From the moment I heard about Mrs Van Gogh, I knew I had to read it. Vincent Van Gogh is one of my biggest inspirations, and his story is one that fascinates me, but not a lot of people know how important his sister in law was to his story and success. I was extremely lucky to receive a copy of the book through NetGalley, and since finishing it, I have bought myself a physical copy because I just HAD to have it on my shelves. Before I get in to the rest of my review, I just want give a quick mention to one small detail that I absolutely loved, which is that Caroline Cauchi titled every chapter (excluding the diary entries) with the name of a Van Gogh piece, which I thought was a very clever touch.

The story begins with Johanna Bonger before she knew her future husband, Theo Van Gogh. After a recent affair which left her disgraced and jobless, Jo finds herself in Paris, to stay with her brother, Andries, while things blow over. Jo’s love of art is an integral part of this story. As an aspiring female artist in a world that still doesn’t accept women within the art world, Jo is determined to make a change. Andries has many connections within the art world of Paris, male and female, and is more than happy to introduce and show off his sister. She soon makes the acquaintance of Theo Van Gogh, and is introduced to his troubled brother Vincent.

The relationship was turbulent to say the least, and Theo’s love for his brother often created problems within his relationship with Jo. He was completely and utterly devoted to Vincent, they had a connection that no-one could even come close to, not even Jo. The story shows the deterioration of Vincent’s sanity, and how it effected those around him, alongside Jo’s struggles within her family and also the views of the world she lived in. I loved travelling through Jo’s journey, from the very beginning, to her first meeting with Theo, to the very end.

The book gives a very clear insight in to how women of that time were viewed, particularly in the art world, and how women began to fight back. Not only did we hear Jo’s story, but also the devastating stories of other female characters, which take you on such an emotional journey. These powerful, ambitious, talented women were seen as nothing more than a male’s play thing. They lived in a man’s world, and daring to be different, and to step out of the dutiful housewife role had such huge effects on their lives, and not in a positive way. They were judged, ridiculed, and ostracised by everyone around them, and although we still have a way to go, it makes me so glad that I live in a time where the views of women has moved so far forward.

The final few chapters broke me, but not in a bad way. After everything she went through, Jo never gave up on the Van Gogh brothers, and never gave up on Vincent’s art. Her perseverance paid off in ways that no-one could have imagined, and Vincent’s work was finally given the spotlight that it deserved. As someone who admires Van Gogh’s work so greatly, that final chapter where Vincent’s Portrait of Dr Gachet sells for 82.5 million dollars truly moved me, it brought me to tears. It was the same well of emotion, and overwhelming feeling of awe and appreciation that swells within me every time I see a piece of his work in person, and it’s a feeling that I will never fully be able to explain.

This book was everything I had hoped it would be, and I will be thinking about it for a long time. However, it is important to remember that this is a dramatised version of events, and not everything in this book is fact. The story of Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger is so important to the success of Vincent’s work, one that needs to be more appreciated, and one that needs to be told more often. Without Jo, the world probably wouldn’t even know one of the greatest artists to have ever lived. Hopefully through this book, Johanna’s story will be much more recognised, and for that I want to say a huge thank you to Caroline Cauchi for creating this beautiful, moving, and incredible version of events.

I give Mrs Van Gogh an easy 5 star rating!

I will be buying this for a former employee that has been obsessed with Van Gogh all her life and in another lifetime likely was one of Vincent’s lovers.

Johanna wanted to be an artist. In the late 1800’s a female artist was unheard of but she wanted to change that. When a scandalous encounter with a colleague banishes her to Paris she looks forward to immersing herself into the up and coming art world. A meeting with the Van Gogh brothers changes everything. She falls in love and marries the younger brother Theo but their marriage is constantly disrupted by the unsettling behavior displayed by Vincent. His art is captivating and upon his death and shortly thereafter the death of her husband, Johanna takes it upon herself to make Vincent Van Gogh the artist we know today.

This book was just okay for me. It didn’t give me an emotional connection to the characters as most historical fiction novels do. At times I was actually ready to just give up on it. I enjoyed learning more about the Van Gogh brothers though. I found myself frequenting google to learn more about them and their personal history. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Caroline Cauchi for allowing me access to this book.

I loved the premise to this novel, the chance to learn more about how Van Gogh became famous after his death and was excited to get started. Before starting this book my knowledge of the art world and Van Gogh was limited so I enjoyed learning about the different interpretations of art and what it was like for a woman in the 1800's who wanted to step into the art world. Johanna was an interesting character and I liked the role she played with the brothers, their infatuation with her and her ability to bring them together was undeniable.

I did feel that there was a missed opportunity with this novel. I wanted to learn more about Johanna's journey after Van Gogh died and I felt that the middle part of the story dragged quite a bit. The entire premise of the story, learning about how Van Gogh became famous, is written into the last 20% which I felt was a shame. The determination and strength Johanna showed towards the end built her up to be a more formidable character, something which I felt was missing throughout.

A beautiful historical fiction. Really well written, perfectly detailed and intriguing. Fantastic character development. Loved it!

Mrs Van Gogh provides us with an intriguing glimpse of bohemian Paris in the 1880s, through the eyes of Vincent Van Gogh's sister-in-law, Johanna.

Johanna is a disgraced woman, after being caught having relations with another teacher at the exclusive schol where she taught (whilst he is  largely unaffected and allowed to continue teaching!). She is sent to Paris under the care of her brother Dries, whilst her parents consider which rich widower they could marry her off to to deflect the shame she has inflicted on their family.

Dries is more sympathetic and encourages his sister to pursue her love art whilst in Paris and introduces her to some of the most famous artists of the era, incluisng Gaughin, Camille Claudel, Rodin and Vincent Van Gogh, as well as his wealthy art dealer brothrr Theo.

This book is fictional, but based on a lot of the facts we know about Van Gogh and his brother Theo. I must admit the book is a bit of a slow burner and can be a little depressing at times, but this may be the author's intention, perhaps trying to portray the severe depression felt by Vincent and the frustration and limitations of life for woman in this era.

This a fascinating story about an amazing woman, who is largely responsible for the promotion of and subsequent fame of Vincent Van Gogh's art after his death.

Vincent Van Gogh died broke and unknown. Mrs Van Gogh is a story of his sister-in-law whose efforts made him and his work famous.

It's an interesting story and I liked reading it a lot. However, the pace was a bit slow, especially in the first part and it could be easily quite shorter.

Beautiful book! I love love love art historical fantasies so I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint! The beginning was a bit slow, but the emotions and characters in the second made in all worth it. The way the author described the setting, characters, and their relationships was so well done. Will definitely be recommending this one!

A well written and most likely intensely researched book about Van Gogh, through his sister in law. I was very interested in reading about Mr. VanGogh, but honestly didn't find much to like about him other than his talent. Can't say I will seek out more stories about him.

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing author Caroline Cauchi about her novel "Mrs. Van Gogh" for the Storytime in Paris podcast on the Paris Underground Radio podcast network, which features interviews with authors who have a French connection.

Here is what I said:
Ep 47. Caroline Cauchi, “Mrs. Van Gogh”

My guest this week is nternational best-selling author Dr. Caroline Cauchi. Caroline has written 9 novels, including the modern day fairy tale "The Drowning of Arthur Braxton," which was subsequently made into a feature film that won Best UK feature at the Raindance Film Festival. She is also head of book editing at BubbleCow and is currently the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Liverpool University.

Caroline’s latest novel, Mrs. Van Gogh, is the story of twenty-eight year old Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger, sister-in-law to artist Vincent Van Gogh. It’s through her eyes that we meet the Van Gogh brothers: charming Theo and unstable, drug-addled, starving artist Vincent. What became of Vincent’s art after their deaths is thanks, in large part, to Johanna, and yet we know so little about her.

In our conversation, Caroline explains what drew her to Johanna, what new insights she learned into Vincent, the photograph that inspired it all, and so much more. Then, she treats us to a reading from “Mrs. Van Gogh.”

Find the full episode at parisundegroundradio.com/storytimeinparis, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (1862-1926), the sister-in-law to the artist Vincent van Gogh is the wife of Theo van Gogh who was the younger brother of the famous painter. Theo represented Impressionest Gauguin, Pissarro, and Toulouse-Lautrec. These names would be my perfect baseball team, especially Toulous-Lautrec. Vincent died in 1890 and after the death of Theo at the age of thirty-three, Jo possessed over 400 pieces of Vincent’s art.
Is this novel fiction or nonfiction? A beautifully written historical novel that was part romance, women’s lit, and art history. She has mixed Ross King with Margaret Atwood, which held my attention from beginning to end. Caroline has made Johanna the rockstar of impressionism, without her, the world would have lost some of the most recoginized paintings. Show ‘Stary Night’ or ‘Sunflowers’ to most people and they would atleast recoginized the artwork. Caroline is a great storyteller and I enjoyed that she wrote the novel through Jo’s perspective.
“It takes until my very last breath, one day, every single artist, art lover, and art critic in the world will know the name Vincent van Gogh’. He laughs. ‘You’re as mad as the earless painter.’
Thank you Caroline Gogh, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing this novel.

Mrs Van Gogh is the story of Johanna Bonger who married Theo Van Gogh, Vincent’s brother. After Vincent’s death and then Theo’s six months later she became the owner of most of Vincent’s artwork including paintings, sketches and his letters. It is through her efforts that Vincent Van Gogh is so well known. The second half of this book is wonderful, powerful and emotional, basically from her marriage to Theo, the birth of her son, Vincent’s deterioration and death, but it is all in a rush compared to the first half of the book (which as the author admits in her afterward is almost completely fictional) which tells of Johanna’s arrival in Paris and courtship with Theo. It just drags, but I kept reading knowing it had to get interesting at some stage. There are some better moments including around Camille Claudel and Rodin, the building of the Eiffel Tower and life in Paris. The author seems to be making statements about the treatment of women artists and women’s lives in general but for me it wasn’t new and it could’ve been dealt with in a quicker way. No doubt Jo was an unconventional and strong woman, I don’t think the Jo in the first half of the book makes much sense. So in the end I’d have to say I was disappointed in this read.

I had high hopes when picking up this novel but it fell rather flat for me. Somehow I never felt I got truly into Johanna's head or heart. The history is, by the authors own admission, fictionalised, and the story felt over long and dragged in places. I love Van Gogh's paintings and had hoped to get to know the man, yet he lives largely off the page and when he does appear he is shabby, rude, sexually aggressive and hovering on the edge of insanity. The whole thing is just too depressing and sad.

Absolutely beautiful book and I devoured Johanna's story. I've always been inexplicably drawn to Vincent's paintings and even have a jigsaw framed in my hall which is a collage of his best known works. Admittedly I didn't know much about his life other than that he died near penniless. Caroline's book is an absolute wonder and has definitely opened my eyes to Vincent's life.

This was a very beautiful historical fiction piece. Some true history woven into this amazing story. Vincents legacy lives on. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Previously unknown this book explores the unknown wife of Van Gogh. When he died young and penniless she campaigned tirelessly to get his art recognised and appreciated. She is portrayed as a selfless woman who put aside her own ambition to champion his work. A thoroughly entertaining read.

Beautifully written, you are immersed in the life of Johanna Bonger as she finds her way in life in the late 19th century. Her passion for life along with her frustration of the limits society placed on women at this time meant she carved her own way and made a momentus impact on the world but as is often the case with women in history her story was over shadowed by the men around her. Thank you to Caroline Cauchi for giving Johanna a voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and ghte publishers for allowing me to read Mrs Van Gogh.

There is something very special about the work of Vincent Van Gogh and the world would be a poorer place without his iconic works. As we know, Van Gogh was troubled soul and didn’t, during his lifetime, sell any of his paintings, however, after Van Gogh’s death it is largely due to his sister-in-law, Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger’s persistence that Vincent’s work finally started to gain recognition.

Whilst Mrs Van Gogh is a fictional account of the life of Johanna Bonger, it is based on what little is known of her, especially her brief marriage to Vincent’s brother, Theo, who was a respected art dealer in Paris. Vincent is portrayed in vibrant detail and the more we get to know this troubled genius so we begin to appreciate the man behind the myth. The Belle Epoque of late nineteenth century Paris comes vividly to life and the author has done a great job of giving Johanna a voice as she escapes from her stultifying existence in her childhood home in Amsterdam and falls in love with a more bohemian lifestyle in Paris.

Mrs Van Gogh paints a wonderful picture and places us with the Van Gogh’s as they settle into a life filled with colour, mayhem and madness. Beautifully descriptive, what shines through is the vibrancy of the story so that it becomes perfectly possible to twirl with the dancers at Le Moulin de la Galette and sip rich red wine whilst getting to know Joanna as we read her diary entries and imagine her life glossy with art, and awash with all the sights, sounds and atmosphere of a lively city and of a strong and determined young woman caught in the middle of an extraordinary life.

Beautifully written and meticulously researched each chapter reads like a painting and I particularly enjoyed noting the arty title of each section. There is no doubt that Mrs Van Gogh is a wonderfully descriptive historical novel which entertains and informs from start to finish.

A stunning book and a well needed story featuring Mrs Van Gogh. It is a fascinating re-telling with beautiful prose and I can highly recommend this. I enjoy art and painting and of course I've heard often of Van Gogh, but this here is his sister-in-law, the keeper of his paintings collection. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the history and the family element and how unique to give this woman a voice.

The story is crafted thoughtfully, allowing us to become intimately acquainted with Jo through her aspirations, thoughts, and feelings. She is a caring and likeable individual, and her story begins with her ambitions, which are soon put aside. As the narrative progresses, we witness her marriage and friendship with Vincent, and eventually, she emerges as a strong woman with her own voice, boldly leading the way with her ambitious project. This is a story of a remarkable woman, who, until now, has remained largely unknown to the world, but is sure to leave a lasting impression.