Rating: 
Summary: Dutch Schlock
Review: "Tulip Fever" is an entertaining beach read smartened up with the gloss of 17th century Dutch art and history. The plot stretches credulity and it's main character, Sophia is loathsome. The only likeable character in the book is Cornelius. I pitied him for being enthralled by his vacuous young wife."The Girl With a Pearl Earring" is a much better book.
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: 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: Decent...
Review: *Tulip Fever* is a fantastically quick read, set in mid-1600's Amsterdam. Tulips, originating in Turkey, have found their way to Amsterdam, where men and women alike catch the fever of growing, selling and trading these precious bulbs. In the midst of the excitement, Cornelis and Sophia Sandvoort, ask a local painter by the name of Jan to paint their portrait. Sophia had been unable to bear children for Cornelis, and he saw this as his one method for achieving immortality. Meanwhile, the Sandvoort's maid, Maria, has fallen in love with Willem, who sells fish door-to-door, and they are about to embark on a new life together. At the moment that Jan enters the Sandvoort home, everything changes for the five main characters. Deception, infidelity and lies permeate the household. The results cannot be undone, but forgiveness and healing must begin for everyone. Overall, an easy read and fairly enjoyable.
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: a wonderful little book
Review: Recently I had several hours of downtime at work and read this book in one sitting. It took me only 3 1/2 hours to read! It was very interesting to me because I have never been to Europe, and it was also set around the 1650's. The prose is very vivid and detailed. I really enjoyed the fleshing out of the characters. The ending was a surprise; it's not totally predictable which I find nice. The book is sensual, comical, and talks about the unpredictability of human beings and the world in general. Read this book, it's an engaging story.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, and quick...
Review: Tulip Fever caught my eye with its beautiful cover art. The blurb on the back cover sold it for me. I wanted to read something fun, light and fast, and Tulip Fever was it for a great summer read. At the beginning, it opens with some interesting sexual exploits, but it quickly picks up and is difficult to put down. If you enjoy period novels, this is a great one. Based in Holland [the Low Countries] during the 17th Century, it is an interesting glimpse into the tulip craze that rocked that country. It does not have a heavy plot, but it will keep you guessing and engrossed until the end. It's no masterpiece, but it is enjoyable, interesting, and mysterious. You will definitely fly through this one, and enjoy it along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: too precious
Review: There seem to be one of a raft of books set during the Dutch era of tulip speculation. (I assume this has some weird link to our own era of dot-com excesses.) As a guy who reads mainly women authors, even I found it too chick-flicky (although, admittedly, I only got a third of the way through). The epigraphs were distracting. I'm surprised other people found the sex offensive -- that was the best part. I think that Gregory Maguire's "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" is a much more compelling treatment of the same era.
Rating:
Summary: A book that gets better as it goes
Review: Was lored into the the book by the cover and the subject matter. Slow start -- too many stange sexual references. Loved the way each chapter came from a different character's perspective -- clever. Story unfolded in a compelling fashion -- couldn't put it down for the last quarter of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Tulip Fever
Review: Admittedly, I did not get beyond page 27, but this is a Harlequin romance in disguise. The offensive sexual content was enough to make me stop reading (at page 27 no less). This was recommended to me because I also bought Artemisia, which is an excellent read. The two couldn't be more different. Artemisia actually told a story, but the plot in Tulip Fever took a back seat to the sexual exploits of the book's main characters. Don't be fooled by packaging or other reviews. If you like romance novels, this is for you. If not, you will be disappointed.
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