Sunflowers

There is was. The painting I'd been waiting to see, propped against a windowsill, framed in the afternoon light. The sunflowers.
Blazing sunflowers that should have looked forlorn and sad, plucked from the earth where they'd grown, trapped inside an earthenware jug. But they didn't. They writhed with life, the yellow so passionate, so untamed - oh, I wanted to touch that painting. I wanted to run my fingers over the canvas and savor its texture, every peak and valley of paint, every swirl and dash. Caress every line, every curve where his hand had been, trace the blue letters of his name.
I thought I knew this man who talked with me and made love with me, but I didn't. I knew his body and something of his mind, nothing of his soul. Here show more was his soul, here, and here; in every painting in this room he'd left pieces of his spirit. Soun bèu esperit, his beautiful spirit, as we say in Provençal. This was no ordinary vase of flowers. The sunflowers were his voice, and for the first time since the day we met, I started to truly listen.

I had chosen this book for one of my Valentine's week reads, I'm sure you can see why, but I decided to save it for March in honor of Vincent's birthday instead. I'm a few days early but I just devoured this book and I couldn't slow down. I enjoyed the story that Bundrick spun. That said, I realize that I'm a pushover, I've only found one van Gogh book to be unreadable (that was Lust for Life). I think I let myself be swept up in the romance because I wanted Vincent to have had such a deep relationship, a kinship, a love, in his life. He struggled so hard with his mental health.

Vincent had a few long-term relationships with prostitutes. He could pay for their time and whether there was "business", or not, he could use them for models. Looking at his body of work we see many portraits but it seems, in reality, not many wanted to sit for the mad red-headed foreigner. He did several of his doctor, his landlord, etc. This story is all fictional, save for verifiable locales, known doctors, etc and our protagonist's name. Vincent really did present his severed ear to a prostitute named Rachel but the police report that was taken doesn't record her full name. In 2042, when the police roster that has all the prostitutes registered to Madam Virginie's house is unsealed, we might learn more.

Anyway, if you like literary fiction or just like van Gogh, I do recommend it. show less

This book fictionally details the infamous events surrounding Vincent van Gogh in his later years of life. I hesitate here because I don't want to spoil anything, but on the other hand a cursory glance at his wikipedia entry will reveal the most salient chapters. Historically, there is almost no information about Rachel at all, and so nonetheless this is entirely a speculative fiction told from her perspective about their relationship.

The novel is simple in execution: you'll find no baroque linguistic constructions or anguished philosophizing here. Personally, I'm a little disappointed by that, but that's my own preference. I don't think that Rachel or her thoughts are unique in any way, and I found the most enjoyable passages were show more Vincent's interactions with his art and other artists. More could have been accomplished with this story, but it serves well enough as a simple romance.

Let me add that there is a rather large chunk of author's notes and extras for people interested in the facts of the matter. I can certainly commend Bundrick for scholarship, and like most authors, I think that she will improve with each book. show less

This book was a pure joy. Telling the unfortunate story of Vincent Van Gogh and the love of his life, Sunflowers brings to vibrant life a fabled passion all too easy to get caught up in. The side story of Vincent's descent into madness is haunting. Characters, setting, and plotline are all rendered memorably. Simply one of those books you can't wait to get back to.

Wow. Just...wow. I didn't know much about van Gogh before I read this: I had just recently developed an interest in him. But even though this was a work of fiction, I have fallen more in love with van Gogh after reading this wonderful novel. It talks about the relationship with Vincent and his love; and it was wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. It was hard to push myself to finish the book, because I already knew what was going to happen. I'm hoping to read more on the real van Gogh, for I don't know if he was like this in real life, but this novel really shows how beautiful of a person that he was. I would recommend this to lovers of romance, and especially lovers of romance and a love of the artist.

It is widely known that Vincent Van Gogh suffered from mental illness. If a person knows anything about the man, it's that he cut off his ear for a woman. Who was that woman and why did Van Gogh do what he did? Sheramy Bundrick explores these questions in her first novel, Sunflowers. In her first novel, Bundrick looks at the last two years of Van Gogh's life through Rachel, the brothel prostitute with whom Van Gogh has fallen in love. She is a young woman who has come to Arles, France after losing both of her parents. She ended up at Madame Virginie's brothel. At 21, she was mourning her father and disillusioned with life. Then, she met an odd red-headed artist wearing a straw hat while escaping the openly cruel criticism of some local show more ladies walking in the park. Her life would never be the same.

This novel is an example of what I really love about Historical Fiction – in addition to filling in gaps in my knowledge, it makes me want to go and read more about the time period, event, or figure. I found over the course of reading this novel that I really didn’t know much of anything about Vincent Van Gogh. I knew that he made some beautiful and interesting paintings. I was excited when I first discovered that he and I were both Dutch, but decidedly less excited when I learned that he cut off his ear. I had no idea what might have inspired his work or how he lived. The author did a wonder job explaining at the end what is known versus where she made educated guesses or took literary license. She also provided the name, date, and current location of all of Van Gogh’s paintings discussed in the novel. Not only did I enjoy the time I spent with Rachel and Vincent in 19th century France, I spent time on the Internet looking up his paintings. Reinforcing the story with the visuals was a powerful experience for me.

I enjoyed the character Bundrick created in Rachel. It was believable that she would fall in love with Vincent despite all of the warnings she received and his reputation around town. He, like her father, was a teacher. Vincent may not have taught art, but he never left Rachel out when discussing his paintings. He explained why he chose certain colors or what he was trying to express through his work. As Rachel learns, so does the reader. As much as I could see that their relationship would most likely end badly, I could see his draw on her and any other open minded person. My one concern with the way she was written it was that she had more freedom to come and go as she pleased than I would believe possible. There were consequences for being a prostitute in Arles and, at the beginning of their relationship Rachel very nearly risked being expelled from Madame Virginie’s brothel, but I never got the sense of danger. Perhaps there were brothel owners out there who did not keep a vice grip on their prostitutes. I just found it somewhat convenient that she was able to come and go with Vincent as needed without constantly being scared of losing her position and all of the money she left in her room at the brothel. This is something that stood out to me, but it did not impact my enjoyment of the book.

Although told from the perspective of Rachel, this is a novel about Vincent Van Gogh and it is a lovely tribute to a gifted yet troubled artist. It was a touch sad, but that was not unexpected given the subject matter. The time spent researching Van Gogh's paintings, especially those of the characters portrayed in the novel itself like the Roulin family and Dr. Felix Rey, was enriching. I am so glad that my husband's selection of a sunflower bouquet for my birthday prompted me to pick it up when I did. It made for a great October weekend read. Even if you don't have any sunflowers of your own at home, I would suggest this to anyone who loves both reading and art. It may even inspire you to head to the local florist to add a little beauty to your own life. show less

Anyone looking for a more indepth study of Vincent Van Gogh during his years in Arles will be disappointed. Art history merges with historical fiction in a rather lackluster offering. The author does make it a point to introduce the paintings that Van Gogh produced during his time in Arles and his struggle against what some have thought to be schizophrenia or bipolarism. The interaction between him and Gauguin was also entertaining.

Granted this is fiction and the focus is on a prostitute who may have been a model for Van Gogh for a few of his paintings. Her character is quite well developed, so this will appeal to many readers who are looking to be entertained.

I agree with bermudaonion's review - not enough about Vincent and too much Rachel. She starts out as an interesting character, but when she becomes the focus, it's harder to ignore the cliches about a whore-with-a-heart-of-gold and and the pecking order among prostittutes, etc.

The dramatic tension in the relationships between Gaughin and Theo and Vincent, were fascinating because they explored the deeper and darker aspects of Van Gogh's personality, whereas Rachel's unquestioning love of Vincent glossed over those same aspects.