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Search - The Art Fair

The Art Fair
Author: David Lipsky

The New York Times Book Review called David Lipsky's debut novel the art fair "a riveting story" and book reviewers nationwide are adding their praise: "A knowing art scene roman clef, a wry comedy of manners, a delicately handled mother-son love story." David Gates, Newsweek "Excruciating...As this novel makes clear... more », Mr. Lipsky has done the SoHo-to-57th-Street ramble himself...Ultimately, though, it's his kid's-eye view of the grown-ups phony nonchalance that stings...A riveting story." Sally Eckhoff, The New York Times Book Review "Charmed Writing...A drop-dead parody of the endless parties, beastly personalities, and enervating pressures of the rarefied art scene...A sad/funny first novel that seduces from the start." Lisa Shea, Elle "Remarkably assured...Lipsky isn't simply adept at tweaking the Manhattan art world. His novel expertly explores the deep, inexplicable bond between mother and son. It also is rich in the luminous joys and dark pains that color every family." Greg Morago, The Los Angeles Times "A darkly comic love story...As a child, Richard Freeley quickly learns that a tearful departure will get him bumped up to first class. By the time he's sixteen, he is a master of calculation...He becomes obsessed with reinstating his mother behind the velvet ropes of the New York art world. The consequences of Richard's sublimated ambition are all too believable, and the price he pays comes as a creepy aftershock." The New Yorker "Art, motherhood and divorce set the scene for a family portrait...This poised first novel is told from the point of view of a grownup Richard Freeley, whose nicely ordered and luxuriously appointed life is upended the summer his mother decides to become a painter...Lipsky's portrayal of the art world is unblinking, his portrayal of the ties between parent and child deeply affecting." Joanne Kaufman, People "A tale of the New York art world by a writer with insider savvy...Lipsky perfectly captures [the] snobbery of artists and dealers, the tiny gestures of cruelty that confirm or withhold status...His shrewd grasp of the art world makes the novel work...The wry, Salingeresque voice is at once precocious and naive...it radiates youthful sensitivity." James Atlas, Vogue "Tantalizing...smart...engaging...affecting...Lipsky is a careful and shrewd observer. He writes cleverly and well, rendering complex moments with a few deft sentences...The art world material has a gossipy fascination, and there are tantalizing hints of the roman a clef to keep us guessing. Yet the novel reaches beyond a surface critique of art careerism...The book provides a sort of anthropological study of the elaborate rituals, subtle social signals and flat-out Darwinian struggles with which careers and reputations are made and lost. This, too, is a testament to David Lipsky's skill: The achievement of his novel is to generate an intense desire to shield his characters from themselves and from the harsh world they inhabit a protectiveness that extends, for as long as we're reading this novel, even to the vipers masquerading as artists and dealers, and to the sharks that cruise The Art Fair in constant search of fresh prey." Francine Prose, Newsday "Utterly compelling...Extremely poignant and funny..A scathing portrait...There is also a great deal of warmth here, with mother and son vividly delineated, and the complex emotions of a sundered family are handled with moving care...Lipsky's shrewd, insightful vision remains strong throughout, and the fond break between mother and son as they finally decide to live their own lives powerfully communicates the difficulty in letting go" Nick Curtis, Financial Times (U.K.) "Critics loved Lipsky's short story collection Three Thousand Dollars, and as soon as you read the opening of his debut novel you'll agree that Lipsky has a gift for bringing scenes of shimmering complexity to life...The combination of Lipsky's unfailing psychological acumen and comic sensibility makes for a distinctive and thoroughly enjoyable literary experience... Intense...Hilarious." Donna Seaman, Booklist "Joan Freeley made it big in New York's art world, and then suddenly, she lost it. No one suffered more than her son, Richard, the narrator of this novel...He submerged any life he might have had to help his mother's career...Mr. Lipsky's deft and shrewd look at the art scene, as well as his examination of a neurotic relationship, make the book something special in a first novel." Bob Trimble, The Dallas Morning News

ISBN-13: 9780747525691
ISBN-10: 0747525692
Publication Date: 5/30/1996
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Literature & Fiction >> General >> Contemporary

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