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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
This is a story about two women. And yes I liked the historical better, I always seems to do that, and since I like historical it makes sense.
In the 1600s Sara de Vos became the first female painter of the Guild. And slowly we learn her story and what made her paint her one single surviving piece of artwork. Her story wasn't exactly the happiest one, she sure had bad luck.
In the 50s, Marten de Groos sets out to find who stole his painting. And meets Ellie. A student who paints fakes in her spare time, oh and yes art restoration.
40 years later Ellie wonders if the past will catch up to her, and she is still fascinated by the Sara's painting. And these 3 periods in time are slowly brought to life one step at a time.
Ellie was, it was another age, she was rather naive, but she loved art! Marten was sad in a way, he really was stuck in a rut. And then there was Sara, who slowly just lived on.
I would not call it melancholic, but in a way it felt like that. Everyone wanted and needed something more. But they all just continued like before. It's a hard book to describe, you would have to read it.
An interesting tale.
In the 1600s Sara de Vos became the first female painter of the Guild. And slowly we learn her story and what made her paint her one single surviving piece of artwork. Her story wasn't exactly the happiest one, she sure had bad luck.
In the 50s, Marten de Groos sets out to find who stole his painting. And meets Ellie. A student who paints fakes in her spare time, oh and yes art restoration.
40 years later Ellie wonders if the past will catch up to her, and she is still fascinated by the Sara's painting. And these 3 periods in time are slowly brought to life one step at a time.
Ellie was, it was another age, she was rather naive, but she loved art! Marten was sad in a way, he really was stuck in a rut. And then there was Sara, who slowly just lived on.
I would not call it melancholic, but in a way it felt like that. Everyone wanted and needed something more. But they all just continued like before. It's a hard book to describe, you would have to read it.
An interesting tale.
Well, well, what do you know? I've managed to finish an audiobook. I was planning to read the ebook I'd purchased a few months back. Then I came across an audiobook at the local library and I couldn't pass the opportunity.
I am so thrilled to have managed to finish my first audiobook. There I was stating loud and clearly that audiobooks weren't for me. Maybe the problem were the books and/or the narrators? Or timing? Regardless, I'm thrilled to bits.
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos really appealed to me in all aspects. As I stated before, I love art. In my early twenties, I used to be quite taken with the Dutch and the Flemish painters. So it was really nice to delve back into the Ducth art world. Smith's descriptions were so gorgeous and so rich, I could easily imagine the locations and the paintings.
The novel switches between the XVII century Netherlands, where Sara de Vos is the main character, and the late XX century and the beginning of the XXI century, where we encounter the Australian, Ellie Shipley, an austere woman, a talented painter, who becomes an art restorator, curator, and teacher. The travels between different eras are easy to follow, as each chapter starts with the year and location, so I was never confused as to where I was and whose story I was listening to.
While the plot is interesting and well done, what I enjoyed the most about this novel were the superb characterisations, which captured so well the inner worlds of Sara de Vos, Ellie Shipley and some of other secondary characters.
Yes, this is about art, but also about so much more: about creating art, about the art world, about the struggle between the creative and the every-day life, and not lastly, about the double standards when it comes to men and women.
I can go on and on about this novel, but there are so many better reviews out there.
I would be remiss not to mention the wonderful narrator of this audiobook, Edoardo Ballerini. My, what a talented narrator. His voice is splendid, his intonation and accent renditions are just wonderful.
So, I am happy to conclude that the hype was well deserved.
I am so thrilled to have managed to finish my first audiobook. There I was stating loud and clearly that audiobooks weren't for me. Maybe the problem were the books and/or the narrators? Or timing? Regardless, I'm thrilled to bits.
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos really appealed to me in all aspects. As I stated before, I love art. In my early twenties, I used to be quite taken with the Dutch and the Flemish painters. So it was really nice to delve back into the Ducth art world. Smith's descriptions were so gorgeous and so rich, I could easily imagine the locations and the paintings.
The novel switches between the XVII century Netherlands, where Sara de Vos is the main character, and the late XX century and the beginning of the XXI century, where we encounter the Australian, Ellie Shipley, an austere woman, a talented painter, who becomes an art restorator, curator, and teacher. The travels between different eras are easy to follow, as each chapter starts with the year and location, so I was never confused as to where I was and whose story I was listening to.
While the plot is interesting and well done, what I enjoyed the most about this novel were the superb characterisations, which captured so well the inner worlds of Sara de Vos, Ellie Shipley and some of other secondary characters.
Yes, this is about art, but also about so much more: about creating art, about the art world, about the struggle between the creative and the every-day life, and not lastly, about the double standards when it comes to men and women.
I can go on and on about this novel, but there are so many better reviews out there.
I would be remiss not to mention the wonderful narrator of this audiobook, Edoardo Ballerini. My, what a talented narrator. His voice is splendid, his intonation and accent renditions are just wonderful.
So, I am happy to conclude that the hype was well deserved.
Great book, great story, well written, just didn’t quite suck me in
Not really a detective story, but an interesting history or 17th century Dutch painters and the details of retouching and forging paintings, with a non-standard romance on the side.
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A book that is too quiet and introspective to call a thriller, despite the "art heist" theme. In place of over-the-top action, we're immersed in 3 eras critical to the theft: 1950s Manhattan where a notable Dutch artwork is stolen and swapped with a forgery, 1600s Netherlands where the painting was painted by a woman struggling to manage after her husband's expulsion from the painters' guild, and 21st century Australia, where the forgery and original are brought face to face.
The creation of the replica reveals the forger's love of the craft to be as motivating as the money. The original owner's efforts to track them down goes off scripts when the investigation loses focus and becomes a personal relationship. Meanwhile, the original painter navigates poverty and the arbitrary power structure of her day to create a piece still impacting lives hundreds of years later.
The creation of the replica reveals the forger's love of the craft to be as motivating as the money. The original owner's efforts to track them down goes off scripts when the investigation loses focus and becomes a personal relationship. Meanwhile, the original painter navigates poverty and the arbitrary power structure of her day to create a piece still impacting lives hundreds of years later.
Not an amazing book. Too many secondary characters with names and part history. Views are described mostly very similar to each other. will recommend to read "the are forger" as a better vision of the same storyline.
It's a mystery to me why my mother's book club chose this book to read this month.
Then again, I "um"ed and "ah"ed about buying a copy from a bookshop in the city over Winter.
The blurb sells it as a tense and haunting suspense. It is not.
It is mostly a book about art. Lord knows it's not about history because the author has No Idea.
I liked Ellie a lot, but the other characters, even the titular, are not particularly well rounded or interesting.
I slogged through until about 50 pages from the end, when it all came together and I could move past anachronisms. Or there were less because the "plot" moved forward to the 21st century.
Hmm. Not what I thought I was signing up for.
Read if you appreciate art. Particularly painting. Or if you are looking for the smallest glimpse into the world of art forgery. Don't read if you are expecting a crescendo of suspense or a richly complex plot
Then again, I "um"ed and "ah"ed about buying a copy from a bookshop in the city over Winter.
The blurb sells it as a tense and haunting suspense. It is not.
It is mostly a book about art. Lord knows it's not about history because the author has No Idea.
I liked Ellie a lot, but the other characters, even the titular, are not particularly well rounded or interesting.
I slogged through until about 50 pages from the end, when it all came together and I could move past anachronisms. Or there were less because the "plot" moved forward to the 21st century.
Hmm. Not what I thought I was signing up for.
Read if you appreciate art. Particularly painting. Or if you are looking for the smallest glimpse into the world of art forgery. Don't read if you are expecting a crescendo of suspense or a richly complex plot