The Perfect Landscape

by Ragna Sigurðardóttir

After building a career in the galleries and museums of Amsterdam, art theorist Hanna has returned to Iceland to what she hopes will be a posh new job. Though small, the museum in Reykjavik has a sterling reputation ? one sure to be burnished by a valuable piece donated by a wealthy patron. Painted by Iceland's most beloved twentieth-century artist, the acquisition is poised to become the jewel of the museum's collection ? until a conservator announces it's a fake. Determined to preserve the museum's reputation and bolster her own, Hanna delves deep into the shadowy world of art forgery, where she will discover an unexpected truth framed by a half-century of lies.

Genres: Fiction, Art, Mystery

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ragna studied art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, and continued her studies in Holland. For a while she lived in Denmark, but has now moved back to Iceland where she works as an author and artist.
She published the booklet Stefnumót (Appointment) in 1987. Two years later came Fallegri en flugeldar (More Beautiful than Fireworks) and in 1991 27 herbergi (27 Rooms). Two of these books were illustrated by the author herself. In 1993 the novel Borg (City) was published, which awoke considerable interest in Ragna and was nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize.

Reviews

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best-looking of a bunch of duds available to me for $1 on a LivingSocial coupon. I only picked it because it was written by an Icelander.

What a nice surprise. Sarah Bowen's translation is full of plain, straightforward sentences that give the story a sense of trustworthiness. This text isn't poetry, but it's clear and comforting.

There's an art mystery (solved only for the reader) told mostly through the voice of Hanna, a gallery manager who has essentially exiled herself to her homeland.

A wintry book, satisfying. Recommended for hot summers, turbulent minds.

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's always difficult to rate books that I'm reading in translation--particularly when they don't strike me as particularly awesome. I never know if it's really the story and the way it was originally written or if something funky has happened in translation. The Perfect Landscape by Ragna Sigurdardottir (translated by Sarah Bowen) provides such a dilemma. My first-ever mystery set in Iceland--I'm afraid I'm very under-whelmed. It moves very slowly. The mystery plot just really doesn't flow. Others on Goodreads have said that the book is more character-driven, but I can't say that the characters particularly grabbed me either. The story has a very choppy feel to it--again, I don't know if something was lost in the translation. Then there's Hanna's running theme of fencing--which just, quite honestly serves no purpose. Perhaps if the author had worked in some scenes of her fencing, had shown how much she loved the sport and why the metaphors were so valid for her (instead of telling us--repeatedly), then maybe it would have made sense to tell us that Hanna was mentally en garde or raising or sheathing an imaginary foil. Without the groundwork being laid, the imagery just falls flat. And, finally, I just don't really get into present tense tales and the present tense in this particular story just adds to the already odd feel of the book.

The best part of the story is Hanna's interactions with Stein. Their friendship builds through looks and unspoken agreements. It is the most believable interaction in the novel--the quick recognition of two kindred souls who share the same passion for art and justice. I would have really enjoyed more focus on the two of them. Keeping them as friends would have been fine--no need to add to the attempt at romantic tension. Two stars--almost entirely for Hanna and Stein.

This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!

[Ad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel set in the Icelandic art world. Art historian Hanna has returned to Reikjavik from Amsterdam to run an experimental gallery, The Annexe, attached to the city's main art museum. She must adapt to her new job and new life and keep her head high among the usual office politics facing an outsider. There are three threads in the book. The major one is that of forgery in the art world. The economic bubble has yet to burst, and rich businessmen are eager to become known as sponsors of culture by donating expensive artworks. Hanna's museum has recently received such a donation – a landscape by a known early 20th c. Icelandic artist. However, the painting's authenticity is called into doubt, sending Hanna, in collaboration with a colleague, headlong into a tricky investigation of the painting's origins. Her task is undermined by a widespread unwillingness to upset the cozy relationship between big money and high culture by revealing an embarrassing forgery.

As two more threads we also follow the well-meaning but perhaps misguided attempts of Hanna to connect with the street kids who have covered public art works such as statues under graffiti, as well as her organization of the first exhibition in The Annexe, which reveals that artists are very difficult people.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. I found the book a little plodding and wondered whether it would read differently in its original language. Translated books are at the mercy of the translator. Or maybe it was a very accurate translation and the original was just a little slow and anti-climactic.

One thing that I found frustrating, though - the translator opted not to use any of the Icelandic accent marks/characters, and so it was difficult for me to know, as I was reading, how some names should sound. Was it really Agusta, or (more likely) Ágústa? Even the author’s patronymic name was anglicized from Sigurðadöttir to Sigurdadottir. Two very different pronunciations. When I read, I “hear” the words in my head and hated not knowing which way I should actually be reading the names.

[Elizabeth Schlatter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so hungry for any novel about the artworld (especially curators) and about Iceland (only ones that don't have occult subjects - why so many of these??), that I figured this book was a double win! But it's just okay. The story is interesting -- about a possibly forgery of an Icelandic landscape painting--and there are some amusing observations about working in a small contemporary art museum. But I can't see myself ever recommending the book. It's just not very ... I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's just that I never found myself being curious about the main character. Main characters don't have to be appealing, likable, or even knowable, but I do appreciate it when I find myself wanting to learning more and more about them. This book just didn't do that for me.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hanna has returned to Reykjavik to take on a new job in as director of a section of an art museum. On the first day, the gallery receives an exquisite gift of a painting from a friend of one of her new work colleagues by a renowned icelandic painter that cost the friend €15 million but it is Hanna and the galleries conservator's job to authenticate the painting as being as described on the tin before they can show the painting in public. There is also vandalism ongoing of public art statues and sculptures and Hanna goes with the conservator to examine what to be done.

It is an interesting read though the narrative at times came across as stunted (maybe a problem with the translator?)

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost just a sketch rather than a novel, but a pretty good read. A list or diagram of players might have been helpful, and some important details were only coyly revealed.

(Found this filed under Ragna and right next to Ragnar Jonasson in the fiction shelves of my local library, as I continue my journey backwards through the alphabet from Updike.)

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and fairly quickly read. It is written in present tense, which was a little distracting at first but ultimately fit the story well.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a routine murder - in fact there is no murder. But there still is a mystery. Good book. Delves into the world of fine are and forgeries. I found it very well written and interesting.

[Ioana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, boring, boring. Interesting premise, failed executions. Nothing interesting really happens.

[Jaylia3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

There isn’t a lot of dramatic action in this Nordic mystery; its pleasures are more subtle and character driven. The book opens in Iceland, where Hanna, an art theorist, is beginning a new job at a small but prestigious art museum and hoping for a fresh start in her home country. She’s currently separated from her daughter and somewhat estranged from her Italian husband of 20 years, so Hanna looks forward to throwing herself into what she believes will be a cushy and interesting job. Once she arrives however, she realizes that the job isn’t what she thought and its internal politics are tricky enough that she has to be on guard much of the time. A lot of the book’s activity takes place inside Hanna’s head, where she uses her knowledge of fencing strategies and stances to prepare herself to parley effectively with the people around her.

Since Hanna’s area of expertise is landscape paintings, she’s thrilled that the museum has acquired a beautiful landscape by a much beloved early twentieth century Icelandic artist, but when she and a male colleague she has complicated feelings for begin to suspect it’s a forgery they launch a covert investigation that involves collectors, dealers and artists from across northern Europe. Though not gripping in an edge-of-the-seat kind of way, The Perfect Landscape is quietly compelling and I kept coming back to it for the joy of making discoveries along with Hanna.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art gallery in Reykjavík is given an attractive landscape painted by an Icelandic artist. The curator, Steinn, fears it may be a forgery and raises his concerns with the new director of the contemporary arts annex, Hanna. Together they try to find out the paintings provenance. The investigation raises doubts about another painting, an abstract work donated the year before. This is a mystery set in the world of art and art forgery.
At the same time as the investigation of the painting, Steinn is worried about his eyesight, Hanna is worried about her marriage, Kristen, the director, is worried about the gallery's reputation, Agusta, a young assistant, is trying to balance her family and career, some teenagers are vandalising public art works and Ebba makes lots of coffee. The gallery is also staging a national and international exhibition of landscapes and Hanna wants to get involved in community projects with the teenagers.
The story is mostly told from Hanna's viewpoint. She is not an engaging protagonist and sees each social encounter as a ritualised dual, as shown by a recurrent and overworked fencing metaphor.
It is not a bad story and the insights into the art world are interesting. Unfortunately the writing, in translation, is more akin to trudging through deep snow in heavy boots than the rapier swiftness and precision of the piste, so I can't recommend it or give it more than three stars.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's background in art is a strength, but her novel was a little unfocused - you might say a bit like daily life, where there are things going on that don't always serve the main "plot." The forgery plotline was genuinely interesting and contributed to the book's strong ending. The street waif and marital discord plotlines were a bit unengaging and incomplete.

Another weakness was that the author used fencing metaphors too often. I found it annoying and distracting after awhile, and I preferred the chapters that didn't have these metaphors. However, it did seem that the author made a conscious choice to use or avoid these metaphors based on how comfortable the main character felt in varying social situations. If she could just be herself, she didn't need to think defense or consider strategies.

There was quite a bit of namedropping of Icelandic artists, which doesn't work well for those of us who have never heard of them - and don't even know if they are invented or not. It turns out that all the artists who were mentioned are real, except the two whose paintings were forged.

Finally, the time setting was unclear. Some chapters were marked with a year (2004 and 2005), but others were marked "current day" - which means we have no way of knowing how much time has passed between various events. The publication date was 2009, so that can function as "current day."

[Pamela Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Iceland and really enjoy reading books set in Iceland. I also really like mysteries, so this art gallery mystery set in Reykjavik seemed like the perfect read for me.

Hanna is new to a job at an art gallery in Reykjavik, and is quickly caught up in uncovering whether a donation of a work by an Icelandic painter is in fact a forgery. The story wasn't terribly cohesive for me, and I found myself not being able to relate to how characters were feeling or able to understand some of their actions. I'm not sure, though, if this was because this is the English translation from Icelandic, or because the book itself is missing some of that character development and plotline cohesion. All in all, though, "The Perfect Landscape" is a really pleasant read, with a compelling look into the art world and an interesting mystery, all set in the most amazing place I know.

[Adara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more character driven than plot driven. A quick read, the author explores every thought and emotion in a character's mind before moving the plot along. It is amazing how much can be said between characters with only a glance! I enjoyed this exploration into the world of art and art forgery, something I am not familiar with. I did feel that some of the plot lines were very tangent and were not as well connected to the main story or developed as they could have been. One subplot in particular, I felt was almost unnecessary.

I enjoyed this book, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it. There are so many other great books about art and art forgery, it is possible to find a more developed and engaging story.

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the office politics within the gallery setting were enjoyable, as were the passages where characters outline the ways in which they have determined that a work of art might be a forgery (my favorite fun fact: no birch trees with straight trunks existed in Iceland in the middle of the last century). But while there is a lot that actually happens in this novel, it never really felt like it got off the ground. There is a lot of back story, and either it or any one of the many sub-plots, character relationships, etc. could really have used some more development.

It is definitely a novel in which the setting comes through, however. I very much enjoyed reading the descriptions of Reykjavík and the surrounding areas, and getting even a cursory feel for the art scene here.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the immersion into the world of galleries, exhibits, forgery, and Icelandic culture. The language, as translated, is spare and compelling. But I felt the conclusion came too soon and, because of the introduction of a new character, became less about the main character and more about making a point about how desperation and art connect. Made me want to learn more about Icelandic art/artists.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is from an Iceland writer and it delves into a lot of Icelandic painters and the evidently widespread world of art forgery.

The heroine, formerly from Iceland, is hired to come back as the director of an art gallery. They've just received the gift of a painting by a famous Icelandic artist. Our heroine, whose hobby is fencing, has to be en garde all the time for backstabbing employees while slowly realizing the latest gift painting is actually a forgery.

Nice read.

[Gemma Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novels about art forgery are hot right now. But as usual, Icelanders are ahead of the curve. Ragna Sigurdardottir’s novel, The Perfect Landscape, was published in Icelandic in 2009 and caught the current wave of popularity with an Amazon Crossing English publication with translation by Sarah Bowen in 2012. Ragna is also an artist, and her background in the fine arts world is put to good use in the novel.

[Gretel · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very vanilla storyline and awkward, less than stellar writing doesn't make this a very enjoyable book. It's very hard not to ignore the jarring present tense narrative and almost impossible to feel emotionally invested in any of the paper thin characters. A bland and sterile read. I was hoping for something much better written considering the author's background in the arts.

[Jane Mulkewich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book set in Iceland and the world of art and art forgery, I read it to steep myself in Icelandic culture and it did not disappoint. It is more character-driven than plot-driven, and I was drawn in by the characters and the office politics of an art gallery in Reykjavik, with sub-plots about families and relationships.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Icelandic mystery. The mystery involves art forgery rather than murder, and the book left me with a "so...?" feeling. But I did enjoy feeling as though I was inside Iceland. Perhaps much doesn't happen there, so the book is a good reflection of their society.

[Mark Stensvold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much mystery, not much romance, not much Iceland.

[MaryBeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most subtle stories I've ever read.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging book with characters that were well-drawn and of interest. Also, some nice insights into present Iceland life and the art world.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting art forgery mystery with a meandering pace and an unusual setting, Iceland.

[NotSoSAHM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know when's the last time I read a book written in present tense. That was distracting...maybe that's how Icelanders write?

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more from a book about art set in Iceland. Just ok character , plot and concept- wise.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disjointed and just not very interesting.