The Talented Miss Farwell

A Novel

By: Emily Gray Tedrowe

Narrated by: Allyson Ryan

Catch Me If You Can meets Patricia Highsmith in this electrifying page-turner of greed and obsession, survival and self-invention that is a piercing character study of one unforgettable female con artist.

""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


At the end of the 1990s, with the art market finally recovered from its disastrous collapse, Miss Rebecca Farwell has made a killing at Christie’s in New York City, selling a portion of her extraordinary art collection for a rumored 900 percent profit. Dressed in couture YSL, drinking the finest champagne at trendy Balthazar, Reba, as she’s known, is the picture of a wealthy art collector. To some, the elusive Miss Farwell is a shark with outstanding business acumen. To others, she’s a heartless capitalist whose only interest in art is how much she can make.

But a thousand miles from the Big Apple, in the small town of Pierson, Illinois, Miss Farwell is someone else entirely—a quiet single woman known as Becky who still lives in her family’s farmhouse, wears sensible shoes, and works tirelessly as the town’s treasurer and controller.

No one understands the ins and outs of Pierson’s accounts better than Becky; she’s the last one in the office every night, crunching the numbers. Somehow, her neighbors marvel, she always finds a way to get the struggling town just a little more money. What Pierson doesn’t see—and can never discover—is that much of that money is shifted into a separate account that she controls, “borrowed” funds used to finance her art habit. Though she quietly repays Pierson when she can, the business of art is cutthroat and unpredictable.

But as Reba Farwell’s deals get bigger and bigger, Becky Farwell’s debt to Pierson spirals out of control. How long can the talented Miss Farwell continue to pull off her double life?

wrap it up

The story was really interesting. it would have been better if it were shorter. the last third became tedious rather than having any suspense about what was to happen.

Kept me hanging on

I just kept waiting for her to get caught. Loved this book. The narrator was just ok, but really now that I think about it, her droning voice was kind of perfect for the main character who seems a little devoid of human emotion. Recommend.

Interesting story

This was interesting as a comparison to the Rita Crundwell story, but it was much too long. It could have more impact if it were shorter.

Great story

Love historical fiction… wonder who this story was really written about? Wonder how much.is really true?

a little long

Parts about the art in the second half could have been eliminated. otherwise good