Finding Vincent

by Les Furnanz

Vincent van Gogh committed suicide in 1890, and his brother, Theo, died soon thereafter. His widow, Johanna, was left with many paintings and the desire for Vincent's recognition. In this historical novel, Johanna hires Armand Roulin, painted by Vincent in Arles, to research the artists and villages of France where Vincent lived. Along the way he becomes attracted to a young woman in Auvers, also painted by Vincent. Join Armand as he travels in the steps of Vincent and meets Dr. Gachet, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissaro, and other renown artists who worked with Vincent. This novella is a great follow-on to Irving Stone's classic, "Lust for Life."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Art

108 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2019

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is about the art work of Vincent van Gogh. It takes place in 1890 after the suicide of the artist and the death of his brother, Theo, who handled most of his work. Theo's widow, Johanna, wants to track down all of Vincent's paintings to make sure that he gets the recognition she feels he deserves as an artist. She is unable to travel so she hires Armand to visit galleries and artists who have some of van Gogh's paintings. Armand and his family had been friends with Vincent who had done portraits of the family members while he lived near them. As Armand travels all over France, we learn more about other artists of the time period - Paul Gaugin and Pissaro - as well as gallery owners who don't want to part with van Gogh's paintings.

I thought that this was a well researched story that gave us a look at the artist and his friends. I found it very interesting to read about the artists of this time period. I have been lucky enough to see many of van Gogh's paintings at the museum in Amsterdam and that made this book even more special for me.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[Sujittra Chaturongkul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice novella about a man tracking the paintings and stories of Vincent van Gogh in service to the widow Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, wife of van Gogh's devoted, dead brother, Theo.

The seeking man is supposed to be Armand Roulin, a person in van Gogh's painting, with yellow coat, black hat, and white necktie. It's a vivid and imaginative novella with some nice paintings of van Gogh springing around the chapters. It is written in an easygoing style yet captivating enough without boredom.

There is an extremely close story to this book in the movie called "Loving Vincent" for those interested. This review is written for the book request.

[Christine Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Deeper Understanding

I was well into adulthood before I really developed an appreciation of Van Goghs' work. Now I have a better understanding of the time and place when he lived. A!though this is a fictionalized version, the author does state his verification of the facts and I enjoyed the way the author weaved his story making it work without a listing of facts and suppositions. It's definitely worth the time to read it.

[Elysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is well-researched, and he picked a good figure from Van Gogh's life to go on the fictional journey. I did not enjoy this book because I found the writing stilted, and I didn't understand why the romance plot was included. It doesn't have historical basis, and it's insta-love which isn't appealing. The concept was good, but the execution didn't work for me.

[Sean Wright Neeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful trip into the 19th century

This was refreshing and vivid. Much historical fiction is bland, but everything blended quite nicely, and the momentum was fresh. I also like the images of van Gogh's work, sprinkled throughout the book.

Its length was perfect too.

[Lane Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

A very cute and quick read that I enjoyed. Learned a little bit about Van Gogh as well along the way!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read after seeing the movie. Part of my year of being obsessed with Vincent Van Gogh

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

This was a very interesting read especially since I am going to see Immersive Van Gogh soon. It provided insight into his life and works. It was an entertaining story.