Indeed, despite winning a Pulitzer, several notable critics snubbed the book for reading too much like a children’s story, which led to a fierce discussion about ‘high’ and ‘low’ art (which Tartt probably loved), sexism in literature (which Tartt probably found ironic given some of the anti-feminist criticisms leveled at The Secret History back in the day) and Jennifer Weiner coining the term ‘ goldfinching’. It’s Dickensian in scope, whimsical and ambitious in style and gives a nod and a wink towards Tartt’s (Bennington) Brat Pack roots. Tartt’s novel is a colossal whirlwind of youthful energy, a coming-of-age story concerned with obsession, desire, art and beauty. Sure, both deal with the subject of art theft, specifically of a Dutch master, and a substantial portion of each book takes place in New York. I’ve often seen The Last painting of Sara de Vos likened to Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch (2013), and this was a big part of why I wanted to read it. Thinking back on the story, there were a few key elements that didn’t quite work for me, but they were a matter of personal opinion, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book overall. I’m so glad I did! It’s such a meaty, immersive read, and Smith has a rich and evocative prose style that’s wholly compelling (it reminded me a little of Geraldine Brooks).
But then my mama-in-law lent me her copy over the Christmas break, and I bumped it to the top of my reading pile. Spanning three countries and more than three centuries, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos (Allen & Unwin, May 2016) is a sweeping story of art, grief and redemption.Īll last year, I kept hearing wonderful things about this novel but didn’t find a chance to read it, thanks to an ever-expanding TBR pile (so many good books, so little time, right?). However, while curating a Sydney exhibition of Dutch masters, the crime of her youth threatens to resurface and she finds her career in jeopardy when both the original and her forgery of At the Edge of a Wood, along with a newly discovered de Vos, arrive for the exhibition.
Upon discovery of the theft, the painting’s current owner, Marty DeGroot, sets out to find the forger, who is not at all as he expected: an intense Australian art history postgrad in her mid-twenties named Ellie.īy 2000, Ellie has become a leading expert in her field and the world authority on the work of Sara de Vos.
It’s been passed down through generations of the DeGroot family and travelled with them to New York, where it’s surreptitiously replaced by a masterful forgery. In 1631, Sara de Vos becomes the first female painter to be admitted to the Guild of St Luke’s in Holland, before tragedy befalls her family.īy 1958, little is known of her life and only one of her paintings, At the Edge of a Wood, survives. A sweeping story of art, grief and redemption.
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