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bellatora's review against another edition
2.0
This book has the meticulous perfection and soulessness of a product of a MFA program.
Crafted around the Rembrandt painting "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp," there were far too many characters and not enough story.
There’s Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, who seems like a nice enough guy if a bit of a social climber. There’s Adriaen, the convicted thief and future corpse. There’s Flora, the girl-next-door who had always loved Adriaen and who now bears his bastard child. There’s Jan Fetchet, a purveyor of whatever someone’s buying, including corpses (he actually comes across as a very decent man). Then there’s Descartes who adds absolutely nothing to this book and felt like nothing more than a famous name drop. There’s Rembrandt himself. And then there’s some disembodied voice of an art historian restoring the painting (who seems to only exist to give exposition about the painting itself).
There are some nicely crafted chapters but the overall effect is disappointing.
Crafted around the Rembrandt painting "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp," there were far too many characters and not enough story.
There’s Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, who seems like a nice enough guy if a bit of a social climber. There’s Adriaen, the convicted thief and future corpse. There’s Flora, the girl-next-door who had always loved Adriaen and who now bears his bastard child. There’s Jan Fetchet, a purveyor of whatever someone’s buying, including corpses (he actually comes across as a very decent man). Then there’s Descartes who adds absolutely nothing to this book and felt like nothing more than a famous name drop. There’s Rembrandt himself. And then there’s some disembodied voice of an art historian restoring the painting (who seems to only exist to give exposition about the painting itself).
There are some nicely crafted chapters but the overall effect is disappointing.
kvd4907's review against another edition
3.0
Leuk en interessant boek, maar met een beetje raar en onbevredigend einde.
malongorose's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
imkegobel's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting book, great idea to write a story based on a painting. The historical figures and details make it worth the read.
But, the writing was not the best in places. It was repetetive, and not always very fluent.
I also would have liked to get more of the Rembrandt perspective.
But, the writing was not the best in places. It was repetetive, and not always very fluent.
I also would have liked to get more of the Rembrandt perspective.
tallulahxyz's review
3.0
Listened to the audiobook and was kinda of confused. They used a different narrator for each person but it wasn't always clear who was talking. I went back and looked at the book and it might have been a more engaging set up of not knowing who was who had I read it in that format.
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