Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't usually like stories that jump back and forth between times and stories, but there was something about this one that I couldn't put down! I loved the humanness of all the characters.
informative
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Books that take place across 3+ time periods >>>
There's nothing like long plane flights for giving one the time to become engrossed in a book - and that's what happened with this one.
I was mildly interested to read this because of the subject matter, the Dutch Golden Age, as we visited Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum just last year. I remember learning about the Dutch masters at school, but it wasn't until I actually saw some of the work that I understood why the were called 'masters'.
The novel is told in three different time frames, a device which could be tricky, but worked extremely well in this case. The characters are well drawn as are the places and the time settings - all distinct and each evocative.
My mild interest was quickly converted to absorption and by the end of the novel I had my Kindle in one hand and my iPad in the other, as I looked up images of the paintings mentioned.
Loved it.
I was mildly interested to read this because of the subject matter, the Dutch Golden Age, as we visited Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum just last year. I remember learning about the Dutch masters at school, but it wasn't until I actually saw some of the work that I understood why the were called 'masters'.
The novel is told in three different time frames, a device which could be tricky, but worked extremely well in this case. The characters are well drawn as are the places and the time settings - all distinct and each evocative.
My mild interest was quickly converted to absorption and by the end of the novel I had my Kindle in one hand and my iPad in the other, as I looked up images of the paintings mentioned.
Loved it.
Not exactly a historical novel, not exactly a mystery, not exactly a love story. I wish it had been strongly one of these three, and I especially wish that the author chose to focus solely on the eponymous artist, the fictional Sara de Vos. The sections that took place in 17th century Netherlands were really evocative and well written and for me by far the most interesting. What's not to love in a story about a woman artist painting at a time when their numbers were few, and painting in the shadow of her husband. Plus she's grieving the loss of her daughter to the Plague and she eventually goes to live on the estate of a rich benefactor where she finds room for creativity and love. The other entwined stories--about a valuable painting that is stolen, forged, and then replaced with the forgery, and the story about the woman who painted that forgery and who then goes on to teach art history at a university in Sidney and is arranging an exhibition of 17th century Dutch women painters...zzzzzzz I'm getting sleepy just describing this last component. Too bad, this could have been a really great book.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the parts about the art world: the appreciation of art pieces, paintings, and pictures, as well as the techniques and all the work involved in the creation of art. The story itself has a good premise, but the fluidity and how everything progressed felt kind of stuck and very slow after the first 100 pages.
This is a very clever & well written book. It flows seamlessly back & forth between three very different time periods - Holland 1630s where Sara de Vos paints the haunting, wintry landscape that becomes the centre of the story; Manhattan late 1950s where the painting is stolen from a wealthy couple & subsequently forged by a struggling art student & Sydney 2000 where both copies of the same painting arrive at a gala opening celebrating female painters of the Dutch Golden Age. Part mystery, part historical fiction but so much more, it is a story of art, love, regret, revenge and consequences. All three main characters are exceptionally well-drawn; the descriptions of the artworks create the images in your mind & particularly well done are the scenes of life in 1600s Holland. Highly recommended.
An utterly delightful read! Three story lines... each rich with details and I found each of them fascinating. But what was most delightful of all was how Smith weaves each of these story lines together... it worked, so brilliantly!
I highly recommend this beautifully crafted tale!
I highly recommend this beautifully crafted tale!