The Portrait [Large Print] (Hardcover)

by Iain M. Pears (Author)

No customer reviews yet. Be the first.

Available from these sellers.

4 new from CDN$ 26.95 4 used from CDN$ 3.02

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Death And Restoration

by Iain Pears

4.5 out of 5 stars (6) CDN$ 11.64

The Dream of Scipio

by Iain Pears

4.5 out of 5 stars (29) CDN$ 15.33

Titian Committee

by Iain Pears

3.0 out of 5 stars (8) CDN$ 9.89

The Raphael Affair

by Iain Pears

3.9 out of 5 stars (20) CDN$ 11.64

The Last Judgement

by Iain Pears

3.0 out of 5 stars (5) CDN$ 12.76

› Explore similar items

Product Details

Hardcover: 245 pages
Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (September 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0786278757
ISBN-13: 978-0786278756
Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.6 x 2.2 cm
Shipping Weight: 422 g
Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #757,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Justly praised for his complex historical thrillers (An Instance of the Fingerpost; The Dream of Scipio), Pears scales down to a simple tale of vengeance told by a narrator obsessed with destroying the man he once called his friend and mentor. Henry MacAlpine has abandoned his comfortable life as a celebrated portraitist in early 1900s London and fled to a tiny island off the coast of Brittany. To that lonely spot he lures William Naysmith, the British art world's most famous critic, with the promise of painting his portrait. In the course of the narrative, MacAlpine recalls the development of his artistic talent with the advice and praise of the ambitious Naysmith. The suspense lies in the gradual revelation of Naysmith's ruthless use of power, yet the double crime for which MacAlpine holds him accountable comes as little surprise. While this novel never approaches the sly cleverness and tingling suspense of John Lanchester's A Debt toPleasure, which it otherwise resembles, readers will enjoy some period ironies, as when MacAlpine expresses contempt for the upstart French Impressionists, while the contemptible Naysmith discerns their true genius. Anybody in the business of criticism, whether it be artistic or literary, will be chastened by Pears's indictment of a critic's power to make or ruin reputations.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

Simon Vance delivers a one-man bravura performance as a troubled, brilliant painter intent on righting the imagined and real wrongs of his career. To that end, the painter alternately menaces and charms an art critic who is sitting for his portrait--a critic whom he may hold responsible for ruining his career. Vance reads the narrative in a rich, well-modulated voice with superb enunciation and timing. He holds the listener throughout, not always easy to do when a book--even a good book--mostly consists of one character's monologue. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Product Description