A review by missamandamae
The Muralist by B.A. Shapiro

4.0

A good, pull-you-in read, despite how unbelievable I found the ending. First of all, a 21-year-old artist who can hold her own with Pollack, Rothko, de Kooning and Kastner who were all older than her; who gives Rothko the impetus he needs to make his color block paintings what we know them today, who makes her way to France during wartime, escapes a detention camp, hides out for the rest of the war, and never reveals her true identity? My reaction by the end was pretty "pfft," and I don't think the author gave enough time to Danielle's search and revelations at the end of the book. However, the buildup until the end was sufficiently exciting for me to keep reading, and I did gain an education on abstract art and artists. I just think Shapiro could have done more with the ending.