Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers UK for this ARC. Johanna finds herself in a compromising position and leaves to spend the summer in Paris with her brother. Little did she know that he promised her parents that she would be married by the end of the summer or go home to an arranged marriage to someone 40 years older. Once the secret is out, she is determined to accept the marriage proposal from Theo Van Gogh, brother to Vincent. Though Vincent does everything in his power to keep it from happening (including cutting part of his ear off), the wedding continues. She grows to love Vincent like a brother and will do everything for the world to see how talented he was.

This book was an interesting read. This time in Paris revolved around so many artists - Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas and all talented in their own right and all a little crazy. This story follows Johanna from her 20's to her death and was quite an insight to how creative and mentally ill Vincent really was. #MrsVanGogh #CarolineCauchi #Jan2023

Historical fiction at its best. A well-written story about a strong woman with a fascinating life. Johana Van Gogh, married to VIncent's brother Theo, was instrumental in bringing posthumous acclaim and fame to Vincent's work. I enjoyed learning about her.

Mrs. Van Gogh is the story of Johanna Bonger, who becomes Mrs. Theo Van Gogh. The story is written from Jo's perspective, from the time she arrives in Paris to live with her brother, to just a few short years later when she makes it her mission to promote her brother-in-law's art so that he becomes world-renowned.

The reality is that very little has been written about Johanna, despite the fact that if it wasn’t for her, Vincent Van Gogh may not have been such an essential part of our world. We get a feel for what she may have written in her personal journal, as well as letters back and forth between her and Theo. The author paints a beautiful picture (no pun intended) of how events and relationships may have unfolded, and it is entirely believable. The sense of time and place is superb. My only criticism is that the “women are not equal to men” narrative gets is a bit too overt at times.

If you enjoy historical fiction and you like strong female characters, I highly recommend Mrs. Van Gogh. Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance e-reader copy of this book!

I was completely unaware of this history, and the description for Mrs Van Gogh really appealed to me. I was so pleased to receive a copy of this and started it eagerly; looking forward to reading some historical fiction of this family.

The story is really interesting, but as much as I appreciated the opportunity to learn about Joanna van Gogh (later van Gogh-Bonger), I just wasn’t able to connect with the writing style here.

This was a beautifully written historical novel. I believed I was in the streets of Paris, hearing the horses hooves and the clattering of the carriages as I entered the world of Johanna Van Gogh.
Like the author, a visit to Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam led to a deeper interest of the lives of Vincent and his brother Theo, beyond the image of 'the tortured genius who cut off his own ear'.
Johanna was ahead of her time and the author portrayed her authentically.

This book is exquisite! Everything about Johanna's story is astoundingly beautiful and hers is a story that needed to be told, a voice that deserved to be heard.

Caroline is the only writer I know that could have done that, could have made Johanna live on and be heard.

I adored being whisked away to Paris in the late 1800s. I adored the bits of French language that flowed seamlessly. But most of all, I adored Johanna, Mrs Van Gogh.

This book is utter perfection.

I found this storyline to be absolutely wonderful. I love reading about strong willed women that makes a breakthrough in society when women were not expected to have opinions and must adhere to the male concepts at the time. Unfortunately for me, the book was very slow for the first half and I found very rushed for the second half. So many famous names were continually put forth, that I had to find out more information about each artist (could that be the reason I found it slow in the beginning?) I found Johanna almost meek like and did not show her true strength until later, I kept cheering her on and hoping she would find herself. I would have loved to learn more details about Johanna and how she really broke through the "glass ceiling". Thank you for writing this novel and your extensive research. Not to mention, thank you for bringing Johanna into the present time so that she won't be forgotten. .

this was a beautifully done historical novel, it was so well written and did everything that I was hoping for from the description. I really enjoyed the time-period and what was happening in it. The characters were what I was hoping for and felt like true people. Caroline Cauchi has a great way of telling the story and it left me wanting more from Caroline Cauchi.

"Her eyes jump to mine and I see them searching, checking my words aren’t part of a cruel prank. ‘I was worryin’ you’d not ask me,’ she says, jumping on the spot with joy. ‘Dinner will be half an hour yet.’ She scoops tiny Vincent into her arms and spins with him to the doorway. The boy squeals with delight as we walk into the salon."