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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
A gentle and sad story but fascinating and beautifully written
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This reminded me a lot of Girl With A Pearl Earring. I really enjoyed the way the author had with words. The story itself is melancholic. Resilience tempered with societal barriers and taboos.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Painter’s Daughters is about the lives of Molly and Peggy Gainsborough, daughters of the famous eighteenth century painter, Thomas Gainsborough.
The story follows their lives from Ipswich where they enjoy a degree of freedom and the opportunity to explore the countryside, to Bath, where their lives become much more constricted as they have to fit in with the rich and fashionable while their father seeks commissions as a portrait painter.
I found it almost painful to hear how narrow and limited their lives were at this point before they were sent to school; they were only slightly better when they returned home afterwards.
It was clear from the start that Molly suffered from delusions which varied in severity and duration, and that for her whole life, her younger sister Peggy had tried to control and conceal these episodes for fear that her sister could be incarcerated in an asylum. The intensity of the relationship is so well conveyed by the author that I was utterly compelled by the narrative.
In addition, there is another narrative which focuses on a young woman from Harwich who we discover is linked to the Gainsboroughs. I enjoyed this too but for me the story of the two sisters was the principal focus.
Very highly recommended and extremely well written!
The story follows their lives from Ipswich where they enjoy a degree of freedom and the opportunity to explore the countryside, to Bath, where their lives become much more constricted as they have to fit in with the rich and fashionable while their father seeks commissions as a portrait painter.
I found it almost painful to hear how narrow and limited their lives were at this point before they were sent to school; they were only slightly better when they returned home afterwards.
It was clear from the start that Molly suffered from delusions which varied in severity and duration, and that for her whole life, her younger sister Peggy had tried to control and conceal these episodes for fear that her sister could be incarcerated in an asylum. The intensity of the relationship is so well conveyed by the author that I was utterly compelled by the narrative.
In addition, there is another narrative which focuses on a young woman from Harwich who we discover is linked to the Gainsboroughs. I enjoyed this too but for me the story of the two sisters was the principal focus.
Very highly recommended and extremely well written!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An engaging and well-researched book. Hauntingly sad.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5 stars
HIGHLY recommend
I received a complimentary Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Emily Howes, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This was a very dense, heavy, and hard-to-read book. I knew little about Thomas Gainsborough other than the "Blue Boy" painting that resides nearby in San Marino at the Huntington Library. I have admired it and visited it many times, but never thought about the back story.
The novel is really about love at the core of it all. The story centers around Gainsborough's two daughters, Molly and Peg, and their devotion to each other. It is sad, heavy, and very hard to read.
This was a slow, difficult read because of the subject matter and the time period. But it was totally worth the read! If you like historical fiction, this is a great book for YOU!!
For a more detailed review, check out:
https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2023/11/review-painters-daughters-ebook.html
HIGHLY recommend
I received a complimentary Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Emily Howes, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
This was a very dense, heavy, and hard-to-read book. I knew little about Thomas Gainsborough other than the "Blue Boy" painting that resides nearby in San Marino at the Huntington Library. I have admired it and visited it many times, but never thought about the back story.
The novel is really about love at the core of it all. The story centers around Gainsborough's two daughters, Molly and Peg, and their devotion to each other. It is sad, heavy, and very hard to read.
This was a slow, difficult read because of the subject matter and the time period. But it was totally worth the read! If you like historical fiction, this is a great book for YOU!!
For a more detailed review, check out:
https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2023/11/review-painters-daughters-ebook.html
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated