Headlong
by:
Michael Frayn (author)
A tale of historical investigation and comic invention. Invited to assess some old paintings, an easily-distracted philosopher is convinced that one of them is a lost work by Breughel. He risks everything he has in the effort to establish its provenance and trick it from its owner's possession.
A tale of historical investigation and comic invention. Invited to assess some old paintings, an easily-distracted philosopher is convinced that one of them is a lost work by Breughel. He risks everything he has in the effort to establish its provenance and trick it from its owner's possession.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780571200511 (0571200516)
Publish date: August 7th 1999
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Pages no: 400
Edition language: English
Martin Clay, a young would-be art historian, suddenly sees opening in front of him the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to perform a great public service, and at the same time to make his professional reputation - perhaps even a lot of money as well. Thus he finds himself drawn step by step int...
Enjoyed the Bruegel mystery tour very much, and the first third of the book while it was setting the scene. But for me the farce of the last third of the book didn't really succeed and I did skip over quite a bit of the last few chapters, wanting to hear the plot but not all the detail.
Maybe it isn't fair for me to assess this book. I like words, pictures don't do it for me. So even though this book is full of words, they are words about pictures. I should have realised that even Michael Frayn couldn't get me through that.
This was far too long and it seemed like the author fell in love with his research on Dutch painters but I still got wrapped up in this tale of a rather odious academic who thinks he has found a lost painting by the master Bruegel.
Before GR read.Re-read details:Budding art historian Martin Clay makes an extraordinary chance discovery. Read by Martin Jarvis. Broadcast on:BBC Radio 7, 2:30pm Monday 18th January 2010
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