Dual timeline around the life of a forgotten artist. The joys and traumas of love, ambition, and motherhood.
Anna grew up hearing stories from her grandmother of an ancestor artist’s adventures in St. Petersburg. Now, in the, adult Anna stands in front of Christina Robertson’s gorgeous life-sized portraits of the Romanovs and she hopes the legend is true. Her research into the painter becomes a quest to honour her granny.
In 1823 Christina Robertson realises her artistic ambitions exhibiting portraits at the National Gallery. Her happiness is secured in marrying her teenage sweetheart James and having a baby girl. But Christina is harbouring a secret from him.
Genre: Historical
Pages: 366
Publisher : Howe Street Publishing
Anna buries herself in researching Christina Robertson, a distraction from the stress of not conceiving, which is causing growing problems in her marriage.
Christina must cope with the burden of being the breadwinner through yearly pregnancies and many bereavements.
Both Anna and Christina flee to St Petersburg after marriage crises. Can they find happiness there?
My Review
Initially I was more invested in Christina’s story, but as I read on, it was Anna that I wanted to follow. I could have loved her like my own daughter (sorry Anna’s mum). She was such a lovely person, she didn’t deserve any of the bad stuff that came her way.
Christina Robertson was a talented artist in her day, painting miniatures of society ladies mainly (and a few men). As her fame increased, she commanded a higher fee and her subjects were further up the society tree. Eventually she went to Russia where she painted large portraits of the royal family.
All this is factually accurate, though the author has given her a more interesting private life. Her husband James, also an artist, is a useless article. He’s lazy and even gambles. They love each other, but having a baby every year takes its toll on Christina. Not only is Christina permanently pregnant, heartbroken, or taking care of her very young children, she must also be the breadwinner.
It was typical of the Victorian era that children were conceived every year (as they didn’t have contraception – ‘I’ll be careful’ James tells Christina), but of course this failed and many of the babies died. Christina lost three of hers. I did not know, (or truly understand why) they used the same names or derivatives thereof for succeeding children. It became very confusing at times. Ultimately, women were forced to withdraw their marital obligations (as they were viewed in those days), and the husbands would seek solace elsewhere.
While researching Christina’s life and attempting to find a link with her own interesting family, Anna finds herself making friends in Moscow, where she lives with her husband Nick. Her interest has piqued partly due to the death of her beloved grandmother. Anna also travels to St Petersburg and back to Scotland for the funeral. Through her contacts in Russia and her mother’s neighbour in Scotland, her life changes totally. I was so pleased for her.
A beautifully written, emotional and fascinating book, it’s an insight into people’s lives in the 1800s, compared to the modern day. Thank goodness things have moved on.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #ThePaintress blog tour.
About the Author
“I am an Edinburgh based writer of historical fiction. I was born in Fife and originally studied English Literature at Edinburgh University. I spent most of my life living overseas in countries as far-flung as Vietnam, Azerbaijan and most recently, Egypt. I travelled extensively, including frequent visits from Cairo to both Istanbul and Rome, immersing myself in their ancient cultures and fascinating histories. Retelling history from the point of view of women is where the fun begins.”
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