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

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Therein lies the second timeline - that of Johanna van Gogh, Vincent's sister-in-law, and the real reason any of us know as much as we do about this man. The diary, of course, is Johanna's. Her loyalty and fierce determination are caught in amber in this retelling. Including Emsley as a contrast showing life now, possessing far more freedom, agency and power to evoke change in even the simplest tasks to the many limitations, social, economical and logistical, of Johanna's life was a good reminder to today's readers. (For one, that they are readers!) They have so much more than Johanna, Theo and Vincent did. . .yet with the determination of that one lone woman, Johanna van Gogh, Vincent's brilliance yet abides. With.Us.Now.

My book club’s selection this month”—-and I must say I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about Amsterdam’s famous painter Vincent Van Gogh, and that without the help of his sister-in-law’s brave and persistent energies, we might not even know of his brilliant talent. I love the title which references the subject of several of van Gogh’s paintings….Sunflowers… a favorite flower of mine. As the story weaves between a modern day woman of courage and this interesting sister in law, Johanna Bonger of the 1800’s, there are secrets, and stories, and connections that reveal an encouraging message of hope, “you can do it”, and “never give up”. These are good messages, and ones I continue to think about as I reflect on this story.This was my first selection for 2023 and it was a good read. The Secret Life of Sun Flowers is first and foremost about Johanna Bonger, Vincent Van Gogh's sister-in-law. She married Vincent's brother Theo who was a friend of her brother's from university and later he became an art dealer trying to get Vincent's work shown in Paris. Unsuccessfully most of the time. When Vincent died Theo was distraught and he ultimately died in a mad house leaving Johanna alone with a young son to raise and very little money. All she had were Vincent's paintings, hundreds of them, so she becomes Vincent's agent. (Unheard of for a woman at that time). She is determined to succeed in fulfilling Theo's dream of getting Vincent's work shown. In this dual-timeline novel, author Dana Marton, writing as Marta Molnar, offers two interlinked stories. In the present day, auctioneer Emsley Wilson is distracted from her business problems by the death of her beloved grandmother. As she prepares the family brownstone in New York for sale, Emsley finds a diary and letters and learns about the life of Johanna van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh’s sister-in-law. We follow Johanna as she marries Theo van Gogh, who is determined to bring recognition to his struggling artist brother. But when Vincent dies and Theo is devastated, it is left to Johanna to persist and push until Vincent’s genius is finally recognized.

Sunflowers are adaptable, Violet had told me not long ago. You plant them somewhere, and they’ll figure out how to grow. They’ll come up in the rich loam of rivers as easily as in arid, poor dirt. The worse the soil, the bigger they flower. They’re scrappy as hell. The novel is presented on a dual timeline with the chapters alternating between Johanna’s diary and a totally contemporary fictional character, Emsley. She is in New York because her beloved grandmother is there, in a facility due to her health issues. Grandma dies early on in the story and Emsley finds Johanna’s diary amongst her grandmother’s possessions. Emsley owns her own “niche auction house” but unfortunately she is partnered with her ex boyfriend and her ex’s current girlfriend who used to be Emsley’s good friend. So in alternating chapters we learn about Johanna’s difficulties and subsequent efforts on Vincent’s behalf and Emsley’s settling her grandma’s estate and finding a way to buy out her business partners. If you suspect there’s a new boyfriend in her future you might be right! Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres - that Molnar is typically a romance author didn't affect my opinion of her or her writing, especially as I enjoy reading romance every now and again.The author is normally a romance writer and this may have been the problem. The characters were all too self- obsessed and quirky for my taste. The main female characters, whose stories unfolded a hundred years apart- I could not warm up to them and their struggles. . The supporting characters-male and female, didn't care for them either..esp the acclaimed performance artist, a respected and beloved lecturer at NYU who created tableaux on the stage by wrapping living nude models with all body hair literally shaved, with a concoction of spun sugar and caramel, while the professor read poems, sang songs, and musicians supplied music and rhythm. Also, while the romance between Emsly and Bram was fun, it felt a little stiff; Bram, while a lawyer, had somewhat formal and unbelievable lines.

A book club selection; I wanted to love this book as the premise was interesting. I made it to chapter 4 and had to leave this one. To be fair, while I’m a huge fan of historical fiction, romance is not my genre but it is the normal genre of the author. Additionally as a lifelong artist, I’ve read more than my share of artist biographies & art history.

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A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.

If you hear a voice within say you cannot do something, then by all means, do that thing, and that voice will be silenced.Joanna was the only slight redeeming part of the book, I just wish the writing had been better so that I might have enjoyed it more. Doing some research there was some things left out of Jos story, that I think the author was ill-equipped to write about.