Details Books To The Titian Committee (Jonathan Argyll #2)
| Original Title: | The Titian Committee |
| ISBN: | 0425168956 (ISBN13: 9780425168950) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Jonathan Argyll #2 |
| Characters: | Jonathan Argyll |
| Setting: | Venice(Italy) |
Iain Pears
Paperback | Pages: 230 pages Rating: 3.63 | 1560 Users | 128 Reviews
Declare Containing Books The Titian Committee (Jonathan Argyll #2)
| Title | : | The Titian Committee (Jonathan Argyll #2) |
| Author | : | Iain Pears |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 230 pages |
| Published | : | May 1st 1999 by Berkley (first published March 21st 1991) |
| Categories | : | Mystery. Fiction. Art. Crime. Cultural. Italy |
Description Concering Books The Titian Committee (Jonathan Argyll #2)
A few years ago there was a radio program called "The Car Guys" where the hosts would take live call-ins and try to solve car problems by listening to owner/driver descriptions. The hosts, who were brothers, were extremely knowledgeable and also very funny. They also somewhat regularly made fun of people who got degrees in art history for having gotten educated in something that has no practical value. I freely admit I saw their point.And then I discovered Iain Pears. My goodness! There are people who take art very seriously - some even willing to commit murder in its name. OK, the murder part might be a real life exaggeration. The Titian Committee opens with the discovery of a body in a city garden. The gardener has spent months cultivating the lilies which are destined to festoon dining tables of the committee. He discovers that one of the committee members has had the bad taste to have been murdered and found lying in this flower bed, destroying his work.
I know little to nothing about art. So far in this series I have recognized the names of the artists, but probably have never seen any of their work. So why do I keep reading them? Pears writes wonderfully well and wittily. If that were not enough, his characters are believable, but perhaps with one characteristic that he plays to the hilt. Flavia di Stefano has an unparalleled appetite and Jonathan Argyll is an acute observer, but gathers what appears to be extraneous information. While Jonathan is the art historian, Flavia is the brains.
The other interesting - to me - side of these is the art history. In this, part of the mystery involves a love triangle of the 16th Century painter, Titian. I have no idea whether there was an actual love triangle. I think Pears definitely uses his imagination to make a good novel, but I also suspect not everything in this novel (or series) is fabricated. Pears certainly uses all of his resources, historical and otherwise, to give us a good plot. Part of my 4-star rating for this one may be that I like the series so much.
Rating Containing Books The Titian Committee (Jonathan Argyll #2)
Ratings: 3.63 From 1560 Users | 128 ReviewsAppraise Containing Books The Titian Committee (Jonathan Argyll #2)
Venice in the rain; a cabal of petty art historians: a lost Titian (maybe?): and a murder (or two? Or three?) Doesnt it sound like the perfect recipe for a delicious murder mystery? This book is so light-hearted and probably entirely dashed-off that it is hard to recognize that the writer of such masterpieces as Fingerpost and Scipios Dream wrote this series earlier in his career. His great wit is there though throughout. The descriptions of Venice and the petty workings of the committee membersThis was the first Art Mystery that I'd read by Iain Pears. It was well researched and although I couldn't find fault with anything specific, the overall impression I got was that his characters were too superficial. I couldn't connect with them at all. Perhaps it was an Italian setting that reflected the complicated politics of the country. I just didn't care about the two main characters - they seemed cold and too breezy. He described the woman as fiery and volatile in places, but I didn't see
Delightful. I first read these years ago and had forgotten most of the plot and certainly who "did it", so that made the reread all the more enjoyable.A real throwback to Golden Age British mysteries, in my opinion. Light and clever, but smart. So much of what's written now is either grim as all hell or too stupid/cute to bear.Recommended.
Finally, a second-book-in-the-series that is better than the first! Another whodunnit in the "Art History" series. This one takes place in Venice, and is short and snappy and amusing and I will look for the rest in the series.
This is the third book I've read by him, and the second in this art historian series. I love the two main characters, art historian Jonathan Argyll and the police assistant in the art theft squad Flavia di Stefano. Alternately irritated and attracted to each other, their skills blend seamlessly well in their investigation of the murders/art thefts they pursue. Pears' writing has a light and humorous touch, while simultaneously well-informed in the art history arena. This mystery was entertaining
The second book in Iain Pears Jonathan Argyle Art Mysteries is also my second go round with this delightful series (Still cant believe these enjoyable literary pastries are from the same author of the dense & amazing quadraphonic book An Instance of the Fingerpost). And I look forward to more in this series. Why? Jonathan & Flavia are a delight. The mysteries are, well, mysterious. Droll humor weaves in & out (worth it with just the takes on the goofy Italian justice system). Theres
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