Midnight Blue
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Amsterdam 1654: a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow’s new life.
Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five year old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family. Amsterdam is a city at the peak of its powers: science and art are flourishing in the Golden Age and Dutch ships bring back exotic riches from the Far East.
When a figure from her past threatens her new life, Catrin flees to Delft. There, her painting talent earns her a chance as a pottery painter. Slowly, the workshop begins to develop a new type of pottery to rival the coveted Chinese porcelain – and Delft Blue is born. But when tragedy strikes, Catrin has a hard choice to make.
Rich and engrossing, Midnight Blue is perfect for fans of Tulip Fever and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Reviews
‘A fascinating portrait of Holland at the height of its artistic and economic power…a wonderful place for lovers of historical fiction to visit, populated by great artists, intrepid explorers and enterprising merchants.’ Publishers Weekly
‘A beautiful story about the fate of a seventeenth-century young woman and the early days of the blue-and-white pottery from Delft’ Netherlands Daily
‘Van der Vlugt has immersed herself in the pottery painting of the time and weaves fact and fiction into a gripping story.’ Leiden Daily
'A great historical novel, with thriller aspects and romance.' Biepmiepje
'The local colour, the fascinating story, the interesting history, definitely for me born in Delft, means you read MIDNIGHT BLUE in one sitting.' book bloggers netherlands
About the author
Simone van der Vlugt is an acclaimed Dutch writer, whose books have sold over 2 million copies. She lives with her husband and two children in Alkmaar.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1654, Dutch author van der Vlugt's first novel to be published in the U.S. paints a fascinating portrait of Holland at the height of its economic and artistic power. After one moment of weakness leads to a pregnancy, independent, resourceful Catrin Barentsdochter ends up married to Govert, a violent, brutish man twice her age. Soon after the baby is stillborn, Govert dies in a drunken rampage. Catrin sells their property and sets out to make her way in the world. She ends up in Delft, where she finds work as a china painter for Evert van Nulandt, the kind owner of a pottery workshop, just as fine Dutch porcelain is being developed. In Delft, she finds friends, success, and love. But Catrin has a horrifying secret, and the one person who knows it threatens to destroy everything. The mystery element is slight, but mid-17th-century Holland is a wonderful place for lovers of historical fiction to visit, populated by great artists, intrepid explorers, and enterprising merchants.
