A lovely romance with a lot of bite. You have a dire situation; a marriage of convenience; two brothers, one an honorable soldier the other an irresponsible artist; a war; and secrets galore. In the center is a young woman who must face stinging realities and her own undecided heart. I've read several of Klassen's novels and this one seems to have more bible talk than usual, lots of praying about something or other, lots of conversations with God, all of it tiresome. But the romance was stellar. 4 stars.
Julie Klassen's newest novel, "The Painter's Daughter", focuses on the story of Sophie DuPont, a young woman who works as an assistant in her father's art studio. Located on the north Devon coast, the area is popular with many artists and poets, including artist Wesley Overtree. After departing for Italy and leaving Sophie in a serious situation, Wesley's brother, Captain Stephen Overtree, offers Sophie a solution. She is now faced with a choice, each carrying significant ramifications.
The story in this one took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I found my rhythm with it, the story really drew me in. The main characters were really well developed and the plot flowed well. There was enough intrigue to keep things interesting and fresh. The visual descriptions for the locations truly made the reader picture the setting.
Julie Klassen has become one of my "must-read" authors. I have enjoyed most of her work; there have been a couple more recent novels that have not been impressive. However, this novel is definitely one of her better ones and I would highly recommend it even to people not familiar with her other work.
(I've received this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers through the Book Blogger program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)
The story in this one took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I found my rhythm with it, the story really drew me in. The main characters were really well developed and the plot flowed well. There was enough intrigue to keep things interesting and fresh. The visual descriptions for the locations truly made the reader picture the setting.
Julie Klassen has become one of my "must-read" authors. I have enjoyed most of her work; there have been a couple more recent novels that have not been impressive. However, this novel is definitely one of her better ones and I would highly recommend it even to people not familiar with her other work.
(I've received this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers through the Book Blogger program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)
When dashing painter Wesley Overtree leaves Sophie Dupont alone, unmarried and pregnant to sail to Italy, his brother Stephen steps in to rescue her. This was a sweet love story about family, faith and forgiveness.
Another great story by Julie Klassen. Highly recommended!
** spoiler alert ** I didn't like more of this book than I thought was ok. I was excited to discover the author had two new titles out because in general I like her style of writing and learning about different aspects of society through her characters. I picked up on the general theme of staying true to a vow in this novel but didn't care for the characters. I disliked jumping into the middle of the story and then having flashbacks to fill in the gaps. It was also very long. I greatly disliked the squints and repeated spying on family members, everyone knowing business that wasn't theirs to know. I really didn't like the nurse Winnie either. I didn't care for how Stephen seemed so above censure, he was the one that saved Sophie after all, yet his past behavior with Jenny very well could have resulted in the exact situation Angela and Sophie found themselves because of these Overtree sons. Yes Stephen seemed to have changed while Wesley hadn't but Stephen never had to account for his behavior and never explained to his wife what he himself had done in the past. I really liked Mavis and Libby but they were such minor characters they couldn't redeem the novel for me.
