glitterbomb47's review against another edition
3.0
I've had this book on my to-read list since 2007. I can't remember why I added it. I rather wish I never had.
The main character is a pretentious @$$ who I despised. He is a NYC art dealer who hasn't been on the subway in a decade. The book is full of self important rich person references. I can't decide if the main character is sexist or the author is. One of the characters uses a running joke that is pathetically unfunny.
However I give the book 3 stars because I was interested in the unfolding story of Victor Crack and his mysterious artwork. The resolution left something to be desired as it was essentially a deus ex machina.
In summary, I would recommend this only to big fans of NYC AND mystery. To everyone else, avoid.
The main character is a pretentious @$$ who I despised. He is a NYC art dealer who hasn't been on the subway in a decade. The book is full of self important rich person references. I can't decide if the main character is sexist or the author is. One of the characters uses a running joke that is pathetically unfunny.
However I give the book 3 stars because I was interested in the unfolding story of Victor Crack and his mysterious artwork. The resolution left something to be desired as it was essentially a deus ex machina.
In summary, I would recommend this only to big fans of NYC AND mystery. To everyone else, avoid.
justcallmelexie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thelaurasaurus's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting and different detective fiction. I came away feeling a bit sad.
okenwillow's review against another edition
5.0
Encore une découverte magnifique ! Le thriller artistique !
Le narrateur, marchand d’art qui cherche encore sa voie, s’adresse directement au lecteur et annonce la couleur par un mea culpa. Plus qu’un thriller, il s’agit surtout d’un roman psychologique et social, une quasi-saga sur la filiation, l’héritage, le destin, et l’art. Ethan est un personnage très recherché, et très crédible, on plonge dans son monde du marché de l’art sans être englouti, on reste dans l’intrigue d’un bout à l’autre. Le récit est entrecoupé d’« interludes » qui nous en apprennent beaucoup sur la famille d’Ethan. L’évolution de l’enquête est tout à fait originale, la mise en place change de l’ordinaire et les personnages sont très fouillés, réalistes, les clichés sont, à mon sens, évités, et les rapports plutôt cohérents. Si l’on considère la teneur familiale du propos, on n’est pas loin de l’analyse familiale. Une dynastie partie de rien, avec ses secrets et ses non-dits, et une sordide série de meurtres d’enfants. La base originale tient ses promesses et ses développements sont pour le moins inattendus. Le dénouement n’est pas tout à fait un happy end et c’est tant mieux, l’émotion du final ne se situe pas où on aurait pu bassement le croire.
Un roman saisissant, un thriller atypique, et qui me fait beaucoup penser à Seul le silence, d’Ellory.
Le narrateur, marchand d’art qui cherche encore sa voie, s’adresse directement au lecteur et annonce la couleur par un mea culpa. Plus qu’un thriller, il s’agit surtout d’un roman psychologique et social, une quasi-saga sur la filiation, l’héritage, le destin, et l’art. Ethan est un personnage très recherché, et très crédible, on plonge dans son monde du marché de l’art sans être englouti, on reste dans l’intrigue d’un bout à l’autre. Le récit est entrecoupé d’« interludes » qui nous en apprennent beaucoup sur la famille d’Ethan. L’évolution de l’enquête est tout à fait originale, la mise en place change de l’ordinaire et les personnages sont très fouillés, réalistes, les clichés sont, à mon sens, évités, et les rapports plutôt cohérents. Si l’on considère la teneur familiale du propos, on n’est pas loin de l’analyse familiale. Une dynastie partie de rien, avec ses secrets et ses non-dits, et une sordide série de meurtres d’enfants. La base originale tient ses promesses et ses développements sont pour le moins inattendus. Le dénouement n’est pas tout à fait un happy end et c’est tant mieux, l’émotion du final ne se situe pas où on aurait pu bassement le croire.
Un roman saisissant, un thriller atypique, et qui me fait beaucoup penser à Seul le silence, d’Ellory.
felinity's review against another edition
3.0
I know, it's unfair to hold someone to the standards of another author in the family, but I just couldn't help it. Jonathan and Faye have raised the bar for this genre for me, and this just didn't make it.
soohnova's review against another edition
4.0
A great read. This book has a bit of everything: art, family saga, a murder mystery, great writing, compelling characters, twists and turns, suspense, relationships, a real sense of time and place... oh, and did I mention art? I love a good book about art.
reading_on_the_road's review against another edition
3.0
This is a much more interesting read than the somewhat misleading summary on the back cover led me to believe.
It took me a couple of chapters to get into, as the New York art scene isn't something that I'm especially interested in, becoming much more interesting when the back story of the protagonist's family began to be told.
Without giving any spoilers, it is more than just a crime story, and was enjoyable with some engaging characters.
It took me a couple of chapters to get into, as the New York art scene isn't something that I'm especially interested in, becoming much more interesting when the back story of the protagonist's family began to be told.
Without giving any spoilers, it is more than just a crime story, and was enjoyable with some engaging characters.
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
5.0
Outsider art (or art brut) is a natural starting point for anyone interested in examining the relationship between art and commerce. A category originally coined by Jean Du Buffet, art brut referred to art created by inmates of insane asylums. The category was further expanded by art critic Roger Cardinal to include works created by people outside of the mainstream art world. These artists are typically self-taught and their work is often discovered after their deaths. In almost all ways this is primarily a marketing category and it is through this door that Jesse Kellerman enters into his novel about aesthetics, family mysteries, and father/son dynamics.
Ethan Muller is the black sheep of his family - a self-described narcissist whose life revolves around his Chelsea art gallery. For Ethan it is less about the art and more about the status and the money the art attracts and his discovery of a cache of Outsider Art created by a dead man and left behind in a housing project is a gallery owner's dream. The work is sure to command astronomical prices and the artist is out of the picture. All is well until Ethan is contacted by a retired police officer who recognizes the faces of children depicted in the work as those of the dead. Ethan's friendship with this police officer and his family and the growing desire to learn what happened to these long dead children and to the artist who drew them forms the narrative center of this book.
The Genius is a good thriller, but it's more than that. At its core it is an examination of the true nature of art and aesthetic, the potentially corrupting influence of commerce on art, and the long-term consequences of family secrets and institutions.
Ethan Muller is the black sheep of his family - a self-described narcissist whose life revolves around his Chelsea art gallery. For Ethan it is less about the art and more about the status and the money the art attracts and his discovery of a cache of Outsider Art created by a dead man and left behind in a housing project is a gallery owner's dream. The work is sure to command astronomical prices and the artist is out of the picture. All is well until Ethan is contacted by a retired police officer who recognizes the faces of children depicted in the work as those of the dead. Ethan's friendship with this police officer and his family and the growing desire to learn what happened to these long dead children and to the artist who drew them forms the narrative center of this book.
The Genius is a good thriller, but it's more than that. At its core it is an examination of the true nature of art and aesthetic, the potentially corrupting influence of commerce on art, and the long-term consequences of family secrets and institutions.
echan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0