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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
what a treat. what a gem. don't know how this came to my attention, but am so glad it did. beautiful writing, delightful story, and sumptuous storytelling. the three main characters — Sara, Marty, and Ellie dance through centuries and decades. what a lovely delight.
I wanted to like this book, but it never grabbed me. I wish the narrative had focused solely on the 1600s, with the Dutch woman (and added more of the women?) painter(s). Having the narrative POV jump around can be effective (Cloud Atlas), can be confusing (Beloved), distracting (so many to choose from...), even amazing (The Waves). I am concerned that it is becoming required in contemporary fiction that every chapter switch narrators and possibly time-stamps. The challenge is, each narrator has to be just as compelling as the others, and for any given reader, that might be impossible to pull off. Here, I felt far more connected to Sara de Vos, the 1600s Dutch painter, than to the two contemporary narrators, but more interested in the contemporary storyline in terms of plot. Thus, I never connected to the book as a whole, and it didn't work for me.
The language at the sentence level often felt like it was working too hard, even from the beginning, in the otherwise beautiful and interesting (but I really wanted to see an image, not just be told about it) description of that "last painting." There were too many inventive verbs in a row--the meadow is "dazzled," the raven is "quilled," the ribbon is "twined." Just one example.
The language at the sentence level often felt like it was working too hard, even from the beginning, in the otherwise beautiful and interesting (but I really wanted to see an image, not just be told about it) description of that "last painting." There were too many inventive verbs in a row--the meadow is "dazzled," the raven is "quilled," the ribbon is "twined." Just one example.
Many similarities to Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. Beyond the obvious central character of the painting, the skipping narrative timeline, the carefully constructed characters compare well with Tartt, who is the superior writer. Beautiful descriptive passages, characters to truly care about, and an interesting focus on Dutch female painters that piqued my curiosity (I really want to make a camera obscure now, too) made this a book I'd definitely recommend.
Well done but I wanted this to be more profound, to have deeper meaning.
i am having some mixed feelings about this novel, so i'm not really sure where this review is headed.
so, i guess there are two main takeaways from the last painting of sara de vos:
1) the value of art in our world - emotional, psychological, cultural - should never be undervalued or dismissed. when a person connects with a work of art - whether painting, sculpture, performance, written works, or any genre of creativity - it can be a transformative experience. art is necessary in this world, as are its creators.
2) the past is never far, clichéd as that may be.
dominic smith is a lovely writer. though i felt some things to be predictable in his story, i appreciated his writing so much that i didn't get too far ahead of myself, or the story, while reading. he connects three people across centuries:
* the artist sara de vos in 17th century netherlands;
* student, then professor, ellie shipley, and
* lawyer/inheritor marty de groot
de groot and shipley share their time in the 1950s of new york city and the year 2000 in sydney australia. i felt the alternating chapters were handled well, going between de vos' storyline and the more contemporary arcs.
things got a bit murky for me around the issue of feminism in this novel, a theme i do believe smith was pursuing in writing this story. i can't help but wonder if smith's male perspective provides the most accurate experiences for his female characters? (i feel he did mostly well with the character of sara de vos, far less well with ellie shipley.) de vos is presented as the first female admitted to the exclusive dutch painters guild; an honour she later loses because of her husband's debts and his sentencing to debtors prison. ellie shipley is working on her PhD in the mid-1950s, under the supervision of a female advisor whom she values (mostly). they are two of a very, very few women in their academic world, and struggle for acceptance. so in many ways de vos and shipley, separated by centuries, are at the forefront of change and progress for women. and yet... something felt just ever so off for me as i was reading. the character of marty de groot was more of a caricature, and i struggled with the relationship that developed between him and ellie, as marty works to unravel the mystery of his stolen painting. again, here, it just felt off. certainly the deceits marty employed were dodgy, but the emotional connection between ellie and marty (of course, built upon lies) never felt strongly developed for me. ellie read as, though somewhat curious, fairly indifferent to romance with marty. (as far as relationships across the classes, in NYC, [b:Rules of Civility|10054335|Rules of Civility|Amor Towles|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1311705045s/10054335.jpg|14950407] did this so much better.)
i was much more invested in sara de vos's storyline, and would be all over a meaty novel about her, set only in her time. the rest of the book, while - again - well written, just felt like shenanigans. i don't think i ever fully bought into the idea that a 22yo PhD student had already developed the skills to pull off a near-indiscernable copy of an historic painting.
i am not wholly down on this novel. i read through it very quickly because i did find it compelling at times. the details about art and the art world were very enjoyable, and it feels like smith did tremendous research for this book. this book would make for a good vacation read, as it is engaging and entertaining, but not overly taxing. i can see it being adapted for film. so, i guess, overall, while it is a flawed story, i did have some fun reading it. (if that makes any sense? heh!! shenanigans can sometimes be quite entertaining.)
so, i guess there are two main takeaways from the last painting of sara de vos:
1) the value of art in our world - emotional, psychological, cultural - should never be undervalued or dismissed. when a person connects with a work of art - whether painting, sculpture, performance, written works, or any genre of creativity - it can be a transformative experience. art is necessary in this world, as are its creators.
2) the past is never far, clichéd as that may be.
dominic smith is a lovely writer. though i felt some things to be predictable in his story, i appreciated his writing so much that i didn't get too far ahead of myself, or the story, while reading. he connects three people across centuries:
* the artist sara de vos in 17th century netherlands;
* student, then professor, ellie shipley, and
* lawyer/inheritor marty de groot
de groot and shipley share their time in the 1950s of new york city and the year 2000 in sydney australia. i felt the alternating chapters were handled well, going between de vos' storyline and the more contemporary arcs.
things got a bit murky for me around the issue of feminism in this novel, a theme i do believe smith was pursuing in writing this story. i can't help but wonder if smith's male perspective provides the most accurate experiences for his female characters? (i feel he did mostly well with the character of sara de vos, far less well with ellie shipley.) de vos is presented as the first female admitted to the exclusive dutch painters guild; an honour she later loses because of her husband's debts and his sentencing to debtors prison. ellie shipley is working on her PhD in the mid-1950s, under the supervision of a female advisor whom she values (mostly). they are two of a very, very few women in their academic world, and struggle for acceptance. so in many ways de vos and shipley, separated by centuries, are at the forefront of change and progress for women. and yet... something felt just ever so off for me as i was reading. the character of marty de groot was more of a caricature, and i struggled with the relationship that developed between him and ellie, as marty works to unravel the mystery of his stolen painting. again, here, it just felt off. certainly the deceits marty employed were dodgy, but the emotional connection between ellie and marty (of course, built upon lies) never felt strongly developed for me. ellie read as, though somewhat curious, fairly indifferent to romance with marty. (as far as relationships across the classes, in NYC, [b:Rules of Civility|10054335|Rules of Civility|Amor Towles|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1311705045s/10054335.jpg|14950407] did this so much better.)
Spoiler
and the whole scene when ellie loses her virginity to marty was... bad. and so open for various interpretations, including rape. so, again i had to wonder how this plot point would have been approached and written by a female author.i was much more invested in sara de vos's storyline, and would be all over a meaty novel about her, set only in her time. the rest of the book, while - again - well written, just felt like shenanigans. i don't think i ever fully bought into the idea that a 22yo PhD student had already developed the skills to pull off a near-indiscernable copy of an historic painting.
i am not wholly down on this novel. i read through it very quickly because i did find it compelling at times. the details about art and the art world were very enjoyable, and it feels like smith did tremendous research for this book. this book would make for a good vacation read, as it is engaging and entertaining, but not overly taxing. i can see it being adapted for film. so, i guess, overall, while it is a flawed story, i did have some fun reading it. (if that makes any sense? heh!! shenanigans can sometimes be quite entertaining.)
It's only a 3 star rating and not a 4 star because I listened to the audio book, and had major issues with the pronunciation of the Dutch names and phrases. All 4 of my grandparents were native Dutch speakers. There were a few instances where I actually went back to the print book to figure what a name was supposed to have been i.e. Kathrijn is Katrine with a long i sound, decidedly NOT the same as Kathryn. There's no th sound either; it's a hard dentil T sound.
I think this is the first book this year I've enjoyed from start to finish. Dutch women painters of the 1600s, art forgery, a little bit of 50s New York and an Olympics-anticipating Sydney. The female characters weren't quite fully formed for me - but that sense of remove sort of fit with the mid-century feel of the novel - so it's a minor quibble. This really is a good read. The tension never lets up and I have a new appreciation for a period of art I knew nothing about - and forgery. Recommended.
I enjoyed the dive into the art world of the Dutch Golden age, as well as the technicalities of creating a masterful forgery. It was really interesting. Ellie and Marty were really compelling characters; I liked that they both had a certain self consciousness about themselves and the way they interacted with the world. My favourite part was the "courtship" as Marty tries to come to terms with the violation he feels at having the painting stolen, but after that I felt that it was quite slow moving. Overall an enjoyable read, beautifully written.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Een verhaal met drie tijdslijnen:
In de 17e eeuw volgen we van 1631 tot 1649 de Nederlandse Sara de Vos, gehuwd met Barent de Vos. Beide zijn kunstschilder en lid van het Gilde van Sint Lucas in Amsterdam. Na de tragische dood van hun bijna 8-jarig dochtertje Kathrijn creëert Sara als rouwverwerking een winterlandschap, heel uitzonderlijk voor een vrouwelijke kunstschilder, die gewoonlijk alleen stillevens maken omdat die geen veelvuldig verblijf buitenshuis vergen.
In New York ontmoeten we in 1957-1958 Ellie Shipley, een Australisch studente kunstgeschiedenis die zich ook bezighoudt met de restauratie van oude schilderijen, en de advocaat Martyn de Groot, nazaat van een Nederlandse familie die in de 17e eeuw Sara's winterlandschap - 'Aan de rand van een bos' - heeft gekocht en dat al ruim 300 jaar deel uitmaakt van hun privébezit. Ellie krijgt via een louche kunsthandelaar de vraag een kopie van het winterlandschap te maken, "op verzoek van de eigenaar", zoals haar wordt verteld en hoewel ze twijfelt aan de reden, besluit ze het toch te doen. Medio 1958 ontdekt Martyn de Groot dat het schilderij dat al die tijd boven zijn bed hing, kennelijk zo'n half jaar eerder moet zijn ontvreemd en vervangen door een 'onberispelijke kopie' en schakelt een privédetective in die weet te achterhalen dat Ellie de vervalsing heeft gemaakt. Martyn zoekt onder alias contact met haar...
Ruim 40 jaar later, in Sydney, is Ellie universitair docent en conservator van een museum dat een tentoonstelling organiseert van Hollandse en Vlaamse vrouwelijke schilders uit de 17e eeuw. Als ze verneemt dat zowel het originele schilderij als de in haar jeugd gemaakte vervalsing t.b.v. de tentoonstelling zullen worden ingezonden, vreest ze dat haar carrière op een schandelijke manier ten einde komt...
Wel een interessant verhaal, maar er had van mij iets meer spanning in gemogen. 3½ ster
In de 17e eeuw volgen we van 1631 tot 1649 de Nederlandse Sara de Vos, gehuwd met Barent de Vos. Beide zijn kunstschilder en lid van het Gilde van Sint Lucas in Amsterdam. Na de tragische dood van hun bijna 8-jarig dochtertje Kathrijn creëert Sara als rouwverwerking een winterlandschap, heel uitzonderlijk voor een vrouwelijke kunstschilder, die gewoonlijk alleen stillevens maken omdat die geen veelvuldig verblijf buitenshuis vergen.
In New York ontmoeten we in 1957-1958 Ellie Shipley, een Australisch studente kunstgeschiedenis die zich ook bezighoudt met de restauratie van oude schilderijen, en de advocaat Martyn de Groot, nazaat van een Nederlandse familie die in de 17e eeuw Sara's winterlandschap - 'Aan de rand van een bos' - heeft gekocht en dat al ruim 300 jaar deel uitmaakt van hun privébezit. Ellie krijgt via een louche kunsthandelaar de vraag een kopie van het winterlandschap te maken, "op verzoek van de eigenaar", zoals haar wordt verteld en hoewel ze twijfelt aan de reden, besluit ze het toch te doen. Medio 1958 ontdekt Martyn de Groot dat het schilderij dat al die tijd boven zijn bed hing, kennelijk zo'n half jaar eerder moet zijn ontvreemd en vervangen door een 'onberispelijke kopie' en schakelt een privédetective in die weet te achterhalen dat Ellie de vervalsing heeft gemaakt. Martyn zoekt onder alias contact met haar...
Ruim 40 jaar later, in Sydney, is Ellie universitair docent en conservator van een museum dat een tentoonstelling organiseert van Hollandse en Vlaamse vrouwelijke schilders uit de 17e eeuw. Als ze verneemt dat zowel het originele schilderij als de in haar jeugd gemaakte vervalsing t.b.v. de tentoonstelling zullen worden ingezonden, vreest ze dat haar carrière op een schandelijke manier ten einde komt...
Wel een interessant verhaal, maar er had van mij iets meer spanning in gemogen. 3½ ster