What readers think of The Original, plus links to write your own review.

"There was a painting my family set on fire. It burned to ashes, and then it came back." The novel's opening line took my breath away, and that was before I had read any further and could be dazzled by how much of the novel is contained in that first sentence. This book reads like a classic, yet it is brand-new and lives up to its title, with a plot that is a twisty puzzle, revolving around the themes of forgery and identity, art, madness, and truth.

The characters are complicated and compelling, with the protagonist Grace brilliantly named. And the atmosphere reminds me of my favorite Daphne Du Maurier novels, which is to say, all of them. I'll repeat what I said about The Original in the BookBrowse community forum: The language and overall craft are staggering. I want to use certain passages as writing prompts. In other words, I want to copy the book about copying. 4.5 stars, worthy of rounding up

Everything—including the cover—contributes to the pleasure and the subtle mystery of this multi-layered, beautifully written novel. With its plotlines split between the mannered society of late 19th-century English gentry and the shady underbelly of the European black market in fine art, the reader is constantly challenged by the question: what is "original" and what is "fake"? Adding to the enjoyment is the irresistible temptation to (re)visit the famous artworks online, and to follow along as Grace strives to reproduce them. Challenging, complex, and endlessly engaging: there is much here for book clubs to unpack!

The comparison to Sarah Waters on the jacket is apt in that the details of the plot line up with Waters' typical subject matter, but Nell Stevens is a different kind of writer and this is not a Sarah Waters book. Readers expecting constant, edge-of-your-seat suspense might be disappointed but The Original is exactly what its title suggests. It's funny, smart, and weird, it's unexpected in all the right ways. It was a pleasure to experience Grace interacting with art, other people, and the world, and to watch her defy the expectations and limitations placed upon her. A fresh and exciting work of queer and feminist historical fiction that transcends the misery such books are often rife with.

The original here is author Nell Stevens. In her new novel, The Original, she weaves a tale that is at once Victorian in its setting and mores and contemporary in its unvarnished look at queer relationships. We feel the intense rapture that copying great works of art the protagonist Grace has as she pursues her freedom through money she earns from the sale of the fakes. Ultimately, this is a philosophical musing about what is authentic and what is not and when the copy may be the better of the two. Wrapped up in a thrilling tale, Steven's novel is a master class in gorgeous writing.

Aatmospheric books that aren't too dark or creepy are hard to find but this one fits the bill. I really enjoyed it! The main character, a woman with face blindness who works as an art forger, was easy to root for. The only thing that irked me a bit was a misunderstanding that could have been cleared up with a simple conversation. Still, the story was entertaining , and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction with classic literature vibes (Moonstone) and an original (ha!) perspective.

As I open the first several pages into the main hall of Inderwick, I have a hard time knowing whether Grace, the copyist (whom we might call a forger) is able to perceive the world further than what she sees on a canvas and then paints. Is her cousin Charles, who has been away for thirteen years, really her cousin or a man pretending to be her cousin? As this delightfully well written book proceeds, we explore what is real and what isn't, and ultimately whether they are that different?

P.S. I don't know if you care about these things but there is a typing error on page 285 (the first new paragraph on the page, the word a is wrongly placed before the word paint instead of after it.)

Grace is the unwanted guest in her uncle's stately but deteriorating home where she is treated somewhere between an undesirable family member and a servant. She is overlooked but when noticed is seen as an odd misfit by everyone except one of her cousins. She struggles to recognize and remember faces but has an uncanny ability to copy paintings by intensely studying and memorizing each section of a painting. The story follows Grace through her self-discovery as a copiest, understanding others through her unique viewpoint while carrying the weight of family 'madness', as well as her need to obtain funding if she is to be independent. Throughout this journey she is attempting to solve the mystery of the man who claims to be her cousin after leaving home fifteen years prior. The story is well paced and wonderfully descriptive.

I rarely give a 5 review, and rarely read books about art. This book had my attention from the first page. Grace is an orphan, brought up in an English manor, completely unaware ignored by her aunt and uncle. She can't remember faces, and so appears unfriendly. Her cousin Charles befriends her and because he paints, she copies his paintings, and discovers she has a talent for it.

Charles disappears and returns years later, but is it really Charles? The characters are complex and not always likable, but so interesting. There are several plot twists so the reader never guesses the ending. I enjoyed Grace's description of the paintings she copied and googled them while reading. I never would have bought this on my own and will recommend it to my reader friends.