Rating: 
Summary: Gimme "Fever"
Review: Amsterdam in the mid-1600's in all of her damp; misty; chilling glory. Days of mystery and forbidden love. Nights of sharing secrets of "tulip fever". Speculation in a commodity with money changing hands which, will ultimately, change many lives.I enjoyed this story, from the mysterious beginning to the surprising end. Lies; cheating; deception; instantaneous and heart-stopping love - what's not to like?? Secrets unfold chapter by quick chapter, I had a hard time putting it down. An extra plus I felt, were the snippets that were written by some of the world's masters - Confucius; Rembrandt; Da Vinci; Aristotle, as well as passages from The Bible. These tidbits give an inkling of what's upcoming in each chapter. The circumstances that Ms. Moggach puts before us certainly were feasible, and may very well have happened during the time of the tulip explosion. I felt the book was much more about the characters and their lives, and what they brought to (or took away) from each other, than the "tulip" phenomenon. I highly recommend this book as it is an interesting and quick read. I for one will spend time with this author again.
Rating: 
Summary: Ludicrous and offensive!
Review: As an art historian, I found this book ludicrous and offensive! (...) but THIS book is just a smutty attempt at historical fiction. I couldn't finish, I was too disgusted.
Rating: 
Summary: Cold fever
Review: Deborah Moggach's Tulip Fever belongs to the same trend of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with the pearl earring. Period. While Chivalier's work is deep and remarkable, Moggach is interesting and that's it. What first attracted me in the book was the thematic, but in my opinion the execution was poor. I read it very fast-- it is not a bad thing--, but I forgot in the same speed. The story sounded to set up in order to grab readers' attention, rather than the natural flow such a narrative would have. The characters are okay, but sometimes too simplistic. It seems that Moggach could have used all the research she did in a better way, giving more deepen to the novel and characters. Anyway, it is not a bad novel at all, but it is not as good as it could be either. One a lighter note, the beautiful cover worths the whole book.
Rating: 
Summary: Catch the fever...
Review: I absolutely loved this book. Tulip Fever was a vivid and engrossing read that had me turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. And while some feel this novel is only a Harlequin Romance in disguise, I truly believe it is much, much more than that. The 1630s Amsterdam background lends rich definition to the characters and story line and makes Tulip Fever a highly readable, thrilling book. Wealthy merchant, Cornelis Sandvoort, and his young wife, Sophia, have a good marriage. Sophia is ever grateful to Cornelis for saving her family from destitution, while Cornelis feels Sophia has given him another chance at life after the death of his first wife and two sons. But with there being 40 years of age between them, Sophia feels, no matter how grateful she is, that she has traded one life of imprisonment for another. The couple is childless despite Sophia's dutifulness, and in the hopes of achieving some sort of immortality, Cornelis has commissioned young, passionate artist Jan van Loos to paint their portrait. During their sittings, something transpires between Jan and Sophia. Their love for each other becomes frantic, like another form of life support. Desperate to be together, Jan and Sophia concoct a devious plan. Lies, lust, greed and the dizzying passion of the tulip craze create an intoxicating and dangerous mix. What ensues after is the devastating windfall of their deception and selfishness. Very intense and fast once the love affair begins. Each chapter is narrated by a different character so readers are treated to the minds of all involved. I believe Deborah Moggach has written a solid, deftly written piece of fiction. Although there are bits of Harlequin-ness, the historical references; allusions to actual Dutch paintings; sharply defined characters; and lush, vivid backdrop surely make up for it. An exceptional and sensuous feast for the mind.
Rating:
Summary: This is the second Historical fiction that I read
Review: I also read, Girl with a Pearl and I liked that one, but I do have to say that I enjoy this one more. It was fast moving, short chapters, and a good ending. It kept me focused for the whole story, and I read it in very short time. Who needs a brain draining book to read in the evening? I recommend this book when you need a "break" from the hectic
life that we call "normal".
Rating:
Summary: gripping and accurate
Review: I find Kirkus reviews to be the most reliable, but they certainly have missed here. Far from being "pallid," the book is full of passion and suspense (the NY Times said it "reads like a thriller"); and the plot that is called "outlandish" is based on an idea that has historical precedent. I was totally engrossed in this book, as were my wife and a friend. We all agreed that the clichés "page turner" and "couldn't put it down" were true in this case. The scene with the "onion" is unforgettable and the depiction of tulip speculation is revelatory. Don't allow the Kirkus sourpuss to keep you away from a novel that is both entertaining and educational.
Rating:
Summary: A Mediocre Read
Review: I found this book to be a bit of a disappointment. The writing was too simplistic and the character development was mediocre at best. However, the time period in The Netherlands provided an interesting backdrop. It was a quick read, and I was happy to be finished!
Rating:
Summary: Facile mannerist collection of characters
Review: I have loved 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting for more than three decades, and I appreciated the research Ms. Moggach has done for her book. I just didn't think she had the obligation of demonstrating this research in such a "mannerist" way, with quotations at the begining of each chapter from the most common books available at that time. The intention: to show in each chapter the illustration of a proverb, parallelling the books of proverbs she amply studied. But books of proverbs have no good continuity and this is indeed what this novel lacks. Each small chapter was intentionally composed as genre scenes like the thousands of paintings depicting the era. The attempt to approximate the text as if we were looking at a painting makes the scene distant from the reader, which in effect is the opposite of what genre painting aspired to do. The "torrid affair" mentioned by most other readers is neither too torrid nor gratuitous. What appeared to me superfluous and not well explored was the futures market of the tulip world and why it was happening. Since she chose this title, greater attention should have been placed on this historical phenomenon. Overall a weak novel with some interest mostly toward the end.
Rating:
Summary: Very readable, but not a must read, unless romance is a must
Review: I have to admit that this little tome speeds by. But it is so much a romance, a soap opera, and so commercial. Read it two years ago and reread it for book discussion group. While I feel better about it, having discussed it with others and having researched the author Moggach, I don't think this is a pivotal book. I do think the movie version will draw a good audience of those who loved "Girl with a Pearl" and who love the current rage of "art history" writing. Interestingly, on Moggach's website, her reason for writing reveals her fascination with a Dutch painting that she bought at an auction, and that painting's inspiration for this book. I rather like Maria more than Sophia,whom I find dreadfully shallow, but HUMAN, I guess. And the irony that befalls the servant Gerrit, a simple man who saves a beast of burden from a ruthless owner, is delicious! So, Jim Broadbent is cast as the cuckold Cornelis? Interesting choice. And Jude Law is sure to draw in the ladies! Ah! Commercial writing. What would we do without it?
Rating:
Summary: Very readable, but not a must read, unless romance is a must
Review: I have to admit that this little tome speeds by. But it is so much a romance, a soap opera, and so commercial. Read it two years ago and reread it for book discussion group. While I feel better about it, having discussed it with others and having researched the author Moggach, I don't think this is a pivotal book. I do think the movie version will draw a good audience of those who loved "Girl with a Pearl" and who love the current rage of "art history" writing. Interestingly, on Moggach's website, her reason for writing reveals her fascination with a Dutch painting that she bought at an auction, and that painting's inspiration for this book. I rather like Maria more than Sophia,whom I find dreadfully shallow, but HUMAN, I guess. And the irony that befalls the servant Gerrit, a simple man who saves a beast of burden from a ruthless owner, is delicious! So, Jim Broadbent is cast as the cuckold Cornelis? Interesting choice. And Jude Law is sure to draw in the ladies! Ah! Commercial writing. What would we do without it?
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