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May 27, 2016susanchyn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A deliciously suspenseful, noirish story about Judith, a lowly assistant employed by an upscale London art dealer. Judith really loves her art, but because she does not come from money, she inhabits “the white time, the negative space, the gap between desire and lack.” And so we root for her as she battles the snobs and users of the art world. She channels Artemisia Gentileschi. You go girl! Gradually, though, as we see her cut loose in the metro club scene, we start to think, whoa. “Who is this woman?” Whoa. And more whoa, through the final pages. The vicarious perks of Maestra include many references to European architecture, works of art, restaurants large and small, trendy food and drink, mega yachts and designer labels. Linguaphiles (especially of French and Italian) will find little gems throughout. But Hilton clearly enjoys showing the “rasher” side of Rashleigh’s outre sex life, meaning that the reading experience is like alternately flipping through Architectural Digest and Cosmo.