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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I blew through this book faster than I finish most. The three converging story lines ensnared me from the beginning and the characters all felt incredibly relatable. As I poured through the book, I yearned for Sara de Vos's paintings to be true pieces on physical canvas instead of just a work of fiction.
My only wish is that the book had ended at the second to last chapter. Such a bittersweet moment of two characters' parting would have been a better ending for me as it would have left the conclusion up to the reader's imagination and more in-touch with the lifelike and grounded connection I had with the rest of the book. The true last chapter of the book was just as well, but tied everything up a little too neatly for me.
My only wish is that the book had ended at the second to last chapter. Such a bittersweet moment of two characters' parting would have been a better ending for me as it would have left the conclusion up to the reader's imagination and more in-touch with the lifelike and grounded connection I had with the rest of the book. The true last chapter of the book was just as well, but tied everything up a little too neatly for me.
I have put off writing this review, as I am not entirely sure on how to word it all and convey my meaning effectively. I loved this book but I am not entirely sure why it is that I loved it.
It was a well-written story with clear transitions between the 1600s, 1950s and 2000s. This is not always the way with stories that jump between time periods. It was fascinating to learn about the forgery of paintings as well as what happens with suspected forgeries. The story was just incredibly interesting and I had a hard time putting it down and was disappointed when my reading time was interrupted.
It didn’t have that wow factor that I was hoping for.
My recommendation: Incredibly interesting for those into stories revolving around art.
It was a well-written story with clear transitions between the 1600s, 1950s and 2000s. This is not always the way with stories that jump between time periods. It was fascinating to learn about the forgery of paintings as well as what happens with suspected forgeries. The story was just incredibly interesting and I had a hard time putting it down and was disappointed when my reading time was interrupted.
It didn’t have that wow factor that I was hoping for.
My recommendation: Incredibly interesting for those into stories revolving around art.
I thought I had written a review. Loved this and all it's layers
anybody reading this, please bare with me as i try to get out all my thoughts. this book was incredible. i will say it is a lot easier to appreciate when you know a good amount about art history. dominic smith's descriptions are so insanely beautiful and detailed, it really feels like you know these characters inside and out. every single page i was freaking out just at the sheer beauty in the way he described the spaces.
the book is split between the perspective of 3 characters: ellie, marty, and sara (the artist). i relate to ellie a lot, maybe too much. in the 1950s, she was an art history student who forged oned of sara de vos paintings, at the edge of the woods, and went on to become a professor/museum director. but the way she describes and understands art is so intense and pure, she can understand so much about a painting just by the brushstrokes. she is an art genius. after being hired to forge this painting, the guy who hired her switches it out with the real one from this millionaire on the upper east side. marty realized the painting passed down through generations was a fake and literally hired a private investigator to find out what happened to it. he finds ellie and gives her a fake name, basically makes her fall in love with him (he says he fell in love with her too but hes married so), takes her on a trip to upstate new york, fucks her, leaves her there and when she gets home, her fake painting is back in her apartment! WTF MARTY!!!!!
ellie in the 2000s is haunted by her forgery. she becomes a successful art historian with a book written about dutch women painters, specifically sara de vos. one of my favorite parts of the book was how it switched back and forth between saras story and ellie figuring out her story.
marty is kind of the fucking worst but i think hes is also extremely misguided. he inherited all this money that he didnt know what to do with and i think if he just followed his dream of being a trumpet player, he would have been a happy and good person. he does a really really bad thing to ellie but he also was in love with her? if you just write out the plot and look at marty's actions, you might think he should be in jail. and he maybe should be. BUT you can see his intentions and his conscious in the writing and i really believe he should not be boiled down to just his gigantic mistake that definitely ruined ellie's life.
a lot of the book flips between marty and ellies story in 1958 and 2000, so you can see how these characters turned out. seeing marty in his 80s just waiting for death and filled with regret, im not gonna lie, is a little satisfying. he is not defined by what he did but its a huge part of him. in no way am i a fan of marty de groot, but i think the writing really lends itself to his character which brings the whole story full circle.
the last major part of the novel is from the perspective of the dutch painter from the 17th century, sara de vos. now, i did not realize until maybe 100 pages in that sara is a fictional artist after i looked her up. knowing that made me love the book even more. dominic smith really did his research cause the detail in her life and about her paintings is incredible. sara grew up learning about landscapes because her father was a painter, then married a landscape painter and she helped him with his work. they had a daughter who died from the plague at age 7 which was so so tragic for her (and me). after her daughter died, she painted at the edge of the wood, the painting that was forged by ellie. her husband then leaves her because hes bankrupt and she moves in with this guy as a temporary painter. sara cannot catch a break. she paints one more painting after this, commemorating the children who died from the plague. neither of these paintings are real but i know exactly what they look like, what colors were used, the perspective of the paintings, even what the brushstrokes looked like.
i connected with this book a lot for a bunch of different reasons but overall it really was just a beautiful story with beautiful writing.
the book is split between the perspective of 3 characters: ellie, marty, and sara (the artist). i relate to ellie a lot, maybe too much. in the 1950s, she was an art history student who forged oned of sara de vos paintings, at the edge of the woods, and went on to become a professor/museum director. but the way she describes and understands art is so intense and pure, she can understand so much about a painting just by the brushstrokes. she is an art genius. after being hired to forge this painting, the guy who hired her switches it out with the real one from this millionaire on the upper east side. marty realized the painting passed down through generations was a fake and literally hired a private investigator to find out what happened to it. he finds ellie and gives her a fake name, basically makes her fall in love with him (he says he fell in love with her too but hes married so), takes her on a trip to upstate new york, fucks her, leaves her there and when she gets home, her fake painting is back in her apartment! WTF MARTY!!!!!
ellie in the 2000s is haunted by her forgery. she becomes a successful art historian with a book written about dutch women painters, specifically sara de vos. one of my favorite parts of the book was how it switched back and forth between saras story and ellie figuring out her story.
marty is kind of the fucking worst but i think hes is also extremely misguided. he inherited all this money that he didnt know what to do with and i think if he just followed his dream of being a trumpet player, he would have been a happy and good person. he does a really really bad thing to ellie but he also was in love with her? if you just write out the plot and look at marty's actions, you might think he should be in jail. and he maybe should be. BUT you can see his intentions and his conscious in the writing and i really believe he should not be boiled down to just his gigantic mistake that definitely ruined ellie's life.
a lot of the book flips between marty and ellies story in 1958 and 2000, so you can see how these characters turned out. seeing marty in his 80s just waiting for death and filled with regret, im not gonna lie, is a little satisfying. he is not defined by what he did but its a huge part of him. in no way am i a fan of marty de groot, but i think the writing really lends itself to his character which brings the whole story full circle.
the last major part of the novel is from the perspective of the dutch painter from the 17th century, sara de vos. now, i did not realize until maybe 100 pages in that sara is a fictional artist after i looked her up. knowing that made me love the book even more. dominic smith really did his research cause the detail in her life and about her paintings is incredible. sara grew up learning about landscapes because her father was a painter, then married a landscape painter and she helped him with his work. they had a daughter who died from the plague at age 7 which was so so tragic for her (and me). after her daughter died, she painted at the edge of the wood, the painting that was forged by ellie. her husband then leaves her because hes bankrupt and she moves in with this guy as a temporary painter. sara cannot catch a break. she paints one more painting after this, commemorating the children who died from the plague. neither of these paintings are real but i know exactly what they look like, what colors were used, the perspective of the paintings, even what the brushstrokes looked like.
i connected with this book a lot for a bunch of different reasons but overall it really was just a beautiful story with beautiful writing.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this book. Really snuck up on me: all of a sudden I was swept into the stories and enthralled. Lovely characters and stunning descriptions of art and the making of art. Beautiful book. I'd give this 4.5 stars if I could.
adventurous
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
No
The premise of this novel and the shifting into different time periods was probably my favorite part of the book. As someone who briefly studied art history it was fun to have a fiction novel that delved into that realm more, especially with a focus on female artists of the Dutch Renaissance (one of my favorite art epochs). I found myself pulled in by the storylines in all the different time periods and eager to continue reading.
The rating doesn't reflect badly on this book, simply that it isn't a new favorite. I definitely was engaged and pleased with it. I loved the characters and the peak into the art world including forgery, private collection ownership, and creation of art. I wish these paintings were real so I could see them in real life, as they sound powerful, sad, and arresting. I think in the end the characters of the more modern periods were a little less interesting than Sara de Vos and the undercurrent of the unacknowledged sexual assault was a weird way to end the book . Those where it just fell a little flat as I wish we could have just gone deeper on characterization.
I would recommend this book to everyone and especially those who like fiction that feels more real life and historical. It won't become one of my favorites of all time but it was definitely an enjoyable read that made me interested in reading a bit more about the Dutch Renaissance female artists.
The rating doesn't reflect badly on this book, simply that it isn't a new favorite. I definitely was engaged and pleased with it. I loved the characters and the peak into the art world including forgery, private collection ownership, and creation of art. I wish these paintings were real so I could see them in real life, as they sound powerful, sad, and arresting. I think in the end the characters of the more modern periods were a little less interesting than Sara de Vos and
I would recommend this book to everyone and especially those who like fiction that feels more real life and historical. It won't become one of my favorites of all time but it was definitely an enjoyable read that made me interested in reading a bit more about the Dutch Renaissance female artists.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault
I enjoyed the three time periods which were very well handled to create suspense. I liked the way things came together. I found the very last chapter a bit superfluous.