Set in the early 1960’s you follow Nate Walker as he attempts to figure out where he fits in life. Forging his own path instead of conforming to the ideals of his father. He meets Aubrey who has her own version of what life should be. So uniquely different they still manage to forge somewhat of a friendship. They are both dealing with complicated pasts, unaddressed hurts and an expectancy of what the future should be. It’s a fast read and I enjoyed how thoroughly the author introduced you to these characters.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.” Thank you NetGalley and Book Whisperer.

Search for Van Gogh is a coming of age story set in the 1960's during the Vietnam draft period. Two damaged young people meet and connect for a short time that makes in impact on their lives. It's well written and nicely paced.
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of this book.

I struggled to get into this book. The writing felt wooden and robotic. The main character Nate didn’t have much depth and I felt like I was reading a technical book.
But there was a story arc and I liked the strange friendship between Audrey and Nate.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Searching for Van Gogh is a coming of age novel filled with perceptions about life, people, and relationships. Nathan and Audrey, the main characters, come from different backgrounds yet find they each have something the other needs as they navigate their own realities. This book has nuances that you can either engage with at deeper levels or read in a more simplistic fashion. #SearchingforVanGogh #netgalley

Donald Lystra has written a very interesting book, set in the early 60’s in Michigan, about love, challenges, family, young adulthood and choices. I enjoyed ‘Searching for van Gogh’ and found this to be a fairly quick read as the plot moves along with great dialogue and descriptions that are only what you need. Thank you to #netgalley and #bayviewpress for this complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this book and the time period in which it was set. It was a nice coming of age story of a young man/boy who was in a way lost. He develops a friendship with a slightly older girl/woman who also seems rudderless. I liked the pace of the book and the story telling. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a subtle narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

A coming of age story set in 1963 Michigan. The main protagonist is Nate…a 17 year old recent high school graduate starting to paint and working at a factory in Grand Rapids. The two characters who were of greater interest to me were Nate’s Mother and friend Audrey. These two women were both victims of the times and place in which they lived and paid a heavy price for their life choices. Their stories made it hard for me to breathe.

Not a very interesting concept or story. I could not relate to the characters. I would not recommend this book.

Searching for Van Gogh is a very uneven novel, with some sections rising above the more banal sections, such as quite glorious descriptions and sensitive interpretation, but overall, this book needs some levelling out to create a fully developed novel.
The pacing is sluggish at times. The weighted balance between description and action is off. This makes it hard to know what Lystra wants the reader to focus upon. There is way too much imagining what would be happening in the future, to no point for the reader. It would be much better to drop the descriptions of these non-events and sum up the character's' feelings. Likewise, there are too many glimmers of problems, but not enough solid dealing with them. It makes our hero sound simple minded at times - which he is not.
Dialog is another area for improvement. Common phrases like "Okay." , then in response, "Okay", or "Hi" can work beautifully if used by a writer who is able to indicate tone or shades of conversation, but that is not the case here. When this happens, as perhaps Lystra has done, it often can be that the author is hearing some filler or intonation that is not present on the page for the reader. I'm hoping an editor will help with this before publication, because it holds Lystra's work back. Also, a rephrasing is needed for the cliches that occur throughout the dialog, such as the old joke, "If I told you [what we're going to do], I'd have to kill you." and being given a "cook's tour" of Nate's new workplace. (also this should be Cooke's tour to be accurate - nothing to do with cooking!)
Lystra has thrown a lot of issues into this novel and seems intent on covering every aspect of what he may have experienced personally in his younger life, i.e. Kennedy being shot. This is not necessary and scatters the readers' focus.
And finally, I found the title to not truly represent the focus of the novel. It's true that Nate was searching for a new way of seeing, but not an emulation or recreation of Van Gogh. As a coming of age novel, and a depiction of grief, this novel has some strong themes, but the style needs attention to convey them fully. I'm raising the review to 3 stars.
Many thanks to Book Whisperer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Funding Van Gogh by Donald Lystra: what an interesting book! Not what I usually read, but I loved it! Lystra is the artist here with rich characters, plot, and drawing you in.

I found this book difficult to enmesh with as, to me, it felt like there was not much point to it. That could have been the point though - an abstract, like one of Nate's paintings, where each person is entitled to their own interpretation and perspective. I was left feeling, indeed, (tongue-in-cheek here), where DID van go?

Readers who are art people may have a better view of this fictional narrative.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

January 2024

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

I enjoyed Searching for Van Gogh. I was admittedly drawn to this title because of the cover art, and to realize that that scene was an important part added to my overall appreciation.

Nate and Audrey are an unlikely friend pair. They meet not long after the death of Nate's older brother and Audrey is suffering her own loss. One of them is more worldly, the other is more innocent. Nate and Audrey learn much about life over their albeit short friendship.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A young man trying to make it in a difficult world. With an intellect his father doesn’t understand, he chooses to leave his parent’s home to start his life. His mother is either unable or unwilling to stand up to his dad. Being gifted, he has troubles relating to other people and as a result he is treated as an outcast. Then he meets Audrey by chance one day. She becomes the person that he learns the most from. He learns about himself, faces his fears, and becomes more attuned to other’s feelings. In the end, it appears he ends up on the tracks he needs to be on.

Searching for Van Gogh is the story of a few weeks in the lives of Nate and Audrey. Nate is nearly eighteen, a high school graduate who has left his home to settle temporarily in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is intelligent, but also naive and somewhat gullible. Audrey is a few years older and has also left her family to settle in Grand Rapids, temporarily. They both have issues with their parents. Nate has a job at an auto factory and paints by the river each day. Audrey has a job as a waitress and also provides services as a "city guide" to older male travelers. There are hints that her services are more than just as a guide.

They meet and develop a relationship, which at first is based on Nate's painting, but gradually shifts to sharing their problems and ultimately solutions to them. This forms the action to the story and most often involves Audrey directing Nate and Nate exercising poor judgement resulting in complications to his life. He seems to learn in the process and towards the end of the story makes one good decision which steers the story to its conclusion.

The novel is set in November, 1963 a pivotal time in the Country and this is a perfect backdrop to the pivotal time in the lives of these characters. The assassination of JFK as well as the beginnings of the Vietnam War provide a context of change and uncertainty.

The story flows easily as the writing is simple and does not get bogged down. It is an enjoyable read and recommended for teenage to adult readers, although it is not a " young adult" novel. Thanks to Net Galley for the advance copy.

✰ 3.5 stars ✰

“You think your life is solid and can never change but then something happens and you realize it isn’t that way at all. Everything is balanced on a narrow edge.

Things can change at any time. Your life can change. Or you can change it.”

If there was one artist I drew more than any during art class, it would have to Vincent Van Gogh - the sheer number of times my hands were stained with oil paints as I tried to capture just the right hue of color in his Starry Night is a memory I look back on with much fondness. 😆 But, Searching for Van Gogh isn't about the artist himself. It is a poignant and heartfelt coming-of-age story of seventeen-year-old Nate, who at the cusp of adulthood is searching for what exactly it is in life that he hopes to achieve - his raison de vivre. 🧑🏻‍🎨

Dividing his time between working as an electrician in a Michigan factory or setting up his artistic easel in the attempts to capture the city vibes of 1963, it is there he meets the slightly older mysterious and beautiful Audrey Brubaker. As the two of them become close friends, their lives slowly intertwine while they attempt to help each other out in personal matters, while also trying to figure out the right step to take for the next stage in their lives.

“I thought I could learn something from it,” I blurted out before she’d reached the path. She stopped and turned around. “Painting. I thought it could—you know—let me see more deeply into life.”

It wasn't that the premise was entirely new to me; it's the way the writing kinda flowed into my system that satisfied my reading sensibilities. It was simple and direct but still emoted so many different emotions and feelings from the characters - almost calming and soothing. 👌🏻 Not too flowery, very clean-cut on dialogue and descriptions, and still managed to make me invested in reading it. The author did a great job in capturing the difficult struggles and the resilient lifestyles of the workforce, while also developing both characters' respective storylines.

It was the tough challenges that either of the two young people faced together that compelled me to continue. 'So it’s a painting about struggle. 😥 Trying to hold your place when something’s trying to take you somewhere else.' Nate's story, in particular, was a gripping one; growing up he's always been in the shadow of his much more demure older brother, Gray, but it's that sudden impulsive yet compassionate request of his mother's that really captured me. It's such a gravitas request - so much that drives Nate's story into different lanes - one that involves assisting Audrey through our own difficult burdens. ❤️‍🩹

“Like how I told you yesterday about color theory. Helping people is one of the rules, as long as it’s something easy for you to do. Another rule is using a person’s name a lot when you talk to them. Dale Carnegie says that for most people their name is the most beautiful sound in the world.”

I really liked their interactions; it felt so natural and their friendship shined at so many various and unexpected stages. Audrey's past is no less bleak, but - it's like a sense of kindred spirit. One that sees a little something of themselves in the other that they are willing to drop anything at the snap of a finger to help the other out. 🥺 There were some really intense moments - some surprises and equally comforting touches that I was swept away by. The steady way in which they revealed hidden truths to one another was also very well done - for there are plenty.

They've had their fair share of tough times and tougher trials, but it is that hopeful and uplifting ending that reminds us that it is just one rough patch in one's life - it doesn't have to define it for you. I was definitely caught off-guard at certain revelations, but the gentle way in which the story cascaded back into reality - a helping hand that guides both of them to face their futures head-strong and steadfast was nicely done. There was humor, there was compassion, but there was also heartbreak and painful truths that made their friendship even stronger in the heat of the moment. 😢

“I knew now that I’d never find Van Gogh’s passion, but it—that failure—didn’t seem to matter.

The world as it existed was enough. For me and for that time it was enough.”

Nate was 'a regular boy, I guess—a regular boy who liked mathematics and electricity and other things most people don’t care about', with an artistic flair -'a boy who doesn’t know if he’s Thomas Edison or Pablo Picasso' that didn't quite know what direction he wanted his life to take. At odds with his heart and himself, I liked how his paintings would often depict what he was feeling at the time - the wall of emotions that threatened to overflow if he wasn't able to find an outlet for it. 😟 It’s interesting. It makes you look at things in a different way. Like trying to see beneath the surface. Beneath the way things seem to be on top.' He was so passionate about his artistic approach, so keen and adamant of making it work - not entirely convinced that a college life of studies was what he wanted.

His argumentative determination has put him at odds with his parents, and yet, some of my favorite moments were with his parents. There is a tentative ground to cover between them, but it is still laced with love and heart. A well-to-do family who suffered an unspeakable loss, the author still leaves us with the hopeful note that things will work out for them. 🤍🤍 And for Audrey, as well. Friendship can be an adventure, too; and Nate went on one heck of a journey with her. They were partners in crime and keepers of secrets and aiding and abetting - all rolled into one. Yes, they could be cruel and unkind, but they could also be considerate and helpful and it was with their fair share of heart-breaking moments that definitely paved the way for their search for a better future was within reach. ✨✨

*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Searching for Van Gogh by Donald Lystra
After so many years of teaching teens, I found myself thinking “those crazy kids” as misstep followed misstep. Then events and dates would remind me that these would have been my contemporaries. Surely we were never that young, that confused, that torn between dreams and expectations. Or were we?
Nate and Audrey try to find their directions in life through art and friendship. Each is dealing with personal loss, off balance but looking ahead. Fathers in the ‘60s expected to be the leaders of their families (I had forgotten how “normal” that was), so both must struggle to be free to make their own decisions. I cared for them and for Nate’s mother, and worried about them, and applauded their efforts. At the end I didn’t want to let them go, and I wanted to know more about their lives . . . but that’s a feeling teachers are used to as our students go off to make their own way in life.
This is a thought-provoking book. When the world is in upheaval, how can one tell what’s real, important, moral? It was also a pleasure to read, well-written, with apt descriptions, characters who felt real, and secrets to uncover.

An appealing coming-of-age story, set in 1963 Michigan.
Two young people meet unexpectedly, and the friendship that forms helps them both to move forward frown tragic experiences in their pasts. It’s a sweet, gentle relationship, forged by the fact that neither Nate nor Audrey has ever felt accepted by their their families for who they really are…
*Red Flags*
F-bombs are dropped frequently, and there are several incidents of underage drinking/ drunkenness.

I am a big historical fiction fan but don’t typically read this time period. This book read a bit like Salinger. The two young characters both showed personal growth, and I was interested in how their journeys would intertwine and play out.

Thanks so much for the advanced copy!

Thank you for the opportunity for this read!

Very beautiful coming of age historical novel set in the 60s. The character development was very thought though and I was hooked from the beginning. I was able to complete this read in a few days so it was quick but enjoyable.

Great title and beautiful cover. I enjoyed this -- it was good, not quite great. It had a subtle, straightforward style of writing which I appreciated -- it didn't try to spell too much out. This was set in the early 60's, but that fact was secondary to the story, and really was a minor factor.

I'd like to read the sequel -- "Looking for Andy Warhol" 10 years down the road. Recommended.

I received a free copy of the novel from the author and NetGalley, and my review is being given freely.