What do You think about The Golden Tulip (2007)?
I picked up The Golden Tulip by Rosalind Laker at an airport in Denver on December 1, 2007, not wanting to waste my time dozing off on a subsequent flight. The color and title of the book initially drew me to the book, and then when I learnt that the book was about a painter, I became more interested.Karen Harper, author of The Last Boleyn, which I haven’t read, remarks that The Golden Tulip is richly reminiscent of Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with A Pearl Earring. The settings in The Golden Tulip and Girl with a Pearl Earring have common elements - yes. But I think The Golden Tulip is more reminiscent of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Ludolf immediately reveals himself as a solipsist, and it is amazing to see the lengths to which he would go to have what he wishes. But I don’t know what to make of Hendrick. He is a pompous idiot at the very least.Of all the characters, perhaps the one who moves my heart the most is Aletta.
—Adenike Adebiyi
Holy crap, longest book ever. I brought it with me to the Isle of Wight because it's SO long and heavy and the print is tiny that I figured the only way I'd ever read it was if I was trapped with it on a long journey, and the choice was to either read it or be bored for 6 hours. :PAnd actually, it was really good! Beth reading over my shoulder found it dull but I actually enjoyed it, even if it WAS hellishly long. The story followed the lives of painter Hendrick Visser's three children over about ten years, mostly focused on eldest daughter Francesca. I think the book could easily have been only her story because there was a lot less of middle daughter Aletta and youngest Sybylla in the latter half. I found myself skimming over some of the Aletta/Constantijn parts because I was just not as interested, although Sybylla was FUN. She was very much of the idea that she was going to marry the richest man she could find, but when she did find one who was rich enough for her to accept his proposal of course she also at the same time met poor, artist's apprentice Hans... ;)I learnt a fair bit about the idea of painters being masters and having apprentices, and their pupils being indentured and a whole lot of fascinating 17th century bits and bobs. The setting was mostly Amsterdam and that was just lovely. The only parts that went over my head were the political bits speaking of the French and Spanish, because I don't know my European history very well - damn Australian school system! ;)Hendrick was a really interesting character, extravagant with his gifts when he had money - which was not often. He drannk and gambled away most of it, sometimes winning big enough to last a while, sometimes losing big enough to threaten everything... and therein lies most of the story. One loss is so huge that he ends up promising his daughter, Francesca, to horrid old Ludolf if he helps him out of this hole. Not Hendrick's idea mind you, he is horrified! But Ludolf has him against a wall and blackmails him and totally takes control of Francesca's apprenticeship, sending her to the awful Geetruyd Wolff in Delft instead of the family already chosen for her board. And there it becomes all twisty and dark and omg Ludolf and Geetruyd combined are just evil! The strictest rules are set out for Francesca, banning her from seeing her friend Pieter (naturally the one she finally falls for) and from even writing to him. Geetruyd has a lot of power in the town and even when Francesca gives a letter to someone else to mail, it ends up back in the hands of Vrouw Wolff!I wouldn't read it again but it'd be kind of awesome if there was a movie or something, because I did enjoy the story and the setting a lot - I just wish it could have been a lot shorter! And now it's made me want to go and read Girl with a Pearl Earring too :D
—Sally
Seemed a good book to read en route to Amsterdam - seeing as it is set in that city. Add to that the three sisters who feature in the book ,the daughters of a Dutch artist, and painters themselves. The eldest falls in love with a tulip maker, the second with a penniless artist. When they are not painting and doing other Dutch thing, the girls walk by the canals and go visit Rembrandt and his family ! Clearly it had all the right ingredients. Plus we got it for 99 cents in an on the road side sale ...."Lets buy , read and junk" said S . SO we did. of course we didnt junk it. And here it is back in mumbai on our already overloaded book shelves !
—Sonya
