The Last Painting of Sara de Vos in Around the Year in 52 Books

Jan 02, 2017 Kathryn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, added-because-of-abc-s-book-club, australian-authors, 4-5-stars, released-2016, bookclub, reading-list-2017, kathryns-aty-2017

This book was a wonderful read for my first book of 2017! It was easy to get swept up in the world of Sara de Vos in Holland in the 1630s (very hard times), and in part of the world of art forgery in Brooklyn in the 1950s, and in the art museum world of 2000 as the original de Vos and the fake de Vos are set on a collision course!

I especially loved some of the details involved with making authentic paints, canvases, glue etc from the 1600s - and that people trying the recreate a period piece nee ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 John Warner rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

The eponymous artist was the first female member of the Dutch artist guild in the 17th century. The novel tells the story of the painting through three time periods. The first begins in Amsterdam 1637 after Sara, who has recently lost her daughter, has been suspended from the guild for selling paintings outside of the guild's purview.

The novel's second period is NYC 1957. The painting, which has been in Marty de Groot's family for 300 years, has been stolen replaced with a faked copy. During th ...more

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Aug 10, 2018 Mina rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club-reads, ps-challenge-2018

I love a book that jumps back and forth and tells different historical stories tied to the main theme. I bet there is a word for that - but I just say. Good Book! Enjoyed this one very much.

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Jan 11, 2019 Sally rated it it was amazing

This was a beautifully written book about a period in Dutch painting that I love. The light and color and details are enthralling. I love the 60s in New York as well having spent memorable hours with art in NY museums during that decade. The author is a master himself at a painterly style of writing bringing forward the detail of the art, the characters and the time and place.

I was fortunate to have chosen to hear the book in Audible as it was performance art in itself. Usually I appreciate the ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Jesse rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the juxtaposition of the two main women, and the intermingling/similarities of their stories at different periods in their lives. Definitely a good book if you like historical fiction, or art, or art history.

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Dec 04, 2016 Jennifer W rated it liked it

Shelves: back-and-forth, audio-books

Enjoyable, if slow moving story about the art world- creation, purchasing, displaying, and forging. I didn't care for Marty from the get go, but Ellie and Sara were interesting characters. I don't agree with Ellie's final act, as she didn't need to do it. ...more

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