The Map Colorist: A Novel

by Rebecca D'Harlingue

Overview

In 1660, Amsterdam is the trading and map-printing capital of the world. Anneke van Brug is one of the colorists paid to enhance black-and-white maps for a growing number of collectors. Her artistic talent brings her to the attention of the Blaeu printing house, and she begins to color for a rich merchant, Willem de Groot. But Anneke is not content to simply embellish the work of others; she longs to create maps of her own. Cartography, however, is the domain of men—so it is in secret that she borrows the notes her father made on a trip to Africa in 1642 and sets about designing a new map.

Anneke hopes to convince the charismatic de Groot to use his influence to persuade Blaeu to include her map in the Atlas Maior, which will be the largest and most expensive publication of the century. But family secrets, infidelity, and murder endanger her dream. Will her map withstand these threats, or will it be forever lost?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647425470
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	09/19/2023
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Rebecca D’Harlingue has done graduate work in Spanish literature, worked as a hospital administrator, and taught English as a Second Language to adults from all over the world. She shares her love of story both with preschoolers at a Head Start program and with the members of the book club she has belonged to for decades. D’Harlingue lives in Oakland, California, with her husband, Arthur, where they are fortunate to frequently spend time with their children and grandchildren.

Editorial Reviews

2024 IPPY Awards Bronze Winner in Historical Fiction
2024 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite in Historical Fiction
2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Winner in Historical Fiction
2023 Sarton Awards Shortlist in Historical Fiction
2023 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Literary
2023 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Historical Fiction
2023 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Literary Fiction
2023 Firebird Book Awards Third Place Winner in Fiction
2023 American Fiction Awards Finalist in Historical Fiction
2023 Literary Titan Book Awards Gold Winner

“Author Rebecca D’Harlingue has crafted a fantastic work of literary-styled fiction that packs much into a plot filled with infidelity, long-buried secrets, murder, mystery, and more. . . . The Map Colorist will certainly please fans of strong female leads and trend breakers in history, and I’d highly recommend it for literary fiction fans looking for accomplished writing that also has a fast- paced, engaging plot.”
—Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

“The author’s emotionally resonant narrative follows the coming-of-age of a female artist fueled by a passion for her work . . . D’Harlingue deftly portrays her struggles and the complicated relationship dynamics that emerge as Anneke shares her work with others, ultimately exposing disturbing truths that harm all involved.
—Kirkus Reviews

“With each page you turn, be transported to a world of wonder and amazement, where history, art, and science merge into an irresistible blend of knowledge and beauty.”
—Midwest Book Review

“D’Harlingue’s narrative prowess shines as she evokes empathy and investment in her beautifully fleshed out characters, along with their aspirations, triumphs, and tribulations. This subdued, yet potent tale will resonate with discerning readers, particularly those with a penchant for rich historical detail.”
—Literary Titan

“The rich and fascinating worlds of mapmaking, exploration, and art spring to life in the story of Anneke van Brug. The Map Colorist is a well-researched, entrancing novel that will charm lovers of The Girl With the Pearl Earring and The Miniaturist.”
—Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Blue and The Fugitive Colors

“A riveting story of an artist who learns ambition from her mother’s example, resulting in secrets, deception, and tragedy. You will hold your breath all the way to the end before you know if love and family can prevail.”
—Linda Ulleseit, author of The Aloha Spirit and The River Remembers

“In this impeccably researched novel, Rebecca D’Harlingue offers the reader a glimpse into the world of map creation in seventeenth-century Amsterdam. A novel of thwarted ambitions, unusual twists and turns fueled by secrets and lies, and the often harsh realities of family and Dutch society.”
—Michelle Cameron, author of Beyond the Ghetto Gates and Babylon

From the Publisher

2023-06-06
A young woman in 17th-century Amsterdam uncovers her artistic potential in D’Harlingue’s historical novel.

Artist Isaac van Brug embarks upon an African expedition in 1642 with Jan Van Herder to meet with the king of Congo and to visit Mbanza Congo—San Salvador—and the river Kwango to make sketches of the region. He loses his drawings in a storm. To supplement the family’s income, his children, Anneke and her brother, Lucas, learn to color maps at a young age under their mother Lysbeth’s tutelage. While map coloring inspires Lucas to see the world, Anneke becomes immersed in the craft and surpasses her mother’s skill, thus gaining the attention of Heer Meyert, of Joan Blaeu’s printing house. Anneke is invited to work at the printing house and subsequently impresses Joan Blaeu himself when she is commissioned to work at the home of the aristocratic Willem de Groot, where she becomes enmeshed in de Groot’s wife Helena’s adulterous scandal. Longing to create her own map, Anneke works on a representation of her father’s African journey. However, her dreams are not all that she imagined when entrenched family secrets lead to unimagined hardship (“If he had known how it would end, my father would have struck the paintbrush from my young hand”). The author’s emotionally resonant narrative follows the coming-of-age of a female artist fueled by a passion for her work and a deep longing to contribute something of value to the world. D’Harlinguedeftly portrays her struggles and the complicated relationship dynamics that emerge as Anneke shares her work with others, ultimately exposing disturbing truths that harm all involved. The book is a convincing depiction of the period, in which women were not celebrated for their artistic accomplishments. Although there are moments when plot machinations seem to overshadow Anneke’s personal story, the novel is impressively researched, well paced, and compelling.

An emotionally resonant portrait of the artist as a young woman.

Kirkus Reviews