Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
77th out of 305 books
—
485 voters
I am Rembrandt's Daughter
by
Lynn Cullen (Goodreads Author)
With her mother dead of the plague, and her beloved brother newly married and moved away, Cornelia van Rijn finds herself without a friend or confidante--save her difficult father. Out of favor with Amsterdam's elite, and considered brash and unreasonable by his patrons, Rembrandt van Rijn, once revered, is now teetering on the brink of madness. Cornelia alone must care fo...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,792)
This was a good historical fiction book, but I found it somewhat boring. It took a long time for the story to evolve and sometimes it was not very interesting. It was the story about a girl named Cornelia who's mother died during the plague. Her father was a once-well-known painter who has since gone soemwhat crazy. Cornelia's life seems to be spinning out of control but she finds love where she leasts expects it to make ends meet.
I would not necessarily recommend this book to everyone because i...more
I would not necessarily recommend this book to everyone because i...more
A lyrical and fascinating book, based on the real family of Rembrandt. The author has richly incorporated some of Rembrandt's greatest works into the story, and it's a beautiful book.
Recommended for those who appreciate the art of the Dutch Masters.
Written from the perspective of Cornelia, the illegitimate daughter of Rembrandt van Rijn, this excellent depiction of Rembrandt in his later years is a haunting tale of a man, once at the height of fame, who has lost his sanity, his standing in society and is bankrupt.
Difficult to put down, I found this book fascinatingly filled with wonderful tidbits of accurate facts and marvelous portrayals of real life characters that seem to...more
Written from the perspective of Cornelia, the illegitimate daughter of Rembrandt van Rijn, this excellent depiction of Rembrandt in his later years is a haunting tale of a man, once at the height of fame, who has lost his sanity, his standing in society and is bankrupt.
Difficult to put down, I found this book fascinatingly filled with wonderful tidbits of accurate facts and marvelous portrayals of real life characters that seem to...more
I'm torn on this book. I really liked the writing and the imagery and the characters. But the plot? It was just way too predictable. True, it is historical fiction but the main storyline was imagined by the author and not based on fact as far as I could tell from the Author's Note. The back cover practically gives away that Cornelia is torn between two boys and you can tell she will pick the serious moral one over the very pretty, rich one. Isn't that what always happens? So the first plot stran...more
Cornelia is the bastard daughter of a reputed madman, the famous Rembrandt—a once wealthy painter brought low. When her brother marries into wealth—and she captures the smile of a young man named Carel—she begins to dream that maybe life will improve.
A dream quickly squelched by her father’s careless attitude toward tradition, his failure to bow to the demands of Amsterdam society, and his complete disdain . . . for her. A disdain Cornelia cannot understand.
But then the boy, Carel, returns to he...more
A dream quickly squelched by her father’s careless attitude toward tradition, his failure to bow to the demands of Amsterdam society, and his complete disdain . . . for her. A disdain Cornelia cannot understand.
But then the boy, Carel, returns to he...more
2 likes · like · see review
view all 5 comments
cornelia is a failed painters daughter . cornelia is embarrassed by her father because to her and other he seems insane because of his relationship with God . Only neel remains at her fathers side when eveything turns for the worst . cornelia has an encounter with a boy named carel . they both take a liking for each other but when things get rough carel turns his back on her unlike neel. Cornelia has a brother named titus who has a different mother who used to be rich but when rembrandts gets il...more
2 likes · like · see review
Cornelia has always been defined by her father, Rembrandt, the once-celebrated now notorious painter. Most call her the crazy artist's bastard child.
But when a man of esteem, Carel, takes an interest in her, she begins to think maybe she can escape her impoverished home, just like her brother, Titus did with the beautiful, bitchy Magdalena(can you tell I hate her? A lot?)
When the her father's apprentice, serious Neel, begins to notice her, she brushes him off- why would she want to be further as...more
But when a man of esteem, Carel, takes an interest in her, she begins to think maybe she can escape her impoverished home, just like her brother, Titus did with the beautiful, bitchy Magdalena(can you tell I hate her? A lot?)
When the her father's apprentice, serious Neel, begins to notice her, she brushes him off- why would she want to be further as...more
I loved I Am Rembrandt's Daughter! I started reading it this morning and finished this evening. What I most enjoyed about the book was the author's vivid descriptions. Although I have never been to Amsterdam I felt like I knew it because of how she portrayed the city.
I also liked reading the parts when they talked about what it takes to make paintings, about how important the light is and about brush strokes and the other things. Because I am not a painter and did not know much about painting i...more
I also liked reading the parts when they talked about what it takes to make paintings, about how important the light is and about brush strokes and the other things. Because I am not a painter and did not know much about painting i...more
I admit it, this book took a while for me to get into. (2 attempts at reading it previously). But after about 2 chapters I was drawn in. I loved the heroine- Cornelia- and she actually had real problems, which is more than I can say about some of today's teen romance books.
Cornelia van Rijn is Rembrant's daughter. Her father is a great painter, yet he stubbornly refuses to paint in the popular style and both he and Cornelia must suffer for it. Now that Cornelia's brother is getting married and...more
Cornelia van Rijn is Rembrant's daughter. Her father is a great painter, yet he stubbornly refuses to paint in the popular style and both he and Cornelia must suffer for it. Now that Cornelia's brother is getting married and...more
Aug 07, 2010
Audra Deeer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
young-adult
Cornelia van Rijn’s mother has died of the Plague. As the daughter of the famous Rembrandt, one would expect to be living the life of a wealthy and prestigious young woman. This is not the life Cornelia has been given. Rembrandt is going mad and refuses to paint what will please the wealthy patrons. The budding friendship with the well-to-do and handsome Carel begins to stir passion in Cornelia’s heart. But the Westerkerk bells that toll death begin to ring again—and family secrets best kept hid...more
2.5 stars
I began reading this book back in the early part of the year 2012.... then got sidetracked and here it is in August and I finally picked it up again and finished it in two days.
So.....
Lynn Cullen is a decent writer. The writing is perhaps a little basic. Though her use of Dutch was interesting and enjoyable.
The characters.
Cornelia was a selfish and just not a very strong character. In the sense that I was expecting a good change of heart in her. And her heart did change but it just was...more
I began reading this book back in the early part of the year 2012.... then got sidetracked and here it is in August and I finally picked it up again and finished it in two days.
So.....
Lynn Cullen is a decent writer. The writing is perhaps a little basic. Though her use of Dutch was interesting and enjoyable.
The characters.
Cornelia was a selfish and just not a very strong character. In the sense that I was expecting a good change of heart in her. And her heart did change but it just was...more
Although I was a bit sceptical at first, I really did enjoy reading this YA novel about Cornelia van Rijn.
There are two story lines going on, in between the first and last chapter which take place after Rembrandt's death. You can easily recognize which story line is which as one is in italics and one is in roman. We get to know Cornelia as a kid, and the story is told by using Rembrandt's paintings, both from that period and earlier. In the other story line we get to know Cornelia as a young te...more
There are two story lines going on, in between the first and last chapter which take place after Rembrandt's death. You can easily recognize which story line is which as one is in italics and one is in roman. We get to know Cornelia as a kid, and the story is told by using Rembrandt's paintings, both from that period and earlier. In the other story line we get to know Cornelia as a young te...more
One might think a girl fortunate to have a famous artist as a father, but Cornelia van Rijn knows differently. Gone are the days of Rembrandt's wealth and popularity. Nowadays he refuses to adapt his painting style to one that will sell, society still buzzes about his refusal to marry Cornelia's mother, and there are even rumors that he is losing his mind. But Cornelia could accept all of that if only she and her father got along as well as he and her older brother Titus. For Cornelia wants noth...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
May 04, 2008
Cathy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Historical fiction buffs, romance reader
Shelves:
historical-fiction
I enjoyed this book especially since I've been to Amsterdam and seen the Rembrandt House. I couldn't get in since the line was so long, but saw many of his paintings at the Rijkmuseum. Cornelia, is the daughter of the elderly Rembrandt and his common-law wife. Because they are not married, she is scorned by most. On top of that, Rembrandt is no longer the darling of Dutch painters. He's irascible and paints what he wants, the way he wants. Because he is not selling many paintings, they are poor...more
I enjoyed Cornelia van Rijn and the struggles her character faces as the daughter of the famous painter Rembrandt. The book deals with the challenges of the class system, love and family disputes. This story portraits an accurate portrait of the times. I liked the twist of plot when Cornelia discovers that her love is the nephew of her real father, her real father did not claim her because of money and social status and Rembrandt loves her, even though she is not her biological father.
This young adult novel reminded me of The Girl with the Pearl Earring. I enjoyed the "details" about the art community in which Rembrandt lived and the descriptions of his dysfunctional family's daily life. However, this is an example of a YA book that was not very satisfying for me (being a more mature reader). I would have liked more depth and development. I would guess that many younger readers would rate it higher and that girls would admire the strong character of the daughter.
Here is an interesting historical fiction about a girl who knows Rembrandt as a (somewhat lousy) father, but whose mom (a lowly maid) has since passed away. Cornelia has a lot to overcome with the plague in her city, her father slowly become more embarrassment than legend, and two handsome boys paying her attention for the first time ever. Even though there are some moments of darkness, I did really enjoy the character and her artistic view of the world.
I started this book with high expectations as it was a recommendation from one of my friends who, usually, has a very good taste in books.
I was let down, however, as i found the characters to be very plain and without substance, the descriptions towards the end were very poor and the end was rushed.
I rated this book 3.5 stars as I thouhgt that the concept of the book was great and Lynn Cullen's (unfortunate last name) writing at the start had me hooked!
I was let down, however, as i found the characters to be very plain and without substance, the descriptions towards the end were very poor and the end was rushed.
I rated this book 3.5 stars as I thouhgt that the concept of the book was great and Lynn Cullen's (unfortunate last name) writing at the start had me hooked!
I loved this YA historical fiction. The famous 17th century Dutch painter Rembrandt had an illegitimate daughter who lived with him until he died. Her mother died of the plague when she was a child. The author took what facts she knew and created a story out of those few facts. She interweaves the stories of various Rembrandt paintings as well. The end of the book is truly a page turner,I couldn't put it down. A quick, interesting exciting read.
Well written, but I wasn't super absorbed by it. Interesting twist of what might have happened with Cornelia. The weaving of truth and supposition was clever. I would have liked even a black and white reproduction of the paintings at the chapter headings in addition to the names. Not sure if it stands up to the others under consideration for the top 20. (KDL)
http://thumbsupaward.blogspot.com/sea...
http://thumbsupaward.blogspot.com/sea...
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Cornelia seems to be the unfavored child of "Vader" unlike her brother. But Cornelia has the eye for painting she feels unrecognized by her famous father who now seems to be directed by God what to paint, which is not what the public wants. A look at the fascinating life of a child of a famous artist. Great "dutch" language, a setting in the Netherlands which I haven't read much about. Great
I really enjoyed it. I hadn't read a book in a while and my family and I had a long car trip ahead so I hurriedly downloaded it on my nook. It was a quick and easy yet surprisingly enticing read. I couldn't do anything else till I finished it - what i especially enjoyed was at the end there was a list of real facts and family info on Rembrandt making all the fiction even more worth the read!
After visiting Rembrandt House this week, in the museum shop I noticed this book and downloaded the Kindle version. A very good read. Although fictional, and very little is known about Rembrandt's illegitimate daughter, the story is about her and her life with Rembrandt. Many of Rembrandt's later works are mentioned and it was fun to look them up and in some ways see the story come to life.
1 like · like · see review
The beginning chapter had me intrigued, but sadly, the rest of the book didn't live up to it. The first and last chapters are three years different from the bulk of the book and the book's events only take a few months. I had wanted to know more about how the first and last chapters came to be. Cornelia was pretty annoying and I didn't like her.
At first, I thought this book would be a very boring historical novel with the least exciting plot line. But then I got caught up in the plot. There were a lot of underlying scenarios, and the intros to the chapters with flashbacks were intriguing. Even the guys in the story were more than just boring, flat characters! I enjoyed this book.
I really liked this book. It was neat to read about an artist in the 1600's. It is a fictional book, but it there were only one or two fictional characters.
It took me a few chapters to get the hang of it though; the author switched between 1667 when she was a teen to when she was a little girl. I think it is worth the time to read.
It took me a few chapters to get the hang of it though; the author switched between 1667 when she was a teen to when she was a little girl. I think it is worth the time to read.
As far as historical fiction goes, this wasn't bad at all. I actually enjoyed it. I had never really known anything about Rembrandt's life, and this was a good introduction. I may try and find a biography on him now. The book was clean and free from swearing. My only regret is that the development of the love relationship with Neel was all of 3 sentences.
I read this book so fast i couldn't believe it! It was so mind blowing at a change of read for me. This was an amazing story with alot of true real life facts. There are such strong characters with flaws in each of them.
Great story! ooo btw when you first read it, i didnt understand but vader is father. and moeder is mother lol
Great story! ooo btw when you first read it, i didnt understand but vader is father. and moeder is mother lol
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Magdalena pulls me away by the arm. “I am the stronger one of Titus and I,” she says over the marketplace din. “Woman are always the stronger sex.” She smiles to herself. “The trick is not appearing to be so.”
—
6 people liked it
More quotes…
