I Am Rembrandt's Daughter by Lynn Cullen

This is great historical fiction. It not only gives insight into Rembrandt himself, it gives clues to the era and Holland. Cornelia is the bastard daughter of Rembrandt and his mistress/common law wife Henjricke. Her best friend is her half brother Titus, son of Rembrandt and his wife Saskia. Titus marries into wealth, even as Rembrandt sinks further into debt because society has shunned him, not only for his relationship with Henjricke, but also because his painting style has changed from smooth canvases to bold strokes painted on with thick oils. Cornelia deals with embarassessment over her social status, a crush on a wealthy boy and the plague, which took her mother and is again threatening her city. There are notes in the back and brief bios. Only one character is completely fictional. The rest are based on real people who touched Rembrandt's life. I couldn't wait to get a book of his paintings to see the ones referred to in the book. Yay for me.