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Joyce’s Year In Books

Joyce’s 2024 Year in Books

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Erin (Historical Fiction Reader)

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Joyce Bergvelt

Goodreads Author

Born

in Amstelveen, Netherlands

Website

https://www.joycebergvelt.com/

Genre

Historical Fiction, Fiction, Nonfiction

Member Since

November 2015

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English: (scroll down for Dutch)
Dutch-born Joyce M. Bergvelt (1963) left Holland for Japan at the age of ten, her nomadic childhood later taking her to England and finally, Taiwan, where she took up studying Chinese. She returned to England to embark on a degree in Chinese Studies at the University of Durham, which brought her to Beijing for a year at the Peoples’ (Renmin) University of China. In Sydney she studied Freelance Journalism and in Dubai she worked for a Dutch magazine.
'Formosa, voorgoed verloren' is her literary debut, which was longlisted for the Hebban Debut prize 2016 and was awarded three stars by the Dutch quality newspaper NRC Handelsblad. The original English edition of the book was published under the title 'Lord of For English: (scroll down for Dutch)
Dutch-born Joyce M. Bergvelt (1963) left Holland for Japan at the age of ten, her nomadic childhood later taking her to England and finally, Taiwan, where she took up studying Chinese. She returned to England to embark on a degree in Chinese Studies at the University of Durham, which brought her to Beijing for a year at the Peoples’ (Renmin) University of China. In Sydney she studied Freelance Journalism and in Dubai she worked for a Dutch magazine.
'Formosa, voorgoed verloren' is her literary debut, which was longlisted for the Hebban Debut prize 2016 and was awarded three stars by the Dutch quality newspaper NRC Handelsblad. The original English edition of the book was published under the title 'Lord of Formosa' (Camphor Press, April 2018). The book was well received in Taiwan, and was runner-up for the Asian Books Blog Book of the Year award 2019.
The Chinese (trad.) translation appeared at Avanguard/Qianwei Publishing House (前衛出版社出版) Taipei on March 16th 2023.
Her second (Dutch) novel 'Commandeur van de Kaap' about the 17th century Dutch East India commander Simon van der Stel of Cape of Good Hope appeared in June 2022, while her latest Dutch novel 'Wat wij nalaten' was published in April 2025. .

Dutch:
Joyce Bergvelt (Amstelveen, 1963) groeide op in Japan, Engeland en Taiwan, waarna ze Chinese Studies studeerde aan de Engelse universiteit van Durham en een jaar doorbracht op de Volksuniversiteit (Renmin) in Beijing. Na haar studie keerde zij terug naar Nederland, waar ze onder andere werkte voor RTL Nederland. Ze woonde in Cairo en vervolgens in Sydney, waar zij een opleiding in Freelance Journalism volgde. Door de komst van een dochter en een zoon werd het schrijven even ‘on hold’ gezet.
Daarna lonkte het expat-leven opnieuw: drie jaar lang schreef zij voor 'Hollandse Nieuwe', de maandelijkse glossy van de Nederlandse Vereniging in Dubai. ‘Formosa, voorgoed verloren’ is haar eerste roman. Het boek stond op de longlist voor de Hebban Debutantenprijs 2016, werd door de NRC drie 'ballen' toegekend en is inmiddels in derde druk. De Engelse editie verscheen als 'Lord of Formosa' in 2018 bij Camphor Press. De Chinese vertaling van het boek verscheen op 16 maart 2023 bij Avanguard/Qianwei Publishing House (前衛出版社出版) in Taipei.

Bergvelts tweede historische roman 'Commandeur van de Kaap' over de 17e-eeuwse commandant Simon van der Stel van Kaap de Goede Hoop verscheen in juni 2022.
Beide romans zijn opgenomen in het Literair Canon van Nederland onder het kader van Romans en Verhalen over de VOC.
Haar nieuwste Nederlandstalige roman, 'Wat wij nalaten', verschijnt in april 2025.
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Average rating: 3.96 · 136 ratings · 40 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Lord of Formosa 3.97 avg rating — 116 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Commandeur van de Kaap 3.80 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2022	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wat wij nalaten 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2025	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Joyce Bergvelt's Blog

Wat wij nalaten

I am happy to inform you all that my latest Dutch novel, 'Wat wij nalaten', will be published in April 2025 by Uitgeverij Doornwater.
Set against the background of World War II and inspired by true events, it tells the history of a Dutch and a German family linked through fate, allowing for two very different perspectives. It is a tale of loss and mourning, of the burden of conscience, but also of Read more of this blog post »

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Published on February 16, 2025 10:23

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Joyce is Currently Reading

Joyce Bergvelt is currently reading

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women

by Lisa See (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 28, 2025 02:57AM

Joyce Bergvelt is currently reading

De Bourgondiers

by Bart Van Loo

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Joyce Bergvelt started reading Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 28, 2025 02:57AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Joyce Bergvelt rated a book liked it Elegy of Sweet Potatoes: Stories of Taiwan's White Terror by Tehpen Tsai	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is an interesting book for anyone wishing to know more about the dark side of Taiwan's history during the period of 'White Terror' under the dictatorial rule of Chiang-Kai shek and his son Chiang Jing-guo (1949-1987). The laws of sedition weren' ...more
Oct 31, 2024 04:17AM · like · see review
Joyce Bergvelt started reading De heks van Limbricht by Susan Smit	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 20, 2024 05:55AM · like
Joyce Bergvelt rated a book liked it Elegy of Sweet Potatoes: Stories of Taiwan's White Terror by Tehpen Tsai	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is an interesting book for anyone wishing to know more about the dark side of Taiwan's history during the period of 'White Terror' under the dictatorial rule of Chiang-Kai shek and his son Chiang Jing-guo (1949-1987). The laws of sedition weren' ...more
Oct 20, 2024 04:50AM · like · see review
Joyce Bergvelt wants to read The Women by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Joyce Bergvelt (?)

“Pineapple Isle was one of two small islands, Baxemboy being the other. Both were no more than thin stretches of duny landscape that bent inward toward the mainland. These isles almost enclosed the bay, save for three inlets. The northernmost inlet was located between a thin stretch of dunes attached to the main island and Baxemboy, leaving a channel for the currents to mingle freely.”
― Joyce Bergvelt, Lord of Formosa

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