Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach

It is 17th Century Amsterdam, during the midst of tulip mania, and young Sophia and her husband Cornelis are posing for a portrait by a talented young artist named Jan van Loos. Cornelis, a successful merchant, is much older than Sophia. He is a collector of beautiful things, and his wife is his pride and joy. But Sophia is young, and has married Cornelis to save her family from destitution.  She feels no passion for him, only a lifeless marriage further disappointed by her inability, so far, to produce a child.

But Jan van Loos is watching her, and Sophia is uncomfortable. Feelings stir within her that she has only ever imagined, and when she receives a love letter from the young artist, she embarks on a passionate affair. But where will this lead Sophia?  Will she be happy with her deception, or will it lead to tragedy?

Tulip Mania is an enjoyable fast paced story of passion and deceit. But that is about it for me. It's enjoyable, but it isn't great. I liked the narrative. I liked the short sentences, the short chapters. It was atmospheric, and I was intrigued with the setting of 17th Century Amsterdam, but that is where the enjoyment ended. It didn't quite develop enough for me.  I wanted to understand the characters better; to feel sympathetic to the plight of Sophia, but I just couldn't. I wanted to feel absorbed by the tulip mania in Amsterdam, but I just didn't. In fact, the tulips were hardly integral to the plot at all, and I feel there should have been more historical reference to them.

The plot was interesting, but predictable in places. The ending was a little abrupt. But that may be my fault, as I could only manage to skim read the final fifty pages or so. By that point, I was losing the battle with this book but I still wanted to know how it ended.

To conclude, an enjoyable book for the passionate romance and atmospheric setting, but poor in the historical content and depth.

My Rating: 3 Stars