* No Spoilers
Rating: πππππ
Tulip Fever is one of the most captivating historical fiction reads I have had the pleasure of enjoying in recent years. Tulip Fever takes place in Amsterdam in the 1630’s during a time of immense wealth that is brought into the country by merchants and tulip sellers.
If you enjoyed that other iconic historical novel set in this part of the world Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier, then I think you will also enjoy this book.
Although this takes the long-suffering and stifled lust of a Girl with a Pearl Earring and instead turns up about ten notches for dramatic effect. Although this is not done in a cliched way. The encounters between a lonely young wife (Sophia) who is reluctantly betrothed to wealthy much older man (Cornelis) are believable and written in a rich, compelling and riveting way. The couple pose for a vanity portrait, engaging the help of a handsome young artist (Jan). You can just about guess the rest. Or so you think. However there are many surprising twists and turns in this novel, with a very clever final denouement that can’t be anticipated.
The tulip, a much coveted and fleetingly beautiful commodity in Holland during the Dutch Golden Age comes to symbolise the greedy, lustful and out of control parts of the relationship between Sophia and her lover Jan and how money, greed and lust can drive people over the edge and into depravity.
This novel is short and fast-paced, with lots of vibrant, vivid depictions of life under painters skies. The female characters evoke a feeling of mischief, energy, idealism hopes and dreams. I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable as an escape hatch from the world for an afternoon or a weekend. Lush settings, a compelling plot, believable and vivid characters and evocative, earthy and sensual depictions of 17th Century Holland turn book this into an epic and theatrical affair to relish and enjoy. I give it 5*
Content Catnip 
Sounds interesting. I think something I would enjoy! Have a nice weekend! π
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Thanks Karolina yes I think you may like it if you enjoy historical fiction, it’s amazing! You too, have a wonderful weekend xx
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This sounds awesome
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It really is…if you manage to get it, I hope you enjoy it π
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Great review and I really want to read this book now. I know it by its film with Alicia Vikander, one movie which had a lot of production problems and delays and now has ten percent score on rotten tomatoes – I am sure it did not do justice to the wonderful book at all. I am particularly intrigued that you say there are many surprising twists in the book – that is what I need right now. I also highly recommend a non-fiction book on the past Dutch obsession with tulips – Tulipomania by Mike Dash, if you have not read it already.
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I really hope you get to read it Diana as I’m pretty sure you will love it! U saw about the film adaptation after reading the book, from the trailer it doesn’t seem to do the book justice. 10% metascore is brutal! Yes some brilliant twists and turns in it, a bit of light and enjoyable reading. I would love to hear what you think of it π
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Sounds great. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Thank you dear friend glad you like the look of this and hope you manage to find the book, we’ll worth it π½π
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Already got it, cheers.
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Awesome!
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The library only has it as a talking book (not my favourite method of “reading”), but they did have the movie version so I made do with that today. Now that’s 100 minutes of my life I won’t get back π Lots of heavy breathing in x-rated sex scenes π But it was actually an interesting story with a satisfactory ending for all the characters! Thank you for recommending it; I’d still like to read the actual book one of these days …
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I’m so glad you managed to see the movie at least. I read a review of the film and they mentioned it was very hot and steamy haha. I’m glad you enjoyed the ending too. I hope you are well Nancy and big hugs to you dear friend π π€ π½
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