I enjoyed reading *The Last Painting of Sara de Vos *. I liked viewing the story from the different perspectives and timelines.
Re the slacks I pictured Ellie’s department head purposely channeling Katharine Hepburn: http://moazedi.blogspot.com/2014/06/katherine-hepburn-wears-trousers.html
I knew about Hepburn wearing pants, but she was an eccentric celebrity. Those vogue models were wearing clothes designed for leisure activities. I still think that it would never have occurred to an academic woman to wear pants in her office back then.
When I attended a women’s college from 1965 - 1967, the dress code prohibited the wearing of pants outside of residences unless there was a significant snowfall. We would have been shocked if a woman faculty member had worn them, though we might have found it eviable.
When I was taking a class abroad during that same era, I had a crusty, masculine-seeming female professor who smoked cigarettes and flung the butts into the corner of the room – but she wore skirts and dresses!
One thing I liked about the book were the extended and elaborate set pieces throughout that were full of rich detail – the party with the beatniks, the scene at the beginning in 17th Century Amsterdam with the beached whale, the scenes when Ellie was working on the forgery, etc.
Like others, I also noticed a few things that didn’t seem quite realistic – the auction scene for example – but those kinds of quibbles were minor for me as I luxuriated in the lush detail that the author provided.
At times, especially in the Dutch sections, I did feel that the author was showing his research a little bit too much, but it didn’t really bother me all that much.
I’m very surprised how little of the book stayed with me 6 weeks after I read it. I wouldn’t have described it as “forgettable” while I was reading it, but now I struggle to remember the specifics.
I agree, especially about the beached whale scene. The description of Kathrijin climbing the ladder and peering into the eye of the whale captured the melancholy mood of the novel for me, and introduced many of its underlying themes–loss, superstition, courage (or lack thereof), and the unusual places we find beauty.
I suspect I’ll also struggle to remember the specifics in another 6 weeks, but that’s nothing new. 
However, I’ll remember enough to be interested in reading something else by Dominic Smith.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. But the author never explains how the thief got the original out of the apartment, how long it was gone, and then how they slipped the forgery back in. For a period of time, Ellie had both the original and her copy in her apartment. Was it the maid? Was it the doorman Marty admired?
I have a few more pages to read, but I’m just checking in to say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this book so far. It has passed the test of a good read: making me want to know more. I’ve spent a bit of time wandering through old art history books from college and perusing works of the 1600’s online. All that light shining through dark space, illuminating the subject. So beautiful! Be back soon.
Didn’t Ellie paint the forgery from photos, then after the switch she had the original for a time, she noticed some minor variances, but never had the two at the same time?
i liked the book for all the reasons stated by others. @ignatius I, also, googled all the paintings, which added so much to my enjoyment.
@nottelling funny you mention how much you’ve forgotten, which surprises you because while reading this book it seems like it will be easily remembered, and I’m already having some issues recalling details.
@njtheatemrom I didn’t notice so many flaws in the 1950s section of the book, but it bothered me that Rachel was such a poorly fleshed out character, perhaps so we wouldn’t judge Marty too harshly, we’d have more sympathy for him?
@Mary13 i thought of the Leyster self portrait, when Smith described Sara Vos’s Last Painting.
@tating I, agree, with you about not knowing who took the painting, and can’t decide if that makes the book a bit more interesting because every little thing isn’t tied up nicely, at least there is one thing the author leaves unsaid.
Did most of you think the “Beats” were guilty ? Or even Rachel? I feel as though Dominic Smith may have left some clue, and I missed it,
Yes, Ellie painted the forgery from a photo. That’s one part that required my suspension of disbelief. It would be challenging enough to create a forgery with the original right beside you, but from a photo? A 1958 quality photo, to boot? Of a painting you’ve never seen before? Doesn’t seem possible.
Ellie did very briefly have the two paintings at the same time, after Marty brings over the forgery (wrapped) just before their weekend getaway. She unwraps it when she gets home and all the pieces of the “Jake Alpert” mystery fall into place for her.
Gabriel then meets with Marty and Marty buys back the original. Gabriel tells Marty he has destroyed the forgery, but in fact, sells it later as genuine to an unsuspecting collector.
There is a brief reference near the end of the book about the (possible) culprits. Marty tells Ellie:
I don’t mind that Smith didn’t entirely solve this mystery. In a way, it was sort of irrelevant — not the story he was interested in telling.
When I went to a girl’s high school in 1969 we were only allowed to wear “well tailored wool slacks” in lieu of the uniform in the winter. By senior year (1973) we were allowed to wear jeans in the winter and they never told us to stop wearing them when spring rolled around. In the 1960s my mother was still wearing white gloves every where. I even had a pair though there is only one photo of me actually wearing them.
I was surprised that as far as I could tell there was no clue as to how the painting was stolen. I don’t think the Beats were a predictable part of the program so the caterers (who were probably regulars) were more likely.
Thanks for the links to Smith’s playlist of painters. I’m not a fan of Leyster. Her faces always looks squashed to me. Artemisia Gentileschi on the other hand, may not be Rembrandt, but she’s definitely first rate. I hated the cover of the book. I don’t know what that was supposed to be, I assume Sarah’s last painting? Except it didn’t fit the description at all.
I can’t imagine trying to do a forgery from photos. Especially when there are no other extent works to look at to see what brush stroke styles would be appropriate. Did we ever find out how the photos were taken? I don’t think so.
This bothered me, too. Rachel really got the short end of the stick. Marty wasn’t fair to her (to put it mildly) and the author wasn’t fair to her either, by making her essentially invisible.
@Mary13 - thanks for the section mentioning the "caterers " were suspected, I missed that.
Did anyone else think that Marty was delivering the forgery, not the original to Australia?
My grandma was born in 1893 and died at age 85 in 1978. She never, ever in her entire life put on a pair of pants. I think it was a point of pride with her.
I did, too, initially. But then I hated it slightly less when I realized that it was (I think) one of the skaters in At the Edge of a Wood–the one wearing the infamous lead-tin yellow scarf. It was the only part of the painting that Ellie felt she hadn’t adequately duplicated.
^ Did some books have a black and white sketch of the forged painting on the cover? I had the kindle version of the book, and like @mathmom I didn’t like that cover. It reminded me too much of the cover of “the girl with the Pearl earring”.
@mary13 now I love the cover, because not only is the the yellow scarf, but the expressions depicts an expression of mystery,remorse and guilt, how Ellie felt about her forgery.! Perfect.
^ I’m talking about the same picture you are (yes, similar to The Girl with the Pearl Earring). When I say it’s from At the Edge of a Wood, I mean that I believe it is a close-up–a detail–of one of the characters from the painting. The yellow scarf is my clue, along what looks like it might be winter wear on the girl’s head. Just a guess–I could be wrong, but that’s where my imagination led me.
Ah, you’re right – I didn’t think about the fact that kindle users wouldn’t see the yellow. I read the “real” book this time, so the cover was always staring right at me.
LOL, well if it’s supposed to be an inadequate part of the forgery I guess I can like it. 
I loved not being sure if Marty had the forgery or the original. So glad he got the original back (even if he had to pay for it) and that it didn’t bring him more bad luck.
There is also a version of the book with a black and white Drawing of “at the edge of the wood” - perhaps you can see it here.
I think that’s a pretty cover, but too photographic. It doesn’t make me think of the Netherlands at all.
Didn’t it? I wondered a little about that. I wouldn’t have wanted the life Marty ended up with, for all his money. I was moved by one of the closing passages of the book, written in the second person, where he reflects on his life. In part (p. 269):