The Last Van Gogh

by Alyson Richman

Book Overview

A historical romance novel of love, artistry, and Vincent Van Gogh's muse in 19th century France

Summer, 1890. Van Gogh arrives at Auvers-sur-Oise, a bucolic French village that lures city artists to the country. It is here that twenty-year-old Maurguerite Gachet has grown up, attending to her father and brother ever since her mother's death. And it is here that young Vincent Van Gogh will spend his last summer, under the care of Doctor...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 042521267X
• ISBN13: 9780425212677
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A Wonderfully Written Book and An Interesting Possibility

For those interested in some very-informative background information concerning how and why, during the last seventy days of his life, Vincent van Gogh was able to produce over seventy incredibly-beautiful final masterpieces, "The Last Van Gogh," by the internationally-acclaimed author Alyson Richman, provides some amazing insight. The author traveled to the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise on a number of occasions and meticulously researched the period during which Van Gogh lived there, even interviewing a number of the village's elders, who knew his last muse, Magaret Gachet, the daughter of the homeopathic doctor who was treating Van Gogh at the time. It's truly a wonderful novel, beautifully written and I would recommend it highly. For anybody who loves Van Gogh's works, this book should prove unbelievably fascinating. [Incidentally, Ms. Richman is also the author of the highly-reviewed novels "The Mask Carver's Son" (Bloomsbury - 2000) and "Swedish Tango" (Simon & Schuster - 2004).] The exciting new information about Van Gogh that Ms. Richman researched and incorporated into her fascinating new novel has already generated considerable interest and enthusiasm in lectures and discussion groups at fine art museums around the country, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Dayton Museum of Fine Art, the Heckscher Museum of Art (in Huntington, New York) and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Thoroughly enjoyable

I came to this book knowing next to nothing about Vincent VanGogh, other than perhaps the severed ear incident, and the well known song, "Vincent." I was totally drawn into the world of the characters as presented by Alyson Richman. The poignancy and intensity of Marguerite's love and longing for Vincent were so real, and deeply affecting, as was the lonliness of her life as practically a servant to her father and brother. It was a book that I did not want to end, especially knowing that Marguerite and Vincent's love was doomed. I don't have a problem knowing that the author's bringing those two together in her novel was purely speculation and not based on anything factual, it was a beautiful story that could have happened. I also, as someone else has commented, found a VanGogh website and looked up the paintings as they were mentioned in the book. That added a lot to the enjoyment of reading. I would definitely recommend The Last Van Gogh.

A GORGEOUS, HAUNTING TALE, A+++++++

Alyson Richman has clearly figured out what the ideal mixture is for a transcendent book. Begin with a fascinating historical subject, add equal parts impeccable research and a gorgeous love story, and mix all of that together with brilliant writing and, viola, you will wind up with The Last Van Gogh. The story details Vincent Van Gogh's days at Auvers while under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet. The tale is told through the eyes of Gachet's daughter, Marguerite, with whom Richman speculates Van Gogh had a love affair with while he was adding the final pieces of art work to his oeuvre. This clandestine affair is genuinely affecting, as it was deeply passionate and one that gave Margerite her only taste of true love. However, as with anything to do with Van Gogh, it was ultimately doomed. Along the way, Marguerite will experience the joys and sorrows of love and the reader will experience them with her with a great deal of empathy. The story is narrated in vivid detail, capturing the essence of France in the 19th Century perfectly and making the reader feel not as if he's reading a book, but as if he's actually in Auvers watching the action as it unfolds. The love affair plays out in an extremely suspenseful fashion, allowing for a book that nearly turns its own pages. As I tore through the novel's final 50 pages, feeling as breathless as the story's protagonist, I realized, upon completion, that this was a story which would stay with me for many years to come. I am already looking forward to rereading it. Truly, this is Richman's best work to date and one of the best books I have read in years. It is a book you can recommend to anyone who can understand the written word and, while I utter this with a bit of hyperbole, is a book worth learning to read for.

Most Imressionable

I might have had a slight curiosity about the Post Impressionist painter that cut off his ear. But reading this historical novel peaked my interest. Ms. Richman's writing got me so caught up in the story that I found my self looking up every painting mentioned. I even went as far as to try and match specific descriptive passages to specific paintings, drawings, etc. The description of Mr. Van Gogh's suffering and his need to complete each painting was made so real to me. This novel has left a lasting impression.