The Portrait by Iain Pears
A dark and disturbing novel of suspense, set at the turn of the 20th century, by the bestselling author of An Instance of the Fingerpost. The windswept isle of Houat, off the coast of Brittany, is no picturesque artists' colony. At the turn of the twentieth century, life is harsh and rustic. So why did Henry MacAlpine forsake London - where he had been feted by critics and gallery owners, his works exhibited alongside the likes of Cezanne and Van Gogh - to make his home in this remote outpost? The truth begins to emerge when, four years into his exile, MacAlpine receives his first visitor. Influential art critic William Naysmith has come to the island to sit for a portrait. Over the course of the sitting, the power balance between the two men shifts dramatically as the critic whose pen could anoint or destroy careers becomes a passive subject. And as the painter struggles to capture Nasmith's true character on canvas, a story unfolds - one of betrayal, hypocrisy, forbidden love, suicide and ultimately murder. The Portrait is a darkly atmospheric, psychologically complex, macabre and chilling novel from a master storyteller.
Praise for An Instance of the Fingerpost: 'This is a novel that combines the simple pleasures of Agatha Christie with the intellectual subtlety of Umberto EcoIt is a landmark in the genre' John Sutherland, Sunday Times 'Enthralling... An Instance of the Fingerpost is a brilliant achievement... wholly absorbing' T.J. Binyon, Evening Standard 'A slippery thriller of audacious ingenuity' Robert Minghall, Independent on Sunday Praise for The Dream of Scipio: 'Combining the visceral pleasures of a thriller with the more intellectual excitements of a novel of ideas...' Sunday Telegraph 'Combines dazzling erudition with assured narrative skills to offer glimpses of some of history's darkest corners' Independent on Sunday 'Vivid, admirably imagined, ultimately very moving... This is a novel of the very highest ambition... Immediate, sensuous, beautiful' Allan Massie, Scotsman
Iain Pears was born in 1955, educated at Wadham College, Oxford and won the Getty Scholarship to Yale University. He has worked as a journalist, an art historian and a television consultant. He is the author of many books, including the bestselling An Instance of the Fingerpost and The Dream Of Scipio. He lives with his wife and son in Oxford.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780007202775 |
| ISBN 10 | 0007202776 |
| Title | The Portrait |
| Author | Iain Pears |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Year published | 2005-07-04 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |