ljm57 's review for:

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith

4.0

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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.