From Publishers Weekly
In this enjoyably tart art world sendup, winsome, aperçu-spouting Mia McMurray (think
Party Girl–era Parker Posey) is a gallerista—one of the invariably decorative young women who act as a gallery's de facto concierge, and "who is always, always watching," as Mia herself puts it. A mysterious portrait by the recently late Jeffrey Finelli (killed by an errant cab in front of Mia's Simon Pryce gallery) gives the novel its winningly clumsy title and sets up its main conflict, between grasping art collectors and representatives of Finelli's estate. Former
Mademoiselle and
Woman's Day editor Ganek, herself a significant art collector, offers sharply drawn characters and convincingly savvy details. That the book's most important female collector is presented as a loudmouthed and overdressed refugee from
Absolutely Fabulous gives a sense of its waspish humor. But Ganek stops short of crude caricature, and Ganek's portraits of the variously sneaky, ridiculous and pretentious art world denizens are tinged with affection and depth. The tone is sophisticated chick lit, and there's a sweet love story threaded in, but what most clearly animates this debut, and sets it apart, is a real sense that art matters.
(June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Mia McMurray, assistant to Simon Pryce, a medium-level art dealer, ushers readers into the Soho gallery scene as they launch a show by Jeffrey Finelli, who is unknown but extremely talented. His major piece provides the novel's title. On opening night, Finelli is hit by a taxi and dies. Demand for his pieces skyrockets, and niece Lulu becomes part of a world she never wanted to know. Ganek portrays hangers-on, wannabes, nouveau riche, powerhouse dealers, poseurs, and artists. As for Mia, a blocked painter, she wishes the shows were hers, and her accurate though cynical observations reflect both her dissatisfaction and her intellectual acuity. Lulu becomes the darling, finding her place in this crazy scene. Mia, despite the lies and backbiting, not only survives but also finds a new path. Former
Woman's Day editor and art collector Ganek has written a debut that reads like an amusing fairy tale as it offers a view into a world few readers are likely to have experienced.
Danise HooverCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
