Clare Clark’s sixth book is another slice of well researched and compellingly told historical fiction ... Her novel still reads like an outlandish tale ... Clark takes a while to get going. Her initial chapters feel less like a steady buildup and more like an overlong preamble. But once the plot takes shape and the seemingly disparate parts slot into place, the novel roars to life. Clark brilliantly evokes both the decadence of Weimar Berlin and the impending Nazi menace. Her characters’ singular struggles prove riveting. Her scattered artistic references are effective ... Above all, though, it is the heightened intrigue that keeps us invested.
... terrific ... the story of van Gogh’s posthumous rise to fame bursts from history like a spurt of the artist’s beloved chrome yellow from a tube of paint ... Julius lectures Matthias: 'To write about art you must speak as art speaks, passionately and directly to the soul.' Might Clark be speaking to herself here? Until an overly complex last section, she manages the trick well enough, rendering the atmospheric setting precisely and the psychology of her characters with deftness, strength and subtlety. She artfully balances her twin subjects: a painter’s meteoric life and the fiery trail of controversy left behind by a shooting star.
... as compelling as it is expansive ... Perhaps inevitably, a plot so labyrinthine and loaded with conspiracy theories veers occasionally towards melodrama; yet there was no shortage of esteemed experts prepared to convince themselves and others that the Wacker daubs (none of which has survived) were the genuine article. Clark persuasively suggests that the paintings – masterpieces one moment, worthless the next – were simply a barometer of the inflationary chaos that beset Germany between the wars ... The novel’s historical authority is not entirely flawless ... But at the heart of the book lies a quest for authenticity that has a bearing on our own times ... In an age that has apparently lost faith in experts and verifiable sources of information, Clark’s fictionalisation of the Wacker affair stands as a salutary tale for the post-truth era.
... engaging, emotionally rich ... A beautifully crafted exploration about living in a very complex world; recommended for fans of literary fiction, historical novels, and art history.
It’s a fascinating tale, although the characters’ artifice can feel more enticing than the forgery case ... The art world is richly drawn and its atmosphere pervades the novel ... Throughout the novel, we have been given sinister snippets of rising nationalistic fervour, so that the third act feels heavy-handed, only there to tell us something we know already. When Frank delivers the big reveal, it’s a little underwhelming. No matter, though; the most enjoyable mystery here is the matter of whether anyone is really their authentic self.
In the Full Light of the Sun contains its own share of improbabilities, notably a set of unusually stormy romances. Its plot, too, is convoluted and occasionally confusing, zig-zagging in unexpected directions ... But Clark’s narrative gifts and mastery of historical detail encourage immersion in her tale, which hinges on the porous boundaries between the real and the fake ... Eventually, of course, we will learn the identity (and motivation) of the van Gogh forger—a surprise, though neither a shocking nor a fully satisfying one.
Clark’s mastery of historic and artistic details merges with skillful plotting and compelling characters in this accomplished novel ... A suspenseful, atmospheric portrait of Berlin during Hitler’s rise.
Based on a real-life forgery scandal, the novel is infused with Clark’s signature attention to historical detail. While van Gogh’s paintings and the question of artistic veracity provide a nice narrative framework, the core of the story is the bonds and delusions that form between Julius, Emmeline, and Frank. Evocative prose and excellent pacing make this fine historical a must-read for art history buffs.
The book’s first hundred or so pages drag with the details of Julius’s attempts to get the painting back from his ex-wife...A conflict that should have intense emotional stakes is reduced to a series of negotiations between lawyers ... Clark’s use of multiple narrators could have offered readers more insight into how scandals and scams unfold, how we make truth malleable to fit our needs, how something like an art forgery scandal could be a compelling diversion from the social and political chaos of Weimar Germany and the rise of fascism. Clark raises important questions about the lengths we go to distract ourselves from governmental horrors, and how art can’t save us. Unfortunately, the abundance of voices and plot lines hinders the author from providing any answers.
