Portrait of an Unknown Lady
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- Create Date：2022-04-16 08:52:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：María Gainza
- ISBN：1646220323
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Summary
New York Times Notable author María Gainza， who dazzled critics with her debut Optic Nerve， returns with the captivating story of an auction house employee on the trail of a master forger in the Buenos Aires art world。
In the Buenos Aires art world， a master forger has achieved legendary status。 Rumored to be a woman， she seems especially gifted at forging canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis， a portraitist of Argentine high society。 But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits？ What motivates her？ And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate， night after night， in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico？
On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator， an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed。 As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective， adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation， she warns us “not to proceed in expectation of names， numbers or dates 。 。 。 My techniques are those of the impressionist。”
What follows is a highly seductive and enveloping meditation on what we mean by “authenticity” in art， and a captivating exploration of the gap between what is lived and what is told。 Portrait of an Unknown Lady is， like any great work， driven by obsession and full of subtle surprise。
In the Buenos Aires art world， a master forger has achieved legendary status。 Rumored to be a woman， she seems especially gifted at forging canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis， a portraitist of Argentine high society。 But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits？ What motivates her？ And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate， night after night， in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico？
On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator， an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed。 As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective， adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation， she warns us “not to proceed in expectation of names， numbers or dates 。 。 。 My techniques are those of the impressionist。”
What follows is a highly seductive and enveloping meditation on what we mean by “authenticity” in art， and a captivating exploration of the gap between what is lived and what is told。 Portrait of an Unknown Lady is， like any great work， driven by obsession and full of subtle surprise。
Reviews
Day Cuervo
，
Me gustó la voz de María。 Empezó bien， cómo a la mitad se volvió flojo y honestamente no es lo que esperaba。
izad
，
REF: Visto en la TL de GR。
Ronronia Adramelek
，
3，5⭐， a ratos 4。 Hay párrafos deliciosos en este libro， originales y perfectos， y una historia intrigante con pequeñas historias marginales que la acompañan。 Pero el final es un poco mustio， no es un gran final， y hay momentos en que la historia divaga más de lo que le convendría， y trozos los que da la impresión de que se les podía haber sacado más partido。 Pero me ha dejado ganas de leer El nervio óptico， que leo por aquí que era mucho mejor， y que un libro me deje ganas de más obras de la aut 3，5⭐， a ratos 4。 Hay párrafos deliciosos en este libro， originales y perfectos， y una historia intrigante con pequeñas historias marginales que la acompañan。 Pero el final es un poco mustio， no es un gran final， y hay momentos en que la historia divaga más de lo que le convendría， y trozos los que da la impresión de que se les podía haber sacado más partido。 Pero me ha dejado ganas de leer El nervio óptico， que leo por aquí que era mucho mejor， y que un libro me deje ganas de más obras de la autora。。。 eso siempre es buena señal。 。。。more
Rachel Beeler
，
3。5
Kristine Gerson
，
Over my head--confusing。
Megan Prokott
，
Lovely and very ethereal。 Did a lot of underlining in this book！ Art and forgeries are of particular interest to me so I could see it being a little less entertaining for those who aren't as into the subject matter。 But gorgeously written， such vibes。 Lovely and very ethereal。 Did a lot of underlining in this book！ Art and forgeries are of particular interest to me so I could see it being a little less entertaining for those who aren't as into the subject matter。 But gorgeously written， such vibes。 。。。more
Lisa
，
This novel has so many similarities to the author’s previous novel that she has a unique brand。 I preferred this novel because the narrative was tied together more than the vignettes of Optic Nerve。 This is a complex series of layers of deception。 It is nuanced and reader needs to be comfortable with confusion and ambiguity。 In a novel seemingly about forgery， events and facts are all relatively fabricated by the narrator。 It’s like a puzzle but incomplete。
Treesh
，
Very meh， definitely prefer her first book
Joy
，
María Gainza's second novel La Luz Negra published by Anagrama （Spain） in 2018 won the Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz prize。 Translated from Spanish into English by Thomas Bunstead， Portrait of an Unknown Lady's release date is March 22nd， 2022。Thanks to Catapult， Counterpoint Press and Soft Skull Press for providing an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 The intriguing book cover art design by Wah Ming-Chang definitely hooks one's interest！María Gainza is both an Argentinian writer a María Gainza's second novel La Luz Negra published by Anagrama （Spain） in 2018 won the Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz prize。 Translated from Spanish into English by Thomas Bunstead， Portrait of an Unknown Lady's release date is March 22nd， 2022。Thanks to Catapult， Counterpoint Press and Soft Skull Press for providing an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 The intriguing book cover art design by Wah Ming-Chang definitely hooks one's interest！María Gainza is both an Argentinian writer and art critic， this background comes to the fore here inducting us into the world of art forgery in 1960s Argentina。 Our female protagonist is incidentally also an art critic in Buenos Aires， although what left the deepest impression on her was working under the tutelage of the country's preeminent art authenticator Enriqueta Macedo when she was young。 The third intriguing woman is Renée， an elusive renowned art forger， who specialized in counterfeiting the work of Mariette Lydis。 Lydis herself had a variety of identities as well。 These women are chameleon-like in their ever changing adaptation to their environment。I thoroughly enjoyed this immersion into the labyrinthine world of paintings， artists， authentication， art。 The novel did have many tangential art references and philosophical musings， these sideway jaunts were enjoyable and informative to me。 The trio of women central to the story are complex and nuanced， especially the many facets of Renée that emerged through the search。 However as hinted by the jacket art， the true face and person seem to be always obscured。 Fighting against the status quo， the group of renegades at Hotel Melancholical are contemptuous of the establishment。 The novel exudes a noir detective feel。 Interview with the author in El País in Spanish: https://elpais。com/cultura/2019/10/29。。。4。25 stars， recommended。 After reading this， I think I'll go back and give Optic Nerve another go。 。。。more
luce
，
3 ¼ stars“Strange: It has come to me that one doesn’t write to remember， or to forget， or to find relief， or to cure oneself of some pain。 One writes to plumb one’s own depths， to understand what’s inside。” Having found Optic Nerve to be a puzzling yet thoroughly compelling book I was very much eager to sink my teeth into Portrait of an Unknown Lady。 Whereas Optic Nerve loosely ties together the unnamed narrator’s meditations on history and art， in Portrait of an Unknown Lady Gainza contains the 3 ¼ stars“Strange: It has come to me that one doesn’t write to remember， or to forget， or to find relief， or to cure oneself of some pain。 One writes to plumb one’s own depths， to understand what’s inside。” Having found Optic Nerve to be a puzzling yet thoroughly compelling book I was very much eager to sink my teeth into Portrait of an Unknown Lady。 Whereas Optic Nerve loosely ties together the unnamed narrator’s meditations on history and art， in Portrait of an Unknown Lady Gainza contains the narrator’s reflections and inquiries into these subjects into what appears to be more of a semblance of a plot。 This by no means results in a plot-driven narrative， as there is no urgency to the protagonist’s introspections。 Her ruminations are given a freewheeling tempo， one that reminded me of lazy summer days from my childhood。 In spite of her philosophical speculations， the narrator’s internal meanderings had a buoyancy to them that saved them from coming across as verbose or laboured。Set in Buenos Aires the narrator of Portrait of an Unknown Lady is an auction house employee who follows her mentor into the more shady recesses of the art world。 When her mentor dies our narrator feels lost， lacking purpose， and direction。 She eventually finds solace in rejoining the world she’d left behind， as she begins to search for the identity of a forger， best known for their Mariette Lydis forgeries。 In her investigation of this unknown person， the narrator finds herself considering just what a forgery is and whether there is a thing as ‘authenticity’。 The first quarter of this slim volume was certainly engrossing as I found the narrator’s recollections of her early days on her job and her relationship with her mentor interesting indeed。 As the book progresses however I found myself bored at times。 The narrative at times seemed to stray away from its original plot so I found myself forgetting that there was a plot in the first place。 I would have probably preferred a more experimental and unconfined narrative， In Optic Nerve， for example， each chapter was very much self-contained， whereas here we have this overarching storyline that never comes to the fore。 Still， I always love reading about art， and Gainza demonstrates a vast knowledge of this subject。 I liked reading her impressions of certain artists or art movements and the insight she gives into the more administrative aspects of the art world。 Gainza is as adroit and insightful as ever but overall Portrait of an Unknown Lady left me wanting more。 The snapshot-like stories that make-up Optic Nerve stayed with me longer， as they captured in vivid detail the life of an artist and a moment from the narrator’s own life。 The parallelism between her experiences and those of the people she discusses gave the narrative further dimension。 Here instead we lack that very specific comparative element， and even if identity， loneliness， and authenticity are central themes， both to the protagonist and her subject， well， it resulted in a far looser comparison。Still， I can see myself returning to this book as a re-read may result in a newfound appreciation for its story。 If you are a fan of Gainza or authors such as Rachel Cusk or Jessica Au， I recommend you check out this one for yourself。 。。。more
Bernard S Cooper
，
What a great novel。 Recommended。
Kathleen Gray
，
Know in advance that there is no straight line narrative in this unusual and challenging novel about fraud in the art world。 And other things。 The unnamed narrator is in search of Renee， who is the alleged forger of portraits Argentinian VIPS by Marietta Lydis。 Who is Renee？ Is Renee male or female？ Why is Renee forging the paintings？ The narrator has been responsible for authenticating paintings for a bank so she's more aware than most of the perfidy of the art business。 But she's up front abou Know in advance that there is no straight line narrative in this unusual and challenging novel about fraud in the art world。 And other things。 The unnamed narrator is in search of Renee， who is the alleged forger of portraits Argentinian VIPS by Marietta Lydis。 Who is Renee？ Is Renee male or female？ Why is Renee forging the paintings？ The narrator has been responsible for authenticating paintings for a bank so she's more aware than most of the perfidy of the art business。 But she's up front about how this is impressionistic， which means the reader is left to sort things out from what began to feel like a mish mash （court documents？）。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 Fans of world and literary fiction might want to give this a try。 。。。more
sarah✨
，
2。75thank you net galley， Catapult， Counterpoint Press， and Soft Skull Press for the arc！！ if you are someone that loves to read informative stories， and art is a particular interest of yours， i definitely recommend this book because it is truly made for that audience， but unfortunately， it was not versatile enough to keep me completely satisfied throughout。 the cover was what initially pulled me towards this book and then i decided i wanted to read it because i love niche art history stories。 w 2。75thank you net galley， Catapult， Counterpoint Press， and Soft Skull Press for the arc！！ if you are someone that loves to read informative stories， and art is a particular interest of yours， i definitely recommend this book because it is truly made for that audience， but unfortunately， it was not versatile enough to keep me completely satisfied throughout。 the cover was what initially pulled me towards this book and then i decided i wanted to read it because i love niche art history stories。 when i read the synopsis， i thought it would be more of a character study rather than philosophical musings， and this left me rather disappointed。 the writing （and the translation） of this book was amazing and there were many lines that i loved and highlighted （so i will keep an eye on Gainza's other works）， but i think the story-telling fell slightly flat for me。 for such a short book， i wish that there had been less time dedicated to details that did not push the story forward， bc these sections really tainted the parts of the book i did enjoy。 i would have loved more depth to the characters and plot。 。。。more
Adrián Ciutat
，
4。25
Michael Burke
，
Surreal Account of the UnrealThe narrator in "Portrait of an Unknown Lady" is an Argentine art critic working in an auction house， affording her the opportunity to conspire in a network selling forgeries of portraits by the celebrated Mariette Lydis。 One day the network collapses and she commits to tracking down the mysterious Renée， the legend responsible for conjuring up the counterfeit masterpieces。 This investigation sounds intriguing， promising a look behind the scenes of the art world。Earl Surreal Account of the UnrealThe narrator in "Portrait of an Unknown Lady" is an Argentine art critic working in an auction house， affording her the opportunity to conspire in a network selling forgeries of portraits by the celebrated Mariette Lydis。 One day the network collapses and she commits to tracking down the mysterious Renée， the legend responsible for conjuring up the counterfeit masterpieces。 This investigation sounds intriguing， promising a look behind the scenes of the art world。Early on， though， the narrator warns off the reader。。。 "the stuff of my tale has slipped through my fingers， all that remains now is a little of the atmosphere; my techniques are those of the impressionist。。。I have only distrust for historians coercing the reader with the precision of facts。。。" And like that， anything goes。 There are captivating sections and bizarre characters。。。 but there are just as many seemingly unconnected tangents。 You might find yourself adrift at times， hoping you have not missed anything in the confusion。What is authentic， anyway。。。 in art， in a narrative？ This question materializes often here。 Those selling the forgeries justify what they do-- claiming the real corruption lies in the practices of those controlling the market。 The fake work can be just as meaningful as the original。 Impressions can be faulty。。。 whether you are appraising the legitimacy of artwork or judging an unnamed narrator whose irregular smile leads you to suspect her honesty。 Maria Gainza has sketched a curious piece of work here。 I did not completely understand it any more than I would an abstract painting or the cryptic lyrics of a brilliant songwriter。 "Portrait of an Unknown Lady" is an original experience that both dazzles and confounds。 Not an exploration for everyone， but I recommend it if you are up for the adventure。 Thank you Catapult， Counterpoint Press， Soft Skull Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Elisa
，
The plot of this novel could probably be condensed into two sentences。 The rest is philosophy， art theory and history。 I really wanted to like it but， unfortunately， I’m too dense to fully appreciate the content。 I couldn’t even follow the story completely， since it’s full of unimportant details。 There is a complete list with all the items at an auction， as well as the transcript of a trial that includes even the long Spanish names of the people concerned and who don’t even have anything to do w The plot of this novel could probably be condensed into two sentences。 The rest is philosophy， art theory and history。 I really wanted to like it but， unfortunately， I’m too dense to fully appreciate the content。 I couldn’t even follow the story completely， since it’s full of unimportant details。 There is a complete list with all the items at an auction， as well as the transcript of a trial that includes even the long Spanish names of the people concerned and who don’t even have anything to do with the plot。 The language is beautiful and poetic， and the plot is full of profound ideas， it was just not compelling to me。 I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased。 Thank you， #NetGalley/#Catapult， Counterpoint Press， and Soft Skull Press！ 。。。more
Hardcover Hearts
，
This was not what I was expecting from this book。 I love how it subverted my expectations even as I was reading it- thinking it was an elevated caper tale set in the art world， but how it turned into a book about grief， and the passage of time in Buenos Aires。 That was surprising but not unpleasant， as the author kept me engaged in the journey and search。 I am glad I read it and look forward to going back to read more from this author。**I would like to thank the publisher for a copy of the digit This was not what I was expecting from this book。 I love how it subverted my expectations even as I was reading it- thinking it was an elevated caper tale set in the art world， but how it turned into a book about grief， and the passage of time in Buenos Aires。 That was surprising but not unpleasant， as the author kept me engaged in the journey and search。 I am glad I read it and look forward to going back to read more from this author。**I would like to thank the publisher for a copy of the digital ARC in exchange for a fair review。** 。。。more
virgorising
，
at last！ good sentences！ thank god。 this novel goes down like a smooth cocktail on a lazy night—slow-moving， warm， and thoughtful。 the drifting， piecemeal way that the narrator assembles the facts （or fictions） of the mysterious art forger renée （i believe she calls this method impressionistic） feels like looking back at your own memories through a haze， the way one does after one too many such cocktails: the proxy thrill， the quiet sadness， as if these things had happened to someone else， even at last！ good sentences！ thank god。 this novel goes down like a smooth cocktail on a lazy night—slow-moving， warm， and thoughtful。 the drifting， piecemeal way that the narrator assembles the facts （or fictions） of the mysterious art forger renée （i believe she calls this method impressionistic） feels like looking back at your own memories through a haze， the way one does after one too many such cocktails: the proxy thrill， the quiet sadness， as if these things had happened to someone else， even a stranger， but a stranger you somehow loved very much。 renée is a stranger to our narrator， but not to our narrator's beloved mentor， who prompts her first to go looking。 what carries us along here is the intensity of feeling， never exaggerated but simply shown， between the women at the heart of the story。 is it gay？ sort of。 at times PORTRAIT may feel like "a delightful waste of time"—the narrator's words， not mine—but it is delightful， sincerely。 at no point was i bored。 the final， reflective chapter is a soaring high note， reaching to the untouchable beyond; it elevates what came before it and reminds me that all art is a conversation。 in this case， a conversation between women in love。 （sort of。）thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Elena Sala
，
LA LUZ NEGRA （2018） is a novel about the art world and the art of forgery。 The narrator is a dejected art critic who works for an auction house in Buenos Aires。 She follows the trail of a mysterious master forger called La Negra who specializes in the works of Mariette Lydis， a real-life Austrian Argentine portrait painter。 La Negra works with a group of bohemian cronies who do part of the work required to sell her perfect forgeries: they forge labels， design catalogs and marketing material and LA LUZ NEGRA （2018） is a novel about the art world and the art of forgery。 The narrator is a dejected art critic who works for an auction house in Buenos Aires。 She follows the trail of a mysterious master forger called La Negra who specializes in the works of Mariette Lydis， a real-life Austrian Argentine portrait painter。 La Negra works with a group of bohemian cronies who do part of the work required to sell her perfect forgeries: they forge labels， design catalogs and marketing material and all that is required for the （forged） pieces when they are exhibited in galleries or museums。 They even obtain a certificate of authenticity from the art valuations department of a very specialized institution。 La Negra is the most talented and brilliant of all forgers， and an elusive figure as well。 Through auction catalogs， interviews and the analysis of criminal cases the narrator tries to investigate the life of La Negra， presumably to write a biography。 However she decides against doing so because La Negra is such a slippery character， that it is impossible to write about her。 At that point， the novel loses steam， in my opinion。 María Gainza， an experienced art critic herself， dwells on the architecture， art history and the bohemian clique of Buenos Aires in the 1960s。 Her writing is captivating， her talent for braiding art history with fiction is unrivaled。 Her memorable debut novel， The Optic Nerve （2014）， which I heartily recommend， is a moving， brilliant piece of auto fiction。 This novel seems initially to be a detective story but then， it becomes something else。 It becomes an exploration of the art world and its underground， of the concept of authenticity， what is "real" in art。 And in life。LA LUZ NEGRA has been translated into English and will be published next month， with the title PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN LADY。 You will find it in Goodreads with that name。 。。。more
Márcio
，
3，5/5 Uno elige una figura totémica y se pega a ella。Este parece ser el lema de este libro de María Gainza， en que su personaje busca escribir la biografía de La Negra， una falsificadora de obras de arte en los años 60 en Buenos Aires， especialmente las pinturas de Mariette Lydis， pero que desapareció como el humo que sale de las chimeneas y nadie sabe nada más que sus propios recuerdos de sí mismos。 Sin embargo， a veces la realidad que perseguimos parece más una idealización que la realidad 3，5/5 Uno elige una figura totémica y se pega a ella。Este parece ser el lema de este libro de María Gainza， en que su personaje busca escribir la biografía de La Negra， una falsificadora de obras de arte en los años 60 en Buenos Aires， especialmente las pinturas de Mariette Lydis， pero que desapareció como el humo que sale de las chimeneas y nadie sabe nada más que sus propios recuerdos de sí mismos。 Sin embargo， a veces la realidad que perseguimos parece más una idealización que la realidad misma。 Y， a veces， es mejor así。 。。。more
Abby Rubin
，
At what point can forgeries become "real art？" If they look just like the masters， aren't they something to be appreciated as well？ In this captivating exploration through the Argentine art world， Gainza continues to ask tough questions。 When the leading art authenticator dies， her protege picks up the mantle， which includes a life in the world of art forgery。 As the narrator dives deep into the world of art criticism and history， she finds more questions than answers about the world's art maste At what point can forgeries become "real art？" If they look just like the masters， aren't they something to be appreciated as well？ In this captivating exploration through the Argentine art world， Gainza continues to ask tough questions。 When the leading art authenticator dies， her protege picks up the mantle， which includes a life in the world of art forgery。 As the narrator dives deep into the world of art criticism and history， she finds more questions than answers about the world's art masters。 A captivating puzzle of a book that will have you looking twice next time you're at an art museum。 。。。more
Daniel H
，
La falsificación como una de las bellas artes。 La novela va sobre la falsificación， del arte， sí， pero de mucho más， de la memoria misma。 Al modo de una detective salvaje， la narradora se aventura en pos de La Negra， una mítica falsificadora que se movía entre los humos de la bohemia porteña de los tempranos setenta。 Hablando con los escasos sobrevivientes， va hilando retazos de un retrato， recuerdos que no son otra cosa que malas falsificaciones de lo que un día fue real， que lo mismo la acerca La falsificación como una de las bellas artes。 La novela va sobre la falsificación， del arte， sí， pero de mucho más， de la memoria misma。 Al modo de una detective salvaje， la narradora se aventura en pos de La Negra， una mítica falsificadora que se movía entre los humos de la bohemia porteña de los tempranos setenta。 Hablando con los escasos sobrevivientes， va hilando retazos de un retrato， recuerdos que no son otra cosa que malas falsificaciones de lo que un día fue real， que lo mismo la acercan que la alejan de su búsqueda。 Vale más el original que su copia？ El Quijote de Cervantes que el de Menard？ El evento pasado que su relato deformado por el tiempo？ 。。。more
Sarah-Hope
，
I've been left feeling a bit lukewarm as regards María Gainza's Portrait of an Unknown Lady。 It's one of those cases where the problem is a mix of my perhaps having misjudged what the book would be like and the promotional material for the book promising something other than what the book actually is。 The GoodReads promo opens by describing Portrait of an Unknown Lady as "the captivating story of an auction house employee on the trail of an enigmatic master forger" and goes on to say "In the Bue I've been left feeling a bit lukewarm as regards María Gainza's Portrait of an Unknown Lady。 It's one of those cases where the problem is a mix of my perhaps having misjudged what the book would be like and the promotional material for the book promising something other than what the book actually is。 The GoodReads promo opens by describing Portrait of an Unknown Lady as "the captivating story of an auction house employee on the trail of an enigmatic master forger" and goes on to say "In the Buenos Aires art world， a master forger has achieved legendary status。 Rumored to be a woman， she seems especially gifted at forging canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis， a portraitist of Argentine high society。 But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits？ What motivates her？ And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate， night after night， in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico？" So， I was expecting a mystery novel more or less。Portrait of an Unknown Lady， however， is not a mystery novel in the traditional narrative sense。 Instead， it's more an impressionistic novel that gives readers a chance to piece together the unfleshed bones of a story through careful reading。 Our unnamed female narrator finds work as the assistant to a woman charged with authenticating paintings for one of Argentina's major banks （she never does work as an auction house employee as far as I can tell）。 From there we go to the topic of forgeries and a brief-ish description of a group of art students who sometimes make a living by producing forgeries。 Throw in the text of an auction catalogue for an artist's memorabilia and minor works that may or may not be forged。 Then round things out with vague interviews attempting to pin down the life story of one of those sometimes-forging students years later when it's no longer clear whether she's even alive。Portrait of an Unknown Lady reminds me a bit of Umberto Eco's Numero Zero—there's a story in there， but it comes in slices without the connecting threads that could weave it into something more substantial。 If you're interested in recent Argentine literature， this novel is worth checking out and will give you some interesting moments to turn over once you've finished reading。 If your real joy is the mystery genre， this title is likely to disappoint。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss+; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Paul
，
This is OK。 It reminds me of a lot of French films where basically nothing happens。 There are some interesting moments but don't read this seeking a traditional plot。Thanks very much for the free ARC for review。 This is OK。 It reminds me of a lot of French films where basically nothing happens。 There are some interesting moments but don't read this seeking a traditional plot。Thanks very much for the free ARC for review。 。。。more
Kenhan
，
Es lo primero que leo de Gainza y me ha parecido súper interesante。 Tiene una pluma elegantísima， llena de referencias históricas y artísticas。
Ana
，
3 stars *may change I feel like this is one of those books I looked at very briefly and was like， yeah man I gotta read this without knowing anything about it。 It’s kind of hard to describe what’s going on。 This narrator is totally obsessed with art history and fake paintings and harasses a bunch of random people to get information on a woman who may or may not be dead （because she’s crazy） （and also has no hobbies） to write her book or something。 There’s also an entire chapter written as court 3 stars *may change I feel like this is one of those books I looked at very briefly and was like， yeah man I gotta read this without knowing anything about it。 It’s kind of hard to describe what’s going on。 This narrator is totally obsessed with art history and fake paintings and harasses a bunch of random people to get information on a woman who may or may not be dead （because she’s crazy） （and also has no hobbies） to write her book or something。 There’s also an entire chapter written as court testimonies and papers and I was going a little insane trying to read it。 This is a really spanish book in that “say a whole lot and say nothing at all” kind of way。 Stuff happens， stuff doesn’t happen。 I guess read it if you want something quite short to pass the time？ Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader’s copy 。。。more
Jesus
，
Creo que no lo entendí mucho， pero me gustaron sus referencias y rescaté varias citas。
Úrsula Vega
，
No me ha gustado， la historia no me ha interesado en exceso，mucho detalle y redacción de detalles que no he encontrado interesantes。。。 Ojalá haber profundizado más en los personajes principales y menos en ese narrar la historia más "original" No me ha gustado， la historia no me ha interesado en exceso，mucho detalle y redacción de detalles que no he encontrado interesantes。。。 Ojalá haber profundizado más en los personajes principales y menos en ese narrar la historia más "original" 。。。more
Lilián Carrasco
，
Es verdadero o falso todo esto？ Al final， creemos en nuestra verdad o lo que damos por cierto。 Esta historia es de falsificadores， de engaño， pero no solo de pinturas。 Al final， todos hemos llegado a falsificar un poco。"Para entonces， yo ya estaba pensando cómo haría uno para distinguir un falso médium de un médium auténtico si hasta el médium verdadero podía ser engañado por falsos espíritus" Es verdadero o falso todo esto？ Al final， creemos en nuestra verdad o lo que damos por cierto。 Esta historia es de falsificadores， de engaño， pero no solo de pinturas。 Al final， todos hemos llegado a falsificar un poco。"Para entonces， yo ya estaba pensando cómo haría uno para distinguir un falso médium de un médium auténtico si hasta el médium verdadero podía ser engañado por falsos espíritus" 。。。more
Francisco Javier
，