"The narrative is one long, messy, juicy gossip peppered with exclamations. . . . But gossip is an effective rhetoric for this life. . . . Gardner may have hoped, by burning her letters, to escape capture in yet another book plotted like a novel by Henry James. She might have liked this garrulous, sociable portrait of her time."-- Diane Wood Middlebrook, New York Times Book Review (front page review) "This intimate engrossing biography finally gives the creator of one of the world's great museums credit for her achievements. . . . The author's expertise in American cultural history greatly enriches his narrative."-- The New Yorker "It's the unauthorized story of the grandest of Boston's grand dames that any sentient person wants to read. The Art of Scandal has a delightful sense of the city that once was the Athens of America."-- Alex Beam, Boston Globe "He dares to paint in words the woman John Singer Sargent painted on canvas. . . . She is always engagingly human and brimming with life." -- Daniel Aaron, The New Republic "Gardner's heretofore fugitive life story is riveting because Shand-Tucci turns out to be erudite, witty, and wise. . . . Shand-Tucci describes her adventures, eccentricities, and resounding success as a muse, mentor, patron, and designer, shedding light on a singular woman and her influential role in the evolution of American culture."-- Booklist Read Less