Sunflowers

nice story of a great artist

Rachel is the prostitute to whom Vincent gives his ear when he cuts it off. That is the only historical fact known about her. So the author took this seemingly minor person and spun a story about her relationship with Vincent during his time in Arles, France. Why would Vincent specifically ask for Rachel when he stumbles into the brothel that night? A good question, which the author answers with creativity and imagination.

The novel is littered with imagery of Vincent's paintings, especially my favorite, "Cafe Terrace at Night". The descriptions are so well written that I could vividly see his paintings in my head and feel emotions that he meant to convey through his art. I no longer have to go to the museum to get lost in his work; I only have to open this book and choose a paragraph.

This story is an emotional, artistic, whimsical journey through the life of a troubled artist. It makes Vincent a person instead of just a historical figure and gives life also to those who influenced him and loved him. It turns Rachel into something more than just a fille de maison, into a woman who held the heart of the artist. Reading this book was like following the swirls and brushstrokes of Vincent's own art.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

HIghly recommended

Easy read. A must for a Van Gogh fan.

Almost a historical novel

Through a fictional romance of Van Gogh and a courtesan from Arles, France, the writer tells us about Van Gogh's life as a painter, his relationship with his brother, his travels, and his struggles with his mental illness.
Very well written, I was delighted with this book.

Escape to Southern France

This book takes you on a journey through southern France during the last few years of Vincent Van Gogh's life. Through extenisve research the author is able to re-create his experiences in the the town of Arles, the assylum, and then his demise in Auvers-Sur-Oise. The story really develops around who the woman Rachael was, the woman that he handed his ear to after cutting it off, and what their relationship might have been like. It reads like fiction, like a love story, but with lots of historical facts weaved in. You will feel like you really know Vincent after reading this book. I felt compelled to constantly put the book down and go search out his paintings on the internet and study them as she described them. This is a great book for anyone interested in artists, historical fiction, or southern France.

subject of historical interest, execution ok

Sunflowers is a good stepping stone to exploring Vincent van Vogh's later life. Art historian and professor Sheramy Bundrick takes the briefest historical mention of Rachel, the prostitute to whom van Gogh presents the product of his aural mutilation, to develop a love story which spans his stay in Arles to his confinement in the asylums at Saint Remy and Auvers-sur-Oise. The historical facts and mentions of Vincent's paintings, including Gauguin's visit and the Yellow House, are well preserved.

However, the superimposed love story shows definite signs of being Bundrick's first attempt at historical fiction. Narrated by a lovestruck Rachel, it only provides glimpses of the inner workings of Vincent's heart and troubled mind. The tone doesn't strike me as convincingly late nineteenth century Provençal; rather it reads as more modern, peppered with occasional words en francais. The prose, lapsing into polite letters without Rachel's commentary, is a shortcut to advancing the timeline towards the end.

Nonetheless, Sunflowers either provides a springboard for van Gogh fans to learn more about the period, or stripped of the Vincent connection, an decent debut love story about what it means to love a mentally ill person. I found more pleasure learning about the Real van Gogh at the Royal Academy of Art's exhibit of his paintings and letters to coincide with the release of the latest edition of his correspondence by the Van Gogh Letters Project.

Great Book!

There is so much information out there about VanGogh - this was a delight to know more about him from some one close to him. More insight and understanding of the man. Makes him more realistic and more human.

Amazing

The author has written an incredible novel, almost as vivid as one of Vincent van Gogh's own paintings. Pick up this book, you will not regret it.

a terrific look at the life of Van Gogh

In 1888 in Arles, France, prostitute Rachel Courteau takes a needed time out from her brothel life that she embraced out of necessity when her parents died. She hides in a garden from the nasty cracks of the good citizens, but soon falls asleep. She is awakened by a thirty something red haired male who has secretly sketched her nap.

Rachel assumes her visitor, the crazed artist Vincent Van Gogh is another client. He arranges a tryst but brings with him wildflowers. He begs her to let him paint her instead of sleeping with her as she expected. As their relationship blossoms in spite of his increasing bouts madness, she meets his friend Gauguin while wondering if she can ever be free of being a fille de maison as increasingly she believes it will not be with Van Gogh consumed by his lunacy.

Rachel is the key to this terrific look at the life of Van Gogh as she brings freshness to the artist and the period. As Sheramy Bundrick notes in her afterward, there is little known about the real Rachel so the author took liberties with her, but tried to remain true to what is considered factual about Van Gogh; she succeeds. Fans of historical biographical fiction will want to read SUNFLOWERS, as art professor Sheramy Bundrick captures the essence of Vincent Van Gogh's Lust for Life (by Irving Stone) through Rachel's first person perceptions of the artist and his work especially SUNFLOWERS.

Harriet Klausner

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.