I absolutely loved this book! It was such a captivating read! I couldn’t stop reading! I loved the characters and the story! Highly recommend!

I’ve taken risks in my life. Some have been physical ones, but some have been bolder and required more of myself.

When Englishwoman Frances McDonald sets up home in a remote South African hamlet in the shadow of the Hex River Mountains, she is regarded with suspicion by the community. Confined by a marriage of convenience, she seeks an outlet by learning the local language, teaching art, and exhibiting her paintings of the stunning veld landscape. Soon the spectre of war threatens to divide not only the country but the town itself and scupper Frances’s hard-won acceptance.

While her husband leaves to fight for the Allies, Frances chances to meet a former love. The bright joy of that unexpected reunion is clouded by a day that will change her life. Out of the smoke and ash of a shocking fire, she is propelled on a journey that will take her from the arid veld to the bright lights of London and beyond.
Enjoyable read

I was not as familiar with this time period in history and I appreciated this work of historical fiction shedding light on it. The plot drew me in and was complex, but not overwhelming and I was able to follow the story line without trouble. The drama comes from the tension between the main character, Frances, and the supporting cast. She is in a one-sided marriage and her world is turned upside down whens her husband is called away to war. The author was extremely descriptive and I felt like I was transported to the time period.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

The Fire Portrait is a beautiful and touching story, which follows the life of Frances McDonald.

Her life leads her to a one-sided love marriage (on her husbands part), while her heart yearns for another, and to a new life in Aloe Glen, in the Western Cape. Fitting into her new life, tragedy stricks when her husband is called to war and the peaceful life that she once lead meets more tragedy. It is during this time, she reunites with old friends and new beginnings start.

Frances McDonald’s story plays predominantly in the South Africa of the 1930’s and 40’s, a time when Britain ruled the country and Afrikaaners felt marginalized. This is the background of Frances’ story, and also becomes her battleground in which she struggles for contentment within a passionless marriage and strives to perfect her artistic skills, the latter increasingly as a means of supporting herself while her husband is away at war.

This book was very dear to my nostalgic heart, as I recognized myriads of scenes, pictures of nature, and the peculiarities of South African people; so colourful, but divided by their vastly differing heritages. I could almost smell the dust of the dry Karoo summer, see the stark outlines of aloes along the ridges, and hear the accent of the Afrikaans farmers in Aloe Glen, so rich and true were the descriptions. Frances’ dismay at being the shunned outsider is vividly brought to the reader’s imagination. I enjoyed reading about her development as an artist and her growth as a compassionate human being; but even more so, I admired her tenaciousness and inventiveness in overcoming the difficult situations in which she finds herself. I could even understand her morally dubious decision to… ah, I can’t give this secret away!

I am not quite sure how to categorize this book: it is partly a love story, partly a coming of age tale, partly of an artist finding her ultimate skill, it is all of these and more, woven into a multicoloured quilt of images and impressions - historical fiction at its best. If there are some clichés and stereotypes, they are easily forgiven. There is little drama of action, but much drama in tension. I found this a book to curl up with and enjoy in peaceful leisure – a lovely read!

My thanks go to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me this eARC!

Frances McDonald takes chances. All throughout her life. She doesn't do the expected, her life is not what one would expect. I enjoyed reading about her taking chances and the results of those changes. It was an incredible journey, one I had not traveled before. A new experience!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers and the Author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fantastic work of historical fiction about a time period and country that I'm less familiar with. I thought the book was beautifully written; it felt like you were immersed in the landscape and were also on the journey that the characters went on. The plot was complex, but not overwhelming, and it covered a lot of themes.

The story has made me want to learn more about the broader context in which the novel is set as a result!

“Life may be harsh at times, but nature has the power to lift and inspire us.”

Set in a fictional hamlet, Aloe Glen, in the Western Cape during the 1930s, this story is about loss, love and rising from the ashes stronger than before. The novel opens with the protagonist relocating as a young girl from England to South Africa. She settles in Aloe Glen, on the railway line heading north from Cape Town. This rural village is a place of marked contrasts for culture, customs and climate and it influences the protagonist’s life. Aloe Glen is home to a small, tight-knit community of grit filled farmers and railway workers used to working together to survive the bitter cold in winter and the boiling heat in the summer. Stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience, Frances tries to fit in but when she begins to question tradition or introduce new ideas, the suspicious community develops a strong dislike for her. She attempts to pass the time by learning the language and by painting the scenery she encounters on her wanders into the endless veld, captivated by the flowers and aloes. It doesn’t take long before the locals take notice and Frances slowly makes gains within the community.

When her husband is called to war, Frances sees an opportunity to lead a peaceful existence as an artist. Unfortunately, her peace is short lived when a clash over politics starts to divide the village and a former lover comes back into her life. In a disastrous moment she loses everything she’s worked for, but gains something more precious. You’ll need to read more to find out about this phoenix rising from the ashes who paints a famous painting – the Fire Portrait.

Mutch has successfully interpreted Frances’ voice, tone and way of looking at the world. The setting is essential to the story; the heat, dust, drought, floods, and isolation all add to Frances’ introspection and reflection and inspiration as an artist. The author gently reminds us that there’s beauty in the remotest of places if we’re prepared to look hard enough. She lives near Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and was inspired after watching the seasonal changes in her landscape.

This is a slow burning historical fiction/romance with insight into the art world and botanicals of the 1930s Western Cape and is supported by photos and additional information on the author’s website. Much of the novel centers around the protagonist’s development as an artist and botanical illustrator.

Publishes August 19, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Barbara Mutch, Allison and Busby, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Frances McDonald is an Englishwoman stuck in a loveless marriage in small town in South Africa. Unhappy in her marriage, Frances’s life is made even harder by the dislike of the locals. With little to occupy her time, she decides to learn the language and indulge in her passion, by painting the stunning local veldts. When she begins teaching art, she slowly gains the respect and admiration of her neighbors. When the war begins, Frances’s husband leaves to fight for the allies, and her newly found peace with the locals is threatened by the growing political divide in the village. Then, like a bolt out of the blue, she encounters an old lover, the resulting fallout will change the course of Frances life forever. A gorgeous atmospheric book you will lose yourself in