MIDNIGHT BLUE takes place in 1654 in Holland in the era
known as Holland's Golden Age. At 25 years old, Catrin is
married to Govert, a man she knew her whole life in the
village of Rijn. One night at the local fair they get
together and began drinking. Catrin got pregnant, and months
later they were married. She had a miscarriage. The man she
thought was romantic turned out to be hard, cold and
abusive. He drank too much and would come home from the
tavern and beat her. On their small tenant farm, Catrin
worked very hard. One day is the same as the day before. She
milks the cows, feeds the chickens, makes cheese, churns
butter, tends the vegetable garden, and washes and mends
their clothes. Once in awhile she paints something pretty
and dreams about living in a big city and becoming an artist.
Govert is found dead in his bed one morning and local gossip
runs rampant about Catrin, questioning her and how her
husband died. She did have a secret but was unwilling to
share it with anyone. She knew she had to flee quickly. She
wanted a new start far away from Rijn. As soon as their
meager possessions were sold she left her home town. A woman
traveling alone in that time was unheard of and frowned on
but Catrin wanted a new life in a new locale. While
traveling to Amsterdam she meets a handsome adventurer,
Matthias. She tells him she is looking for a job and about
her past. He offers to introduce her to his brother who is
looking for a housekeeper. She meets him and his wife and is
offered the position. Her mistress loves to paint and enjoys
taking art lessons. Catrin attends her classes with her and
meets Rembrandt, a local master, Rembrandt, who encourages
Catrin to pursue her painting. However, when her past sneaks
up on her again she must flee once more. This time to Delft
where she gets a job painting in a pottery shop and marries
the owner. When her husband dies from the plague, Catrin
becomes the owner of the shop and begins to work on the
Delft pottery.
Simone Van Der Vlugt is a Dutch novelist and MIDNIGHT BLUE
is her first novel published in the United States. I enjoyed
the story of how the Delft blue-and-white pottery came into
existence and became popular all over the world. Catrin was
a woman ahead of the times and she endured. A widow twice,
she has a daughter and in the end finds her forever love in
Matthias. He will always be an adventurer looking for his
next voyage. He will leave her for a time and return with
trinkets for her from all over the world he loves to
explore. He always returns to his Catrin who he loves deeply
and the relationship works for them both. A recommendation
for those who love historical novels with a touch of
romance, art and locales in Holland.
From Simone Van Der Vlugt comes her European bestselling
novel of a young woman's rise as a painter in Holland's
Golden Age—perfect for readers of The Miniaturist, Tulip
Fever, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland's Golden
Age, 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 a 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.
Madam Van Nulandt passes her time taking expensive
painting lessons from a local master, Rembrandt van
Rigin, and when Catrin takes up a brush to finish some of
her mistress's work, Rembrandt realizes the maid has
genuine talent, and encourages her to continue.
When a figure from her past threatens her new life,
Catrin flees to the smaller city of Delft. There, her
gift as a painter earns her a chance to earn a living
painting pottery at a local workshop. Slowly, the
workshop begins to develop a new type of pottery to rival
fancy blue-on-white imported Chinese porcelain—and the
graceful and coveted Delft Blue designs she creates help
revolutionize the industry. But when tragedy strikes,
Catrin must decide whether to defend her newfound
independence, or return to the village that she'd fled.
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