Synopses & Reviews
1890. Yamamoto Kiyoki is a Japanese art student, dreaming of studying in Paris with the inspiring and vibrant Impressionist painters.
Yamamoto Ryusei is Kiyokiand#8217;s father. Ryuseiand#8217;s art, carving intricate masks for traditional Japanese theater, has been his refuge from loneliness since the death of his beloved wife, and he is revered as the most inspired artist of his kind. He expects his only son to honor the traditions of his family and his country, not to be seduced by Western ideas of what is beautiful. Ryusei hopes Kiyoki will follow his own distinguished career, creating masks that will become the familyand#8217;s crowning achievement.
But what is a father to do when his sonand#8217;s path is not what he had planned? And how can a son honor his father, and yet fulfill his own destiny?
READERS GUIDE INSIDE
Review
"Richman captures the flavor of the period and the nature of her characters in a story that will appeal to many." Booklist
Review
"Despite Richman's talent with visual detail, nothing new about van Gogh is illuminated, and wan Marguerite never comes fully to life." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Both a love story and a historical novel, The Last Van Gogh re-creates the final months of Vincent's life and the tragic relationship between a young girl brimming with hope and an artist teetering on despair.
Synopsis
Summer, 1890. Van Gogh arrives at Auvers-sur-Oise, a bucolic French village that lures city artists to the country. It is here that twenty-year-old Maurguerite Gachet has grown up, attending to her father and brother ever since her mother's death. And it is here that Vincent Van Gogh will spend his last summer, under the care of Doctor Gachet - homeopathic doctor, dilettante painter, and collector. In these last days of his life, Van Gogh will create over 70 paintings, two of them portraits of Marguerite Gachet. But little does he know that, while capturing Marguerite and her garden on canvas, he will also capture her heart.
Both a love story and historical novel, The Last Van Gogh recreates the final months of Vincent's life - and the tragic relationship between a young girl brimming with hope and an artist teetering on despair.
About the Author
Alyson Richman graduated from Wellesley College in 1994. She lives with her husband and son.