Review: The Beauties

Title: The Beauties

Author: Lauren Chater

Publisher: 3rd April 2024 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 432 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction | Romance

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

An incomparable beauty. A promise to a king. A portrait that can never be completed.

When Emilia Lennox loses everything after her husband’s lands and title are confiscated, her beauty is her best bargaining chip with the only man who can restore their fortunes: King Charles II himself.

But the king’s favour comes at a price. He will pardon Emilia’s husband only if she agrees to be his mistress. Torn, Emilia comes up with a condition of her own: she will consent, but not until her portrait hangs among the famed Windsor Beauties, a series commissioned by the Duchess of York to showcase the fairest women in the royal retinue.

For Henry Greenhill, ambitious assistant to the court painter, the opportunity to paint Emilia’s portrait is a chance to step out of his master’s shadow. But his sitter proves as evasive as she is beautiful, and with barely a sketch to show for his efforts, Henry’s career is on the line.

As the king’s patience wears thin, it’s clear that more than creative talent will be needed to capture this incomparable beauty on canvas ...

From the bestselling author of The Lace Weaver comes this seductive story of rivalry, artistic passion and a woman bold enough to wield her beauty as a weapon.

My Thoughts

The Beauties is Lauren’s latest book and it is set in the 1600s during the exile and restoration of King Charles II. It tells a story of two women as they work to find themselves in a society where a woman’s beauty is her only leverage.

‘A painting, Sire?’ The King leans towards her, affecting a confidential air. ‘Actually, it’s a series of portraits of the most beautiful women at court. We are calling them the Windsor Beauties.’

The story takes place both in London and The Hague during the restoration period. It tells the story of Emilia whose husband’s family have had their titles and estate taken away for assisting a traitor. Then there is Anne Hyde, Duchess of York and one of Princess Mary’s ladies in waiting. Finally Henry Greenhill, an assistant painter working for Dutch court painter Peter Lely. The latter is commissioned to paint a series of portraits called ‘The Beauties’ which will be part of a collection for Windsor castle.

‘I thought about the women I knew - mothers, sisters, daughters, mistresses, wives. Did they know how strong they were, that those roles, assigned by society, failed to define them? Did they ever see themselves in all their wonderful complexity? Did anyone ever hold up a mirror to show them how well they were doing, how far they’d come, how much they’d grown?’

This is such an interesting and educational book as I have not read much from this time period. With real life characters and events it was interesting to learn about events that shaped rule in England during this Restoration period. Then there are other events such as female owned and run theatre and of course much about art history of the period. 1665 is also the year of the Great Plague of London and it was insightful to learn how this impacted the city. Yet at its heart this is a book about women of the period, their lack of power, individually and collectively, that led to exploitation. Beauty, in many a sense, was their only bargaining tool. 

‘Why shouldn’t women see themselves as they truly were - strong, powerful, intelligent? Instead of gazing outwards, I wanted them to look within, identifying the unique skills and accomplishments that would allow them to endure the trials every woman must face.’

The Beauties is all encompassing for history buffs from playhouse to painting, from palace to plague. If this is your interest, follow along with characters and the many trials and tribulations as they seek out security, creativity, passion and love. 

‘There is rebirth and connection, desire and self-knowledge. And there is the possibility of transformation even in the darkest times. All it requires is the courage to move beyond the frame.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Gulliver's Wife

Title: Gulliver's Wife

Author: Lauren Chater

Publisher: 1st April 2020 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 416 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Birth. Death. Wonder … One woman’s journey to the edge of love and loyalty from the bestselling author of The Lace Weaver

London, 1702. When her husband is lost at sea, Mary Burton Gulliver, midwife and herbalist, is forced to rebuild her life without him. But three years later when Lemuel Gulliver is brought home, fevered and communicating only in riddles, her ordered world is turned upside down.

In a climate of desperate poverty and violence, Mary is caught in a crossfire of suspicion and fear driven by her husband’s outlandish claims, and it is up to her to navigate a passage to safety for herself and her daughter, and the vulnerable women in her care.

When a fellow sailor, a dangerous man with nothing to lose, appears to hold sway over her husband, Mary’s world descends deeper into chaos, and she must set out on her own journey to discover the truth of Gulliver’s travels . . . and the landscape of her own heart.

My Thoughts

‘Why did he return? Where has he been? Nobody seems able to say for certain and his presence in the tavern would suggest he is not as ill as you suggest. It wouldn’t be the first time a man’s gone native and come back, would it, Missus Gulliver? Nor will it be the last.’

Gulliver’s Wife is Lauren Chater’s second novel. Her first, The Lace Weaver (review HERE) was wonderful. This is a much different story. Here Lauren has creatively imagined the tale of Mary Gulliver, the wife of the famous Lemuel Gulliver whose fictional adventures were written by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels.

In this tale Lauren has presented an engaging fictional recount not only into the imagined fallout from her husband's infamous voyage, but and perhaps to a definite higher regard, the life and times for women in early 1700 London. Lauren brings to life the sights, sounds and smells of London through rich and detailed prose. Research is clearly evident as you trail along with Mary and her daughter Bess to the many locations and situations they find themselves in. Add to this a convincing reimagined plot to this famous tale of the Gulliver’s seafaring adventures and there is much to entertain here. Lauren does not hold back as themes of domestic violence, drug use and childbirth are forefront. 

During this period in history, life was extremely difficult for women to say the least. Women were the property of the men they were married to and abusive relationships were most common. Mary was granted a little more freedom as Lauren placed her in the role of a midwife which granted her a more independence and enabled the reader to venture forth with her to a myriad of cases. Even still, Mary still finds herself often powerless to the demands of her returned husband and she has to work hard to protect those she loves, namely her son and daughter. 

‘Because what if she fails? What are the consequences? They are worse for women than for men. Any small error in judgement, any scandal . . . She has spent the better part of her life avoiding drama, but now drama has found her.'

Bess is Mary’s daughter and it was a clever move to include her as another viewpoint into the hardships women had to endure. Lauren I feel, authentically captures not only the day to day living but also the midwifery practices of the time and the challenges they faced as male doctors sought to take control. The relationship between Mary and her daughter is well represented and realistically portrayed with the challenge to assume more control of their lives with strength and resilience. 

‘How she wishes she could go back and unsay the things she said and say others in their place. She would peel back the hurt like rotting floorboards and lay bare all the things she should have told Bess years ago. Now, time is against them. The breach is so impossibly wide neither can hope to mend it.’

Gulliver's Wife is a tale that will not only transport you back to 1700 London in exquisite detail but will also educate you on the struggle for  women and all of this tied together with a fascinating reimagining of the return of the infamous Lemuel Gulliver.

‘How many of these sailors have never returned home? How many cannot face their families after what they have done and seen? Is it possible Lem never went to Sumatra at all, but holed up in a place like this with a pipe for comfort? Did the years slip by in a whisper? Did they pass in a fever dream, while somebody–a woman, perhaps–milked the last of his coins from his purse, transmuting gold into smoke rings?’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Lace Weaver

Title:  The Lace Weaver

Author: Lauren Chater

Publisher: 1st April 2018 by Simon & Schuster

Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Each lace shawl begins and ends the same way - with a circle. Everything is connected with a thread as fine as gossamer, each life affected by what has come before it and what will come after.

1941, Estonia. As Stalin's brutal Red Army crushes everything in its path, Katarina and her family survive only because their precious farm produce is needed to feed the occupying forces.

Fiercely partisan, Katarina battles to protect her grandmother's precious legacy - the weaving of gossamer lace shawls stitched with intricate patterns that tell the stories passed down through generations.

While Katarina struggles to survive the daily oppression, another young woman is suffocating in her prison of privilege in Moscow. Yearning for freedom and to discover her beloved mother's Baltic heritage, Lydia escapes to Estonia.

Facing the threat of invasion by Hitler's encroaching Third Reich, Katarina and Lydia and two idealistic young soldiers, insurgents in the battle for their homeland, find themselves in a fight for life, liberty and love.

My Thoughts

‘Every shawl we make will be laced with defiance. Every stitch will carry a message out into the world.’

Set during the Second World War, this is a captivating look at Estonia which found itself caught between, firstly the occupation of Russia, and then later, Germany. I knew very little about the Baltic area during this time in history and found it fascinating - everything from the dual occupation, to the resistance of the ‘forest people’, to the strong influence lace making as part of the culture and heritage had been.

‘The peace I had experienced briefly at Aunt Juddit’s this morning was gone, the threads of it scattered like a shawl unravelling in the wind.’

This is not only a story of survival but of family and friendship. The characters here are totally engaging. Lydia who was half Estonian-half Russian and had connections to  Stalin’s regime (made for some interesting Google research to read of the factual inspiration); to Kati the daughter of an Estonian farmer. These two characters are brought together happy to have shaken off the invading Russians, only to then fall under the Nazi regime and the terrifying labour camps. Infused throughout all this turmoil is the tradition of knitting circles and shawl making amongst the women.

‘...to stay alive and to fulfil the promise I had made my Grandmother; to maintain our culture through the knitting circle, to keep sharing our stories and continue the tradition of making shawls.’

The Lace Weaver is Aussie author Lauren Chater’s debut novel and the writing is something special. Characters and stories are brought to life as the heartache and trauma of this impossible situation is compellingly presented. Lauren skillfully interweaves fact and fiction and leaves you breathless at times.

‘As she read from the book’s pages, Mama’s beautiful language had flowed around me like dust motes in the air, the words settling on my skin.’

I found The Lace Weaver to be beautifully written and presented a fresh take on an otherwise well documented time in history. Stories of WW2 from this part of Europe are rare, especially with many countries being consumed by the USSR.  Such histories then often became hidden, with individual country cultures and traditions erased. This tale shines a bright light in a most enlightening way and I highly recommend reading about it.

‘Who will keep our stories? Who will guard our history until it is safe to tell?’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release