Sunflowers is a good stepping stone to exploring Vincent van Vogh's later life. Art historian and professor Sheramy Bundrick takes the briefest historical mention of Rachel, the prostitute to whom van Gogh presents the product of his aural mutilation, to develop a love story which spans his stay in Arles to his confinement in the asylums at Saint Remy and Auvers-sur-Oise. The historical facts and mentions of Vincent's paintings, including Gauguin's visit and the Yellow House, are well preserved.
However, the superimposed love story shows definite signs of being Bundrick's first attempt at historical fiction. Narrated by a lovestruck Rachel, it only provides glimpses of the inner workings of Vincent's heart and troubled mind. The tone doesn't strike me as convincingly late nineteenth century Provençal; rather it reads as more modern, peppered with occasional words en francais. The prose, lapsing into polite letters without Rachel's commentary, is a shortcut to advancing the timeline towards the end.
Nonetheless, Sunflowers either provides a springboard for van Gogh fans to learn more about the period, or stripped of the Vincent connection, an decent debut love story about what it means to love a mentally ill person. I found more pleasure learning about the Real van Gogh at the Royal Academy of Art's exhibit of his paintings and letters to coincide with the release of the latest edition of his correspondence by the Van Gogh Letters Project.
However, the superimposed love story shows definite signs of being Bundrick's first attempt at historical fiction. Narrated by a lovestruck Rachel, it only provides glimpses of the inner workings of Vincent's heart and troubled mind. The tone doesn't strike me as convincingly late nineteenth century Provençal; rather it reads as more modern, peppered with occasional words en francais. The prose, lapsing into polite letters without Rachel's commentary, is a shortcut to advancing the timeline towards the end.
Nonetheless, Sunflowers either provides a springboard for van Gogh fans to learn more about the period, or stripped of the Vincent connection, an decent debut love story about what it means to love a mentally ill person. I found more pleasure learning about the Real van Gogh at the Royal Academy of Art's exhibit of his paintings and letters to coincide with the release of the latest edition of his correspondence by the Van Gogh Letters Project.
