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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos takes you to Amsterdam in the 1600's, back to the art guilds, the plague, and the predicament of a talented woman in a man's society. Sara's life story begins on an ominous note - she, her painter husband, Barent, and her daughter Kathrijn, have gone on an excursion to see a beached whale. The trip begins the unraveling of her life - the death of her only child, the bankruptcy and disappearance of her husband, and her assignment painting at an abandoned village and new life. The book also is set in Manhattan, in the late 1950's. There, we meet a man Marty de Groot, whose family has owned a painting by Sara de Vos for hundred's of years. During a party, the painting is somehow stolen and replaced with a forgery that was painted by a young Australian art student named Ellie Shipley studying at Columbia. The book alternates chapters of Sara, Marty, and Ellie's viewpoints. We then fast forward to Sydney, Australia in the year 2000, where Ellie is now a museum curator and respected professor. She is planning an exhibit of Dutch masters, and the Sara de Vos original painting, "At the Edge of a Wood" and her forgery are sent to be displayed. How is the crisis handled? What happened to Sara? Was this truly her last painting? - It is all revealed in an interesting way - throughly enjoyed this book.
This book tells the story of a woman painter of the 1600s, a modern day forgery of her work and the interpersonal relationships between the forger and victim of the forgery, who sets his sights on revenge. It involves 3 storylines from 3 periods in time. The lives of the 2 main female characters contain a number of parallels, even though they are separated by centuries in time. The author has created an interesting plot that provides insight into the different ways loss, revenge, sadness, and regret can impact lives. The book is well-written; the descriptions allowed me to create mental pictures of the paintings as well as the diverse time periods. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, art-based subjects or reflections on human nature.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Sarah DeVos - a woman painter - member of the Artist’s Guild in 16th century Holland. Martin DeGroot - a 1950’s New York City philanthropist and art lover. Eleanor Shipley - Australian grad student who paints a forgery of Sarah DeVos’ only known landscape in the 1950s.
Story moves between NYC in the 1950’s, Amsterdam in the 1630’s and Sydney in 2000. Relationships and ethics struggles. Enjoyable listen.
Story moves between NYC in the 1950’s, Amsterdam in the 1630’s and Sydney in 2000. Relationships and ethics struggles. Enjoyable listen.
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this! Though the characters and plot are not entirely unique, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos was executed very well. If some attention to excess characters were either trimmed down or more developed, this could have been easily five stars. Beautiful writing and would make a great movie. The ending was haunting and makes the dust jacket of this edition even more spine-chilling.
I listened to the audio version of this book. It was beautiful. The prose throughout was exquisite. While there were moments where I just wanted the story to move along at a faster pace, each section was necessary. Ellie, Martin, and Sara are all developed just enough for the reader to be invested in each of their stories. It was an intriguing adventure through three time periods and three lives. I don't know if I would have appreciated the prose as much if I had read it as opposed to listening to it. This book is one that is meant to be read and enjoyed, not rushed through.
A slow start. Yet as I stayed with it Smith wove a convoluted story that wasn't particularly predictable, my favorite type of book. I don't think one needs to be an artists or an art lover to appreciate this book.