The Art Restorer

Enrique Alonso #2

by Julián Sánchez

Enrique Alonso travels from his new home in Manhattan to San Sebastián, Spain, to attend the reopening of the San Telmo museum, where his ex-wife, Bety, works in public relations. There he meets American Craig Bruckner, a retired art restorer studying the museum’s collection of works by Sert—a contemporary of Picasso and Dalí who worked for the most famous billionaires of his time and whose mural American Progress graces the walls of Rockefeller Center. When Bruckner is found drowned in La Concha bay, Bety suspects foul play and Enrique agrees to help her look into the man’s death. Their investigation reveals a mystery connected with Sert’s checkered past, which provides fertile ground for the new thriller Enrique is writing, and the plot develops in parallel to his research.

Enrique and Bety’s reconstruction of the artist’s clandestine activities during World War II leads them to Paris, Barcelona, and New York, and in the process forces them to face their own past. But they are not the only ones interested in Sert’s work, and it appears there is more to his paintings than meets the eye.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Thriller, Spain

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2013

About the author

Julián Sánchez (b. 1966), a native of Barcelona, decided to be a writer after reading Jack London’s novel Martin Eden at the age of ten, but also developed a career in the pharmaceutical industry and played professional basketball for fifteen years. He continues to have close ties with the sport, currently as a trainer. Literature and basketball are two fundamental activities in his life.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review seems to be missing? Not sure what happened.

I read the first book by Mr Sanchez and enjoyed it enough to pick up this effort. I remember though that this book has an annoying way of retelling what happened in the last book.

This constant retelling annoyed me like crazy. Instead of showing the reader the things the characters experience and allowing the reader to follow the trail, these constant references of telling the reader what had happened felt like there was a person stepping out of a play or movie to explain.

[Linda (Miss Greedybooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for awarding me with this book to read.

I enjoyed the thrill, the mystery, the suspense! I guess I should have noticed that this is a sequel to "The Antiquarian" before I read it. It was not a problem, but maybe I would have liked to have the previous knowledge of the characters.

The history and art restoration I learned about was great.

Settings were well described, and written of beautifully. It makes me want to visit and be able to say, "Oh, yes I would like to go there and sit for a sunset". I can tell Julian loves San Sebastian.

Enrique, Bety, Helena are well worth reading about, "The Art Restorer" is a great mystery that taught me as the story unfolded. I like that.

[Agata Mielcarz · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise seemed interesting, but the book failed to deliver anything of substance. The characters couldn't be more cliche, the language was simple, infantile at times, and the story unoriginal and boring. I'm not sure what audience this book was written for - a person seeking a pleasant, easy read will be bored and confused by the narrative devices chosen by the author, a reader who could appreciete the 'meta' storytelling will be put off by the stereotypical, one-dimensional charaters and poor style. I managed to finish it only by skipping large parts of terribly written dialogue.

[Gustavo Arango · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro tiene empieza un poco lento y no fue hasta poco después de la mitad cuando me atrapó la trama, sin embargo el final me dejó mucho que desear. El autor tiene una narrativa muy descriptiva de los lugares en donde va desarrollando la historia. El Restaurador de arte toma a los personajes del Anticuario y se ven envueltos en un nuevo crimen que para resolverlo van entre la época actual y el pasado donde el personaje histórico es el muralista español Sert.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

I wasn’t expecting anything like this! A novel within a novel, a mystery within a mystery. What came to be the obvious whodunnit in his first novel did not pass close to my mind in this second one. A fun read.

[Booqlist · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art Restorer was the second novel set in Spain I’ve read this summer, just after Antonio Hill’s The Good Suicides, allowing me to virtually return to Barcelona, where I lived for some time and where Hill’s thriller is set, then to San Sebastián, the central location of The Art Restorer.

It is Sánchez’s second book that features Enrique Alonso, a writer-turned-detective, who becomes a bestselling author after he writes the story of his first case. Enrique now lives in Manhattan but in the beginning of the novel he returns to San Sebastián to attend the reopening of the San Telmo Museum and to catch up with his ex-wife, Bety, who gave up her university job to become the PR manager of the museum. He also meets Craig Bruckner, an aging art restorer working on the biography of the renowned Catalan painter, Sert, whose mural paintings can be seen at the San Telmo Museum. When Bruckner, an Olympic champion swimmer is found drowned, Enrique and Bety smell something fishy and decide to investigate the death of the art restorer. They suspect that Bruckner’s murder is somehow linked to Sert so they start to make enquiries into the artist’s life and activities during WW2. This triggers the imagination of Enrique, who decides to base his upcoming novel on Sert’s mysterious actions, following leads from Barcelona to Paris.

Sánchez weaves the threads of his metafictional story very aptly, blending facts of Sert’s life with Enrique’s intriguing speculations seamlessly. Metafictional thrillers offer readers smart and complex narratives and those who like stories with multiple layers and a strong historical background will particularly enjoy Sánchez’s book, not to mention the chance they are given to fall in love with San Sebastián. As I’m even more drawn to stories about books, I can’t wait to read the first adventure of Enrique and Bety entitled The Antiquarian.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for the copy of the The Art Restorer.

Check out my blog at http://booqlist.tumblr.com/

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really disappointed me. It suggested that it would hold all the cards to both entertain and lightly educate me about painting and art restoration, while also folding in a Holocaust- era hidden treasure hunt. What on earth went awry in this novel?

I think it starts with the awkward use of language and sentence structure. I suspect that the English language version of this novel was not how it was originally published. The story has some great elements, but the language felt self- conscious, unnatural and totally lacked any style or zip.

I received my copy from netgalley and wish that I could have been more enthusiastic about the novel. Frankly, I would not have read more than fifty pages if I didn't feel a responsibility to submit an honest review.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look for fiction with good descriptions of physical locations. The Art Restorer does this along with a good suspense story ranging from Nazi occupied Paris to current San Sebastian, Spain. I loved it when Enrique met with the police over dinner, not at the station. I'm ready to leave for San Sebastian.
This is a sequel to The Antiquarian which takes place in Barcelona, but they are separate enough that you do not need to be read in order. I intend to read The Antiquarian soon.
I received a copy from NetGalley for review.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I love art and mysteries this book seemed a natural for me as well as a setting in lovely San Sebastián. The book really dragged for the first half. I nearly gave up but things finally started moving and the plot rolled out. I found the Enrique the main character annoying and really self absorbed. I hope his conversion to humanity at the end continues. The book is worth a read if you enjoy good descriptions of interesting places, art world politics, and mild mystery.

[Mercedes Prieto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Julian Sanchez writes with intrigue and excitement in this follow-up novel to the Antiquarian. I had a hard time putting it down because I was so taken by his story telling. I highly recommend it.

[Rocío Gómez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante. La trama del libro está bien construida y se entiende fácilmente. Los personajes tienen profundidad y evolucionan, aunque a veces las cosas se sobreexplican. Buen libro para empezar el año!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real read!!

One of the better books I have read in a long time. A good plot that made a page turner. Hopefully more from this writer! Most enjoyable reading.

[Roberto Henríquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buena novela

Una continuación perfecta y de lectura ligera, con mucha historia bien fundamentada y lo mejor es conocer al pintor Jose Maria Sert. Se los recomiendo

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julian, gracias por esta nueva (para mi) entrega. He disfrutado muchisimo con Enrique y Betty, los voy a encontrar a faltar. Estas en mi lista y voy a continuar leyendote.

[Carmen J Blanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining!

Extremely engaging, with a well developed plot and pacing. I really had a good time submerging myself into its world.

[Jjannie]

Waited a long time to be able to read this book. It did not disappoint. I need to reread The Antiquarian now.

[phyllis shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intrigue at its best

A most interesting and enjoyable read. The description of the places bring the reader right into the scene. Great read.

[Kathy kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept of the plot was clever. The exhibition of it was marginal at best. The main characters were shallow, one demention. It was a D N F for me. Skippable.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in San Sebastián. Also some Paris and NYC. An interesting mystery to solve.

[Gaenolee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though interested in art, I knew nothing about Sert. This novel compelled me to do a little research of my own. The characters were interesting, although some of the translation seemed a bit stilted.

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending made no sense to me. I suffered through all 75ish chapters of terrible translations for that??

[Lianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was approved of an ARC copy of this novel through NetGalley. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2...

The Art Restorer was a curious read featuring a mix of mystery, historical fiction, romance, and a meta-examination of plot and story. The story moves through brief chapters and reminded me of Dan Brown and Steve Berry’s books with the infusion of a mystery from decades past. Despite of the short chapters moving the story along, I thought it was a bit of a slow drift; it only started picking up when Sert’s story entered the plot and Enrique and Bety started piecing together the mystery from different angles.

I think my favourite aspect of the novel was the look into the writing process. In a way, it sort of contributed the feeling of the story moving slowly, but on the other hand I thought it was interesting the way that Enrique approached his writing and starting a new novel, as well as his dealings with his publishers.

What affected my reading experience of this novel was the writing itself. I’m not sure if this might be in part due to the translation, but I found the writing style to be rather clunky and heavy at times, both dialogue and narration. It started easing off a bit once I was well into the novel, but it still felt rather stilted and not natural at times.

On another note, I personally could have lived without the love triangle and ensuing melodrama between Enrique, Bety, and Helena. I found the dynamic between Enrique and Bety already interesting and could have stood on its own without the presence of another character (Helena) in the mix. I can see why Helena was included in the drama, to propel the tensions further, and force Enrique to make a decision, but I wished the conflict was contained between Enrique and Bety and that they overcame their personal doubts and issues on their own/together without the third wheel.

Overall, The Art Restorer was an interesting read despite of my reservations. There’s a bit of travel involved so it wasn’t solely set in San Sebastián but I think those were my favourite parts of the novel. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Enrique and Bety, perhaps more than the plot itself.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art Restorer is interesting as a mystery and as an insight into the artist Jose Maria Sert, his two wives, and all of the friends who were the elite of Parisian creative life during his life time.

The plot focuses on Enrique Alonso who has returned to San Sebastian for the re-opening of the San Telmo Museum where his ex-wife is in charge of public relations. Bety has become good friends with Craig Bruckner, the retired art restorer who has been aiding in the restorations of Sert's works. Enrique meets him and is also impressed with the older man.

But when Bruckner, a former Olympic swimmer, is found drowned, Bety questions whether it was truly an accident. Enrique and Bety begin doing a little investigating into the circumstances and possible motives...if indeed, Bruckner's death was not an accident.

The information they garner about Sert and his life and work may have had something to do with Bruckner's death. There are two sides of the novel--and both are fascinating: 1) the relationship of Enrique and Bety as they follow their respective leads, and 2) the world of Paris, Sert, and the Nazi Occupation.

The writing style is a little abrupt and may be a result of translation, but you become accustomed to its rhythm.

I liked the book, the plot, and the characters, but I also found that the information about Sert and the Paris literati of the time was just as fascinating.

Serts' first wife, Misia, was pretty amazing. Although she is not a large part of the story, I couldn't quit thinking about her influence. Immortalized by Proust as Princess Yourbeleftiev; Ravel dedicated "Le Cyne" to her; friends with Coco Chanel; patron of Sergei Diahliev's Ballet Russe; her salon visited by Picasso, Paul Morand, Debussy, and every talented artist and intellectual in Paris; painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Vuillard, Valloton, and Pierre Bonnard; many photographs by Pierre Bonnard

(painting on my blog) Misia by Toulouse-Lautrec

Links to completely different versions:

by Renoir

another by Toulouse-Lautrec

by Bonnard

This link is about Sert's second wife's family: the Mdivani's

Read in June; blog review scheduled for July

NetGalley/Open Road Media

Mystery/Contemporary Fiction/Historical Fiction. July 8, 2014. Print length: 345 pages.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julian Sanchez, a Spanish writer from Barcelona, came to international prominence with his first book The Antiquarian, a historical thriller. His fourth book The Art Restorer continues with the same characters, and involves the main protagonist Enrique Alonso in another mystery.
Alonso visits San Sebastian where his ex-partner Bety is preparing for the reopening of the San Telmo museum. There he meets acclaimed art restorer Craig Bruckner, who is studying the work of artist Josep Maria Sert. What follows is an intricate and rather convoluted plot involving previously unknown incidents from Sert’s life, a possible murder, attempts to silence Alonso’s attempt to unravel what’s happened, and the uncovering of all sorts of mysteries and intrigues. One story inside another, the story hurtles towards its conclusion with dizzying and sometimes confusing speed.
Part historical novel, part thriller, part love story, it’s an imaginative piece of fiction, but for me just too improbable. Although Sert was a real person, and is the stepping off point for all that follows, attributing actions and thoughts to him which are fictionalised didn’t sit happily with me. I was interested to learn about the real-life Sert but wanted to feel I could rely on the events in his life being actual ones. And I couldn’t. Although I can see that many readers will enjoy the twists and turns of the plot, I became more and more cynical as the story unfolded, and was particularly irritated with the rather clichéd romantic elements.
I also found the translation clunky and downright strange at times, unless of course, it reflects the author’s own writing style. But the Americanisms grated as did expressions like The Society of Nations in Geneva – The League of Nations surely? So all in all this wasn’t one for me, although I am always pleased to read a foreign contemporary novelist. And I am certainly delighted to have been introduced to the work of such an interesting artist as Sert.

[Nicole Overmoyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know if I realized that THE ART RESTORER was the second about the character Enrique Alonso. I haven’t read the first book, THE ANTIQUARIAN, and I think reading that might be necessary to understand the second book.

Maybe.

On the other hand, Sánchez did do an extreme amount of referencing the first book as the second began so maybe it wasn’t so necessary to read the first book.

That being said, I couldn’t finish the book.

THE ART RESTORER is a novel about an author writing a novel about a man writing a book about an artist... and a part of the novel within a novel ends up being about the artist. Though confusing, the sentence seems simple enough. The story is not.

Enrique Alonso is the author at the center of the novel. I gathered from the references to the first book that he writes mainly about things he accidentally stumbles onto. He’s apparently very successful at this because his Spanish books have been turned into movies in America. On a trip home to Spain, in part to reconnect with his ex-wife, he meets the American art restorer writing a book about the Spanish artist Sert.

The American man suffers a terrible fate, at least I’m assuming it’s terrible – I didn’t read to the conclusion of it all, and this is the inspiration for Alonso’s new book.

The thing that made me quit about a quarter of the way through is as simple as it is confusing – perspective changes. The reader is treated to Alonso’s perspective, his ex-wife’s, the American art restorer, and then there is the first draft of the novel Alonso begins to write.

It was just too much for me.

(I received a copy of THE ART RESTORER by Julián Sánchez from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. My review will be cross-posted on Net Galley, my blog, and my Goodreads account.)

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The central mystery of the book was interesting but there were a lot melodramatic side issues that made the book less appealing.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Art Restorer" Is a very relaxing, well written book with a lot of careful mystery.

This is my first work by Julian Sanchez, as I did not read the first book in this series. I don't think that it is necessary to do so in order to understand this book. There are frequent references to things that happened previously, and I felt like I had enough of an overall picture of the main character's life to navigate this book just fine.

Whilst I greatly enjoyed this book, there are a few strange passages, where the sentence construction seems off, but that is likely due to translation. For the most part I found this to be a well-paced, interesting journey.

The setting is beautifully described and from the very beginning, the idea that the main character is such a real, down to earth type of person permeates the story. I felt close to him from the beginning, and as a result felt close to the characters he cared about.

Knowing that he is battling his own inner demons and trying to make decisions about his life was a good aside to the rest of the story he is a complex character with a big heart and a conscience that wills him to do the right thing in all situations. Most of the events that happened were believable and there is quite a lot of excitement after the first third of the story, where most of the setup happens.

I was very impressed with this book. If you are a fan of art history, captivating backdrops and imaginative writing, I am certain you will enjoy this novel.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of those rare gems that are so perfect and special that you will love every minute of it. It's an art mystery and it includes a writer who is using the death of an art restorer as the starting point for his new novel. The book alternates between the storyline in San Sebastian and the death of the art restorer, New York, Barcelona, Paris, and the San Sebastian and Paris of the past. Plus it artfully combines the stories of the writer, his ex wife, the art restorer and also the present and the past. To top it off, it also combines the real story, plus the story that is happening in the novel, which is based on the real story. Now this sounds really confusing, and with a less skilled writer, it would have been, but Julian Sanchez is perfectly weaving those stories together and keeping them tied together at all times. While the writer in the story is imagining his story for the novel, he also solves the mystery of the death of the art restorer. The writing is beautiful and it flows nicely, keeping the reader engaged and guessing. There is a nice amount of suspense and love story, without ever getting cheesy or unbelievable. Even the outcome of the book is satisfyingly believable and leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction. Definitely five stars! I now have to go back and read the first book featuring the same characters, The Antiquarian.

Copy provided through NetGalley.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Play within a Play" is a convention used by dramatists. Shakespeare was especially fond of it. "Novel within a Novel" is used most effectively in the plot of The Art Restorer. Sanchez, in his Afterward, claims that he is not his main character, Enrique.

Enrique is not the Art Restorer; Enrique is an author, working on his latest crime novel, as Sanchez seamlessly blends fact with fiction in an utterly believable search for clues.

Set against the beauty of San Sebastian, on the shores of Basque Spain, and shifting to Paris, New York and Barcelona, the story enfolds as Enrique follows the trail left by Craig Bruckner, the art restorer, before his untimely and mysterious death. The action shifts from present day Spain to WWII Nazi-occupied France, and introduces the reader to the incomparable works of the artist Sert.

As Enrique comes closer and closer to the reason for Bruckner's death, he finds his own life in peril, and, it is not until the final paragraphs of this book that the full truth is unveiled.

Remarkable storytelling!!

I read this e-book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always happy when I discover an author new to me. As I said on Monday in my response to The Antiquarian , I stumbled across Sánchez’s work on NetGalley and requested a copy of this novel. I received a copy of The Art Restorer from the publisher and received no compensation for my honest opinion.

Whereas in the first novel of this series, The Antiquarian, Sánchez completely sold me on his writing and story telling, this novel fell a little short. The story was still fascinating and excellently written, how the story was told bordered a bit too much on the Hollywood/Dan Brown scale. However, I can’t decide if this is a part of Sánchez’s writing style for the story within this story, or if it is something that happened in his own processes.

Click here to continue reading on my blog The Oddness of Moving Things.