Rembrandt's Whore: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: My opinion
Review: I must disagree on one point with the top most reviewer. This novel was written before Tracy Cheveliers Girl with a pearl earring. Although "pearl earring" was a far more interesting read. I found this book boring but oddly intriguing. It is worded strangely and sometimes the main character (its in 1st person) Begins to speak to Rembrandt. These parts are second person and it all becomes very confusing. I also found I didn't really care about the main character and the ending was a let down. It leaves one dissatisfied with the novel. You would have to really love anything to do with Rembrandt to enjoy this book.
I in fact found it so boring it took over three weeks to finish. And this is saying something when the book is only about 180 pages. I hated it so much I referred to is as the dreadful book that would not end. Once again someone really needs to enjoy aspects of Rembrandt's life to enjoy this complicated (what seems like) 500 page bore. The reason by the way that this received 2 stars instead of 1 is because the plot was enough to keep me reading up to a point.

Rating:
Summary: Riding a wave...
Review: Sylvie Matton is simply riding the Tracey Chevalier wave. Unfortunately, she is not a good enough surfer and crashes before the break. A boring book, a pale imitation.

Rating:
Summary: extraordinary imaginative work
Review: Writing historical fiction or biography presents unique challenges. The author must reconcile what is known with an act of the imagination to create characters and story. This is true even when writing non fiction, with fiction it is even trickier. I have recently read "Girl with Pearl Earing" and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue", two other novels attempting to portray the golden age of art in Holland, both centering around Vermeer. Both are noteworthy, but this effort, about Rembrandt, surpasses both.
First of all, the main character, from whose point of view the story is told, thinks more like someone in the 17th century than the characters in the other two novels. There is the omnipresence of religion, the imagery with which thought occurrs(the little white worms!). Then there is the sense of time and place..Amsterdam here is not some nostalgic spot in the Dutch past, but a complex culture mixing religion, innovation, and art in the country where modern capitalism arguably emerged. It is the merchants who rule this world, not the old aristocracy, and this world is in flux. The tension between the merchant class, the religious reaction to them, and artist as personified by Rembrandt is fascinatiog. One also feels the force of natural events, the Plague, and the floods which always threatened Holland.
There is much about Rembrandt here, much about the struggle of an artist who attempts to remain true to his vision, both as an artist and as a human being, against the spirit of a conservative phillistine society.The descriptions of Rembrandt's way of seeing the world, and most importantly the people in it, will change the way you look at his art.
Lastly, this book is simply a joy to read. Mattons language is rich and evocative and lingers in the mind. Her observations about the people who live in this world ar sharp and true. The love story in these pages is erotic and powerful. She also has a unique way of blending story lines with the Rembrandt's paintings that enriches the story even more.
My highest recomendation!