Review I am Rembrandt's Daughter

I am Rembrandt’s Daughter by Lynn Cullen

Available Now-2007

Stand Alone

320 Pages

Bookologist Analysis: This book took you back in time to crazy artists. I like seeing history from the perspective.

With her mother dead of the plague, and her beloved brother newly married and moved away, Cornelia van Rijn finds herself without a friend or confidante--save her difficult father. Out of favor with Amsterdam's elite, and considered brash and unreasonable by his patrons, Rembrandt van Rijn, once revered, is now teetering on the brink of madness. Cornelia alone must care for him, though she herself is haunted by secrets and scandal. Her only happiness comes in chance meetings with Carel, the son of a wealthy shipping magnate whose passion for art stirs Cornelia. And then there is Neel, her father's last remaining pupil, whose steadfast devotion to Rembrandt both baffles and touches her. Based on historical fact, and filled with family dramas and a love triangle that would make Jane Austen proud, I Am Rembrandt's Daughter is a powerful account of a young woman's struggle to come of age within the shadow of one of the world's most brilliant and complicated artists.

When I was younger I had an obsession with Cleopatra Selene (she was the daughter of Cleopatra and Marcus Antony; she later became the queen of Mauritania). I’ve always had an interest in the people that history overlooks. Cornelia van Rijn is an overlooked part of history.

 The Backstory- Before this book I had only heard of Rembrandt as a famous artist. After googling him I saw Night Watch, I do remember hearing about that piece. Seeing Rembrandt you can see the true artists’ craziness. I mean you could really get it even if you have no idea about artists in the Netherlands.

Overall I like the book. This book was more about finding herself than a real plot. It is very inspirational. The romance in this book is more old timey. Overall I liked the book and would give it a 4. The one thing I didn’t like was the random backstories between chapters about different paintings.