THE LAST PAINTING OF SARA DE VOS

Smith uses a rare painting by a fictitious seventeenth-century female Dutch painter to create a story that covers three centuries, three continents, and three lives. Like a master painter building the layers that transform canvas into art, narrator Edoardo Ballerini uses language to build a story that is rich and multilayered. His narration is clear and concise, with a steady tempo and inflection. However, the listener needs to be fully engaged to keep the settings and characters straight as there's little nuance in Ballerini's delivery. The listener's efforts will be rewarded with insights into the intrigues of the art world and three flawed yet fascinating characters. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2016]