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The Portrait

Iain Pears

2004211 pagesabout 3–5 hours
2004
first published
  • 2005HarperCollins · 211 pages · ENGISBN 9780007202768
  • 2005Riverhead Books · 211 pages · ENGISBN 9781573222983
  • 2005Thorndike Press · 245 pages · ENGISBN 9780786278756
  • 2006Harper PerennialISBN 9780007232819
  • 2009Penguin USA, Inc. · ENGISBN 9781440681370
  • 2005Penguin AudioISBN 9780143057505
  • 2006Vintage Canada · 224 pages · ENGISBN 9780676977516
  • 2006Riverhead Trade · 224 pages · ENGISBN 9781594481758

An art critic journeys to a remote island off Brittany to sit for a portrait painted by an old friend, a gifted but tormented artist living in self-imposed exile. The painter recalls their years of friendship, the gift of the critic's patronage, and his callous betrayals. As he struggles to capture the character of the man, as well as his image, on canvas, it becomes clear that there is much more than a portrait at stake...

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