“An Object of Beauty” is a hard book to classify. For one thing it has two objects. The first object is Lacey Yeager, an eager lady who starts her art career in the basements of Sotheby’s where she spends her time learning about art and how to value it. She also learns about the effect she has on men and on how to manipulate them to her ends.

(Greek Tragedy by Mark Rothko)

The book is also about art. It includes reproductions of some of the paintings mentioned in the book. The book chronicles the ups and downs of the art market the last few decades as we follow Lacey’s career up from the bowels of Sotheby’s to the auction rooms and then out on her own. First as a paid employee of an art gallery then the owner of her own gallery.

(Our Town by Kerry James Marshall)

The story of Lacey Yeager reminded me a little bit of Truman Capote’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Lacey uses and manipulates men to advance her career and maybe even stay out of jail. Fair warning, a few of the sex scenes in the book are candidates for “worst sex scenes in a novel.” The book is also about integrity and money and that sometimes they don’t really mix, at least in the short term, but sometimes when you go for the gold now, nobody trusts you later.

(The Reader by Mary Casatt)

I really enjoyed the book despite not having quite figured it out. Sometimes you can’t worry about classifying things, you just have to go where the book takes you. This is a fun and quirky read. I give it three stars out of five.