I've always been interested in Vincent van Gogh's life and have appreciated his art for a long time. This book was really enjoyable and also heartwrenching at bits, reading a book about the woman in his life and how they influenced his art and his mental health has fascinated me.

I enjoyed reading about the woman he came to love and learning more about Vincent.

I appreciate being given the chance to read this.,

3 ⭐️

Vincent van Gogh has always held a special place among my favorite artists. His works are infused with a profound sense of passion and unrestrained creativity. It's truly captivating to explore a fictionalized portrayal of him that authentically captures these aspects of his personality.

This story is narrated with empathy and occasionally adorned with poetic prose, sharing insights through the viewpoint of his sister-in-law. Exploring the life and romances of Van Gogh through the lens of the women who played significant roles in his life offers a novel and refreshing perspective on the remarkable journey of this masterful artist.

"Vincent's Women" offers a captivating glimpse into the tumultuous and tormented life of Vincent van Gogh. It provides a distinctive perspective that calls into question certain inaccuracies and misconceptions surrounding his fragile mental health, the notorious incident of his self-inflicted ear injury, and the events leading to his untimely passing.

I was looking forward to this one. I have read a few 'fictional/reimagined' biographies of artists and usually enjoy them. Plus I like the cover. However this title didn't spark my imagination the way I hoped and it took me a while to get to the end. I found it hard to find my 'rhythm' especially in the earlier chapters and it was too easy for me to put the book down and do other things.

It's an interesting concept – looking at who and what shaped Vincent van Gogh life, art and death, told through the eyes of a woman. There is even a suggestion that the gunshot that caused his death may not have been self inflicted.

I did wonder if the problem was me me – perhaps I was just in need of a break from reading. However I did find my 'mojo' with the book I started immediately after Vincent's Women (a crime thriller) and finished it in less than 2 days.

Vincent's Women is not a terrible book; it just wasn't for me. Sorry.

Poor Vincent...to live with such anguish and torment interspersed with such high creativity....a see-saw life of deep lows and productive highs. All in an age where mental health was neither understood nor medicated in a successful way.
"Vincent's Women: The Untold Story of the Loves of Vincent van Gogh" by Donna Russo tells Vincent's life through the loves of his life. When all family, but his brother Theo, turned away from Vincent and his crazy ways, he came across various people who supported him for periods....romantically, emotionally and care wise.
Each person's story reads as a powerful one in its own right, but combined, the carried batten of Vincent, opened my eyes to possible descrencies in the currently thought history of his life. Was he self destructive in a physical sense.....or not?
The story is guided by Johanna van Gogh Bonger, Vincent's sister-in-law, as she decides to reveal the truth about Vincent to her son. Jo was the keeper of Vincent's immense collection of paintings, sketches and letters.
Such an emotional story of Vincent's madness as lived by the loves throughout his life. Strongly evidenced by Donna's research of letters, forensics and documents, I am left wondering if only.......
I will look at each of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings with new eyes.
Thanks to NetGalley, Donna Russo and Next Chapter Magnum Opus for my copy.

My heart ached for Vincent. Rejection by his mother seemed to affect all his subsequent relationships with women. This is a very moving, beautifully crafted account of Vincent's life written from the perspective of his sister in law. It gives a different perspective of his mental health and illustrates how sad it was that he didn't receive proper recognition for his talent during his lifetime.

Vincent van Gogh has long been one of my favorite artists. He paints with passion and abandon, and it’s intriguing to read a fictionalized interpretation of him that includes much of this in his personality. That, and a great deal of sadness and a feeling of loss.

The book is nicely written by Donna Russo Morin and offers an interesting perspective on van Gogh’s work and how much of it may have been related to the women in his life. Where does an artist find his language? What inspires him? It also gives us insight into his relationship with his brother, who took care of him in one way or another throughout his life. The book is told through the eyes of his sister-in-law and the author took much of the history from letters between Vincent and Theo.

It was especially interesting to feel the relationship between Vincent and his mother, and it gave me a good idea of how the early life of a troubled child only made him more needy and vulnerable as he became a man.

I wondered as I read this book, whether it was that ever-present need to connect with something that started him painting in his late 20s. Most of his more than 2000 paintings and drawings were done in the final two years of his life – and we can all be grateful he found such an outlet.

I’ll look at his paintings differently now, wondering if he found a kind of peace while he worked. I am grateful for books like this that spark curiosity and connection to an artist, which only serve to enrich the art itself.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for letting me read Vincent's Women!

As a lover of Van Gogh, and also an art historian this book was really good.

We get a new perspective on Vincent's life and loves thanks to Vincent's Women. The story is told sympathetically and occasionally quite lyrically through the perspective of his sister-in-law and interspersed with actual letters sent by Vincent and Theo to one another. I read books like this to immerse myself in the lives of others, to put myself in their shoes, and to view the world from their perspective. The fact that a large portion of the plot is based on Vincent's actual letters gives us a novel that is almost biographical, as the author's remarks reveal.

The best historical fiction is found in this book, though I hate to call it fiction because it is based on real correspondence, forensic evidence, and police records. By the end of the story, the reader will be able to identify the art by its creator since the narrative is so gripping, the characters are so genuine, and the art they influenced is intermingled. Even a reader who is unfamiliar with Vincent's work would feel as though they suddenly 'knew' him or her very well after reading this because it is such a masterful display of Vincent and his work.

Donna Russo has done a masterful job of peeling back the curtain on a mysterious artist's life and death in this book. Approaching the life and loves of Van Gogh from the perspective of the women in his life is a fresh look at the incredible life of the master artist. This approach allows the writing to be engaging as a narrative rather than just the tedious details of her obviously deep research into the man and the myth. Even if you are not a fan of the artist, you will find the book engaging. If you are a fan of Vincent, this is a must read.

I loved this. I have long enjoyed and been mesmerized not only by Van Gogh’s work, but also his life. This book explores his life and relationships in such an interesting way and from such an interesting perspective. A must read for any art enthusiast.

During various stages of Vincent Van Gogh's life, there were according to author, Donna Russo, four to five women around him helping and guiding him or were they real at all? Were these women muses, figments of his imagination or indeed a reality? Donna Russo's research is formidable and quite incredible; getting to the heart of Vincent's life is his sister-in-law Johanna van Gogh Bonger. As Johanna speaks to her son about what happened to Vincent during his life; who he would go to for solace and who would let him down, it was always his sister-in-law who never let him down.

If readers want to meet the women in Van Gogh's life and judge for themselves who just helped him and who hurt him, if you would like to get to know Vincent better, I can only highly recommend Vicent's Women by Donna Russo.

This book cleverly translates known facts into a fictional account in order to give readers a sense for the artist and those who were perhaps his muses. It’s very easy to read but I nonetheless felt that much work had gone into sourcing factual information to support the book’s development. A great way to fill some gaps about this important artist’s life.

There isso much to love about this book, and so much to say. I’m copying just a couple of paras from my review of it on GoodReads, and will post a link below to the actual review.

“Vincent’s Women offers us a fresh perspective on the life and loves of Vincent. Told through his sister-in-law’s voice, interwoven with Vincent’s and Theo’s actual letters to each other, the narrative offers the many alternative stories behind Vincent’s tortured life sympathetically, and sometimes very lyrically. Books like these are what I read for - to enter the lives of another, to live in his shoes, to see the world through his eyes. As the author’s notes indicates, the fact that much of the narrative is based on Vincent’s actual letters offers us a novel that is almost biography.

This is historical fiction at its best, although I hesitate to use the word ‘fiction’ for this novel given it’s foundations in actual correspondence, and forensic and police records. The narrative is compelling, the characters so real, and interspersed with the art they influenced, that a reader can identify the art by who inspired it by the end of the narrative. It’s such a tour de force of Vincent and his art that even a reader unfamiliar with his art would take leave of its pages feeling like s/he now ‘knew’ Vincent very well.

I read the ebook version but this is a book I hope to get in hard copy so that I can keep going back to it, whenever, wherever. Ths is easily the best book I’ve read this year!”

I can’t wait to get my hands on a hard copy of this book when it’s released - it’s definitely a keeper!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
A fictional account of the women in the life of Vincent Van Gogh that is based in fact.
A very readable account of the loves of this wonderful artist. Told from a fictional account by his sister in law given to his nephew. The language brings the story vividly to life, making you feel that you are there witnessing the events.
The book is well researched and written, bringing the story to life. I look forward to reading more from this author.

There are so many myths and misconceptions about the life of Vincent van Gogh, arguably one of the world’s most influential figures in the history of Western art.

A prolific post-Impressionist artist, he created over 2,000 artworks in just over a decade, including landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits. His bold colours and dramatic brushstrokes using thick slabs of paint have hugely influenced modern art. And yet, there are so many falsehoods and misunderstandings about his short and tragic life.

But how do we separate the myths from the realities? In ‘Vincent’s Women: The Untold Story of the Loves of Vincent van Gogh’, Donna Russo seeks to provide an alternative narrative. She describes the women who came into his life and influenced his art, his family and friendships, his physical and mental health, and ultimately, his death.

A meticulously researched work of historical fiction, Russo’s story is based on the hundreds of letters preserved between Vincent van Gogh and his brother, Theo and the diaries and correspondence of Theo’s wife, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger.

Thoughtfully narrated by Johanna to her son, Willem, she chronicles Vincent’s erratic life. This includes, in the early days, his time in London from 1873 to 1874, where he lodged in Brixton with Ursula Loyer and her daughter, Eugenie, with whom he fell in love. Sadly, this love was unrequited, as Eugenie was already betrothed to another, a former lodger. While Vincent desperately tried to get her to break her engagement, he was unsuccessful.

This first rejection forges the path of Vincent’s ultimate destruction as he meets other women along the way who will each have a major part to play in his short life. These include his first cousin Cornelia ‘Kee’ Stricker, pregnant prostitute Classina ‘Sien’ Hoornik, and troubled family neighbour to his parents in Nuenen in the Netherlands, Margaretha ‘Margot.’

When van Gogh’s mental health takes yet another turn for the worse, Sister Epiphany, the Mother Superior of the cloister at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole Asylum in Provence, provides compassionate help during his stay there. Arguably, hers is one of the most important, who seems to have an innate understanding of the help he needs. Despite van Gogh’s severe struggles with his inner demons, he is at his most productive in and around the grounds of the asylum, producing around 150 paintings, including the wonderful Almond Blossom (one of my favourites). His final connection is with Marguerite Gachet, daughter of Dr. Paul Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise, where he found some brief respite from his mental torment until he tragically committed suicide in July 1890 after a gunshot wound to his stomach.

When all is said and done, it is Vincent’s sister-in-law Johanna who plays the most significant role in his life, ensuring that van Gogh’s incredible talent is recognised by the entire world. After her husband Theo’s death, just a few months after Vincent’s suicide, Johanna was determined to establish van Gogh’s importance as an artist and to make known Theo's significant role in supporting his life’s work.

Despite her lack of experience in art and being dismissed by the art establishment, Johanna worked tirelessly to convince powerful art critics and the public that van Gogh was an artistic genius. Against all the odds, she succeeded, and finally, only in recent years has she been recognised as the driving force behind opening a worldwide audience’s eyes to van Gogh’s brilliance.

Vincent’s Women provides a fascinating insight into Vincent van Gogh’s troubled and tortured life, offering a unique perspective that challenges some of the inaccuracies and misperceptions about the state of van Gogh’s fragile mental health, his infamous self-inflicted ear injury and the circumstances leading up to his death.

It is an enjoyable read, although it is not a unique subject matter, as several books have been published focusing on Johanna’s contribution to van Gogh’s legacy. However, in my opinion, this one is far superior to Marta Molnar’s The Secret Life of Sunflowers, which attempts unsuccessfully to combine van Gogh’s life with a fictitious contemporary character in a future timeline.

A solid 3.5-star read from me for this thoughtful interpretation of Vincent van Gogh’s life, love, and legacy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Donna Russo for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a totally honest and unbiased review!

Vincent’s Women: The Untold Story of the Loves of Vincent van Gogh by Donna Russo will be published on 26 March 2024 by Next Chapter.

This right here, books like these are the reason I read. If I had not come across this one, I wouldn't have known anything about one of the greatest artist of nineteenth century.

I did not know for one that Vincent suffered from mental illness and committed suicide. His sufferance and what he endured in his life too was new knowledge for me. I'm glad that I picked the book for all the right reasons.

Told through Vincent's sister in law's voice, the book explores Vincent's life since his childhood through the letters shared between him and his brother Theo. It was quite an interesting way to give a personal touch to the story and I was quite intrigued. But there was something really off about writing which I count not put my finger on. Maybe too trying for me. But overall an enjoyable read and definitely interesting as well.

Thank you Netgalley and Donna Russo for providing me with ARC, my review is totally mine and honest.

This was a very interesting take on Vincent van Gogh's love life. It cleared up some misconceptions from previously. The writing was very good. I would recommend this book.

A beautiful work using letters between Vincent and Theo to create realistic dialogue. I thought this was an interesting point of view and thought piece on Vincent’s life previously not told.

"Vincent's Women" by Donna Russo delves into the enigmatic life of Vincent van Gogh, presenting a narrative that challenges the widely accepted stories surrounding the artist. Through the eyes of Johanna van Gogh Bonger, Vincent's sister-in-law, readers are taken on a journey that reimagines the artist's relationships and experiences, offering a unique perspective on his creative genius and inner struggles. By questioning the traditional narratives, the novel delves into the complexities of Vincent's emotional world and the women who played crucial roles in it. The extensive use of Vincent's letters to his brother Theo adds authenticity to the story, allowing readers to glimpse into Vincent's innermost thoughts and feelings.

Johanna van Gogh Bonger, guides and brings a personal touch to the narrative, as she unravels the untold stories of Vincent's loves and their impact on his art. The novel explores themes of love, passion, and the human desire for connection, presenting a more nuanced portrayal of Vincent's character beyond the often-repeated tales of his mental health struggles. By interweaving the narrative with excerpts from the extensive correspondence between Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo, the novel constructs a rich and authentic portrayal of Vincent's emotions, struggles, and desires. It presents a perspective that challenges established notions about Vincent's mental state, his self-inflicted ear injury, and the circumstances surrounding his death.

As the narrative unfolds, readers are encouraged to question the assumptions they may have held about Vincent's life, challenges, and ultimate fate. "Vincent's Women" offers a fresh perspective on a beloved artist, inviting readers to consider the complexity of his experiences and relationships. This novel invites us to explore a new side of Vincent van Gogh's story, one that sheds light on his humanity and the profound influences of the women who crossed his path.

By interweaving the narrative with excerpts from the extensive correspondence between Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo, the novel constructs a rich and authentic portrayal of Vincent's emotions, struggles, and desires. It presents a perspective that challenges established notions about Vincent's mental state, his self-inflicted ear injury, and the circumstances surrounding his death.

From his tumultuous relationship with his mother to his passionate entanglements with various women, including fellow artists, models, and companions, the book paints a vivid picture of the intersections between love, passion, and creativity in van Gogh's life. Through meticulous research and rich storytelling, the author explores the impact these women had on van Gogh's art and his emotional well-being.

The book dares to question the prevalent narratives, inviting readers to reconsider what they thought they knew about the artist. It raises intriguing possibilities about Vincent's search for love and how it might have influenced both his genius and his perceived madness. This novel offers a fresh lens through which to view Vincent van Gogh's life and art, presenting a compelling alternative to conventional interpretations.

I am such a huge fan of Vincent Van Gogh and was really intrigued by the title of this book . Unfortunately I just could not seem to find a rhythm with the writing style . It’s very rare I don’t finish a book but despite multiple attempts to get into this one it just was not for me. I will say though that the subject matter/story itself seems very interesting. I am sure that readers who have loved this author in the past will enjoy this novel as well.

Really enjoyed the way the women were centralised in this novel and the portrayal of Vincent. Beautifully written and evocative with lovely details. I would have preferred to hear about Rachel rather than Gauguin - that decision felt like a strange interruption in the women’s narratives.