My first read off of the Women's Prize Nonfiction shortlist and I'm surprised at how much I got sucked into this world of Dutch art! I would have never picked up this book, let alone a book about art (unless it was something about art prices or the stolen art world...), but this book has got me a lot more intrigued and inspired me to try and get out to more galleries and really look at the paintings.

I did appreciate the mix of personal memoir and art history — including the discussions around (sudden) death, limited time and how you spend it, what art says about the artist, etc., — but the balance between the two felt a little off/random at times . It's like the author wanted to write a book on Fabritius and Dutch art and a book about a her dad. There were definitely ties between the two that enhanced the message in cases, but not sure if fully hit! Perhaps the narrative structure wasn't quite there given the author's intentions? But overall, I enjoyed the book and thought the writing was great. I especially enjoyed learning more about the history of The Goldfinch, especially being a Donna Tartt fan!

Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:

1. Thunderclap

:-D