Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach.

             Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach.


"I gazed into the water and saw a dream world, mirroring my own, where I could be happy. How wrong I was. For it was nothing-just the glitter of moonlight on the surface, the sheeny satin lustre of a dress."

The author admitted to having had a love affair (so to speak) with Dutch paintings. What emerged was a love-letter sadly reflecting on the lost world of serene and dreamy domestic interiors otherwise known as Tulip Fever.

We are plunged into the 17C world of Amsterdam that saw the rise and obsession of tulip mania during the 1630s, at its worst symbolising human greed and passion. It made many men rich beyond their wildest dreams but once the bubble burst it brought inevitable ruin and destruction.
Sophia was 24, innocent and oblivious to the evils of the world. When her father had died leaving unmarried daughters and lots of debts, Cornelis, a wealthy merchant who owned a warehouse in the harbour which imported grain from the Baltic and rare spices from the Orient had agreed to marry Sophia and support her family. He was a good Calvinist although Sophia was a Catholic. His faith had been battered with the death of his first wife, Hendrijke when she was barely 40 and his two sons who had died in infancy. He was 61, longing for an heir. He does care about his young wife and worries that she has become withdrawn, no longer the lively, happy girl he had fallen in love with.

"She had brought him back to life when he had given up all hope. She rescued him, just as he himself, in another way entirely, had rescued her."

He is a good man, providing a more than comfortable lifestyle for his young wife. She is beautiful and he counts his fortune in this respect. Sophia cares for him and is grateful for saving her and her family from ruin and poverty but is repressed sexually and has not yet discovered passion and desire. When she becomes confused and metaphorically stripped naked by the painter she is uncomfortable and asks Maria about her feelings for her lover. In no time at all, Sophia  fights against Jan's advances of love because of loyalty towards her husband before eventually, succumbing.
"A woman like you deserves to be happy."
Jan is initially portrayed as a bit of a cad, a man who has seduced lots of women and then discarded them. The reader worries that he will take advantage of innocent Sophia, ruin her and then discard her. But no. He loves her with passion, admitting to being undone. Sophia had unknotted the ropes around his heart and he is entirely hers" and he wants to spend the rest of his life with her and he is prepared to do anything to win her completely. You have stolen my heart, he tells her. They are the star-crossed lovers, full of guilt, devising plots of betrayal upon betrayal in order to secure some kind of future together, even feigning death. However, more people end up with broken hearts especially the innocent victims.


Maria, their servant was a robust and passionate woman crazy about Willam her darling sweetheart. Life was so uncomplicated for her and she knew that she would marry him, have six children and live in blissful contentment. Eventually, but with a few major complications she gets her reward. In fact she is very much in the minority. Willam leaves her high and dry suspecting her of cuckolding him so he signs up in the army and goes to fight the Spanish. Probably a better alternative to drowning although this thought did cross his mind. 
"When he touches me I get these shivers all over my body. When he looks at me it turns my insides to jelly."

She dreams of being her own mistress and wears Sophia's blue velvet jacket with the fur collar and cuffs parading around the house and catching sight of herself in the mirror and willing it to happen. A simple dream.Where is the harm in it? This is Maria's secret world.


The painter, Jan van Loos is engaged to paint a family portrait and Sophia encounters passionate love that will bring about ruin, a heavy price to pay. Cornelis craves immortality and the nearest to achieving this is through art. The painter is regarded as a promising artist in Amsterdam especially in portraitures. He has been highly recommended. Of course Cornelis regards himself as a connoisseur of paintings. Sadly, he is betrayed by his young wife and seeks revenge. He becomes totally disillusioned with life and  another casualty.

 A 2004 Steven Spielberg film of Tulip Fever didn't get off the ground because of changes to the tax laws although Ruby Films have recently begun filming on locations around the UK. This film is due to be released in the USA during 2015, directed by Justin Chadwick ("Mandela" and "The Other Boleyn Girl") and the screenplay is written by Sir Tom Stoppard. It stars Alicia Vikander as Sophia and Christoph Waltz as Cornelis. Judi Dench plays a cameo role as the Abbess of St. Ursula and Prince Harry's ex, Cressida Bonas plays Mrs Steen. Watch this space.
Judi Dench to star in Tulip Fever movie
Copyright 2014. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this article review is reproduced.

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