Summary and Reviews of The Original by Nell Stevens

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Stevens' second novel—after Briefly, A Delicious Life (2022)—retains its predecessor's lyricism and insight into the nooks and crannies of human nature, but is even more propulsive...Any comparison to Sarah Waters is well earned; readers will be on tenterhooks. A slippery, captivating tale that doubles as a portrait of a complicated, indelibly queer past.

 Aysegül Savas, author of The Anthropologists "The Original is deliciously engaging and wildly intelligent. I adored this novel about art, authenticity, and desire and am a devoted fan of Nell Stevens.

 Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground A delightful, playful puzzle of a novel, and a brilliant twist on the nineteenth century orphan-makes-good story. The Original asks whether, sometimes, faking it is the right thing to do.

 Eleanor Catton, author of Birnam Wood A marvelously inventive and perfectly forged novel that poses a mischievous question: What role does likeness play in love? The ghosts of Oscar Wilde and Wilkie Collins stalk these pages, whether they know it or not.

 Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year Astonishing, unputdownable, unforgettable, The Original is a tour de force. A historical novel with the immediacy of the best realist fiction. I absolutely loved it.

 Mark Prins, author of The Latinist Like varnish cracking to reveal a masterpiece underneath, The Original turns a tale of artistic copying into a thrilling study of class, ambition, and the ultimate confidence game: becoming oneself. Smart, sensual, and utterly mesmerizing, this is a novel of exquisite tension and craft.

 Olivia Laing, author of The Garden Against Time What a bewitching book this is. A sinuous, thrilling meditation on fakes and forgers, with echoes of Daphne du Maurier and Sarah Waters and an audacity that is totally original to Nell Stevens herself.

Reader Reviews

Suzi F. (San Diego, CA)
Perfect fall read!
Aatmospheric books that aren't too dark or creepy are hard to find but this one fits the bill. I really enjoyed it! The main character, a woman with face blindness who works as an art forger, was easy to root for. The only thing that irked me a bit ...   Read More M K. (Minneapolis, MN)
Who are you? Who am I
As I open the first several pages into the main hall of Inderwick, I have a hard time knowing whether Grace, the copyist (whom we might call a forger) is able to perceive the world further than what she sees on a canvas and then paints. Is her cousin...   Read More Kathleen C. (Cockeysville, MD)
A copy is an extension of love
Grace is the unwanted guest in her uncle's stately but deteriorating home where she is treated somewhere between an undesirable family member and a servant. She is overlooked but when noticed is seen as an odd misfit by everyone except one of her ...   Read More Catharine L. (Petoskey, MI)
The Original
I rarely give a 5 review, and rarely read books about art. This book had my attention from the first page. Grace is an orphan, brought up in an English manor, completely unaware ignored by her aunt and uncle. She can't remember faces, and so appears ...   Read More

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