At first, this wasn't for me. I'd envisioned a book, drawn in the style of Vincent van Gogh. When this was not the case, at first, I was a bit disappointed.

I am, however, a massive van Gogh fan, so this was easily looked past when I actually started to read.

The art itself, while at first seeming rather flat and dull, is actually done pretty well, and only gets better the further in you get, and even some parts that actually do resemble Vincent's style of art. The text itself is also very informative, and an absolute must read for fans of Vincent van Gogh.

Firstly, I didn’t not enjoy the layout of this graphic it may have just been since it was digital but it made it hard to get into the life of Vincent. I did enjoy some of the information that was able to find out about his life but due to the format I wasn’t invested. I also wish that art was maybe closer to an animated version of his art, I didn’t like the art much.

"Vincent: A Graphic Biography" by Simon Elliott is a great option at history-telling in a format that is more compelling to those who are more drawn to picturesque storytelling. Told from the perspective of the sister-in-law of Vincent Van Gogh, who is largely responsible for his fame, "Vincent" doesn't keep the realities of Van Gogh's personal mental health struggles and the effect they had on his family and friends in the dark. As such, there are illustrations and accounts of violence and self-harm, substance abuse and prostitution.

I was pleased to learn some aspects of Van Gogh's life that I was not previously aware of, though at times I felt the artwork was slightly misleading or repetitive, which is very important to have on-point in a graphic novel.

Vincent: A Graphic Biography combines the life and art of Vincent van Gogh under the thesis that an understanding of his life as essential to appreciating his artistic work. While this approach informs many museum exhibits of van Gogh's works, I only know the general outlines of the artist's short, turbulent life. As a brief biography, this book is informative. I'm not sure that I would classify this book as a graphic novel, though, given the heavy ratio of text to images. I appreciate that the illustrations are meant to evoke Vincent's famous style, with its slightly abstract approach to shape and vibrant color, but the result is a little lackluster. The use of digital illustration flattens the textural details which animate van Gogh's paintings. The idea is nice, but the execution is underwhelming. Even so, the book provides a nice overview of van Gogh's life, framed as narration from his sister-in-law, one of the major early champions of his artistic legacy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the e-arc!

I have always enjoyed Van Gogh's art but didn't know a lot about the artist and his background. Reading this provided me with enough insight to see why his art is revered to this day. I liked that this didn't shy away from honesty in regards to some of Van Gogh's actions towards women and his family. Having this biography be from the perspective of Van Gogh's sister-in-law did help to give a slightly unbiased POV when it came to his thought process. Overall, this was a solid read and I think if you want a brief history of Van Gogh then this will work for you.

DNF'ed @ page 67.

This isn't a graphic novel, more of an illustrated book. It offers nothing that you can't get from skimming the Wikipedia article on van Gogh. Not only is the art poorly drawn, the writing isn't much better either.

I was a little disappointed with this book. I expected a colourful and vibrant look into the life of Van Gogh, but the art style was a little too simplistic and for being a graphic novel there were too many large blocks of text to read.

Vincent is a short graphic novel narrated by Vincent's sister in law, Jo. Admittedly, I was disappointed when I saw the graphics. I want expecting the book to replicate vincent's own art style because of the sheer amount of detail and time would require, but I was hoping it would look similar to the portraits shown on the opening pages. If the book had shown the art style we're expecting to see on the first few pages then i wouldnt have been surprised about the art style switch.

As for the narration, I thought it was a unique take to tell Vincent's tale through someone he knows, but the artist could have mapped out the book better. I would have preferred it if they let the characters interact with eachother through dialogue rather than images accompanying paragraphs of text. The former feels more interactive and immersive.

The book is informative and provides a lot of insight into vincent's life, but there's room for improvement in terms of narration and format.

This was an interesting concept- I've never seen a graphic novel biography before! While it was unique, I'm not sure it was necessary? Many of the graphics were images of people in Vincent's life- graphic novels typically depict more action filled stories rather than biographies. I do think this would be a great book for visual learners because it presents the information in a more accessible way. Overall it was good, but like I said, I don't know if the visuals really added to the story.

This was an interesting take on Vincent Van Gogh's life narrated by his sister in law Jo. I loved the graphic novel format and learned some things I didn't know. Recommend for art lovers who love a different medium. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I think Elliott excels at bringing forth the history of Vincent Van Gogh. You can tell that it was well researched, and there is a beauty to Gogh's art pieces throughout the narrative. I will say the framing device of the narrative being told through Gogh's sister-in-law was a pleasant surprise! What fell a little flat for me, was the structural ratio between text and imagery. Some moments that I wanted to see visually were told through prose, and alternatively, some moments I wanted to explore through prose were showcased visually.

📚 Book Review 📚

A beautifully written and illustrated graphic biography of one of the most important and influential artists of all time.

This biography is written from the perspective of Van Gogh’s sister in law and whilst interestingly written, there is nothing brand new in the pages.

The book details the artists relationship with his family, his love affairs, standing in the artistic community and the destructive hold that his poor mental health had on his life. The illustrations are really beautifully done and these for me, made the biography. I thought initially these illustrations have the feel of a children’s book, but the content is definitely not for young children.

I’d like to thank Quarto Publishing Group, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊
Book released on 6th August 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.7⭐️/5
My thanks to Netgalley for the book.
This is a short and poignant biography of the highly talented artist Vincent Van Gogh by his sister-in-law--the woman who popularised his works. His life was filled with pain and deep despondence due to his failed love life, struggles with the Church, financial difficulties, mental health issues--all narrated well along with illustrations. His story evokes deep sympathy and pity on one side and admiration for the fantastic art on the other side. The book could have included more paintings of Vincent; it would then have been a complete book. Nevertheless, this ones a good book to read his story.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It included things I didn't know in my prior looks into Vincent's life and I really appreciated the perspective of Jo as narrator. I enjoyed the art.

"Vincent: A Graphic Biography" is an engaging and visually appealing depiction of Vincent van Gogh's life. The biography spans from his birth to his death, touching on his love affairs, career, mental health struggles, and family relationships. The graphic format makes it an accessible read, though some might find the illustrations a bit simplistic.

For those not looking for an in-depth analysis of van Gogh's work or life, this graphic biography strikes a good balance. It offers more detail than a brief summary while remaining approachable and concise. The content and illustrations make it enjoyable, and it's suitable for a wide audience, including young adults and adults alike.

Overall, "Vincent: A Graphic Biography" is a quick yet insightful read for anyone interested in learning more about one of the great artists in a visually engaging way. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

A lovely, well illustrated book. I have read other books about Van Gogh's life and found this to be easily accessible. Thanks to Netgalley.

This was a comprehensive exploration of Van Gogh’s evolution as an artist and as a man. I liked how it was framed from his sister-in-law’s point of view, which humanized him. The illustrations were pretty, but I couldn’t help but feel that they lacked the spark and spontaneity of Van Gogh’s work. On a similar note, the typed text was off putting, too stark and lifeless to match a creative genius like Van Gogh.

The artwork is very poor quality for a book about one of the most famous artists of all time.

It looks cheap and childish.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of Vincent: A Graphic Biography by Simon Elliott.

This was a well laid out and informative biography of Vincent VanGogh, and also his brother, Theo. I love graphic nonfiction for its ability to inform readers in a way that the topic sticks with them and doesn't slog them down. The art was vibrant and fitting, and it even spurred me onto another book of letters between Vincent and Theo.

I really enjoyed this. It was bite sized information which was great for learning. It didn’t droll on. I really liked the artwork. I felt really sad for Vincent.