Lezersrecensie
Emmelie Arents does it again!
My biggest thanks to Hamley Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
In this book, Emmelie Arents proves that she can capture the alluring and mysterious vibes just as well in English as in Dutch. The characters are intriguing and complex and every time you start to guess who did something, the story takes another glorious turn. Also, ships dock and sail often.
The story takes place in 17th century Venice and, besides a magical war for power, explores the consequences of the strict social standards for queer people and women, whose ‘sole purpose’ is to care for their husbands.
The beginning of the story felt a bit slow, but then the secret meetings and mysterious letters quickly start to shake up the lives of the main characters.
As for the ending: Emmelie Arents does it again! Every secret intertwines into a big finale that is not what you expected, but everything you wanted without even realizing it.
I gave this book 3,5 stars.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy it as much as her other books that I’ve read.
Mainly because of the slower pacing and, even though the characters were well worked out and beautifully complex, I struggled a bit to connect with them.
Perhaps the genre also influenced my opinion, since the Painter’s Muse is historical magical realism, where Hart van de Adelaar, Woestijn- en Meesterdief and Amarant have more fantasy and sci-fi elements to them.
In conclusion, I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to be surprised and loves plot twists, especially if you love Venice or the 17th century.
In this book, Emmelie Arents proves that she can capture the alluring and mysterious vibes just as well in English as in Dutch. The characters are intriguing and complex and every time you start to guess who did something, the story takes another glorious turn. Also, ships dock and sail often.
The story takes place in 17th century Venice and, besides a magical war for power, explores the consequences of the strict social standards for queer people and women, whose ‘sole purpose’ is to care for their husbands.
The beginning of the story felt a bit slow, but then the secret meetings and mysterious letters quickly start to shake up the lives of the main characters.
As for the ending: Emmelie Arents does it again! Every secret intertwines into a big finale that is not what you expected, but everything you wanted without even realizing it.
I gave this book 3,5 stars.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy it as much as her other books that I’ve read.
Mainly because of the slower pacing and, even though the characters were well worked out and beautifully complex, I struggled a bit to connect with them.
Perhaps the genre also influenced my opinion, since the Painter’s Muse is historical magical realism, where Hart van de Adelaar, Woestijn- en Meesterdief and Amarant have more fantasy and sci-fi elements to them.
In conclusion, I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to be surprised and loves plot twists, especially if you love Venice or the 17th century.
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Gesponsord
Een Nederlander en een Française, twee talen, twee culturen. Twee werelden. Een arts en een studente kunstgeschiedenis. Louter tegenstellingen, maar één grote liefde. Groot genoeg?
Als rechercheur Emmy Clifton de verdwijning van twee tienermeisjes onderzoekt, realiseert ze zich dat ze hen nooit écht heeft gekend. Schrijf je nu in voor de Hebban Leesclub.
