Title:

I Am Rembrandt's Daughter                                        YA #8

Author:

Lynn Cullen

Publisher:

Bloomsbury

Date:

2007

ISBN:

1599900467

# of Pages (Readership):

320 (YA)

Genre

Historical fiction

Diversity

Social class, Dutch language and culture (1600s)

Plot Summary:

Almost 14, Cornelia van Rijn, illegitimate daughter of Rembrandt, lives in poverty with vader and half-brother Titus. C.’s moeder died of the plague. R.’s thick brushstrokes are out of fashion. His student, Neel, helps pay the bills. C. has learned about art and painting, but R. does not encourage her to paint. (Neel does.)

C. meets Carel Bruyningh, a wealthy boy who is secretly painting thanks to the encouragement of his Uncle Nicolaes. Carel’s family is in the shipping business. (Some of their customers are engaged in triangular trade. See page 240 – slave boy.) Titus marries Magdalena and has money and status. When he contracts the plague, pregnant M. abandons him to R., C., and Neel, who care for him until he dies. (Carel rejects C. because of brother’s illness.)

C. learns why R. didn’t marry her mother and that Nicolaes is her biological father. Although she has Bruyningh blood, she does not have their cold heart.  In the end, C. finally recognizes Neel’s honesty, kindness, and affection.

Theme(s):

Blood is not a necessary requirement for family.

Personal Response:

This story read like a Jane Austen novel. The characters were well drawn and Cornelia’s gradual maturity and increasing knowledge of her past will keep readers’ interest. The flashbacks, designated by italics, are an effective way to fill in the background. The author’s note explains the blend of history and fiction in this book, including what is known about the people on whom the story is based.

Curricular or Programming Connections:

Social classes

Dutch language and culture (mid-1600s)

Painters (Rembrandt)