Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
17 used & new from CDN$ 0.17

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Raphael Affair
 
See larger image
 

The Raphael Affair (Paperback)

by Iain Pears (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 15.95
Price: CDN$ 11.64 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
You Save: CDN$ 4.31 (27%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually ships within 1 to 2 months.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available.

10 new from CDN$ 3.20 7 used from CDN$ 0.17

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Titian Committee by Iain Pears

The Raphael Affair + Titian Committee
Price For Both: CDN$ 21.53

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

  • This item: The Raphael Affair by Iain Pears

    Usually ships within 1 to 2 months.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details

  • Titian Committee by Iain Pears

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Bernini Bust

Bernini Bust

by Iain Pears
Titian Committee

Titian Committee

by Iain Pears
3.0 out of 5 stars (8)  CDN$ 9.89
Giotto's Hand

Giotto's Hand

by Iain Pears
3.1 out of 5 stars (8)  CDN$ 10.99
The Last Judgement

The Last Judgement

by Iain Pears
3.0 out of 5 stars (5)  CDN$ 12.76
Immaculate Deception

Immaculate Deception

by Iain Pears
4.3 out of 5 stars (10)  CDN$ 15.95
Explore similar items

Product Details


Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Pity the rather overfed Gen. Bottando of the Italian National Art Theft Squad. An excellent, unknown Raphael was smuggled out of Rome hidden under a painting by the heroically second-rate artist Mantini. When it's eventually recovered at great cost by the Italian government and the Museo Nazionale, Bottando's peaceable existence in the Eternal City is further disturbed by forgery, arson, murder, government bureaucracy and the occasionally overzealous aid of his beautiful assistant, Flavia di Stefano, and British art historian Jonathan Argyll. Art historian Pears ( The Discovery of Painting ) provides one twist too many in his first novel, but presumably as this projected series continues his grasp of the genre will grow surer. His command of the intricacies of Italian life, art history and the licit and illicit trade in masterworks needs no improvement: although not all artists or organizations mentioned are real, none are improbable. Qua mystery, The Raphael Affair is very good; as cultural explication, it is superlative.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Library Journal

Thrills and excitement enter this first novel when a British art dealer discovers a Raphael portrait. After an astounding auction, the painting finds its way to a national museum in Rome, where its acquisition solidifies the director's reputation. Taddeo Bottando and his favorite assistant Flavia, both of the national art theft squad, become suspicious when a vagrant art student's story of fraud and the jottings of a famous forger come to their attention. Clever research, museum politics, and foreign setting add to the story's interest, especially for those who enjoy art and art history.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing this item?

The Raphael Affair
83% buy the item featured on this page:
The Raphael Affair 3.9 out of 5 stars (20)
CDN$ 11.64
Immaculate Deception
13% buy
Immaculate Deception 4.3 out of 5 stars (10)
CDN$ 15.95
Instance Of The Fingerpost
3% buy
Instance Of The Fingerpost 4.1 out of 5 stars (271)
CDN$ 9.49

 

Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

 
3.0 out of 5 stars very good!, Jan 6 2003
By chubchik "chubchik" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Raphael Affair (Paperback)
Pears is awkward at times in his writing style, but otherwise it is a very good reading. I believe it is his first book, hence the awkwardness.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4.0 out of 5 stars A Mysterious Painting, Jan 11 2002
By K. Fromal "kristinof" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Jonathan Argyll is sure that, under an obscure alterpiece in a small Italian church, is hidden a long-undiscovered painting by Raphael. When he gets there, he discovers that the painting has been sold to a reputable, but shady dealer.

The painting underneath is exposed, and the art world revels in the beauty of the painting. Experts think its popularity will soon rival the Mona Lisa's. However, the painting is destroyed by either a madman or a very careful plotter during a party at the Italian museum.

A member of Italy's art police, and his assistant Flavia, are soon on the case. Flavia recruits Argyll to help. Along the way, they make some interesting discoveries, and also begin to develop an interest in each other.

The book is no Instance of the Fingerpost. It is, however, an enjoyable, short read, and a good introduction to Pears's art history series.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3.0 out of 5 stars Read the review, Nov 5 2001
By Michael Ezzo (Yokkaichi, Japan) - See all my reviews
I read this book after having read the masterpiece that is
Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost. Well I must say that
The Raphael Affair is nothing to contend with that work
of genius. But oh well; it's still a fun story and has interesting
subject matter. It's a great mystery and plays out beautifully
as the tension rises to an exciting climax. I could definitely
have done without the female lead character, whose modern
attitude towards men (which basically amounts to little
more than reverse sexism) was irritating
and almost caused me to stop reading the book altogether.
If you can get around that (I could once, but I don't think
I will be racing out to read the next installment, if her
character reappears) then you
will really enjoy this book. But it is, as I said, nowhere
near the league of his incredible Fingerpost effort.
Up against that, I give this three stars. But
compared to other popular fiction, I might give
it four.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality Contrived
I stumbled on a dog-eared paperback edition of this book in the recycle bin of our lending library at work. Read more
Published on Aug 21 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality Contrived
I stumbled on a dog-eared paperback edition of this book in the recycle bin of our lending library at work. Read more
Published on Aug 21 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Color by Numbers English Mystery
Possibly the best thing about Iain Pears' art history mystery series is the cover artwork. Once you actually open the book, it's all downhill. Read more
Published on Jul 7 2001 by Ivy

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so mystery with interesting protagonists
I first read "Instance of the Fingerpost" by this author and was anxious to see how he'd handle a shorter work. Read more
Published on Jun 13 2001 by audrey

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Pears' best
I have read most of the books in this series, and this is by far the best. The characters are well-developed, the plot is intriguing and the references to art, art history and the... Read more
Published on May 27 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars I expected more
I read Pears' "An Instance of teh Fingerpost" first and expected more from the Raphael affair. Read more
Published on May 18 2001 by Emilia Palaveeva

3.0 out of 5 stars Mystery Steeped in History
While I was not a fan of Iain Pears' most popular work "The Instance of Fingerposts" I still enjoyed this earlier work "The Raphael Affair". Read more
Published on Jul 25 2000 by Karen Bierman Hirsh

4.0 out of 5 stars A delightful read
Tight plot, well written, with interesting characters set against the backdrop of the European art world. A rich and mysterious milieu for this excellent writer's stories. Read more
Published on April 25 2000 by Michael Coffin

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating unravelling of artistic duplicity
Now that Jonathan Gash seems to have put the ever-resourceful Lovejoy into semi-retirement, it's good to find another series that offers a solid mystery plot along with... Read more
Published on Aug 26 1999 by carol.robinson@us.schroders.com

3.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a fun read for a train or airplane ride
This a highly entertaining, fun and easy read, particularly for a long journey. The setting is compelling. One can imagine the characters in some highly-rated TV series. Read more
Published on Jul 2 1999

Only search this product's reviews



Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.