Midnight Blue
by Simone van der Vlugt
Description
From Simone Van Der Vlugt comes her European bestselling novel of a young woman's rise as a painter in Holland's Golden Age—perfect for readers of The Miniaturist, Tulip Fever, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland's Golden Age, a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow's new life.
Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five-year old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family. Amsterdam is a city at the peak of its powers: science and art are flourishing in the Golden Age and Dutch ships bring back exotic riches from the Far East. Madam Van Nulandt passes her time taking expensive painting lessons from a local master, Rembrandt van Rigin, and when Catrin takes up a brush to finish some of her mistress's work Rembrandt realizes the maid has genuine talent, and encourages her to continue.
When a figure from her past threatens her new life, Catrin flees to the smaller city of Delft. There, her gift as a painter earns her a chance to earn a living painting pottery at a local workshop. Slowly, the workshop begins to develop a new type of pottery to rival fancy blue-on-white imported Chinese porcelain—and the graceful and coveted Delft Blue designs she creates help revolutionize the industry. But when tragedy strikes, Catrin must decide whether to defend her newfound independence, or return to the village that she'd fled.
My Perspective ~
Being of Dutch heritage I enjoy collecting Delftware, and was intrigued to find this to be a history of the origins of the pottery. The cover of this book caught my eye, as the beauty of Delftware is exhibited in beautiful detail. The story within is a difficult tale of love and loss, moving forward in life, and seeking both solace and happiness. Famous painters of the 17th century Holland are mentioned, as are detailed descriptions of how Delftware developed over time. Catrin's story rises above all else in this poignant narrative of a torn life. Descriptive in both character and landscape, I was transformed to the canals and fields of Holland as the author gave rich descriptions of the countryside and the cities as well as the events in Catrin's difficult life. I was captivated by this well written novel. I highly recommend it, and look forward to more from this author.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.
Being of Dutch heritage I enjoy collecting Delftware, and was intrigued to find this to be a history of the origins of the pottery. The cover of this book caught my eye, as the beauty of Delftware is exhibited in beautiful detail. The story within is a difficult tale of love and loss, moving forward in life, and seeking both solace and happiness. Famous painters of the 17th century Holland are mentioned, as are detailed descriptions of how Delftware developed over time. Catrin's story rises above all else in this poignant narrative of a torn life. Descriptive in both character and landscape, I was transformed to the canals and fields of Holland as the author gave rich descriptions of the countryside and the cities as well as the events in Catrin's difficult life. I was captivated by this well written novel. I highly recommend it, and look forward to more from this author.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.
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