I picked this up because I had enjoyed another book by the same author, A Vintage Affair. The Very Picture of You was not as engaging, but used a similar story construct. The main character, Ella, is a portrait painter. She learns a great deal about her subjects through the intimacy of painting their portraits. The "twist" about her parents was quite evident from early on in the story, but it was still an enjoyable read.
I read this book with a certain amount of trepidation after reading unflattering reviews, but I shouldn't have worried. I found the book immediately involving and enjoyed the read. I thought I had it all figured out but surprise...I didn't! My biggest criticism was that the ending felt a little abrupt and too pat for such an intriguing storyline. The insights into the act of portraiture were utterly fascinating.
The art of painting a portrait was interesting, but not the characters. I read this after enjoying "Vintage Affair", but this one fell flat. The story lines were far fetched, esp. when none of the separate story lines were believable or I just had a difficult time caring.
