Sunflowers, by Sheramy Bundrick, is the story of Rachel, a prostitute in Arles in the late 19th century. Rachel wakes one afternoon after a nap in the garden to find a strange man painting her picture.  It turns out to be Vincent van Gogh. If I could read this book for the first time again, I would, and I’d want to know what I discovered in the author’s afterword at the end:  that Rachel is based on a true historic figure.  The legend goes that the night van Gogh cut off his ear, he wrapped it in newspaper and carried it to a brothel, where he handed it to a prostitute named Rachel.  Little else is known about her, but the fact that she really existed piqued by curiosity much … Read entire article »