Rembrandt's Mirror

by Kim Devereux

"Hendrickje, a girl from a strict Calvinist family leaves her provincial home to find work as a housemaid. She enters Rembrandt's flourishing workshop five years after the death of the great artist's wife, an event that continues to haunt him. It is a house full of secrets and desires, and Hendrickje soon witnesses a sexual encounter between Rembrandt and Geertje, his implacable housekeeper. She is shocked to the core by their intense carnality and yet, slowly, she is drawn to Rembrandt by the freshness with which he perceives the world and the special freedom he seems to possess. Rembrandt is a man of dark corners, strange passions and a ruthlessness born from his need to put his art first. An involvement with him could be her ruin or her liberty. Rembrandt's Mirror explores the three women of Rembrandt's life, and the towering passions of the artist, seen through the eyes of his last, great love, Hendrickje."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Art, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Drama

387 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2015

Reviews

[Helen Carolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful read. When Hendrickje comes to work for famed artist Rembrandt, her strong religious beliefs are shaken to discover he's having an affair with his housekeeper and has been since his wife died 5 years earlier. Slowly she begins to fall for him and begins her own affair with him. Beautifully written this looks at Rembrandt as a flawed man and the three women who loved him.

[Hermien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book but was bitterly disappointed. I did not learn anything about Rembrandt I didn't already know and although the writer says Rembrandt led a very interesting life she did not manage to translate that into her book. I also did not like the fact most of the book was written in the first person from Hendrickje's POV and then suddenly changes to chapters in the third person about what Rembrandt was up to. The most interesting part was the end of the book where the writer summarises the historical figures and gives a short explanation of some of Rembrandt's paintings, but Wikipedia would probably have been just as informative.

[Cora Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Devereux is a credit to her teachers at Edinburgh University and Bath Spa. She uses words to paint a canvas portraying the light and shadows of life much in the same way as Rembrandt did with paint. The prose managed to touched my heart and soul with its intensity and intimacy.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I blazed through this in 24 hours. It delivered everything I'm looking for in a historical fiction: vivid imagery that fully immerses your imagination in another time and place, and historical figures brought to life through tender and intimate depictions of character.

[Frederike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mail on Sunday's review 'Does for Rembrandt what Girl with a Pearl Earring did for Vermeer' is too high a praise, since the lyricism feels affected and the way the characters move, think and speak at times unconvincing, but the book does give you an insight in painting and life in 17th century Amsterdam

[Colleen Fauchelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I do like reading about people from the past in fiction form. At the back of the book it talks about each of the main people mentioned in the book. This is a story about Rembrandt's wife and loves and some of his paintings. He lived in the 1600, such a long time ago.

This book is beautifully written so a really lovely and easy to read.

My copy: Atlantic Books
ISBN 9781782396772
It's a Trade paper back with beautiful gold edging.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rembrandt surrounded himself with inspirational works of art but his personal life was anything but beautiful. The novel delves into the periods of grief that he endured, his financial woes plus the difficult relationships he established with his live-in maids. For a novel intended to reflect on the master behind beautiful and much-loved portraits and etchings, this novel seemed a little drab.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK. A good imagining of Rembrandts possible motives for his treatment of Geertje. And fascinating descriptions of 'seeing' the unseen - painting the inside and not just the outside, bringing a character to life on canvas. But the book did little to make Rembrandt, the man, more likeable.

[Samukelo Ndlovu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rembrandt's mirror explores the three women in Rembrandt's life, and the passion of the artist through his last great love, Hendrickje. It does this while exposing his obsession with life (and death). How it influenced his painting style and the greatest artworks he made. In the book, his character is larger than life itself. Totally obsessed with arts. Unconventional and nonconformist. In one scene while teaching his pupils and painting 'Jesus at Emmaus' he encourages them to get to the bible on their own by reimagining events and painting as they see them. •
The book opens up with two paintings that go on to punctuate the story until the end. "The Night Watch" and "Saskia lying in bed". Both these spoke to two parts of Rembrandt's life that went on side by side as if irreconcilable. Saskia was his wife who dies at the beginning. The impact of it haunting him forever and underpins the impending question on his art; what it means to be human?
•
Rembrandts mirror is a beautifully written and well-researched book with more than twenty pages at the end dedicated to bibliography and reference. All these facts cleverly adapted to fiction, creating a rich narrative that borders close to a memoir. The book flows effortlessly from the studio to his kitchen, the streets of Amsterdam to the forest. With passion in between marked by carefully narrated love scenes in front of the naked fireplace and timid kisses in the forest. The story is very warm and intimate. The writer uses what I call 'language of the skin', carefully constructed sentences that arouses all body senses and drives the point home so sleek and vivid you can't help but see, hear, touch, taste and smell the story.
•
This is a great read, especially for art lovers. The whole book is centered around Rembrandts' artworks. An imaginative gallery. The detailed and incisive narrations of Rembrandts's paintings were a welcome distraction during this time of lockdown. The writer left a link at the end with picture references, I went through it all. A very rich gallery. https://www.kimdevereux.co.uk/picture.... 🌻

[GBL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Devereux tells the story of the love affair between Rembrandt and Hendrickje Stoffels, the young woman who enters his life as a house maid but becomes his lover and inspiration.
Hendrickje is forced to leave her home and move to Amsterdam to find work where she becomes a maid in the house of Rembrandt, the famous painter, working with Geertje, his housekeeper and carer for Titus his son.
Hendrickje slowly becomes aware of the sexual relationship between Rembrandt and Geertje but also sees that the relationship is a difficult one, with Rembrandt resenting the demands that Geertje makes.
Gradually,as Hendrickje learns more about Rembrandt, his art and his past life, she begins to have feelings for the artist and he obviously has feelings for her. The novel charts their relationship as Rembrandt rids himself of Geeertje and her influence and becomes Hendrickje's lover. They can not marry because of complications arising from the will of his first wife, Saskia.
The novel shows real insight into Rembrandt and his work; Devereux places several of his major paintings into the context of the novel but at times the in-depth descriptions of the emotional world of the lovers seems over written and excessive but that is maybe just me?
Hendrickje's death at the end of the novel, followed by the exploration of one of Rembrandt's great paintings - the so called Jewish Bride - is a fine ending to the novel. We see Rembrandt still painting but deeply affected by the loss of his love.

[Nona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I was really looking forward to reading this book, and its descriptions of the characters and Rembrandt's paintings were great, BUT, I began to wonder very early in the book whether Kim DEVEREUX was overshadowing her passion for Rembrandt by writing a book about erotica.
Although it is partly fictional if the DEVEREUX really found all the sexual evidence of Rembrandt's life she is exceptional.
What relevance the way and how often Rembrandt had sex and with whom, is hard to figure out. Yes of course he had wives and children, so he did have sex during his lifetime, but to portray in such a manner is mind boggling.
She should probably devoting her writings to porn and erotica and leave historical fiction alone.

[Newwwsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!! I think the author did a great job at organizing the novel. I love art history so I enjoyed as she basically took me through a learning journey. Each chapter is named after a painting or sketch that was done by Rembrandt, so before reading I would google the picture and it would give me an image to work with. I only noticed that she did this probably 3 or 4 chapters into the book. The lessons I took away from the book mostly have to do with the theme of the book which is the beauty of life, death, friendships and relationships.

[Ron Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because Tena and I hope to be in Amsterdam this autumn, where, among other things, we will visit the Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt’s House.

The biographical material in this novelization of Rembrandt’s life interested me (it centers on the women in his life), but the writer’s style is not to my taste. Many fans of romance novels would enjoy it.

I still have the hardcover version of Simon Schama’s weighty tome, Rembrandt’s Eyes, sitting unread on my bookshelf. I’ve been avoiding making the time commitment needed to read it, but I can see I will take it up sometime.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rembrandt's "seeing" and his techniques spoke to me. I wanted to see images of those paintings! And I wanted to pick up a paintbrush myself.

Some episodes were a little too graphic but maybe that's what life was like back then ...

[Patriciagoodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite readable but I'm afraid it was too much like Girl with the Pearl EAring, but not nearly as good.

[00100100 00100100 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. It was really interesting to see the personality and private life of Rembrant told through the book. Some really emotional moments.

[A Tuffley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story of a man's life and his loves.

[Wena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fascinating but private glimpse into the life of Rembrant and 17th- century Netherlands .

[Susanna Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight to the life of Rembrandt and what events influenced his work.

[Jessica Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rembrandt’s Mirror, set during the Dutch Golden Age, brings artist Rembrandt into the limelight. The book takes place during the painter’s later years, plagued by a long series of personal and financial losses.

The novel is anchored by the three women in in his life. Firstly, the reader is introduced to his wife Saskia, who dies in 1642 and leaves Rembrandt paralysed by grief. Secondly, Geertje, his housekeeper and lover. And finally, we are introduced to Hendrickje, a young maid who becomes his last great love and muse.

Rembrandt and Hendrickje’s love affair is a gradual start, with Hendrickje internalising a lot of her doubts to the reader. The author has deliberately focused on the women in the book so as to not give away much of what Rembrandt feels or thinks. He remains a mystery throughout the whole book, seen through the eyes of others.

There is a sense of voyeurism in this novel. Even before Hendrickje and Rembrandt begin their relationship, she watches him and observes his affair with Geertje. Their affair is rough and not based on love. Geertje and Rembrandt meet every night in his room and Hendrickje follows and watches, surprised by their sexual relations outside of marriage and surprised by the almost animalistic nature of their night-time rendezvous.

Hendrickje grows intrigued by their affair, and through that, the reader first starts to understand her as a character. She’s naive and young, but she’s also extremely observant and intelligent. This book is set in a time where women were either a wife, a widow, a virgin, or they were a whore, and Hendrickje’s budding relationship with Rembrandt’s is a catalyst for her sexual awakening. She lusts after him, but is also mortified by the prospect of being with a man that she is not married to.

Although Rembrandt’s Mirror felt a little dry at times with slow pacing, it was a well-written character-driven novel set during a time period that I hadn’t read much about before. Each chapter is named after a painting and the stylistic prose of the book is both visual and artistic.

Kim Devereux was able to take a historical figure known to many, and allow readers to better understand who he could’ve been. She still allows a lot of mystery surrounding Rembrandt, but I think the whole point is that not a lot of people really knew who he was and what he thought. This is a rich, insightful fiction novel that I’d recommend to others.

http://jessjustreads.com

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked to review Rembrandt’s Mirror beautifully written by Kim Devereux from Lovereading.co.uk. This is her debut novel and what a great start to her writing career.

This story is essentially about the three women of the great Dutch artist Rembrandt’s life who lived from 1606-1669. This story concentrates on his later years after the deaths of his wife and three children. Hendrickje Stoffels who is his last great love and housemaid comes to work for him five years after his wife’s death. She sees the great passion the artist has for his paintings. There is a dark side to the artist- he has not got over his bereavement, peculiar passions and that painting comes first no matter what. At the same time Hendrickje although shocked by a sexual encounter she witnesses, there is something that pulls her towards Rembrandt and the way he lives his life.

I read this in one sitting, on a very wet Saturday in June; I found this story both powerful and intimate.

The author has researched this book well, and the reader gains more from her writing and Rembrandt in the Notes by Chapter and Select Bibliography section. I found both valuable and found myself looking up facts about the artists great paintings.

This author has a particular talent in her writing style, and is an academic which shines through when reading this book.

A thoroughly good read.

I cannot wait for Kim Devereux’s next book.

Rembrandt’s Mirror is due to be published in August 2015.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a booktrail around Amsterdam setting -Rembrandts Mirror



Oh the writing is like the sweeping brush strokes of an artist who paints with words. When I read that the author is an award-winning short-film director and producer of documentaries, then you can definitely see this in the writing an the cinematic feel of the novel.

Like many people I admit to knowing little of the man himself but by weaving fact and fiction together I could visualise everything about his life and the women he loved. The man behind the mirror – whose painting reflect everything he saw felt and imagined, telling his story via the paintings and showing how he came to paint them and know the people in his life, who them became his subjects – is a very unique way of allowing us to meet the real Rembrandt.

His world is one of debauchery, debt and hard living but also one of art and all that his paintings entail. He teaches whilst feeling tortured at home. I was in Saskia’s shoes, and then Geertje’s and then finally Hendrickje’s and it was like walking through one painting to another and seeing behind them, inside their world, seeing what Rembrandt must have seen.

Fascinating and a remarkable read. So evocative of time and place but also another world. Luckily evoked in paintings around the world and now in this novel.

Must be a film surely!

[Ilonka Pipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first moment I was fascinated by this book. First of all, it was the visual appearance that impressed me so much. The rich blue of the cover, and above all the golden edges of the pages, have charmed me before I even had begun to read. I had barely opened the book and I was captivated by the extremely clear and vivid style of the author. The book took me back to the Netherlands of the 17th century and it is so graphically written that I really felt pushed back into these years. At the same time, it is so thrilling, that when I was caught up in the everyday routine and could not read it, I constantly thought about it and asked myself how the story would continue. I will certainly read it several times and dive into the lives of Rembrandt and Hendrickje again.

[Lynne McVernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisitely written account of Rembrandt's mid to late years detailing his artistic and personal affairs. This book has an extraordinary sense of atmosphere and place in the 17th Century Netherlands, while giving insight into the artist's challenges and the hardships faced by the surrounding community through harsh government and the threat of plague. The characterisation is convincing throughout the master's artistic passion and output, his bereavement, affairs of the heart and loin, his imperfections and financial and legal contentions; the women in his life are notable for their tenacity in loving this difficult man. The narrative had to end, but I kept putting off the last few pages. Thoroughly recommended.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm being harsh with two stars, but while I enjoyed the very personal story of Rembrandt's loves and late life, there was something missing for me. Perhaps I needed more history, more weight and truth mixed in with the fantasy of what his love life was like. Did very much enjoy reading this while living in Holland; knowing Rembrandt walked the same streets and areas I've visited is quite amazing.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rembrandt and his women are an intense mix of emotions, betrayals and feelings in this historical fiction. The genius of an artist does not exclude the weaknesses of a man, but art is a strongest presence in this book and you want to go and find more about his famous work and look at them with a fresh interest.

[Zemlja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knjiga koja će se dopasti svim ljubiteljima kako Rembranta, tako u umetnosti uopšte. Veoma deskriptivna, nabijena jakim emocijama. Zaista sam uživala u ovoj knjizi. Jedini razlog što joj nisam dala 5* je to što je možda previše dramatična za moj ukus i prepuna patnji koje su veoma slikovito opisane.

[Katelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a quick read, and I learned a bit about the painters style. However, I did not like the rush through the main character's life after she finally gets with Rembrandt. I wanted more of their young life and not the pain of death repeated, though it did make me feel sad so it isn't the fault of the writing. A little gratuitous at times as well, and at random.

[Tredaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written narrative, inspired by Rembrandt's paintings and linking them to events in his life. The book was meticulously researched and although the chapters are vignettes which are almost stand alone, like short stories, the author's passion for her subject matter is evident throughout.

[SueLucie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-publication review copy courtesy of www.lovereading.co.uk