Mrs Van Gogh

As a lover of Vincent van Gogh's Post-Impressionist work, I bought this book to read during the train journeys of our travels at the weekend. My goodness, it was a hard one to put down. What a well-written book, giving an insight of how life was for one of the most influential figures in the history of Western art.
The main character of the book is Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, the sister-in-law of Vincent van Gogh, wife of his beloved brother Theo.
Despite the fact that Vincent died with very little money and not much recognition for his art (having only sold a couple of paintings whilst he was alive...some works he exchanged for food and alcohol) Johanna and Theo had much faith in the works of Vincent - that his life's work truly was worth seeing.
Less than a year after Vincent's death, his brother Theo also passed away, leaving Johanna the custodian of all Vincent's artwork and a huge archive of letters which had been written between the brothers over many years.
Eleven years after Vincent's death, his works were finally exhibited, due to the determination of Johanna, who undoubtedly played a key role in making Vincent the world-reknowned artist he has become. When her husband died when she was just 28, leaving her alone with their son, she could have just walked away and turned her back on the van Goghs but she knew how much it meant to Vincent and Theo and she knew there was promise in Vincent's works and that kept her fighting to exhibit and create the legacy she has.
This book was written by Caroline Cauchi, with the intent to let others know how instrumental Johanna was in the lives of the van Gogh brothers, even though, up until their deaths she had only known them for less than 3 years.
Much of the narrative is fictional but Caroline developed the storyline after reading diaries and letters belonging to Johanna, filling the gaps with an 'imaginative reconstruction' of how things might have played out in the short amount of time that Johanna was in the lives of Vincent and Theo, and she alone is accountable for making her brother-in-law the instantly recognizable name he is today.