I'm not 100% sure that all the books that take a real life person and invent a story around it work and this one that I am really on the fence about as I feel it might have held my interest more if it had been a fully imagined story taking inspiration from life rather than trying to fill in the story from limited sources available.

I didn't not enjoy the book and it does add to the genre of filling in the story of women through history - like the Marriage Portrait, Mrs Van Gough and Disobedient have

This was a lovely piece of historical fiction, centred around the daughters of 1700s’ English painter Thomas Gainsborough, specifically the sister Peggy and how she cares for her sister Molly who demonstrates a form of mental illness. I felt immersed not only in the world the novel constructs but within the familial bonds themselves. With a strong focus on characters and their mysteries as they appear to others, as well as alternating timelines and storylines, I think this would be a great recommendation for fans of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet - the most notorious character(s), in this case Gainsborough, are sidelined for the lesser known figures in their lives - a narrative choice I really enjoy! I was also really interested in the discussion of how mental illness was treated/perceived especially in women and the consequences for the sufferer which seemed well researched and portrayed. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

‘The Painter’s Daughters’ by Emily Howes 🎨

This novel won the Mslexia Prize in 2021, judged that year by Hilary Mantel. It’s set in the C18th and tells the story of Gainsborough’s daughters, Molly and Peggy.

We start with a blissfully carefree childhood. Soon, though, it becomes apparent that the eldest daughter is suffering bouts of mental confusion. The younger sister, Peggy, instinctively feels that this needs to be kept hidden. She becomes Molly’s protector, scarcely letting her out of her sight.

There’s an uncomfortable co-dependence between the sisters, especially as they get older. What will happen to them, if one needs to care for the author? Can Peggy ever marry? How will they survive financially if she can’t? The author is unflinching in the way she explores the nuances of such a difficult, stifling relationship. I found the father/daughter relationship very moving and interesting, as well.

There are lots of beautiful period details. I loved the close focus on tiny things. A butterfly’s wing. The flour on a bread roll. The slippery upholstery on a chaise longue. Interspersed among the main action are interludes with a woman called Meg (all is revealed towards the end of the novel). She’s a great character and the chapter where we meet her for the first time is flawless.

I found the ending a bit unrelentingly bleak, but that is almost certainly a me/my current mood problem! I’m also aware that the facts just are very sad. There is some hope in the way Meg fights for a better future.

As soon as I finished it, I hopped straight over to Google Images to pore over Gainsborough’s portraits of the sisters. Pic two is ‘The Painter’s Daughters Chasing a Butterfly’ 💔

The novel is out at the end of Feb. There are soooo many themes contained within its pages and I think it’s an excellent choice for Zoe Ball’s book club on BBC R2. Big thank you to Phoenix for the advance reader copy.

A delicately drawn portrait of the bond between two sisters, the daughters of celebrated artist Thomas Gainsborough, as their lives in 18th Century Bath are upset by madness. Highly researched and beautifully written, with a character driven plot. An excellent debut.

I loved this book. For me it has the perfect balance: well researched historical facts and sparkling imagination. It centres around the family of the 18th century painter Thomas Gainsborough, famous for his portraits and landscapes. Its main focus is on the relationship between his daughters Margaret and Mary (Peggy and Molly in the book) and on the dynamics within the painter’s family. It also sheds a light on the perils and vulnerabilities of the artist himself, who after all has to make a living with his painting.

The sisters are very close and from an early age, Peggy, the younger of the two, carries a big burden of responsibility for her older sister. She knows that something is not quite right with Molly and helps her sister to hide it. Peggy is always on Molly’s side and is ever ready to cover up for her, they manage to deceive everyone around them until much later, when Molly’s mental illness is not manageable anymore. The sister’s relationship is intriguing and, in the end, Peggy becomes Molly’s carer but there is always the underlying question of who needs whom more.

There is a second line of narration involving a woman called Meg and the reader is left guessing for quite some time as to how this thread relates to the Gainsborough story. Everything however falls into place and Meg’s story adds another dimension to the family’s history.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book – it brings the 18th century alive and allows the reader a glimpse into a good cross-section of 18th century society. All in all, this is a fabulous story well told.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Phoenix Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An accomplished debut novel of historical fiction based on the family of a famous Regency painter, Thomas Gainsborough, mainly focusing on his two daughters as the title would suggest. It is actually a dual timeline narrative but dominated by the main one showing how the daughters grow up. It reads quite fast for its length but it takes a little time to get going at first. I suggest looking up some of the actual paintings as that always enhances the reading experience. I would say it was fine for a debut, some of the plot points seemed a bit too predictable and some of the characters a bit too flat for my taste but in the end, it was an enjoyable read and a promising debut. I would say if you like authors like Maggie O’Farrell or Jessie Burton it might be one for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the e-arc.

I should probably start this by saying I’m not a fan of historical fiction in general…..
However I adored this. And that’s why it’s so special…. To read and enjoy so much a book from a genre that normally leaves you cold is a very special book.
It tells the story of Thomas Gainsborough, renowned English portrait artist, and of his wife and two daughters. Primarily told through the lens of his youngest daughter Molly, who is navigating childhood and beyond in the shadow of her elder sisters mental illness. Though it was never publicly defined as that as admittance of that would have meant locked away in an inhumane asylum.
I was totally transported to the 1700s and adored the writing, the charters, the plot development,
fans of Maggie O Farrells historical fiction….this one is for you!

It is the eighteenth century and Thomas Gainsborough is beginning to make a name for himself as a society portrait painter. His wife despairs at raising their two daughters, Molly and Peggy (otherwise known as The Captain) to be the elegant and demure young ladies she wishes them to be. Peggy is more concerned with looking after her sister, whose bouts of mental confusion threaten to bring down the entire family's carefully curated image, not to mention the sinister prospect of the mental asylum. Thrown into the polite society of Bath, it becomes increasingly more difficult for Peggy to conceal her sister's behaviour and she goes to greater lengths to remain her sister's guardian.

This was a captivating read. The descriptions of painting and art were very beautiful and I especially appreciated being able to look up the paintings referenced to compare Howes's verbal depiction of them to the real visuals. Howes writing is rich with the language of colour, emotion and movement. There were many scenes where I felt she was herself painting a broad tableau of the scene within my own mind.

I often think that novels from child perspectives are tricky to handle but I felt she rendered Peggy's voice believable yet still entertaining and complex. Of course, the star of the show is the relationship between Peggy and Molly which includes the whole range of sisterly experience, joint conspiracy, jealousy, understanding, anger, and utter, complete devotion. Peggy's anxiety and care for her sister are tangible yet Howes very skilfully walks the line between care and control as she finds herself almost dominating parts of Molly's life by necessity which brings its own set of obstacles. The Gainsborough family and the complex relationships between its four members were also handled with great compassion and understanding, delineating the tenseness and tenderness that exists between people who love each other but can still betray each other in such deeply hurtful ways.

I loved the ways in which Howes represented the act of seeing and being seen. The two sisters are immortalised in Gainsborough's paintings much like many of his other sitters, but the book makes it clear that a painting is as mysterious in its depiction as it is illuminating. Howes lingers on the strange distance between what we see and what is really there even when we bear witness to the people we think we know best. Above all, the story is about two sisters and the pains one takes to preserve their image and protect her sister, controlling the painted image that others see as deftly as a brush forms shades of light.

‘The Painter’s Daughters’ is a vivid portrayal of Thomas Gainsborough’s daughters from their days as scruffy, country-loving children to the groomed, genteel young ladies of Bath that their mother desires. Emily Howes has researched her subject thoroughly and, where there are possible deviations from fact, the reader can easily be persuaded of the writer’s ‘truth’, so well does she delineate the characters and their circumstances.
The story is very likely to send readers back to scrutinise the portraits described in the narrative and those who have visited Bath will recognise immediately the landscape and buildings depicted. Howes’ descriptions of Georgian London are also extraordinarily vivid – one can smell the squalor and feel the crush of the crowds in the narrow, chaotic streets inhabited by the working poor.
However, it is Peggy and Molly Gainsborough’s complicated relationship that drives the narrative. From childhood, it is clear that the elder of the girls, Molly, has a neurological condition which manifests in unpredictable behaviour. From whom is this inherited? Who exactly is their mother’s shadowy father? And just how much pressure can younger sister Peggy take as she sacrifices ambition, love and friendship to keep her sister safe.
A fascinating depiction of the Gainsborough family. Well worth the read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group, Phoenix for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Well written and incredibly interesting, I found myself enjoying this story and being drawn to the characters. I liked the plot, albeit a bit slow sometimes, and found the writing to be really moving and beautiful. A gorgeous story about love and sisterhood.

One of those books that makes you want to head straight for Google and see how factual it is, maybe look at some art whilst you're there.
By that, I mean one of those books that holds your interest beyond the last page.
The dual timeline, had me wondering how they fit together, right up to one comment... and then it felt perfect.
The sisters relationship, the main focus of the book, was fascinating.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Off to do some more googling now....