Attribution

A Novel

De: Linda Moore

Narrado por: Sarah Welborn

Art historian Cate Adamson, desperate to succeed to console her grieving parents, leaves the Midwest to complete her doctorate in New York—only to find herself assigned to an impossible sexist advisor. She struggles to impress him until she discovers a hidden painting, possibly a Baroque masterpiece. Risking her career, financial disaster, and further alienation from her family, she flees to Spain with the painting to consult art experts.

Antonio, an impoverished duke, meets Cate on the train to Seville, and joins her search while attempting to rescue the decaying legacy of his family. They find clues and uncover evidence that will shock the titans of art history, may destroy her prospects as an art historian, and shatter her future with Antonio.

Written with vivid prose, rich references to seventeenth-century Spanish art, compelling characters, and a historical puzzle, Attribution is the story of one contemporary woman's journey to understand the past and unlock her future.

©2022 Linda Moore (P)2024 Tantor

Good art centrality, distracting reader, fluffy story

It was interesting the way the fictional content was built around nonfictional art history. The quasi romance contrasted with the clever way the author unfolded the attribution story. I felt the reader’s soft tones were misaligned with the strength of the main character. On the petty side, I was distracted by the reader’s hard ‘g’s on words ending in “ing” and “ang” and on the “ng” pronunciation in general. That said, I learned some things and I’m glad I listened to it.

The Narrator Nearly Ruined It

The narrator should have had more preparation on correct pronunciation of at least a FEW KEY words, like the name Olivares, a central name that ran through the narrative. Each time she said “Ah-liv-air-us,” I found myself saying the correct pronunciation out loud . For the past 23 years I’ve been a docent at a museum housing one of the biggest collections of Spanish art outside the Prado Museum and the wholesale slaughter of the language grated on me. Even English words were frequently mispronounced. However, the story itself was enough to keep me going. I enjoyed reliving my times in Madrid and Seville chasing after art, and look forward to going further research on Velazquez’ later works. With a different narrator I’d have given this book a higher rating.