2 Good New Boston Based Fiction Books about Technology (MIT) and Art Forgery

December 1, 2012 by

The empty frames in the Gardner Museum from the infamous heist are 

the backdrop to B. A. Shapiro's "The Art Forger"

I've just read two new novels that are set in Boston which are very good. They each do deep dives into specific times and areas that are really interesting, give you a glimpse into some Bostonhistory, and are page turners. 

The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

This book takes a great look at life in Boston in the late 1860's, covers the early days of MIT, and shows how difficult it was to get science accepted in a time that the church (and Harvard) had alot of power in the region. Its a fun read that has mystery, history, old school tech, and a bit of adventure in it.

An MIT book review does a good job giving the basics of the story:

The story takes place in 1868, three years after MIT opened for classes. Most of Boston is deeply suspicious of what the Institute represents. “Their sciences are seen as practically pagan,” a policeman exclaims early on. As industry dawns, the city is hit by a series of terrorist attacks. Magnetic compasses in the harbor go awry, and seven ships crash into the piers of Boston. Later, all of the glass on State Street’s office buildings melts away. Nobody knows why.
 
MIT is suspected of complicity in the scientifically-based attacks, but a small group of students — including Ellen Swallow Richards, class of 1873 and MIT’s first female student, her future husband Robert Richards, class of 1868, and a character partly based on Freeman — toil secretly in the basement to reverse-engineer the schemes, capture the evildoer, and restore their school’s reputation.
 
 

The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro

Set in present day Boston, the plot of B.A. Shapiro's fun page turner revolves around the Gardner Museum heist which happened more than 20 years before. There's lots of Boston area details including visits to the Gardner Museum, the MFA, and the Back Bay.

This review did the best job of summarizing what I thought of the book:

Looking for a novel you can't put down? No doubt about it, "The Art Forger"by B.A. Shapiro is your book!
 
Shapiro has managed to use her knowledge of art and Boston to bring us a page-turning thriller that is both literary and entertaining. I found myself so drawn into the world of art and forgery that I forgot where I even was.
 
Claire Roth is a young artist making a living copying famous artwork for the Internet. When she is approached by an owner of a renown art gallery in Boston, it is to do something totally against her principals. She is torn. And it doesn't help that she has a background of some infamy, as it stands.
 
—
 
I found myself settling into the city of Boston. I felt the sense of the city surrounding me as Shapiro took Claire around the streets, through the Gardner Museum, and into the homes of the characters. And the Gardner Museum is now on my list of must-see places in Boston. The artwork comes totally alive as the colors pop and grind.
 

 

Garnder Image from: HOLLY SALMON/COURTESY ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM, BOSTON

Filed Under: Art, Book Recommendations Tagged With: , , ,