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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When I started reading this book, I wasn't initially sure what to make of it. The structure is unusual to me. We start with a prologue from the artist Johannes Vermeer, as he discovers in 1663 the idea for his picture, 'The Woman in Blue Reading a Letter'.
And then the story starts to alternate from a man, whom one assumes is moving towards older age, who comes to the museum in Amsterdam each day to visit the Woman in Blue; and Angelieke the woman who is depicted in the painting.
It unsettled me slightly, I like art, but to lean into it with the fascination and obsessive compulsion of the man, and for the woman in the painting to be able to read his thoughts and to contemplate him, while also telling her story from 350+ years ago, was a little destabilising and I wondered at the start whether the whole premise would spiral into something bizarre and unintelligible. But it doesn't, instead it weaves two unique stories together, both pulling strongly on what it is to love and how we make sense of that love as it evolves.
All the way through the book I was wondering where the story would go to. It is not long, and so it was a fast book to read and even if I wanted to, I couldn't put it down as my intrigue for how it would all resolve itself bore out.
In the end I could pick the ending prior to my arrival on both sides, but this didn't diminish the story, but rather I found the way it eased forward to the conclusions beautiful and peaceful, reminiscent of how this piece of art is often described.
The passages are evocative and whether they step you into the artwork or into day to day life, they are rich and full of colour, smell and emotion.
After I finished the book, I went searching for more of Veneer's work and I really quite like it. The overall tone is a bit dark and sombre when you first look at them, but they are mysterious and quite often feature glorious blues and striking golds that leap out of the darkness. The way he captures his subjects, their character and poise is stunning, like you have caught them in the middle of doing or thinking something that is secret or half formed, is really exquisite, like Girl with the Pearl Earring, the Milk Maid, Dame on Spinet or The Art of Painting and of course, The Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.
An intriguing novella on what it is to love.
Many thanks to the publishers Fairlight Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy.
See what I am reading now: https://yarrabookclub.wordpress.com/
"But he also knows that all middle-of-the-night ideas seem brilliant when considered in the dark between sleeping and waking - those same ideas in the cold light of day less so."
And then the story starts to alternate from a man, whom one assumes is moving towards older age, who comes to the museum in Amsterdam each day to visit the Woman in Blue; and Angelieke the woman who is depicted in the painting.
It unsettled me slightly, I like art, but to lean into it with the fascination and obsessive compulsion of the man, and for the woman in the painting to be able to read his thoughts and to contemplate him, while also telling her story from 350+ years ago, was a little destabilising and I wondered at the start whether the whole premise would spiral into something bizarre and unintelligible. But it doesn't, instead it weaves two unique stories together, both pulling strongly on what it is to love and how we make sense of that love as it evolves.
All the way through the book I was wondering where the story would go to. It is not long, and so it was a fast book to read and even if I wanted to, I couldn't put it down as my intrigue for how it would all resolve itself bore out.
In the end I could pick the ending prior to my arrival on both sides, but this didn't diminish the story, but rather I found the way it eased forward to the conclusions beautiful and peaceful, reminiscent of how this piece of art is often described.
The passages are evocative and whether they step you into the artwork or into day to day life, they are rich and full of colour, smell and emotion.
"And it was on Katrijn's hands, so that the lady of the house where she worked, not knowing it was Katrijn who smelled now of rosewater, remarked on the scent of roses faintly adrift on the air. 'It is a summer smell, roses and new-cut grass and ewes with their lambs' she said, and she imagined it was something that had been carried on the wind from somewhere far off, a place where it was always summer and there were always swallows throwing outsize geometry against the blue sky. The though made the lady of the house smile, and she carried that smile through the rest of that day and into the next".
After I finished the book, I went searching for more of Veneer's work and I really quite like it. The overall tone is a bit dark and sombre when you first look at them, but they are mysterious and quite often feature glorious blues and striking golds that leap out of the darkness. The way he captures his subjects, their character and poise is stunning, like you have caught them in the middle of doing or thinking something that is secret or half formed, is really exquisite, like Girl with the Pearl Earring, the Milk Maid, Dame on Spinet or The Art of Painting and of course, The Woman in Blue Reading a Letter.
An intriguing novella on what it is to love.
Many thanks to the publishers Fairlight Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy.
See what I am reading now: https://yarrabookclub.wordpress.com/
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Publishing date: 20.02.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
TLDR: A man visits a painting every day and falls in love with the subject and the art itself. On the other side, the subject internally converses with her admirer and reflects on the time she was posing for said painting. 3 stars
An unnamed man visits a painting in his local museum every day. He falls in love with the painting, more specifically the subject. On the other side the subject converses with him, reflects on his affections, and wonders if he truly loves her. She also tells us of the time she was posing for the painting, and the relationship she had with the artist.
The characters here are deeply flawed and hypocritical. The men talk about love, but they love two people. The woman also speaks of love, but more superficially or like something she can use. No one was directly likeable or dislikeable, more like people I simply disagree with.
Pacing is strange. I have no concept of how much time has actually passed, or exactly when the different POV's take place. It is a slow paced book writing style-wise, but I think it is moving quickly timeline-wise.
The story itself is strange and obsessive. These people are all obsessed with each other, but the focus is mostly on the woman. So it is a character centric story. Not much happens, really.
I did not enjoy the way they talked about the woman. "Out of shape", "distant", they way they phrased whether or not she was pregnant. It felt icky. It felt like they viewed her as a lesser being.
The woman herself also has a few problems. A spine first of all would be nice. Something happens where she is disgusted, but does nothing. She seems so conflicted with the things she does and can't make up her mind properly. There is also a lot of flip-flopping of "loves me, loves me not". I found it a little tiring and juvenile.
The writing is beautiful, but maybe a little boring and "compact". Separating it a little more would make for a more comfortable reading experience. That might just be me.
Audience is adult. Targeted at people who enjoy themes of obsession, moral dilemmas, and a little surrealism.
I am giving this 3 stars. I enjoyed the premise, but not the execution. It was a little hard to read with the blocks of text on every page. But if it seems interesting I would recommend you try it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thought that Douglas Bruton’s previous novel, Hope Never Knew Horizon, was outstanding and his new novel, Woman in Blue, is just as good.
I really enjoyed the structure of this novel. It is told in alternating chapters by an unnamed ‘Man in Amsterdam’ and the ‘Woman in Blue’. The man in Amsterdam is captivated, some might say obsessed, by Vermeer’s painting Woman Reading a Letter which hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, somewhere I visited myself just last year. He visits every day, spending some time looking closely at the painting and imagining a life for its subject. In the chapters from the perspective of the ‘Woman in Blue’, we hear about the time she spent sitting for the portrait, what was happening in her life in those months but also hear her thoughts about the ‘man in Amsterdam’ who she knows visits daily.
I was fascinated with just how much detail the man in Amsterdam could see in the painting and by what I learned about Vermeer’s art from the book. I felt there was a focus on what art can mean to different people, how everyone can interpret a painting differently, how each viewer has a different image and idea in their head. It seems that the author takes a lot of inspiration from paintings, In his last novel, George Frederic Watts’ painting Hope was very significant while art and paintings also feature in his earlier novels. Famously of course, Vermeer’s work also inspired Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Writing inspired by art, art inspiring writing.
The book features two men who don’t really connect with their wives. Both Vermeer and the man in Amsterdam’s wives are pregnant. There’s been speculation that the subject of the painting might also have been pregnant. It seemed to me that a strong theme of the book was the idea of creation. There is the creation of a child of course but also the creation of a painting. It is quite amazing to think that a painting was an idea which existed merely in someone’s head but once committed to canvas is there for posterity and open to interpretation. Everyone sees it differently. The connection between artist and sitter, between art and those who appreciate art is captured perfectly in this novel.
Woman in Blue is another beautifully written, compelling and deeply engaging novel from Douglas Bruton. It really made me think about the way I look at art, about how it’s created and about what it can mean. If you haven’t already discovered Bruton’s writing, I really encourage you to seek out one of his books and enjoy his poetic and thought-provoking style for yourself.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction + Novella
This was a surprisingly brilliant novella. I loved it a lot. A really great surprise, especially since this one is just a novella. The story takes inspiration from Johannes Vermeer’s painting "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" and is set in Amsterdam. The story revolves around a man who becomes deeply engrossed in the painting, making it a daily ritual to visit it at the Rijksmuseum. The story also shares the perspective of the Woman in Blue herself. She opens up about her own story of love, creativity, and the way she’s been captured in art forever.
The novel creates an imaginative story behind a famous painting, giving readers a fresh and interesting way to look at Vermeer’s Woman in Blue Reading a Letter. The concept of the book is truly brilliant. It was really nice to see the woman in blue’s perspective too.
The dual narration made the reading much more interesting, as we could understand exactly what both main characters were thinking and how they felt about each other. I greatly enjoyed the author’s writing, and his beautiful prose enhanced the story even more. The main characters are well-developed and can be relatable, too.
"Woman in Blue" is a book I think will really connect with people who are into art, history, and thinking about what it means to be human. It's a must-read if you've ever just stood looking at a painting and felt drawn to it. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
A quietly beautiful dream-like story. One to be read at one sitting and then reread slowly.
A man visits the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam solely to view Vermeer’s painting Woman in Blue. Why does he do this? Is it because it reminds him of a lost love from his past? Or is he a writer writing a book about the painting? The woman in the painting also tells her story so the story unfolds gradually like a puzzle box. Choice details build up a picture of Delft in the 17th century and modern day Amsterdam and the narrative has a cinematic quality to it.
Very beguiling and unusual. I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
A man visits the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam solely to view Vermeer’s painting Woman in Blue. Why does he do this? Is it because it reminds him of a lost love from his past? Or is he a writer writing a book about the painting? The woman in the painting also tells her story so the story unfolds gradually like a puzzle box. Choice details build up a picture of Delft in the 17th century and modern day Amsterdam and the narrative has a cinematic quality to it.
Very beguiling and unusual. I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was gifted a review copy by the publisher.
This was a lovely little book to kick off the year with. I haven't read any Douglas Bruton before but I will be looking for his other books now. The writing style is really gorgeous.
This was a lovely little book to kick off the year with. I haven't read any Douglas Bruton before but I will be looking for his other books now. The writing style is really gorgeous.
The story is set in both present day Amsterdam and in Delft in 1663 when Vermeer is painting Woman in Blue Reading a Letter. The modern part follows a man who visits the painting every day. The woman in blue, Angelieke, exists within the story as both the painting and as a living person in the past. I really enjoyed how her narrative tied both times, and the gazes of both men, together.
The story is all about looking at both art and the different loves of our lives and how we may see something different from the artist in their painting.
There's a little twist in the end that I won't spoil but I appreciated it and it stopped the book from being too male gaze focused. There were little points in the female characterisation earlier in the book where I felt she was most definitely written by a man!