The Perfect Landscape

Written by Ragna Sigurdardottir

Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal

When a wealthy patron donates a valuable landscape painting to Reykjavik’s art museum, the staff can hardly believe its luck. It was painted by one of Iceland’s most beloved artists, and the acquisition is sure to elevate the museum’s already sterling reputation.

For newly arrived art theorist Hanna, the acquisition is a chance to begin her job on a high note; after all, she’s something of an expert on the artist. But when the museum’s conservator suggests the painting might be a fake, Hanna realizes the museum’s reputation is not the only one in danger of crumbling.

And so she sets out to authenticate the painting, drawing on every ounce of skill that she possesses. What she doesn’t know she vows to learn, venturing deep into the shadowy world of art forgery. Only then will Hanna be able to strip away the varnish of the past to uncover the truth.

Nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Translator: Sarah Bowen
• Release date: Oct 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781469211848

Ragna Sigurdardottir

Ragna Sigurdardottir is a native of Reykjavik, Iceland, and the author of five novels. She studied French and fine arts in Aix-en-Provence before attending the Icelandic School for Arts and Crafts. After earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Jan van Eyck Academy in the Netherlands, she worked as an artist and writer in Rotterdam and later in Denmark. She eventually returned home to Iceland, where she spent a decade working as an art critic for Icelandic newspapers. Currently she studies art theory at the University of Iceland and is writing her sixth novel. She lives with her husband and their two daughters on the outskirts of Reykjavik, just down the street from the North Atlantic Ocean.

Reviews for The Perfect Landscape

[pamelabarrett · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At her new job as the art director of the Annexe Gallery in Reykjavik, Iceland, Hanna is surprised when asked to look into one of the galleries newest paintings. It is a landscape by one Iceland’s’ premier artists, and one whom Hanna has studied and wrote about—the problem is that she and the conservator don’t believe it’s authentic. Concerned that it is not part of her job expertise, Hanna is stuck trying to find out if the painting is a forgery, and if the gallery will accept what she and Stein, the conservator, discover.I loved the idea of this story, the mystery; the insiders look behind the scenes of the art world which the author, an artist, knows well. The problem for me is that I never connected emotionally with Hanna. I never understood, or even cared about most of the characters. Every time Ragna dipped below the surface—like in the scenes with Stein and Kari (a young troubled graffiti artist)—it was fleeting and left unresolved. Even the ending left me with questions, and a little depressed. This may be what the author intended, but as a reader I needed something to grasp onto. I’m giving this book a 3 star rating.