine arts. This one is loosely based on the famous (or infamous) Albert Barnes who amassed a late Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection of art that could be one of the finest in the world. He is such a famous figure that docum Leggi tutto
The Collector’s Apprentice is a historical novel of the post impressionist art period taking place in Europe and the U.S. It is well written with constant twists and turns and introductions of fictional characters interacting with real life artists and art collectors like Henri Matisse, Gertrude Ste Leggi tutto
This is an incredibly interesting novel about the young woman who worked with the fictioalized Albert Barnes in assembling the magnificent Barnes Collection in Philadelphia. Vivienne had been duped by a con man and lost her comfort and her family. She totally reinvents herself and finds work as an a Leggi tutto
Paulien Mertens, a young woman from a distinguished family, finds herself alone and penniless in Paris 1922. Her fiancé bilked her family and friends out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme and believing she played a part in the deception her family disinherits her. Although innocent of any dup Leggi tutto
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