Review: Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I am really shocked, but despite much anticipation, this book was a rare DNF for me. I really tried, but I just found it boring, choppy, had no flow, and not the least bit engaging.

And that really surprises me because (1) I almost never fail to finish a book, but I have so many demands on my time now that I just can't waste time on books I'm not enjoying unless I feel they are really significant for some reason, (2) I usually enjoy biographies, (3) it has been mentioned by some as a potential Newbery finalist, and most of all, (4) I'm a huge fan of Van Gogh's work! I just love his style of painting, and have reproductions of "A Starry Night" and one of the "Sunflowers" hanging in my house, and a coffee-table biography with lots of full-page photos of his work.

So given all that, I really thought I'd get into this book, but I just couldn't. There is no flow, it is broken up into a million short 3=4 page chapters, the writing is just clunky and odd, and the book has a serious identitiy crisis; the author doesn't seem to know who her intended audience is.

My library has it in the children's section, so for ages 10-14 ish, but I would never recommend it for someone of that age. I mean, this thing is almost 500 pages long! And while the Harry Potter books gradually became very long tomes, they were full of action and adventure, and highly engaging so the reader raced through them to see what happens. Not only is it long, difficult to read, and dull, there are topics within it that are not appropriate for this age range. While I certainly would not tell a 14 year old they couldn't read it, I most definitely would not suggest it or assign it.

But at the same time, it doesn't quite read as a teen or adult, book, either. Though overall it is a ponderous read, at the same time the writing comes across as a bit patronizing for an adult or older teen. I really can't figure out who this book was written for, or who would want to read it. Whatever the author's intentions, it clearly misses the mark.

Again, I'm surprised and disappointed I couldn't finish it. Admittedly, I'm under a huge time crunch and not feeling that great, so if I have a chance, I'll give it another try sometime when I'm in a different frame of mind.

I loved the cover, though :)

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