The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece Audiobook

" this was quite interesting to learn how old paintings are restored. Even tho this was non-fiction, it read like a novel as he wrote it in narrative form. "

" Harr tells the story of the search for a lost Italian masterpiece in a way that neophytes can enjoy the thrill of the chase and not be overwhelmed with all the intellectual jargon of the art history world. Caravaggio was one of the brightest stars of the Baroque period and very few of his paintings has survives. This is the account of finding one of his painting. I liked the no frill approach the author had. For art lovers and people that like a good treasure hunt done by academics. That means old archives in remote Italian villages, research through 1600's account books, 1900's sale receipts etc. A librarian's dream treasure hunt. : ) "

" NF- loved Civil Action, and like fic and non-fic about art world. Harr is so readable and smart...easy to forget this isn't a suspense novel. "

" Story is interesting as is the info about Caravaggio's life. I don't like the style of the author-switching back and forth so quickly between events past and present in characters lives. Do you call the people in a nonfiction book characters? "

" I want to read this again! A vivid and enthralling account of the journey to discover the long-lost painting known as The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio. "

" My love of art helped the rating of this book. It was fascinating to read about the 400-year provenance of a couple of Carvaggio's paintings and the mysteries/searching/research surrounding them. Non-fiction is not my preference, but this one was enjoyable - though the last 75ish pages were a bit sluggish for me. "

" I didn't realize this was a true story until close to the end. In fact, I thought several times that it seemed rather journalistic in style for historical fiction. It can be a little dry, but it's definitely an interesting story if you have any interest in art history. "

" Pretty good. Hard to beat _A Civil Action_ but still better than I expected (and a quick read too!) "

" I enjoyed reading this account of the process of authenticating and finding long missing paintings by Caravaggio and others. I liked the sense of being there in Rome, in London, during the search for The Taking of Christ. The technical aspects of the investigation into the identification of the painter were especially interesting. "

" an intriguing page turner with interesting facts about restoring art. "

" A non-fiction book that reads like a thriller. An incredible true story of how a lost Caravaggio was identified by two graduate students. "

" Fascinating story about the recovery of a missing Caravaggio painting. I learned a lot about art, Italy, Caravaggio and the methods used to restore paintings. Hard to put down. "

" It gets increasingly better as you read. I'd give it 3.5 "

" This reads exceedingly easily. Feels like a mystery, even though in the end there wasn't much of a mystery. A good summer book. "

" This book was awesome, a very quick read. It is a great true story of the finding of a lost painting- i was so engrossed i finished it in one evening. "

" Great book on art history. "

" Would recommend this to Patty. I felt it was a true story, the characters were so real and the storyline so happening! "

" Very educational. I learned a lot about art and found the book well researched. It kept my interest throughout. A good read if you are at all interested in art. "

" Quick paced, thrilling read, especially for an art lover! "

" One of my more recent non-fiction reads but the great thing about it is that it almost reads like fiction. Very interesting art mystery that will hold your attention from beginning to end. "

" I enjoyed this book. It was one I could not put down. "

" Not as good as A Civil Action, but an interesting, fun very quick read. "

" A fun read, but not that compelling. "

" I'm not sure I'll finish this one. I loved Harr's first book, A Civil Action, but I find I can't engage with the characters in this book. I'm fascinated by provenance, but I still am not compelled to finish this. "

" I love this book! Jonathan Harr is the master of English language, it makes reader really enjoy reading the language itself. The journey of the last painting was impressive, the readers go to layer under layer with the author to a satisfying end. "

" This was a difficult book to get into, because of all the Italian names, words and places. However, it's worth the work. "

" I had to keep reminding myself that this is not fiction. Great read. "

" The story seemed a little dramatic in some spots but overall was very interesting and informative. "

" I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Granted, I really like Caravaggio's paintings, but I think I would have liked it without even knowing who he was. Some of the reviews complained about the descriptions of searching through archives or restoring a painting. I found it fascinating. "

" A short, interesting, well paced non-fiction book. In a weekend I learned a bit about art history research, restoration, ego and politics in the art world and Caravaggio. "

" This is a true story that reads like a detective novel. It's fun to have a character in a book who you know. "

" Quietly enjoyable non-fiction account of how a famous lost painting by Caravaggio was discovered and documented. Easy to read and accessible account of how the art scholars did their work. I enjoyed the peek into that world. "

" A wonderful real-life detective story. I finally saw the painting a couple of months ago, and having read this book enriched the experience immeasurably. "

" NF- loved Civil Action, and like fic and non-fic about art world. Harr is so readable and smart...easy to forget this isn't a suspense novel. "

" Fun, quick, interesting and very readable. I kept studying the picture on the back cover as I read the story. "

" Very interesting book, fast read - good insight into the world of art, art collectors, restorers and historians. "

" Brilliant detective story as art historians track down the famous lost painting by Caravaggio, "The Taking Of Christ". Based on real life events, it's the intellectuals' "Da Vinci Code". Great read! "

" a little dry at first, but compelling when you come to the restoration part. "

" Love reading historical fiction! This was a great read. "

" An interesting telling of how art history research gets done, and how the quest for information can take over the lives of those on the hunt. "