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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Bennett, V. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic Bennett, V. 2007 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | FICTION BENNETT | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Hidden identities, rising political and religious tension, sensual awakening, and artistic vision come together in Vanora Bennett's luminous and absorbing historical novel of Tudor England reminiscent of the works of Phillipa Gregory, Sarah Dunant, and Tracy Chevalier.
1527. A dark curtain has fallen across Europe. Martin Luther's break with the Vatican has led to civil war and artistic censorship, forcing the renowned portraitist Hans Holbein the Younger to flee to the safety of Tudor England. Under the patronage of one of Henry VIII's most trusted and brilliant advisors, Sir Thomas More, Holbein painted two portraits of the More family over the course of five years. Though nearly identical, the second is different. Why? And what do these subtle differences mean?
In this sweeping epic, Vanora Bennett uses these two pictures to weave a wondrously imagined tale of Tudor England, witnessed through the eyes of Meg, More's intelligent and headstrong young ward. Set against the turmoil, intrigue, and tragedy of Henry VIII's court, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is the story of a woman torn between two remarkable yet radically different men--one she will love, the other she will marry. It also the story of a country torn apart by fanaticism, corruption, and the desires of a headstrong king. Rich with colorful detail, full of vibrant characters drawn from the pages of history, this magnificent novel hails the arrival of a visionary new writer and is sure to become one of the most talked about books of the year.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
British journalist Bennett (Crying Wolf: The Return of War to Chechnya) makes her fiction debut with a sweeping reinterpretation of Sir Thomas More's family as it coped with the vicissitudes of Henry VIII's reign. Narrated by More's brilliant foster daughter, Meg Giggs, the narrative is framed by two paintings crafted five years apart by husky, ebullient German artist Hans Holbein; commissioned by the family, each was completed at radically different periods in the More clan's turbulent history. As the book opens, family tutor John Clement stimulates both Meg's apothecary interest and engages her in a love affair; she eventually marries him and bears him a son, though aware that Holbein also has romantic potential. As John, whose origins are shrouded in mystery, grows distant, Holbein returns to London to paint the More family again. Meanwhile, the Reformation bleeds across Europe, inciting religious upheaval, and Meg's staunch Catholic father continues to violently defend his faith against Protestant heretics. Duplicity involving Meg's flirtatious sister, Elizabeth, provides the novel's rousing climax. The vernacular doesn't quite hold, and the religious-political speechifying can be heavy-handed. But Bennett constructs lush backdrops and costumes, and has impeccable historical sense. She luminously shades in an ambiguous period with lavish strokes of humanity, unbridled passion and mystery. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
In Henry VIII's England, a spirited heroine grows from impulsive girl to wiser woman as religious intolerance rages. British journalist Bennett's first novel takes a sober approach to a well-trod patch of English history. Her educated heroine, Meg Giggs, is a ward in the home of Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More, giving her a ringside seat overlooking the terrible drama of religious conflict. More is committed to defending the Catholic faith, which is coming under threat from the heretics, i.e., Lutheran Protestants. As Hans Holbein arrives to paint what will be his famous portrait of More and family, Meg comes back into contact with the man she always loved, John Clement, and with whom she shares healing aspirations. (She is an herbalist; he has been studying medicine.) John declares his love and intention to marry Meg, but More blocks the wedding until John is elected to the College of Physicians. Eventual plans for the union are eclipsed by John's revelation that he is, in fact, Richard Plantagenet, one of the two princes assumed murdered by Richard III. But the wedding finally proceeds, initially happily, and a son is born. Suppression of the heretics, led by More, intensifies, with torture and burnings at the stake, resulting in Meg losing faith in her adopted father. When her husband reveals another important secret, she becomes estranged from him, too. The king, desperate for an heir and seeking a divorce in order to marry Anne Boleyn, begins to side with the Protestants, and More resigns. Holbein returns, now a better artist with an undying admiration for Meg, leading to the exposure of additional secrets and Meg's final decision to opt for forgiveness and reconciliation. An engrossing, quietly impassioned historical that blends some big ideas into the love story and ends with a touching burst of emotional insight. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Caught in the turbulence of the Protestant Reformation during the reign of King Henry VIII, Meg Griggs navigates her path to adulthood as the adopted daughter of Sir Thomas More. Meg is a talented and intelligent protagonist who resists convention to find maturity and resolution of life's trials. Enamored since childhood by John Clement, More's protege, Meg finds marriage unfulfilling and is pulled into the turmoil of Catholic-Protestant strife as a member of More's prominent Catholic family. Hans Holbein the Younger, a German artist, immigrates to England to stay with the More family and paints a family portrait--and yet another portrait five years later. The secrets and symbolism included in these portraits tell the tale of secret identities, alliances, infidelity, and many other elements of intrigue. This debut novel is a must-have for those readers who like literary fiction with a large dose of historical authenticity. --Laurie Sundborg Copyright 2007 Booklist
Library Journal Review
A journalist whose books include The Taste of Dreams: An Obsession with Russia and Caviar, Bennett proves equally adept at breathing life into a novel of the turbulent period of European history known as the Protestant Reformation. At the center of her tale is Meg Giggs, a ward of statesman Sir Thomas More. Although Meg marries fellow More ward John Celment, she finds herself attracted to German portraitist Hans Holbein, who paints the extended More clan twice within a six-year period. During this time, Sir Thomas is elevated to the position of chancellor but resigns when he realizes that the king is determined to break with the Church of Rome to marry Anne Boleyn. The Mores--daughters as well as sons--are Renaissance humanists who love the new learning but also respect the institutions of the past, including the Roman Catholic Church. Bennett develops her characters fully by revealing both their romantic and their religious inner conflicts. With this interweaving of historical fact and imaginative characterization, she creates a multidimensional work of fiction. Readers of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring will enjoy this debut novel for its elucidation of Holbein's symbolism. Included is a bibliography of historical sources; a reader's group guide is available online. Highly recommended.--Loralyn Whitney, Edinboro Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.