The Map Colorist, Rebecca DHarlingue
The Map Colorist, Rebecca DHarlingue
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The Map Colorist
A Novel

Author: Rebecca D'Harlingue

Narrator: Rebecca Stern

Unabridged: 11 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/19/2023


Synopsis

In 1660, Amsterdam is the trading and map-printing capital of the world. Anneke van Brug is one of the colorists paid to enhance black-and-white maps for a growing number of collectors. Her artistic talent brings her to the attention of the Blaeu printing house, and she begins to color for a rich merchant, Willem de Groot. But Anneke is not content to simply embellish the work of others; she longs to create maps of her own. Cartography, however, is the domain of men—so it is in secret that she borrows the notes her father made on a trip to Africa in 1642 and sets about designing a new map.Anneke hopes to convince the charismatic de Groot to use his influence to persuade Blaeu to include her map in the Atlas Maior, which will be the largest and most expensive publication of the century. But family secrets, infidelity, and murder endanger her dream. Will her map withstand these threats, or will it be forever lost?

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on September 03, 2023

*I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.* Anneke van Brug is a talented young map colorist in seventeenth-century Amsterdam with ambitions to make her own map. Her efforts to make this goal a reality turn out to have devastating consequences for her entire family, as old......more

Goodreads review by Dianne on December 09, 2023

An easy five stars for a unique and beautifully written coming-of-age historical fiction novel. With well-drawn characters, extensive research, and a tone and language that puts us in the footsteps of Anneke, a charming and talented protagonist, we are immersed in the intrigue and cultural complexit......more

Goodreads review by Kim on August 18, 2023

3 1/2 stars 1660's Amsterdam women were not admitted to the trade guilds but did contribute on the sidelines. Anneke is a talented map colorist like her mother but longs to create the maps like her artist father and surveyor brother. Her artistic flair earns her a commission from a wealthy map collect......more

Goodreads review by Teresa on December 26, 2024

I thoroughly enjoyed this work of historical fiction about a young woman brimming with talent who was constrained by the limitations of the era she lived in. I knew little about the map making of that time and learned so much, which is one of the reasons I read this genre. The young protagonist's ch......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on April 25, 2024

I wanted to love this book. Set in 17th century Amsterdam among the niche world of mapmaking and map coloring, I thought I was in for a histori-fictional gem. There were flashes of vivid reality in descriptions of skating afternoons, or mixing paints, or poring over notes of Dutch West/East India Co......more