“Stylish. . . . The fictional Becky is playing a more morally complex game.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Becky Farwell is one of the most wickedly compelling characters I’ve read in ages—a Machiavellian marvel, a modern Becky Sharp, a character to root for despite your better judgment—and her story, both topical and timeless, will knock you off your feet.”
—Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers
“The gritty underbelly of the art market and the pathology of decades of financial chicanery meet their delirious match in Tedrowe’s Miss Farwell, who stands glaring up at the reader from the intersection of Hitchcock’s Marnie and Highsmith’s Ripley. Watch out for paper cuts.”
—Jonathan Lethem
“There’s just nothing as compelling as a juicy, sordid scam—which makes Emily Gray Tedrowe’s latest a must-read.”
—Harper’s Bazaar
“Perfectly executed. . . . Tedrowe does a spectacular job of demonstrating the mindset of a character who justifies her criminal activity while believing she’s ultimately good.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“If ever you are looking for a book to provide an escape from your own reality, I heartily recommend Emily Gray Tedrowe’s The Talented Miss Farwell. Becky Farwell is the most sympathetic, art-collecting, money-laundering villain I have ever encountered. She literally bleeds her hometown dry—the empty swimming pools of Pierson are heartbreaking—and yet somehow, I loved her.”
—Marcy Dermansky, author of Very Nice
“The Talented Miss Farwell is utterly magnificent. Not since Tom Ripley have I fallen so hard for a con artist. . . . Becky Farwell is an unforgettable character. She is the beating heart of this spellbinding page-turner about art, greed, and self-invention.”
—Cristina Alger, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us
“A read-it-to-believe-it page-turner about a con artist whose luck can’t last.”
—Real Simple
“Both lighthearted and deeply conflicted, Tedrowe’s caper, with its Becky Sharp allusions, raises significant moral issues.”
—Booklist
“Sharp, darkly comedic, and full of fascinating facts about the art world.”
—CrimeReads
“Riveting. . . . With Becky Farwell, Tedrowe has created one of the year’s most fascinating, complex, nuanced characters.”
—Medium
“A page-turner about a con woman who steals from her town government to make it big in the art world. . . . A fantastic character—and compelling story.”
—Alma
“Tedrowe has a talent for incrementally (and believably) stacking a house of cards and keeping readers wondering just how crazy things will get. The answer: way crazier than you’d expect for a small-town art lover.”
—Chicago magazine
“Smart, psychologically insightful. . . . Tedrowe makes the pages fly through the secrets and self-delusions, skillfully inspiring empathy and identification with a criminal mastermind.”
—The National Book Review