The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

A Novel

De: Dominic Smith

Narrado por: Edoardo Ballerini

A masterful new story charts the circuitous course of the sole surviving work of a female Dutch painter.

This is what we long for: the profound pleasure of being swept into vivid new worlds, worlds peopled by characters so intriguing and real that we can't shake them, even long after the audio's done.

In his award-winning earlier novels, Dominic Smith demonstrated a gift for coaxing the past to life. Now, in The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, he deftly bridges the historical and the contemporary, tracking a collision course between a rare landscape by a female Dutch painter of the golden age, an inheritor of the work in 1950s Manhattan, and a celebrated art historian who painted a forgery of it in her youth.

In 1631, Sara de Vos is admitted as a master painter to the Guild of St. Luke's in Holland, the first woman to be so recognized. Three hundred years later, only one work attributed to de Vos is known to remain - a haunting winter scene, At the Edge of a Wood, which hangs over the bed of a wealthy descendant of the original owner. An Australian grad student, Ellie Shipley, struggling to stay afloat in New York, agrees to paint a forgery of the landscape, a decision that will haunt her. Because now, half a century later, she's curating an exhibit of female Dutch painters, and both versions threaten to arrive.

As the three threads intersect, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos mesmerizes while it grapples with the demands of the artistic life, showing how the deceits of the past can forge the present.

This audiobook includes a reading group guide read by the author.

©2016 Dominic Smith (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

One of the best books of the year

Great story, perfect narrator, beautifully written.

I replayed many passages just to hear the descriptions again.

Hypnotic Story, A must read for anyone who loves art.

A deep dive into, around, and about the past, present and future of a Dutch artist and one of her paintings from the 1600. It’s told through her eyes and those of a modern art forger and museum academic. You also experience it through the eyes of an art collector.
This book flies by quickly as you are pulled into the story like a lucid dream. Atmospheric, interesting, & insightful.
My only qualm is the readers “female Australian accent”was more distracting than helpful. (The story is so good you will overlook the readers portrayal).

Original story, whiney narration

Nice idea, well-executed. Fun to learn so much about the art world both today and centuries ago. Narrator's whiney and sing-songy delivery grated, but eventually I got used to it.

Not Your Typical Forgery Story

Very different from the usual story about the forgery or thief of a famous painting. The author's prose were beautiful and the narrator's voice on the audio edition was perfect. I enjoyed learning about this female Dutch painter from the 17th Century.

intimate story. well developed characters the last painting

intricate story and timely travel to pertinent historical characters. Enjoyable read, an a nice travel into the past of Flemish art. Loved it



highly recommend