Lust for Life

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: I found this book to be very inspiring. Van Gogh's life makes the average person's everyday life seem completely bland and uninspired. With little to no support or guidance from the outside world save for the financial backing of his brother Theo, Vincent continued to pursue his craft of painting with unparalleled fervor. In short, there was nothing that would stop Van Gogh from doing what he had to do-paint. In his personal life, Vincent comes across as almost a christlike figure by exhibiting a profound and deap love for humanity. Coming into the book I had no appreciation for the complexity of Vincent's life. After having read the book I feel as if I am only drifting through life with little regard for the consequences. I have no idea how accurate a portrayal this is and really don't care. Regardless, the book is a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: I found this book to be very inspiring. Van Gogh's life makes the average person's everyday life seem completely bland and uninspired. With little to no support or guidance from the outside world save for the financial backing of his brother Theo, Vincent continued to pursue his craft of painting with unparalleled fervor. In short, there was nothing that would stop Van Gogh from doing what he had to do-paint. In his personal life, Vincent comes across as almost a christlike figure by exhibiting a profound and deap love for humanity. Coming into the book I had no appreciation for the complexity of Vincent's life. After having read the book I feel as if I am only drifting through life with little regard for the consequences. I have no idea how accurate a portrayal this is and really don't care. Regardless, the book is a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, wonderful book
Review: I haven't read many biographies since I was in elementary school, but I suspect that even if I'd read hundreds, this would still rank as one of my favorites. Absolutely riveting, and it gave me a much greater appreciation and admiration for Van Gogh himself, his difficult life, his work, and his wonderfully indulgent brother, Theo. Highly recommended if you have the slightest interest in art and Van Gogh in particular.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I love this book and recommend it to anyone. I've always been interest in art and I love biographies. This book is great and it keeps you interested from beginning to end. It's is definitely on my list of best books I ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Lust for Life - Will reach your soul.
Review: I picked this book out of luck, and I'm really glad I did. This is a book that makes you feel -- you suffer with Vincent's bad times, and you fill with joy with his triumphs...
It tells about the most important aspects about Van Gogh's life, his close relationship with his brother Theo, his passionate yet unproductive attempts as a lover, how he got an artist's soul through his poverty, and how, in spite of all he did, nobody looked at him as what he was -an artist- until he was no more.
Irving Stone's writing is beautiful yet easy to read...
I found out that he wrote it around the 30's after reading it, and I was purely amazed.
This is a book that will make it's own way to your heart, and will stay there for a long time...
Take a friend's advice. Buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: the book is a simple magic
Review: i read this book recently. it is simple magic. the pain, the agony, the ecstasy that vincent went through is what i have identified myself with. his meeting with maya, his burning his hand...things we do for love. i just love him. i will name my son as vincent. i promise.

Rating:
Summary: is art worth it
Review: I was skeptical of the biographical novel, was it going to be cheap Hollywood style melodrama with graphic descriptions of Van Gogh's ear mutilation. No, it was a brilliant book, which illustrated the price for great art better than any book i have ever read. Van Gogh paid a heavy price indeed, his sanity, a normal life , and ultimately his life. It was his passion, his manic passion to create, not to imitate, that fueled his artistic genius. But what was it that inspired his passion to express his true feelings, celebrity, no, money, no he was indifferent ( though a serious sponge) , no it was alienation from the society, rejection by women, perhaps underlying his suffering a deep sense of emptiness. it was this emptiness that ignited his unquenchable passion to create, to express his perception of the world. However, when he had lost his passion for art, he was forced to reencounter his own emptiness, and as you will see, he could not handle this reality.
This book is well written, though at times unrelentlessly depressing, you wait for some small good thing to happen and it never does, or rarely does. You also get a good impression, no pun intended as to how Impressionism was quite a revolutionary art form, ( though now its sadly becoming cliche and yuppiesaque)it avoids technicality while giving a good description of what Impressionism was or i suppose is.
This book left me in tears, and i think anyone would enjoy reading this book .

Rating:
Summary: Irving Stone at his best!
Review: I'm in awe of Irving Stone's gift for taking historical figures that we only think we know, and bringing them to life. This is Vincent van Gogh in all his complex and difficult genius. You will feel his pain and anguish at a world that clearly is not ready to appreciate his talents. But more importantly, you will discover how he rose above his limitations to produce some of the most enduring art the modern world has known. Oh, and of course this histrical account is heavily researched, yet never bogs you down in facts. Like the best Stone, Lust for Life is ultimately readable.

Rating:
Summary: A profound journey of lonely but gifted soul
Review: Irvine Stone portrayed the great painter in a deep and sentimental way. A very good book that should be bought and kept for your kids if they are not spoiled and corrupted by the Nintendo Syndrom yet. After finishing this great book, if you are so profoundly touched, you should pick the other great book from Amazon.com, THE AGONY & THE ECSTASY, a story about Michael Angelo. These two books in combination would give you a wonderful sentimental journey just fine.

Rating:
Summary: AN ARTIST'S LIFE
Review: IRVING STONE HAS HIS READERS RELIVE VINCENT VAN GOGH'S LIFE.AFTER READING THE BOOK YOU CAN EASILY APPRECIATE THE TUMULTOUS LIFE THIS ARTIST HAD.THE AURTHOR HAS USED CERTAIN FICTIONAL MOMENTS AS HE AGREES TO IN THE END.THESE ONLY MAKE THE BOOK MORE READWORTHY.THE EMPHASIS IN THIS BOOK IS ON THE LIFE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH IN RELATION TO THE ART HE PRODUCED.ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES.