The Secret Life Of Sunflowers: A gripping, inspiring novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law (Light & Life Series)

This historical fiction was eye-opening. Who knew that Vincent Van Gogh almost died a complete unknown. Were it not for his sister-in-law whose tenacity brought his art to light. So often we judge things and people by the standard de jour instead of opening our eyes and hearts to creativity and ingenuity. The writing was fine. Even the story of Emsley, at first, was intriguing, however this part of the book became irrelevant -- a little too cheap romance novel. Ignoring that, I would recommend this book for the story of Johanna Bonger and to entice one to learn more about the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh.

I found it very engaging and especially enjoyed the diary of Johanna van Gogh.

I'm giving this 5 stars even though it leans a little closer to 4 for a few reasons:

I picked this book during a very timely portion of my life. Like Emsley, my grandmother recently had a stroke, and like Emsley I feel as though I am at a crossroads in my art-adjacent career. I didn't intentionally pick up this book knowing this but it just happened to be a comforting and relateble narrative.

Another reason is that there is virtually no literature, fiction or otherwise, that centers Johanna van Gogh-Bonger. Yet, she appears as a massive driving force behind the Van Gogh legacy and I am overjoyed that Molnar is placing her in the spotlight through an empowering lens.

I usually don't like dual narratives but I enjoyed this one because, like art, it connects the stories of women past and present. Technically, I thought Johanna's story was a little stronger than Emsley's. The novel had a strong start, but Emsely's story felt rushed towards the end and fell in place a lot quicker and inorganically than Johanna's. However, some of the dialogue on Johanna's part was definitely written with a retrospective rather than a historically contemporary ordeal.

I really liked this book. I can say this is the only book that was unanimously loved in the book club

4 stars for the story
2 stars for the writing