Lust for life: The story of Vincent van Gogh (Washington Square Press enriched classics)
by Irving Stone
Lust for life: The story ...
Irving Stone |
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Read in June, 2006
I bought this book because it interested me on two levels. First, and ridiculously foremost, the authors name. Irving. The last name of my beloved John. And secondly, it’s a novel about Van Gogh. Van Gogh is nothing if not interesting.
Yet, I was surprised at just how into this book I was. I loved it. I loved Van Gogh’s story as an artist. I loved all that other artists in the story.
Can you imagine sitting at a cafe in Paris with the likes of Van Gogh, Toulouse-Laurtec, Cez...more
Yet, I was surprised at just how into this book I was. I loved it. I loved Van Gogh’s story as an artist. I loved all that other artists in the story.
Can you imagine sitting at a cafe in Paris with the likes of Van Gogh, Toulouse-Laurtec, Cez...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
aspiring artists of all kinds
You don't need a strong art history background to appreciate this, the novelized biography of Vincent Van Gogh. Even if you can only remember the names of a few French impressionists and can picture only a painting or two, that's plenty. The more knowledge, the better, but that's all I had, and I found this book both educational and enjoyable. Frum readers should be warned that Van Gogh's relationships with women, including prostitutes, figure into this book. Those scenes are not as explicit as ...more
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Read in December, 2007
A great book. If you're interested in van Gogh, it's a must-read.
The only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me is that some of the book is a little too self-consciously literary, which turns me off. Over the top symbolism and obvious foreshadowing. I mean, van Gogh's life was amazing, his career was amazing. Why put in goofy "innocent" talk about his ears as foreshadowing?
Also, particularly in Paris, his artist friends tend to talk in ways a bit too conveniently illustrative of...more
The only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me is that some of the book is a little too self-consciously literary, which turns me off. Over the top symbolism and obvious foreshadowing. I mean, van Gogh's life was amazing, his career was amazing. Why put in goofy "innocent" talk about his ears as foreshadowing?
Also, particularly in Paris, his artist friends tend to talk in ways a bit too conveniently illustrative of...more
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Read in January, 2005
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the greatest artists but was his success worth the price? This historical fiction depicts the man with his virtues and his vices. He did not marry but primarily used prostitutes so be prepared. The book is clean but it does not gloss the vices. The man came to a tragic end in suicide but could it have been prevented with a bit more moderation. A good case study in obsessions and living life without moral or logical restraint. I guess he didn't know that dehydratio...more
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Read in July, 2006
recommended to Joe by:
Lisa Jensenrecommends it for: Every Artist and Every Emo Person
Irving Stone is one of the most florid and intelligent authors that I have ever read. He harbors an unmatched functional and romanitc vocabulary, romantic as in sensuous. This books is an example of how an author ought to compose a biography. Lust For Life is the biography of Vincent Vangogh - despite your feelings about his paintings, this book marks in my memory and contemporaneous life the strength and confidence that every artist must own. It is written in books, which relate to sections of ...more
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Read in March, 2003
Though this is not a biography, it's a story pieced together based on factual information about VanGogh's life. I learned a LOT about VanGogh and his paintings. Shortly after reading this book, a collection of his paintings were shown in the Seattle Art Museum. After reading so much about him and how he painting, it was awesome to see the paintings up close because I felt I understood more about his mindset while he painted certain scenes, why his brush strokes were so thick or why he chose c...more
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Read in May, 2008
Interesting look at Vincent Van Gough's life. At the end of the book you realize that the author took some liberties with the life of Vincent but I guess that has to be expected with historical fiction. I really enjoyed discovering about his life like that he was a preacher, sold one painting while alive and didn't begin painting until late in his twenties and he knew many famous painters of his time because they were all poor together. He also lived in an insane asylum and most of the inform...more
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Read in January, 1994
recommended to Barbara by:
I can't rememberrecommends it for: Anyone who loves art.
This author writes like he was there and knew Van Gogh personally. Irving Stone tells the story in such as way as to make you feel how lonely this painter was. This loneliness was the core that eventually drove him mad. Stone also help to understand the unique way that Van Gogh saw the world, and his obsession with translating that to canvas. His passion and obsessions made him one of the greatest painters of all time. I highly recommend the read, but fair warning, you may want a box of kleenex ...more
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Read in June, 1998
recommended to Joel by:
Kory
Not as thrilling as The Agony and the Ecstasy, but a enjoyable read, none the less. The tormented Van Gogh demanded so much from himself, each work fully drained himself of all physical and mental control, which eventually led him to 'assisted living' care. His passion ruled his life and demanded innovation and excellence in his art.
Anyone interested in the impressionist must read this book.
Anyone interested in the impressionist must read this book.
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It was great. Knowing about Vincent van Gogh's sensational life and all sorrows and pains all over it besides his everlasting eager to paint was one of the fantastic events in my teenage. I could see a great number of his paintings in van Gogh's museum in Amsterdam and all the scenes of the book were inspirational to me passing by the paintings and following the stages of van Gogh's artistic life...
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Read in January, 1988
recommends it for:
historical fiction lovers
I read this book when I lived in Europe (1988) but I'd already been to Amsterdam where the Van Gogh museum is...when I had the opportunity to return to Europe in 2005, I made a special effort to visit the museum...of course, by then, it had been so long since I'd read this book, I'd wished I'd read it again so I could remember it all!
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2007
Este libro muestra la vida de Vincent Van Gogh a modo de novela, muestra sus sentimientos y su manera de pensar; así como la interacción con otros pintores y la influencia que tuvieron en su obra.
Leer este libro te va a ayudar a percibir de una mejor manera sus obras, a entenderlas y a sentir la intensidad con la que pintaba.
Leer este libro te va a ayudar a percibir de una mejor manera sus obras, a entenderlas y a sentir la intensidad con la que pintaba.
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Read in March, 2008
Awesome. I knew absolutely nothing about Van Gogh's life and this book was great, written by the same author of the Agony and the Ecstasy, so I was expecting it to be great and it came through. Now I just want to go find the closest Van Gogh exhibit and put his work in context. I'd recommend this book to anyone.
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Read in January, 2006
recommended to Michael by:
Rozanskirecommends it for: Art lovers
Bibliographic/Historical Novel of Vincent Van Gogh. Stone uses the correspondence letters of Vincent and his brother Theo as his core source material. It gives a better understanding of the artists process, along with describing the origins of some of Van Gogh's most famous works-- The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers.
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I loved this book about Vincent VanGoh. Shortly after I had read this book I went to Paris and visited the Louve where his orginal paintings hung. I stood there and cried looking at them remembering all he had gone through to paint each painting and the setting of his life at the time. Its one of my favorites.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
artists
a great book that makes you want to go back in time when Paris was a feeding nest for artist, that in these times, are legends. The story is based on factual information, like the letters Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo etc..., so your learning as you read and what you learn is quite interesting...
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Read in April, 2005
Irving Stone writes another biographical novel after intense research and study on the person of Van Gogh. Van Gogh's life story is all over the place and even somewhat frightening. Still, the novel is an excellent read about his life and the general movement of Impressionism at the turn of the century.
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نام اصلی کتاب : "Lust for life"
و به معنای شهوت و تمایل فراوان برای زندگی معنی می شود. با این وجود یادم می آید که وقتی کتاب را خوانده بودم به بی معنا بودن زندگی فکر می کردم و بس...
و به معنای شهوت و تمایل فراوان برای زندگی معنی می شود. با این وجود یادم می آید که وقتی کتاب را خوانده بودم به بی معنا بودن زندگی فکر می کردم و بس...
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Read in December, 2004
recommends it for:
anyone that likes biography books
Lust for Life is definitely one of my favorite books! I read it while I was living in The Netherlands. It was really a very emotional and touching book, each page of it I enjoyed a lot. It's a shame to say but this book made me cry not only once... I would like to read it again one day.
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Read in January, 1999
My friend Eric and I read this at the same time and we both thought it was amazing. Sadly, this is the only Irving Stone book either of us loved. It's about Van Gogh. I'd call it biographical fiction. The one Stone wrote about Michelangelo (The Agony and the Ecstasy) is crap.
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