"The Portrait" by Iain Pears ****

> Audiobook
> Orig published in 2005
> Set on the island of Houart off the coast of France, early 1900s
> Scottish portrait painter is painting a portrait while telling his own story which led him to the island, 1st person narration
> monologue.....painter isolates self on obscure island
>. Impressionism...safe, made to hang on the wall next to Granny's needlework...interesting
>. Notoriety v. Fame
> role of critic in the art world and in the life of the artist
> Henry McAlpine, the artist
> make yourself great by denigrating others.....
> learned to impose himself on others, assaulting them with opinions

> revenge or resoklution?

> LibraryThing Review: Let me introduce you to Henry McAlpine, a self-imposed exile from England, who currently resides on an island of the coast of France in the early 1920s. In this unusually constructed novel, the entire book is a monologue by Henry, as he paints the portrait of a former friend, an English art critic. Sounds innocuous enough, but the plot thickens as both the protrait and the story progress. What follows is a harsh examination of the art world, notoriety v. fame, the manipulations of art critics in general and of Henry's friend in particular, and the disastrous outcome of the critic's choices. A dark, yet enlightening story. Very good read!