I am Rembrandt's Daughter is a charming book about Cornelia van Rijn, daughter of Rembrandt van Rijn. Raised by a famous painter, alive during the years of the plague and living with a strict class system, the life of this woman must have been interesting indeed. This book puts forth one woman's thoughts of what Cornelia's life might have been like.

Written in first person, with periodical diary excerpts, this is a lovely story that had me hooked from the beginning. The author has a light, easy-to-read style that makes this book a pleasant experience. Irrelevant to the story, but I also love the soft canvas-style cover! ( )

One might think a girl fortunate to have a famous artist as a father, but Cornelia van Rijn knows differently. Gone are the days of Rembrandt's wealth and popularity. Nowadays he refuses to adapt his painting style to one that will sell, society still buzzes about his refusal to marry Cornelia's mother, and there are even rumors that he is losing his mind. But Cornelia could accept all of that if only she and her father got along as well as he and her older brother Titus. For Cornelia wants nothing more than to be accepted into Rembrandt's world, to paint and be painted.

Cornelia's story unfolds slowly - as her brother leaves the house to get married, Cornelia is left alone with a father who doesn't seem to notice that she's there. She grows increasingly frustrated with his tempestuous outbursts and his refusal to allow her to see the handsome student of a rival painter. I loved how Cornelia's past unfolded in a series of flashbacks linked to several of Rembrandt's famous paintings. These served to whet the reader's interest as well as to ground the story firmly in the realm of art that is so important to the characters.

The most touching scenes revolve around art - Rembrandt painting Titus' eyes on the baby, Cornelia's visceral reaction to seeing her mother in a painting, Cornelia finally modelling for her father. And that's exactly as it should be in a novel about artists; painting holds the key to Cornelia's difficult relationship with her father, Rembrandt's relationship with her mother, and ultimately Cornelia's choice of a suitor. Scenes with art are particularly difficult to pull off in prose, but Cullen succeeds brilliantly. I loved how she evoked all of the senses when describing these scenes - the smell of paint and linseed oil, the feel of the fabric as Cornelia models, the descriptions of shadows and birds on the canals. It's clear to the reader that Cornelia has the eye of an artist because it shines through the prose - not just because the author tells us so.

I loved Rembrandt's irascability - it is this wealth of emotion that draws me to the more Southern Renaissance painters, and it was nice to see a depiction of the Northern Renaissance that wasn't all suppressed/repressed feelings and stilted manners.

I didn't much like Cornelia's insistence on suffering in silence (well without saying anything to her father since she was certainly not silent to the reader). I found the mystery of the gentleman with the golden moustache quite predictable, but well-handled. I especially liked the direction the author took to resolve the issue. It was a good demonstration of Cornelia's growing maturity. The love triangle was a bit slow, a bit dull, and largely unnecessary to my way of thinking (and I LIKE romance angles in my historical fiction). Plus it had a bit of a squick factor - it might have been normal for the time period, but I had issues with her relationship with one of her suitors.

I really liked this novel. I liked the art, the period detail, and the depiction of family relationships. But I could have done without a fourteen-year-old in Luuuurve.

Also posted at my blog ( )

This story read like a Jane Austen novel. The characters were well drawn and Cornelia’s gradual maturity and increasing knowledge of her past will keep readers’ interest. The flashbacks, designated by italics, are an effective way to fill in the background. The author’s note explains the blend of history and fiction in this book, including what is known about the people on whom the story is based. ( )

Fictional story of the daughter of famous painter Rembrandt. In the course of the story she learns to come to terms with her father's choices , how she came to be, and the reality of his love for her. Not a quick read but enjoyable. ( )

I enjoyed this book especially since I've been to Amsterdam and seen the Rembrandt House. I couldn't get in since the line was so long, but saw many of his paintings at the Rijkmuseum. Cornelia, is the daughter of the elderly Rembrandt and his common-law wife. Because they are not married, she is scorned by most. On top of that, Rembrandt is no longer the darling of Dutch painters. He's irascible and paints what he wants, the way he wants. Because he is not selling many paintings, they are poor and Cornelia suffers for lack of nice clothes and sufficient food. Rembrandt believes he is guided by God and though Cornelia thinks him mad, she loves his work, except one she finds of her mother in the attic. There is also a romance as Cornelia meets a young apprentice to Rembrandt's rival, who is the son of a wealthy shipping merchant.

The historical details of the time are convincingly drawn from the bells tolling for plague victims, to slop buckets being thrown into the canals and ladies clutching pomanders in their hands attempting to ward off the plague.

I would have liked a pronunciation guide as Dutch words are difficult to pronounce. I would also have liked web links for those paintings listed at the end under Notable Art Works. The author's note and character list at the end were very helpfult, though sad to see how short these characters, most of whom were based on real people, were. ( )