I am Rembrandt's Daughter

When I select YA books to read, I usually try to check out books from different genres. I was able to find a historical fiction title on my last trip among the display of new books to the collection.

Lynn Cullen's "I am Rembrandt's Daughter" is in many ways a very simple tale of family, family secrets and growing up. Cornelia is the daughter of Rembrandt's common law wife, Hendrickje. We see the story through her eyes and are often taken back in forth in time by her memories of life before her mother died of the plague and the 'present.' The story contains a small mystery which is nicely revealed at the end, no whiplash here, as well as insights into the fickle nature of art lovers, trends and innovation.

Cullen's end notes explain her inspiration for the story as well as a list of factual and fictional characters. I was intrigued by her use of two paintings as a launching point for this story.

I enjoyed this book's quiet simplicity and Cornelia's story. The frequent flashbacks may bother some readers who don't like to be pulled out of the main story current, but bear with them, clues lie therein for the mystery.