I am an artist and Van Gogh fan, and I was keen to read this book. I quit half way through because I felt that the authors clearly disliked Vincent Van Gogh. I have read other biographies of Van Gogh, and a book containing many of his letters and enjoyed them all. What you should know is that this book does not focus on his art and how it develops so much as on his personality and how maddening he was to everyone around him. How ugly he was. How volatile and obtuse. They obsess over his obsessiveness. It’s a story told without compassion and with a lot of judgement and supposition. I think most people know he had mental and emotional challenges that were not recognized or treated at the time he was alive. Very disappointing.