THE UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD Meetings with the Dutch Masters

Paul Boehmer's thoughtful, well-paced narration encourages close listening to this beautifully written personal memoir and guide to the seventeenth-century Dutch master painters. When Pulitzer Prize-winning author Benjamin Moser relocated to the Netherlands, he sought to understand his place in a foreign country by delving into the lives and work of Rembrandt, Fabritius, Lievens, Vermeer, ter Borch, and many others. The result is partly art history essays and partly an attempt to answer questions such as why do we make art and how should we relate to it. Oddly, throughout the narration Boehmer changes his voice to a lower register with an echo effect for random passages. If unintentional, this may be an unfortunate editing error that is puzzling to the listener. J.E.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]