Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2005
224 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
A perfectly rendered short novel of suspense about a painter driven to extremes.
"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." - Phblishers Weekly
"Don't expect this to appeal to the wide audience that made Fingerpost a best-seller, but for those who prefer the subtlety of a small canvas, where the perfidy of the human heart is revealed in shadow, Pears' "portrait" is an exquisite little gem." - Booklist
This information about The Portrait was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Marilynn K. Yee
Iain Pears was born in England in 1955 and was educated at Wadham College, Oxford. Pears has worked as an art historian, a TV consultant, and a journalist for many countries. Pears combined his knowledge of art and his mystery writing technique in An Instance of the Fingerpost and other novels. He also wrote Stone's Fall. Pears is the author of the Jonathan Argyll series of art history mystery novels. The series includes The Raphael Affair, The Titian Committee, Giotto's Hand and The Immaculate Deception.
Name Pronunciation
Iain Pears: Like Ian (ee-un)
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
