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Vincent & Sien
The Hague, 1882, a howling winter's night, Sien and her daughter are on the brink of surrendering to the bitter cold, their exhaustion, their hunger, when a good Samaritan appears. Vincent van Gogh, a struggling artist, provides them with warmth and shelter for the night. Fascinated by Sien - her face, her struggles, her life lived - Vincent offers Sien work sitting for him. From model to muse, the two soon become lovers.
As the connection and intimacy between Vincent and Sien deepen, their relationship draws scathing scrutiny and hostility from the town and those closest to them, threatening to tear them apart.
Can their love endure, even if it spells ruin for them both?
This is the breathtaking and visceral intertwining of one woman's need for survival and one man's road to artistic genius. This is the story of Vincent and Sien.
As the connection and intimacy between Vincent and Sien deepen, their relationship draws scathing scrutiny and hostility from the town and those closest to them, threatening to tear them apart.
Can their love endure, even if it spells ruin for them both?
This is the breathtaking and visceral intertwining of one woman's need for survival and one man's road to artistic genius. This is the story of Vincent and Sien.
336 pages, Paperback
Published July 25, 2023
20 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Silvia Kwon
3 books5 followersSilvia Kwon was born in Seoul, South Korea. She came to Australia at the age of nine with her family and grew up in Perth. After studying art history at the University of Western Australia, she worked in community arts before deciding to move to Melbourne to pursue a career in publishing. She has worked at Oxford University Press, Black Inc and Coulomb Communications, a small non-fiction publishing outfit, which she founded with a friend. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and son. THE RETURN is Silvia's first novel. She is currently working on her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 27, 2024
Já nevím kde začít. Má příliš mnoho stránek, je to repetetivní. Snaží se to pomalu budovat vztah, ale dělá to tak že neustále opakuje stejné scény 300 stran a pak na konci přijde rádoby smutný konec. Je to nuda, realistické přiblížení Vincenta chybí, povídání o jeho práci taky moc nedostaneme. Můj největší pocit z toho je ten že je to hodně nudná červená knihovna, s čímž není nic špatného pokud se ta červená knihovna nesnaží dojit z velkého uměleckého jména. Reálně to nemá moc velikou informační hodnotu, k tomu chybí dynamika nebo zajímavé psaní. Je to velice mid kniha, která vám nenabídne víceméně nic zajímavého. Za mě tento titul můžete s klidným srdcem vynechat
July 25, 2023
This exquisite cover sets the mood perfectly for reading the story of Vincent Van Gogh and Sien Hoornik. I was completely transported into the world of Vincent and Sien by Silvia Kwon’s sensitive, painstakingly researched imagining of their lives as they might have lived them.
Vincent was an artistic genius whose self-belief wouldn’t allow him to follow any other path than the one he was on, spending years perfecting his drawing skills with pencils and charcoal before he considered himself ready to use paint. This novel begins on the night Vincent finds Sien, pregnant and starving and having collapsed on the street next to her sleeping little daughter. He gives them shelter for the night and soon asks her to come back and pose for him.
Sien’s world has until now been one of extreme poverty; Vincent is living on an allowance sent to him by his younger brother, Theo, a seller of paintings by successful artists. All of this has been well documented over the years, and admirers of Vincent Van Gogh are all well acquainted with the bare facts of his life story. How exciting, then, to read it as it might have happened.
I was so overcome by the loveliness of this book that I was often close to tears while reading it. I don’t mean to imply that Silvia Kwon has prettied up the world of a destitute street walker and a driven artist who, earning no money himself, is usually poverty stricken from spending most of his brother’s allowance on art materials and paying people to pose for him. Rather, it was the contrast with Vincent’s life then and how he is now acknowledged as a grand master of stupendous brilliance. There is nothing more heart stopping than to look at his paintings in person, making perfect sense of stories of his struggles to achieve perfection in his art.
This is a truly beautiful, unforgettable book. ⭐️
Vincent was an artistic genius whose self-belief wouldn’t allow him to follow any other path than the one he was on, spending years perfecting his drawing skills with pencils and charcoal before he considered himself ready to use paint. This novel begins on the night Vincent finds Sien, pregnant and starving and having collapsed on the street next to her sleeping little daughter. He gives them shelter for the night and soon asks her to come back and pose for him.
Sien’s world has until now been one of extreme poverty; Vincent is living on an allowance sent to him by his younger brother, Theo, a seller of paintings by successful artists. All of this has been well documented over the years, and admirers of Vincent Van Gogh are all well acquainted with the bare facts of his life story. How exciting, then, to read it as it might have happened.
I was so overcome by the loveliness of this book that I was often close to tears while reading it. I don’t mean to imply that Silvia Kwon has prettied up the world of a destitute street walker and a driven artist who, earning no money himself, is usually poverty stricken from spending most of his brother’s allowance on art materials and paying people to pose for him. Rather, it was the contrast with Vincent’s life then and how he is now acknowledged as a grand master of stupendous brilliance. There is nothing more heart stopping than to look at his paintings in person, making perfect sense of stories of his struggles to achieve perfection in his art.
This is a truly beautiful, unforgettable book. ⭐️
October 13, 2024
Krásné obrazy, nelehký život, opovržení ostatních – i takový je život malíře, a nejen Vincent van Gogh by mohl vyprávět.
Vincent a Sien – umělec a prostitutka. Dva lidé z odlišných světů, jejichž cesty se zkřížily. Jejich vztah se den ode dne prohlubuje, ale čím déle jsou spolu, tím více se jejich okolí snaží je rozdělit.
Co vás na první pohled zaujme na této knize je rozhodně obálka. Já se do ní okamžitě zamilovala a knížku jsem si musela přečíst. Když jsem navíc zjistila, že se jedná o zbeletrizovaný životopis z edice Slavné páry, byla jsem nadšená! Právě takové knihy mám moc ráda, neboť nejen, že si přečtu zajímavou knihu, ale vždy se dozvím něco nového.
Bylo tomu tak i tentokrát. Už během čtení jsem si dohledávala další informace ze života Vincenta a Sien. Prohlížela si obrazy, o kterých byla v knize řeč a já si je tak mohla propojit s tím, za jakých podmínek vznikly a co mohl autor u své tvorby cítit.
Kromě života slavného umělce, respektive zhruba dvou let jeho života, se podíváme do Holandska devatenáctého století. Autorka nám přiblíží, jak se tehdy žilo, hlavně pak těm úplně nejchudším lidem. Jaké byly různé návyky, třeba hygienické, co se jedlo, jaká byla výchova dětí, zdravotní péče, bydlení,… rozhodně zajímavá sonda do tehdejšího života.
Kniha je rozdělena na tři části, příběh nám vypráví dva vypravěči a díky tomu nahlédneme do jejich myšlenek i pocitů a budeme se moci vcítit do různých postav. Zajímavé také je, že se na knize podíleli dva překladatelé.
Rozhodně tu nečekejte žádnou velkou akci, ale poklidné vyprávění o životě slavného umělce a objevování toho, jak se to tenkrát mohlo všechno odehrát. O Vincentu van Goghovi jsem četla i jiný zbeletrizovaný životopis. Ten se odehrával v jiném období jeho života a díky této knize jsem si doplnila zase kousek jeho životní skládačky.
Vincent a Sien – umělec a prostitutka. Dva lidé z odlišných světů, jejichž cesty se zkřížily. Jejich vztah se den ode dne prohlubuje, ale čím déle jsou spolu, tím více se jejich okolí snaží je rozdělit.
Co vás na první pohled zaujme na této knize je rozhodně obálka. Já se do ní okamžitě zamilovala a knížku jsem si musela přečíst. Když jsem navíc zjistila, že se jedná o zbeletrizovaný životopis z edice Slavné páry, byla jsem nadšená! Právě takové knihy mám moc ráda, neboť nejen, že si přečtu zajímavou knihu, ale vždy se dozvím něco nového.
Bylo tomu tak i tentokrát. Už během čtení jsem si dohledávala další informace ze života Vincenta a Sien. Prohlížela si obrazy, o kterých byla v knize řeč a já si je tak mohla propojit s tím, za jakých podmínek vznikly a co mohl autor u své tvorby cítit.
Kromě života slavného umělce, respektive zhruba dvou let jeho života, se podíváme do Holandska devatenáctého století. Autorka nám přiblíží, jak se tehdy žilo, hlavně pak těm úplně nejchudším lidem. Jaké byly různé návyky, třeba hygienické, co se jedlo, jaká byla výchova dětí, zdravotní péče, bydlení,… rozhodně zajímavá sonda do tehdejšího života.
Kniha je rozdělena na tři části, příběh nám vypráví dva vypravěči a díky tomu nahlédneme do jejich myšlenek i pocitů a budeme se moci vcítit do různých postav. Zajímavé také je, že se na knize podíleli dva překladatelé.
Rozhodně tu nečekejte žádnou velkou akci, ale poklidné vyprávění o životě slavného umělce a objevování toho, jak se to tenkrát mohlo všechno odehrát. O Vincentu van Goghovi jsem četla i jiný zbeletrizovaný životopis. Ten se odehrával v jiném období jeho života a díky této knize jsem si doplnila zase kousek jeho životní skládačky.
abandoned
September 10, 2023I expected to like this because The Return was such an excellent novel, and because I like novels about art and artists, but this one just didn't work for me.
I don't rate books I don't finish.
I don't rate books I don't finish.
April 19, 2025
This book had me enthralled just as much as the secret life of sunflowers. Vincent saves Sien from the streets at a low time in his life.Their time together was filled with ups and downs but even though they did not stay together you can tell they had a deep love for each other.
January 28, 2024
Told from the point of view of Sien Hoornik, partner and model to the artist Van Gogh we see his early struggles to establish himself as a painter. Sometimes repetitive and rather dreary, as was their time together, it captures a lesser known aspect of his life.
September 7, 2023
"When were they ever in a position to influence their fate?"
There is so much information about Vincent Van Gogh and his life, about his art, his relationship with his family, his mental health issues. But one of his only romantic relationships hardly gets a mention in his introductions. He was in a relationship during 1882-83 with a prostitute called Sien Hoornik after he rescued her from the streets.
Silvia Kwon, in her author's note, tells us how she came to tell Shen's story, giving us a new perspective into the man and the artist called Van Gogh but also how these two were so much the same person, they left no room for anyone else.
But this book is more than just the story of a tormented artist trying to keep his head while staying true to himself. This is about Sien, a woman forced into prostitution by her own mother to make a living, whom life has kicked around so much that she doesn't believe it when a 'gentleman' of Van Gogh's standing shows an interest in her.
Silvia Kwon slowly and carefully peels back all the layers to these two characters, giving us a glimpse into their individual psyches but also into their relationship, telling us why they are attracted to each other while wondering what their fates are going to bring them as they hurtle towards what feels like a steep cliff. Kwon is a sympathetic narrator to both sides, telling us about Sien's exhaustion with the unfair patriarchal society and her exasperation with Vincent on one hand, and Vincent's torment as an artist and single-minded focus on all things art on the other.
It is an engaging read, evoking the appropriate emotions at the right times. It can get a little repetitive and draggy, with details and instances making multiple appearances. But in the end, these details can be ignored because overall, the book succeeds in doing its job.
If you're looking to read more about Van Gogh and Shen's relationship, this is one you should definitely pick up!
There is so much information about Vincent Van Gogh and his life, about his art, his relationship with his family, his mental health issues. But one of his only romantic relationships hardly gets a mention in his introductions. He was in a relationship during 1882-83 with a prostitute called Sien Hoornik after he rescued her from the streets.
Silvia Kwon, in her author's note, tells us how she came to tell Shen's story, giving us a new perspective into the man and the artist called Van Gogh but also how these two were so much the same person, they left no room for anyone else.
But this book is more than just the story of a tormented artist trying to keep his head while staying true to himself. This is about Sien, a woman forced into prostitution by her own mother to make a living, whom life has kicked around so much that she doesn't believe it when a 'gentleman' of Van Gogh's standing shows an interest in her.
Silvia Kwon slowly and carefully peels back all the layers to these two characters, giving us a glimpse into their individual psyches but also into their relationship, telling us why they are attracted to each other while wondering what their fates are going to bring them as they hurtle towards what feels like a steep cliff. Kwon is a sympathetic narrator to both sides, telling us about Sien's exhaustion with the unfair patriarchal society and her exasperation with Vincent on one hand, and Vincent's torment as an artist and single-minded focus on all things art on the other.
It is an engaging read, evoking the appropriate emotions at the right times. It can get a little repetitive and draggy, with details and instances making multiple appearances. But in the end, these details can be ignored because overall, the book succeeds in doing its job.
If you're looking to read more about Van Gogh and Shen's relationship, this is one you should definitely pick up!
September 18, 2023
I am much impressed by this book. Of course we already have lots of books and movies about (episodes of) the life of Vincent van Gogh. But the Australian author Silvia Kwon took up the challenge to give a voice to the poor woman he lived with in The Hague, for one year. Sien Hoornik was from a totally different world, an illiterate prostitute. But also a woman with a keen understanding of the enormous gap between her world and Vincent’s.
The chronicle of their year together is told from Sien's perspective, in a very imaginative and empathic way. Sien, a realist, doesn’t expect anything of life. She understands that Vincent’s family will never agree with a marriage. She is almost invisible to these ‘gentlefolk’.
Still, she can’t help being cheered up by Vincent’s kindness now and then, and by his rather unrealistic plans and expectations. But she knows when it’s time to step back and let him go.
Twenty years later, in 1904, she discovers that he has shot himself and at the same time that his work is finally becoming famous. She realises that it’s time to give up too and drowns herself in a Rotterdam canal.
I would perhaps have objected to this ‘too neat’ ending, but for the fact that Sien was found in a canal while an exposition of Van Gogh’s work was going on quite near her home.
Silvia Kwon has done a lot of research in the archives of The Hague and Leiden, and she had help from several archivists and historians. I played a small part too. Still, to write a convincing story about people more than a century ago, on the other side of the world, is a fantastic accomplishment.
The chronicle of their year together is told from Sien's perspective, in a very imaginative and empathic way. Sien, a realist, doesn’t expect anything of life. She understands that Vincent’s family will never agree with a marriage. She is almost invisible to these ‘gentlefolk’.
Still, she can’t help being cheered up by Vincent’s kindness now and then, and by his rather unrealistic plans and expectations. But she knows when it’s time to step back and let him go.
Twenty years later, in 1904, she discovers that he has shot himself and at the same time that his work is finally becoming famous. She realises that it’s time to give up too and drowns herself in a Rotterdam canal.
I would perhaps have objected to this ‘too neat’ ending, but for the fact that Sien was found in a canal while an exposition of Van Gogh’s work was going on quite near her home.
Silvia Kwon has done a lot of research in the archives of The Hague and Leiden, and she had help from several archivists and historians. I played a small part too. Still, to write a convincing story about people more than a century ago, on the other side of the world, is a fantastic accomplishment.
May 22, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ another surprisingly enjoyable read! This is a unique story based on the true relationship of the artist Vincent Van Gogh and a prostitute, Sien. Apparently Vincent recounted this relationship however Kwon has brought to life her interpretation of Sien’s point of view through her thorough research. I’m not one for history or art usually, but was fascinated by this story and the concept of it being based on a true aspect of Vincent’s life that I had no idea about. The recounts of the way they lived back in the late 1800’s was very confronting too, sometimes we forget how different it is nowadays and how fortunate we are! Not my usual genre but was interested and invested nonetheless.
March 23, 2024
"Vincent & Sien" is interesting and very well researched. At the end Silvia Kwon talks about where she went and who she spoke to in the Netherlands which must have been fascinating. I think to portray the drabness of the time the story was a bit drab in the middle bit it was amazing how it all pulled together at the end. You really feel for Sien and realise how difficult it would have been to live with Vincent Van Gogh. The story inspired me to look up his drawings of her.
April 22, 2025
In The Hague in 1882, Vencent Van Gogh meets prostitute (and mother) Sien who becomes his model and muse.
Inspired by history the author tells Sien's story, mainly from her point of view (with a short section told by Vincent's brother Theo).
It is a good exploration of the time, the characters and the challenges they face. You know the ending will be sad but it is beautifully handled. Recommended.
Inspired by history the author tells Sien's story, mainly from her point of view (with a short section told by Vincent's brother Theo).
It is a good exploration of the time, the characters and the challenges they face. You know the ending will be sad but it is beautifully handled. Recommended.
January 13, 2024
A beautifully written story of love on many different levels. Both Sien and Vincent are complex characters with competing backgrounds. The story is compassionate, caring, loving, erotic and finally very sad. I would recommend this book to my Bookclub. There were times where I stopped and re read paragraphs so as to marvel in the exceptional writing. Wonderful Silvia Kwon.
September 13, 2023
Just when you thought you knew a lot about Vincent Van Gogh, this book comes along! Based on historical facts, this book embellishes your knowledge about the life of this complicated artist! Thoroughly recommended to all art lovers of Vincent!
October 25, 2024
Quite a dark story really. Vincent’s character is so realistic and going to the Van Gogh museum myself in Amsterdam, I feel like I got to know him a bit better. I do wonder how he would feel about his portrayal in this book, no doubt he’d be offended but I imagine it’s accurate
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December 29, 2024I have been eternally intrigued with the link between mental health and art. This book gave me an insight - even if it was fictionalised so some extent. Thanks author for putting the time into writing this.
November 8, 2023
This was nicely written and I am interested in the stories of the people in famous paintings. There was something missing. It was a bit repetitive.
December 26, 2023
Heavy going
April 18, 2024
Meticulously researched and immersively written, this is an intimate portrait of a complex, troubled and remarkable man, and his relationship with the prostitute Sien.
September 23, 2024
This is set in 1800’s The Hague, and based on the relationship that Vincent Van Gogh had with Clasina Maria Hoornik (Sien) that lasted about 18 months. A lot of research has gone into writing this book and the historical parts were interesting. I also found parts of it repetitive but on the whole, I enjoy books about art and artists and it brought Van Gogh and Sien’s journey to life for me.
September 17, 2023
"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫.𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫?"
I believe you know the name of Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch painter who was not commercially successful during his life, but he became famous after his death.
The author's curiosity about Vincent's unique style and vision led her to learn more about Vincent's years in The Hague in 1882 and told a story from the perspective of Sien Hoornik.
One winter night, Sien and her daughter were out in a bitterly cold evening. While she was pregnant and exhausted, she still prostituting herself to just get a guilder for a supper. Vincent and Sien's paths just happened to cross that night, when Vincent took them to his apartment and provided them with a shelter for the night.
"Your face is just like Delaroche's Mater Dolorosa."
Vincent then offered Sien a work to sit as a model for him. From a model to a lover, Sien and her daughter moved into his apartment, and she didn't need to be out in the street again.
What draws Vincent & Sien to be together, what they offer and take from each other, how they endure the hostility from their family, how Sien cope with Vincent's voracious love of art - you'll find out more in this book.
This book made me googling more about Sien and found another book about Sien, written by Lauren Frances.
I believe you know the name of Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch painter who was not commercially successful during his life, but he became famous after his death.
The author's curiosity about Vincent's unique style and vision led her to learn more about Vincent's years in The Hague in 1882 and told a story from the perspective of Sien Hoornik.
One winter night, Sien and her daughter were out in a bitterly cold evening. While she was pregnant and exhausted, she still prostituting herself to just get a guilder for a supper. Vincent and Sien's paths just happened to cross that night, when Vincent took them to his apartment and provided them with a shelter for the night.
"Your face is just like Delaroche's Mater Dolorosa."
Vincent then offered Sien a work to sit as a model for him. From a model to a lover, Sien and her daughter moved into his apartment, and she didn't need to be out in the street again.
What draws Vincent & Sien to be together, what they offer and take from each other, how they endure the hostility from their family, how Sien cope with Vincent's voracious love of art - you'll find out more in this book.
This book made me googling more about Sien and found another book about Sien, written by Lauren Frances.
November 6, 2023
This was a great read. I wasn’t sure at first whether this one relationship between Sien and Vincent would keep my interest but it did throughout. The portrayal of Vincent and his family gave you that wonderful little bit more one gets from historical fiction. I also loved the descriptions of The Hague made you feel like you were there. Congratulations on the novel Sylvia!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews