“A clever and complex tale of art fraud, theft, scandal, murder, and revenge.” –Publishers Weekly In this surprising, noirish page-turner, B. A. Shapiro once again takes readers into the world of art, glamour, and mystery. Accused of helping her fiancé steal her family’s fortune and her father’s art collection, Paulien Mertens has fled to France. To protect herself from the law and the wrath of … the law and the wrath of those who lost everything, she has created a new identity. Paulien, aka Vivienne, takes a position working for an American art collector modeled after real-life eccentric museum founder Albert Barnes and quickly becomes caught up in the 1920s Paris of artists and expats, including post-Impressionist painter Henri Matisse and writer Gertrude Stein. From there, she sets out to recover her father’s art collection, prove her innocence, and exact revenge on her ex-fiancé. B. A. Shapiro has made the historical art thriller her own, and once again she gives us an unforgettable tale about what we see—and what we refuse to see.
more
I was engrossed in every twist and turn in this compulsively captivating page-turner, all the way until its astonishing denouement. Shapiro has done it again!
Looking at history through the eyes of an art lover changes the view.
I loved this book! Couldn’t put it down! It’s even better than Art Forger, and that is saying something. Loved the ending.m
I enjoyed the book, mainly because it was based on factual persons from Philadelphia (my home town). I am not an art enthusiast, so much of the art descriptions left me a bit bored. But the story was gripping, as was the depiction of life in the 1920’s and 1930’s. I would recommend this book to anyone with any interest at all in impressionist art.
Dazzling and seductive, a tour de force, The Collector’s Apprentice is an exhilarating tale of shifting identities, desire, and intrigue set between 1920s Paris and Philadelphia.
B.A. Shapiro is back with a platinum potion of art, love, and scandal, set against the big backdrop of Paris between the wars. If you can put The Collector’s Apprentice down, you’re made of stronger stuff than I am. I read it in one sumptuous sitting. This is a big story, from a big talent.
I have read several B. A. Shapiro novels, and this was probably the most thrilling. I loved the main character. She was beat down several times but always got back up and continued to fight for her life, like most women have to do. I think every chapter had a twist and the ending was not what I thought would occur. Great read.
Disappointing. I wasn’t invested in the main character at all. I have heard Shapiro’s book the Art Forger is much better. Perhaps I’ll give it a try.
Fun story, but I like art. If you aren’t an art fan, then I think the story would not be so interesting.
Love books on a subject I know nothing about..so was very informative!!
Well written, interesting topic. Lots of information in an entertaining way about this period in art acquisition.
This book held my interest through twists and turns and a complicated plot.
It dragged a bit I. The middle, but on the whole was quite good.
Not well written. Goes back in time with no regard for sequence, etc. Very confusing. Characters not well constructed.
I enjoyed reading this book even though at times I grew frustrated with the lead character’s inability to not succumb to her exlover’s charms. I also found it hard to believe that her family would abandon her. The book is a great study on greed and all of its pitfalls. It is also very interesting to read so much about the artists and their works. The combination of fact and fiction is done very well.
I always love B.A. Shapiro — great stories combined with great art — and The Collector’s Apprentice lived up to my expectations. It’s a compelling, fast-paced read about a woman desperate to escape her past and lose herself in the great art of post-impressionism… Filled with lots of information about art woven in with a compelling, high-stakes story (that includes Henri Matisse!), this one will grab your attention and leave you wanting to learn more about the great post-impressionists and what it means to be a collector of fine art.
I loved the way this novel incorporated the 1920’s world of artists and collectors, and cons into the setting and plot. I was familiar with the real historic events and people and enjoyed having them blended into a primarily fictitious plot. The first two thirds of the novel had me enthralled and reading quickly. However, I found myself skimming parts of the last third. I think this was because I started to feel distanced from the story instead of immersed. Overall, a good novel. Well written and worth reading, especially if you are a fan of art or novels set in the 1920’s.
It wasn’t quite a page turner, but it was a very good read and the main character ended up being stronger than I thought she’d be.
I really enjoyed B.A. Shapiro’s The Art Forger. I read The Muralist, and it was OK. I read The Collector’s Appentice and plodded through it.