A feisty Victorian artist comes to life vicariously through one of her descendants in a story of redemption and intrigue, art and jewellery, tea and smoking jackets. 21st century London harks back to the 19th century through the collections of art museums and a keenly described current capital.
I really enjoyed Nicole Swengley’s first novel, The Portrait Girl. The characterisation of the main protagonists was gently observed and convincing, despite the way they took on multiple personas. Lead character Freya morphing into her sort-of great-great grandmother worked on every level it was presented at, whilst the scumbag of the piece, Ralph Merrick, fulfilled his role like an archetypal silent movie villain. I could almost see Freya tied to the tracks as Ralph twiddled his moustache and issued stentorian laughter.
I thought the imitation art thefts storyline could have had an extra twist or turn, but it’s a picky criticism for what is a very rounded and interesting narrative.
This is one of the few books recently that has had me enthusiastically searching for moments in the day to open it up and read a few more pages – it transported me away delightfully. I thoroughly recommend you let it do the same for you!