And perhaps,when Vincent arrived that summer, he noticed that nascent stirring about me. He saw that I was bursting to come to life again. Twenty-one years of age, and for the first time since I was a young child, I wanted to dance in the garden and sing.
(from The Last Van Gogh, page 72)
The Last Van Gogh chronicles the last 70 days in the life of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, set in the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise during the summer of 1890. It was my book club’s May pick. (I wasn’t able to attend last month’s meeting, so I can’t include everyone’s thoughts this time around.) I was especially excited about this book because Alyson Richman’s novel The Lost Wife made my “Best of 2011” list. Richman tells this story through the eyes of Marguerite Gachet, the 21-year-old daughter of the homeopathic doctor treating 37-year-old Vincent for depression and anxiety. Marguerite was the subject of two portraits painted in the days before his suicide.
Just like her late mother, Marguerite feels trapped. She’s basically a maid to her father and younger brother, Paul, and has little contact with the world outside their home, except to go shopping or attend Mass. When Dr. Gachet isn’t creating his questionable tinctures and treating his own melancholy, he fancies himself a painter and an art collector and drops the names of his artist friends Cézanne and Pissarro as often as he can. He doesn’t approve when Vincent voices a desire to paint Marguerite — and neither does Paul, whose failed attempts to secure attention and praise from Vincent strain his relationship with his sister.
The attraction between Marguerite and Vincent is intense and makes Marguerite feel alive for the first time. Though her father is not likely to approve, Louise-Josephine (the illegitimate daughter of Marguerite and Paul’s “governess” who has been hidden away in the Gachet home since she was 14) gives her reason to hope. However, Louise-Josephine’s chances of a happily-ever-after are as impossible as her own.
The Last Van Gogh develops slowly, giving readers a good understanding of the Gachet family’s dynamics and the obstacles in the way of Marguerite’s happiness. Readers know from the beginning that this will be a tragic love story, but that didn’t stop me from hoping for a different ending for Vincent. Once Vincent decides he needs to paint Marguerite, the pace of the narrative picks up, as Vincent’s poor financial and mental condition and the jealousy and possessiveness pervading the Gachet home conspire against them.
The novel shines in Richman’s descriptions of Vincent’s paintings, from the vivid colors to the symbolism, from his frenzied brush strokes to his burning need to paint whatever inspired him. She does a wonderful job portraying him as a troubled genius, and one can understand why Marguerite would be drawn to him. I really felt for Marguerite; she was so isolated, stifled, lonely, and desperately in need of freedom.
The Last Van Gogh is a lovely historical novel about art and inspiration, love and freedom, and loyalty and obligation. I enjoyed reading about Richman’s inspiration for the book in the author’s note, and I couldn’t help but do some research of my own, searching for information about the Gachets and looking up the paintings Van Gogh painted in Auvers, particularly his portraits of Marguerite. This is a novel that requires a bit of patience, but readers will be rewarded with rich descriptions of the artistic process and a heartfelt tale of first love.
Disclosure: I borrowed The Last Van Gogh from the public library.
© 2013 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Sounds like a great book – I think I need to read it. And, the cover is so gorgeous!
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I like the cover, too!
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Sounds a very good book. Thanks for the review.
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I enjoyed it. Hope you give it a try.
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I am confused by a sentence, maybe it’s too early. M is 21, but already had a kid who is a governess?
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No, Marguerite and Paul had a governess, and her daughter comes to live with them.
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I really loved this one…maybe more than you did, so I’ll have to try The Lost Wife.
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I really enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. It was just a little slow for me at the beginning.
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I have this one on my list and am glad to know that you enjoyed it!
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I hope you get a chance to read it!
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Sounds like a great book for lovers of art and historical fiction. I have The Lost Wife on my bookshelf and must get to it soon.
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I think you’d really like The Lost Wife!
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I love Van Gogh’s paintings but may not have the patience required for this book.
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Not everyone in the book club thought the book was as slow as I did. I guess I just got a feeling for the characters early on and wanted more about Vincent from the start.
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I love Vincent Van Gogh! I haven’t heard of this book but it’s definitely going on to my TBR!
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If you like Van Gogh, it’s definitely worth checking out.
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I love anything including an art twist. This looks great!
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The descriptions of the painting and Van Gogh’s artistic process were wonderful.
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Anna, it would be great if you linked this one in as well. So interesting.
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Thanks, Carole!
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A book that combines history & art – gotta read that!
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I hope you enjoy it!
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I’m interested in Van Gogh, but exhaust all my patience on my 2 year old 🙂
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Haha!
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Oh, this sounds like a fantastic book!! I loved your review and will definitely add it to my TBR List 😀
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Thanks! Hope you get a chance to read it.
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I love this author so I know I could really enjoy this book! Sounds very very good and I’m sure I would be doing a lot of research too. Her first book caused me to look up lots of stuff!!
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I didn’t think it was as good as The Lost Wife, but it’s definitely worth reading.
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Lots of good books there Harvee; enjoy
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The Last Van Gogh sounds like a great one, especially if history and art are involved.
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I think Richman did a great job with the art scenes.
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I’m always interested in a book that makes the reader want to do research!
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That’s one of the best things about reading historical fiction, wanting to learn more.
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