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baoluong's review against another edition
2.0
Loving Vincent is a love letter to a man who couldn’t love himself. I felt emotionally heavy like being submerged in water warmed by the sun. The romance of the struggling artist comes to a head from 10,000 hand painted frames illustrating the French countryside. The sweeping landscapes are populated by moving brushstrokes. My heart hurts seeing someone working through mental illness. Constantly misunderstood and not understanding what was wrong with himself, Vincent struggled to find inner peace. Although, make no mistake, Vincent’s talent is supported by hours of practice and not simply a result of his depression. He used art as a form of therapy but without medicinal treatment to financial security, Vincent fell victim to the time and circumstances.
So, as I delved into the life of Vincent again, I can’t help but miss a bit of the messiness. While the book fleshes out the lesser known parts of the artist’s life and even corrects some details it all comes across as dry. There’s a factualness to the narrative. It also doesn’t help that the perspective is in the third person and can jump to the future undermining what the characters felt at the time. In truth, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I would hope. It was like reading an except from one of those state tests instead of a book. The most interesting aspect of this book is the brothers’ relationship. A bond form from childhood and carried on throughout life. The two are in constant dialogue as one compromises in an effort to put his belief in his brother while the other searches for meaning in life determined to make his brother justified.
If anything, I learned quite a deal about Vincent’s journey to impressionist painting. It is often framed as a spark of genius out of the vacuum of creativity. I appreciate how this book incorporates banality as ingredients artists have to use in order to inform their practice.
I recommend this book to fine art enthusiasts who will enjoy discovering the hidden parts of creativity.
I love the colors and the hat as representation for the brothers. Too bad this is the most expressive the book will ever get.
kayla_feeney08's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness
josemclr's review against another edition
5.0
Estoy devastado. Es tan hermoso como doloroso. La historia de Vincent y Theo puede significar muchas cosas porque para mí sin duda es más que una biografía de uno de los artistas más famosos de la historia y de su brillante hermano. Y pues, por si quedaba duda, lloré.
zoejjj's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
While I did tear up at multiple points, reading Vincent died in Theo’s arms. Theo died alone had me crying in the living room surrounded by my family. I didn’t even realize how attached to Vincent and Theo I had gotten until right then.
Although Vincent’s life was overall very tragic, this book never reads as tragedy porn. Vincent’s (and Theo’s!) life is described as having moments of joy, being worth living even if it was hard. It was hopeful. His life was hopeful!! He pointed hundred of paintings about being happy!!
Finding out that Almond Blossoms was for Vincent’s godson also made me really emotional for some reasons.
Although Vincent’s life was overall very tragic, this book never reads as tragedy porn. Vincent’s (and Theo’s!) life is described as having moments of joy, being worth living even if it was hard. It was hopeful. His life was hopeful!! He pointed hundred of paintings about being happy!!
Finding out that Almond Blossoms was for Vincent’s godson also made me really emotional for some reasons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Confinement
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Extremely touching story of these two brothers, and of a man and his family trying to navigate the challenges of brilliance and mental illness. This background brings so much to my viewing of Van Gogh's work. I appreciated the balanced approach to the two well-known, but questionable events: his ear, and his death.
skorned's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
I was really engaged by how Heiligman manages to bring the lives of Theo and Vincent Van Gogh alive, so much so that I found myself deeply invested and emotional toward the end of the book. I normally struggle to read nonfiction, but I read this in a day.
amu_pdf's review
3.0
I love Vincent Van Gogh. It was very interesting to read about his life through the view of his letters with Theo. It was nice to learn about how Theo took care of Vincent through his mental illness instead of letting him fend for himself. Both of the boys definitely fell in love way too easily (which is honestly relatable). I felt like every other chapter they were in love with new girls. It was a nice read and I would recommend it if you also love Vincent Van Gogh