A la mort de son mari, Catrijn quitte son village pour se rendre à Amsterdam puis Delft. Elle y croise Rembrandt et Vermeer et participe à l’essor de la porcelaine hollandaise. Un roman historique et romanesque au cœur de la peinture du Siècle d’or, largement fictionnel, mais aussi très documenté. Sans être un chef-d’œuvre, un ”page-turner” qui fait voyager avec plaisir dans le temps et l’espace. ( )

2.5 trending toward three Pleasant enough story, but just a little too contrived/pat. Beautiful cover made it nice to have around, though! Sort of a girl power story set in 17th century Holland, which makes it a little hard to swallow and also makes the pluckiness of our heroine a little annoying. Catrin has always dreamed of big city (Amsterdam) living, though she is from a small rural village. Now that her husband has left her a young widow, this dream becomes a reality as she ventures forth seek employment as household help and maybe even realize her other dream of being a painter. The way she is subject to fate's twists and turns rings true, but they always seem to rosily turn in her favor. Her initial placement falls through, but she meets handsome Matthias in an inn and he happens to have a brother who needs an housekeeper, so you see. Catrin makes her way to the home of Adriaan Van Nulandt who hires her instantly. His wife Brigitta is leisurely privileged and is taking art lessons from one of Rembrandt's apprentices. Catrin has occasion to show her own talent, which is far superior, but she remains humble and hides it. In addition to aspirations, Catrin also has a shadow that has propelled her out of the countryside: the suspicious nature of her abusive husband's death. When Jacob the farmhand shows up in town, Catrin feels the need to move on and is passed on to another Van Nulandt brother, Evert who owns a pottery and paints china in Delft. There she meets Vermeer (see?!) and wins his praise and influence and is apprenticed at the pottery where she quickly rises to a master level and wins the heart of widow Evert. But handsome Matthias, a shipping merchant bounces around between brothers and world travels and charms Catrin when it suits him. Whom to choose? A historic tragedy of a munitions explosion helps Catrin decide, but then the plague intervenes and she is left alone again to rebuild the pottery and face her haunting nemesis, Jacob. Plucky Catrin soldiers on to the ending we all wanted: love and success and recognition for her talents. Some interesting historical and geographical info, but less substance than I hoped for. A good vacation read. ( )

Een meeslepende roman over de ontstaansgeschiedenis van Delfts blauw. Na de dood van haar man wordt Catrijn huishoudster bij de familie Van Nulandt. Ze is er op haar plek en kan de vrouw des huizes ondersteunen tijdens haar schilderlessen. Catrijns verleden achtervolgt haar echter en ze moet op zoek naar een andere betrekking. Ze komt terecht bij Evert van Nulandt in zijn plateelfabriek in Delft, waar haar schildertalent op waarde wordt geschat. Er breken woelige tijden aan. Catrijn overleeft in 1654 de Delftse donderslag die de binnenstad in puin legt ternauwernood en daarna staat ze voor een levensbepalende keuze tussen haar hart en haar hoofd. Wacht ze op haar grote liefde, die voor jaren de zee op gaat, of kiest ze voor de man die haar zekerheid kan bieden? Simone van der Vlugt verweeft het meeslepende verhaal van Catrijn met een intrigerende periode uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis: de Gouden Eeuw, waarin handel, wetenschap en kunsten een enorme vlucht namen (Storytel) ( )

Grande déception : où est traité réellement cette soit-disant découverte du fameux bleu de Delph ? et la vie de cette femme est certes intéressante, mais son récit n'a rien de passionnant, tellement l'écriture est narrative, sans poésie aucune. ( )

Simone van der Blugt’s 2018 historical novel is her first published in the United States. In 1654, the young widow Catrin leaves her small village to seek her fortune and leave behind the suspicions about her role in her husband’s death. In Amsterdam, she finds work as housekeeper to the wealthy Van Nulandt family. Madame Van Nulandt takes painting lessons from a local master, Rembrandt van Rijn, but Catrin, it turns out, is the real artist in the household. The secret of her husband’s death returns, however, and her struggle to make a successful life despite all shows plenty of pluck and talent. Fans of Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Coffee Trader, Tulip Mania (?) will enjoy the rich evocation of the times. . ( )