My first book for #Netherlands #foodandlit @Catsandbooks #letterT #litsyAtoZ
My first book for #Netherlands #foodandlit @Catsandbooks #letterT #litsyAtoZ
I really enjoyed this book about 17th-century Dutch art! The audiobook is read by the author, a British art critic & historian. I listened while following along in the print edition, which has many full-colour illustrations of the paintings described. Laura Cumming‘s father was also a painter & so there‘s a lovely memoir aspect also, and thoughtful remarks on what art contributes to our lives.
-Paintings can take you anywhere, but they are also a land in themselves, a society, a place to be.
My latest on BookTube includes Art & Architecture in Victoria BC + 4 Recent Reads + a Corn Roast
https://youtu.be/opO5RXbFwsc
#CanadianAuthor #WomenInTranslation #Art #Audiobooks
3.5🌟 This was good but I think it could have been better. It was lacking structure and purpose. However I still got quite a bit out of it. It had me googling Dutch art for hours and I learned a lot from it. I don‘t think you would enjoy this book if you weren‘t interested in art at some level. 🎨
Good but not great. I can both see why this made the women's prize long list and why it didn't make the short list. Similar to Wifedom I thought there was too much of the author in this book. The time she is choosing to talk about is fascinating and it didn't need personal story embellishments. I feel like authors do this when they cannot find enough source material. The book itself is gorgeous, and I did learn a lot so it is still a pick!
"I cannot get enough Dutch art. You can turn to this other world - and it is a picture world as no other, a whole society visualized through time and place, seasons and generations, moment by moment - and live inside it in your thoughts."
The painting that starts the book.