The Painter

by Will Davenport

In the tradition of possession and girl with a pearl earring, this suspenseful, erotic novel seamlessly weaves fact and fiction into a brilliant tapestry of love, art, deception, and danger--at the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553382063
• ISBN13: 9780553382068
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Half Historical/Half Modern: All Enjoyable

What a great, fascinating read. I couldn't put it down. A great mixture of historical fiction and a modern story with the same setting, a famous historical artist, and several mysteries. Very inventive and imaginative. Highly recommended.

Great research and writing talent pay off...

Davenport manages to seamlessly spin two stories, past and present, into wonderful whole cloth containint elements of love, betrayal, suspense, mystery, art history and murder. In the present we are introduced to artist Amy Dale, who is hired to participate in the restoration of a 17th century manor house that once belonged to a distant relative. Her task is complicated by two factors. One, the discovery of a 300 year old journal written by her ancestor Amelia Dahl that throws new light on the history of the manor. Secondly, she becomes the focus of an antagonistic competition between Dennis, an amiable older man and Don, the scarred and brooding laborer to whom Amy finds herself emotionally and sexually attracted. The past presents a richly imaginative tale that concentrates on the missing year in the life of one of history's most unique, creative and talented artists, Rembrandt Van Rijn.....and his obsession with Amelia Dahl. The two stories are mirror images and Davenport's writing erupts from the page and draws you into both stories.

Artful novel about a great painter and a deep mystery

In the tradition of Possession by A.S. Byatt, and Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue - this novel travels from the present to the past and back again as a young artist and an old one both search for their souls. Compelling, lovely novel. Davenport gets deep into the heart of a painter, understanding what moves an artist and how an artist sees.Excellent book.

Rembrandt's missing year is found!!

Did Rembrandt Van Rijn, while running from creditors, hide aboard a ship bound for Hull, England? Did Captain Dahl,in exchange for his passage, comission Rembrandt to paint a portrait of his wife, Amelia? Did Rembrandt and the poet Andrew Marvell engage in a contest to win the fair Amelia? Did Amy Dale discover her ancestor Amelia's long hidden journal that tells the tale of the portrait and Rembrandt's year in Hull? Did Amy set out to find the portrait with the help of an enigmatic, scarred loner who is not what he seems? If you like a weaving of past and present, history and fiction, love and suspense, this is the book for you. Enjoy!

insightful historical novel

In 1662, bankrupt fifty-six year old painter Rembrandt van Rijn flees his creditors though it means leaving his home. He accidentally stows away on a ship bound for Hull, England, but is caught by the angry captain. Through passenger Andrew Marvell, who speaks Dutch, Captain Dahl commissions the artist to paint portraits to pay for his passage as van Rijn proclaims he is bankruptRembrandt hates painting the captain, but looks forward to working on the man's wife, the beautiful Amelia. However, Marvell challenges Rembrandt to a duel of tributes in which he will use the might of the pen with a poem dedicated to the lovely Amelia while Rembrandt will use the might of the brush with a portrait of the gorgeous woman. Amelia will declare the winner.When THE PAINTER concentrates on an insightful historical novel, the story line is brilliantly conceived and does justice to the artist even when the clever Amelia manipulates the two artists to do her bidding. When the story line switches plot to 2001 focusing on an artist descendant of Dahl, it seems more like a paint by numbers that never quite holds up in comparison. In spite of the average twenty first-century subplot taking up half the book, the seventeenth century story makes Will Davenport's novel a winner.Harriet Klausner