3.0
Leaving Van Gogh
ByPublisher Description
In the summer of 1890, in the French town of Auvers-sur-Oise, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He died two days later, at the age of thirty-seven, largely unknown despite having completed over two thousand works of art that would go on to become some of the most important and valued in the world.
In this riveting novel, Carol Wallace brilliantly navigates the mysteries surrounding the master artist’s death, relying on meticulous research to paint an indelible portrait of Van Gogh’s final days—and the friendship that may or may not have destroyed him. Telling Van Gogh’s story from an utterly new perspective—that of his personal physician, Dr. Gachet, specialist in mental illness and great lover of the arts—Wallace allows us to view the legendary painter as we’ve never seen him before. In our narrator’s eyes, Van Gogh is an irresistible puzzle, a man whose mind, plagued by demons, poses the most potentially rewarding challenge of Gachet’s career.
Wallace’s narrative brims with suspense and rich psychological insight as it tackles haunting questions about Van Gogh’s fate. A masterly, gripping novel that explores the price of creativity, Leaving Van Gogh is a luminous story about what it means to live authentically, and the power and limits of friendship.
In this riveting novel, Carol Wallace brilliantly navigates the mysteries surrounding the master artist’s death, relying on meticulous research to paint an indelible portrait of Van Gogh’s final days—and the friendship that may or may not have destroyed him. Telling Van Gogh’s story from an utterly new perspective—that of his personal physician, Dr. Gachet, specialist in mental illness and great lover of the arts—Wallace allows us to view the legendary painter as we’ve never seen him before. In our narrator’s eyes, Van Gogh is an irresistible puzzle, a man whose mind, plagued by demons, poses the most potentially rewarding challenge of Gachet’s career.
Wallace’s narrative brims with suspense and rich psychological insight as it tackles haunting questions about Van Gogh’s fate. A masterly, gripping novel that explores the price of creativity, Leaving Van Gogh is a luminous story about what it means to live authentically, and the power and limits of friendship.
30 Reviews
3.0
Lindsay Titus
Created 8 months agoShare
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“This book was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I enjoyed reading about the last months of Van Gogh’s life. I was drawn to the complexity of Van Gogh- his intensity, his passion, his obsession with painting, and his love for his family and nephew. I feel I have learned so much about what those days may have been like for him.
However I find the notion that Dr. Gachet assisted and enabled his suicide to be disturbing and unbelievable. It strains credulity that the man who had built a friendship with Van Gogh and was trying to help treat his mental illness would supply him with a gun to knowingly end his life. I also don’t believe that Van Gogh committed suicide. Even though this is a widely accepted fact, there is great evidence that Van Gogh was in fact shot by someone else, and that the location and angle of the bullet would have been impossible for him to inflict on himself.
Aside from that, though the glimpses into Van Gogh’s later life were beautiful and poignant, the book was laced with Dr. Gachet’s memories and long wandering stories that seemed to have no connection to the story. Naturally as someone who adores Van Gogh’s work, I picked this book up to read about Vincent. I felt like I was skimming impatiently through the Doctor’s long recollections and by the time I reached the last few chapters I was wondering if the book would ever end.
In conclusion, this book had some wonderful moments, and beautiful insight into Van Gogh’s life. Those were mixed in with too many irrelevant and meandering thoughts and memories of the doctor, landing this book at a disappointing 3 stars.”
Britta (Unfiltered)
Created about 1 year agoShare
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“Nope. I was totally disappointed by this.
This story bored me, until the end, when it angered me.
The part that most irked me was that somehow this book absolutely flattens the immensity that was Van Gogh. He’s just an eccentric guy passing through who is good at art and oh also wants to kill himself.
There are a LOT of detailed descriptions of art, and art processes, which I believe the author meant well by, but absolutely could not possibly do the true art any justice. The time taken to describe the paintings/etchings/sketching/etc felt overly flourishy and interruptive to me, the author simply proving they are an art expert.
The narrator mainly bored me, occasionally angered me with the commentary about women’s roles and meekness (in particular his daughter’s role in the household). I recognize that’s the “tone of the time”, but it’s giving ‘boomers romanticizing the olden times’ and I ain’t buyin what they’re sellin. None of that feels necessary to telling the story of Vincent Van Gogh, just another weird distraction.
The ending downright got me, this bogus redemption arc for the narrator to do right by his late wife by enabling Van Gogh to kill himself. It borderline infuriated me.
Maybe I’m critical because I’ve studied this man and know how much nuance there is to his life that this book simply leaves out. It feels like an incredible injustice to him.”
Qamar Farhan
Created almost 2 years agoShare
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“Nothing against the book, I just couldn’t finish it. am going to give it another try later tho”
Amanda G
Created over 2 years agoShare
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HC
Created over 3 years agoShare
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About Carol Wallace
Carol Wallace is the author of numerous books, including The Official Preppy Handbook, which she coauthored. Leaving Van Gogh is her first historical novel. A graduate of Princeton University, Wallace received a M.A. in art history from Columbia University in 2006. The research for her M.A. thesis provided the foundation for Leaving Van Gogh. Wallace lives in New York.
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