I think Aiden took advantage of Claire at first or at least wanted to- but that ultimately it was the lure of the money, show, and sticking it to the art world that led herto say yes. Returning the work to the museum was just icing on the cake.

As far as their romantic relationship, I'm debating with myself if anyone took advantage then. I may need to re-read that section!

Such a great book

Back to Topic:

Claire- what did you think of her motivation to paint the Degas, to do the forgery? Was it about the money she would receive? The show at Aiden's gallery? Or was it more the lure of the acceptance that she would get- having a show at Aiden's would be a step in the right direction for her come back to the art world (as opposed to reproduction work), but was there more to that? Did she want to tweak the art worlds nose just a bit? Was she justified in that thought? (I think she was- she made a mistake; but so did the world of art!)

I thought Isabelle was a fun quirky character as well.

A bit of great news before we start: the thoughtful and amazing Tamara Welch has come on board as our new Online Book Club Leader. She'll officially begin hosting these discussions next month but I'm sure you'll see her around the forum a lot today. We're pretty crazy about her and we know you will be too!

So, to kick us off, a bit of background, and a question (I'll add to these as the day goes on):

The background: I love art. I can't help it, really. My mother is an artist. (Ironically enough, some of her sculptures are hanging in a gallery alongside a Degas painting at this moment.) I was raised around sculptures and tin collage. There was actually a time in my life where I couldn't fall asleep without one of my mother's works-in-progress in my bedroom. They were papier mache sculptures and she would leave them in my window to dry. I'd wake at night and they seemed like sentinels there in the window, standing guard. So even though I can't paint or draw or sculpt myself, I see the world through an artist's lens. The urge to create makes sense to me. When I settled in to read THE ART FORGER I knew this was the book for us.

The first question: How much did you know about the world of art before you began reading THE ART FORGER? What surprised you as you read? What about Claire's creative process or worldview was intriguing to you?

That should get us started. I'll be back in a few minutes with a fresh cup of coffee to read your thoughts. And PLEASE, if you have a question or observation please throw it out there. I would love this conversation to grow organically from YOUR insights on the novel.

Ariel

In the mean time, Claire is doing her own research on Isabella and the Gardner family. We see how the museum has hijacked Isabella's legacy and how frustrated her family is with this. As the story progresses these two narratives slowly merge.

What did you think of Isabella as a character? Is she someone you would want to know? Did this narrative thread give you a greater understanding of the story? Did you begin to guess the twists or how the story would end?

Kerry Ann: Loved your point about the painting needing to be a forgery to help us root for Claire. Especially since she doesn't qualify as an anti-hero. Now that I think about it, it's fascinating how we NEED our main characters to be moral. Why is that, do you think?

Ballyn: So great to see you here! I did look up After the Bath but it never occurred to me to find the museum online. I wish I had! But I am a sucker for novels that combine a contemporary and historical narrative. I thought the Isabella Gardner thread added so much to the story and the journal entries entertwined perfectly with each of Claire's revelations.