Introduction

In 1660, Amsterdam is the trading and map-printing capital of the world. Anneke van Brug is one of the colorists paid to enhance black-and-white maps for a growing number of collectors. Her artistic talent brings her to the attention of the Blaeu printing house, and she begins to color for a rich merchant, Willem de Groot. But Anneke is not content to simply embellish the work of others; she longs to create maps of her own. Cartography, however, is the domain of men—so it is in secret that she borrows the notes her father made on a trip to Africa in 1642 and sets about designing a new map.

Anneke hopes to convince the charismatic de Groot to use his influence to persuade Blaeu to include her map in the Atlas Maior, which will be the largest and most expensive publication of the century. But family secrets, infidelity, and murder endanger her dream. Will her map withstand these threats, or will it be forever lost?

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Excerpt

Prologue
Amsterdam
June 1699
Anneke

If he had known how it would end, my father would have struck the paintbrush from my young hand. Even so, my mother would have quietly retrieved it, saying she was teaching my brother and me a useful skill. What she would not have said was that the income she made from map coloring allowed us to live a more comfortable life, concealing the fact that my father was not as successful an artist as our circumstances might imply. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. What do you think of the moral compromises that Anneke made in order to achieve her goal?

2. What hurdles did Anneke face in achieving her dream? Which of these were particularly due to the fact that she was a woman?

3. What might Anneke’s life have been life if she had not married Daniel?

4. Discuss Lysbeth’s love for Isaac, both at the beginning of the story and at the end.

5. How does Lysbeth feel about the compromises she made to accommodate Isaac’s career as an artist?

6. What was your attitude toward Isaac?

7. What role did Lucas play in the lives of each of the other family members?

8. How would you judge Willem de Groot’s attitude and actions toward Anneke?

9. Did you feel any sympathy for Helena Kregier?

10. Anneke says that she has had a mostly happy life. Going by what else she says in the Epilogue, and what happens over the course of the novel, would you judge her life to have been happy?

11. Were there any historical facts that you found particularly interesting or surprising?

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