Exchanging Van Goghs

by Joe Beine

This humble book, so small there wasn't room for lettering on the spine, may get lost on a library or bookstore shelf. But curious readers who do find it will be treated to a rich story that explores loneliness and the nature of art. A man known as the Light Keeper, who lives alone in a mountain cabin above Denver, spends his time watching over the city and observing the lighted world around him. Rezzie, a young painter living in Denver, visits him, hoping he will help her find a sense of balance in her life. Following their initial encounter they begin a correspondence that touches on their shared fascination with painters, music and the nature of light. They send each other postcards with reproductions of art by Van Gogh, Monet, Morisot, Manet, Rothko and others, as their lives slowly intertwine.

Genres: Fiction

86 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2016

About the author

Joe Beine grew up in Littleton, Colorado, and now lives in Denver. He likes to draw family trees, gaze out his skylight window, pretend to be a gardener, and go for walks with his spirit puppy, Raven. When the light is just right, parts of his back yard come alive. And he takes pictures. He believes the magic in the world can be found in the faces of the people around you. He gives some of these faces to the characters in his stories.

Reviews

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! It tells the story of a young woman who happens to go hiking and finds the house of the Light Keeper up on a mountain in Colorado. He invites into his place where she discovers why he's known as the Light Keeper. Just as with Light House that shines its light out to guide ships home, the Light Keeper keeps his light inside his home where it offers hope, light, and energy. These are two artistic souls who have found each other and become good friends. The only thing slowing me down on reading it, is I have to stop and look up some of those pieces of art. I know the artists but not some of these works such as Sunflowers Gone to Seed by Vincent Van Gogh. Now I know I saw at the end of the book, Beine does give us an appendix with attribution to all these paintings, but I couldn't wait for that. I would have liked it, if Beine could have shared at least one of two of these paintings with us (readers) after he describes them, You see Rezzie and the Light Keeper send each postcards with these paintings on them. I love Beine's description of the paintings on the postcards that they send each other with the meaning the painting holds for them as they are writing their message. As the narrator tells us, "She (Rezzie) saw the Light Keeper smile again, then he said, 'We’re two people separated by space, but close in spirit'.”In this high tech world, this is such a refreshing book that values friendship, and companionship where you can be together to drive away the alone without having to be together physically. Where a hand-written card is more meaningful than an email or a text. I believe it is too. Check this out for a relaxing and inspiring read!

[Carolyn Breckinridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

How fortunate I was to win ‘Exchanging Van Goghs’ on Goodreads! This novella reminded me of soap bubbles floating on air. Poetry written as prose. Subtle, succinct, and exquisite. A story of two human beings seeking more than themselves, but comfortable within their chosen lives. One, a young urban artist grieving the death of her grandmother; the other, a man at least “three thousand years” older than she who has taken refuge in the mountains away from life’s bustle. This novella celebrates love in its purest form: gentle, playful, supportive, patient in growth. It is also a celebration of art, the written word and nature. The friendship the two characters form is thoughtfully unique, with their relationship primarily growing through postcard exchanges, intellectual and artistic encouragement, and occasionally, pushing the other just slightly out of his/her comfort zones. This is an uplifting tale filled with art history pleasantly delivered. Author Joe Beine's understanding of positive human relationships and his ability to pen it effectively, is stellar. I will definitely seek his other works.

[Suzanne Sotzing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super quick read, but an extremely satisfying one. This is a story that explores loneliness as well as art. This is a story of a man who lives alone on a mountain above Denver and a young painter who visits him, hoping he will help her find balance in her life. After they meet, they begin to send each other postcards with reproductions of art by Van Gogh, Monet, Morisot, Manet, Rothko and others while they share thoughts about art, nature, and themselves. An intriguing story that must be read and appreciated!

[Donna Bresnak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free from goodreads.
I loved this book. a lot. it is a calming read, charming and quiet. there isn't much to the book, it's short but full of feeling and exploring feelings. the characters are apart in age and environment. one in the city suburbs and one alone on a mountain. the book explores their individual loneliness and how they approach life and ultimately their relationship with each other. great read. and I loved the discussion of art and what it means to them. wonderful book.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in Kindle format through Goodreads Giveaways.
I will be honest, when I started reading Exchanging Van Goghs I wasn't particularly impressed. The writing felt unpolished and the descriptions a bit repetitive. As I got into the book, I was still annoyed by poor sentence structure and the overuse of the word "like" but I was able to overcome that to enjoy the story. It's a sweet book, and a good way to while away the time stuck on an airplane.

[Linda Donohue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the kinle edition in a Goodreads giveaway. It is the delightful story of an older gentleman and a young lady who meet, and art and light as their common ground. They correspond via post cards of famous paintings. Through this correspondence, mostly through one or two sentences at a time, they bring a new growth to each other. It is a sweet and tender story, well written, and worth the couple of hours to read it.

[Beatrice Followill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read

Loved this book ,can vividly see the beautiful Art as described on the postcards exchanged by Rezzie and the light keeper, two hopeful but lost souls forging a friendship after meeting and having the love of Art in common., page turner,read til the very end ,never put down.

[Joseph Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short,but very good. Exchanging van Goghs is about a painter in Denver who strikes up a friendship with the Light Keeper thru postcards of famous paintings. Like I said before, very short but very good and well put together.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful little gem of a book that explores topics of artistic sensibilities, loneliness, and spiritual connections.

I was given a free copy of this book in Kindle format through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Theresa Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very entertaining short story. I can only think of one thing that would have made it better. It would have been great to see the Van Gogh picture that is represented in the letters through out the story.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that the characters in this book sent each other art postcards. I wish the book had included images of them, though. The main character of the story, Rezzie, is a young artist who needs to find her way after her grandmother dies. It was a cute story, but nothing that really touched me.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story

Spend some time with two quiet, sensitive adults. You will become engaged with them, their thoughts about life and painting and feel better for it.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

The descriptions, imagery, and heart are unbelievably delicate, intricate, and feel like home. I truly enjoyed reading this book. Makes me want to revisit these paintings.

[Elaine Reinhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Beautiful friendship! Very touching. Thank you goodreads for winning this book

[Pj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this Kindle book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I truly enjoyed this book. I found the theme of light enjoyable and interesting. I have to admit I did wish for the paintings to be included in the book. I did look them up at the website after reading the book, but it would have been nice to see them while reading.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads. Very short but good story. Fit a lot into those 86 pages. Really enjoyed it.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short story that was entertaining and fun to read. I loved the descriptions throughout, and could see the art work that was described.

[Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tagged this as Romance but I hesitated because this so much more than the typical romance story. It follows two people over the course of year. They are separated by a generation in age yet much alike in how they view the world. Their romance is carried out via post cards of paintings such as Van Goghs. At 70 pages this novella is much like the postcards in the story. Brief, yet packed with wonderful words and emotions. A true gem of a novella.

[Ms. Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review....

A solid and reasonable amusing story, that is well put together. Even though it was short, it was highly enjoyable and very satisfying. I recommend this read!

[Clipinchick]

I received this book for free from the author/publisher in response for an honest review of the book. I have not had the opportunity to read this book at this time. I will add my
review of this book once I have read the book. Thank k you for allowing me the optometrist review your work. I look forward to reading this book.