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Pamela Holmes

Autor(a) de The Huntingfield Paintress

3+ Works 18 Membros 3 Críticas

Obras por Pamela Holmes

Associated Works

Beguiling Miss Bennet (2015) — Contribuidor — 9 exemplares

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Conhecimento Comum

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Membros

Críticas

Charming story of Mildred Holland who painted the whole ceiling of her husbands church in deepest Suffolk, in the 1860s. An amazing achievement and there is apparently no evidence of her previous painting experience. In truth I think little is known about her, so lots of this book is made up, but it probably gives a fair impression of rural life then. The book is crying out for a picture of her achievement on the front cover, instead of the dreadful splurge that is currently offered.
½
 
Assinalado
oataker | 2 outras críticas | Jun 20, 2020 |
The Huntingfield Paintress is a novel with a blurb that captured my attention but which doesn't really give a great deal away. I'm wondering how much to say about the plot in my review as the task that Mildred Holland undertakes really happened and is well documented, and yet it's something I knew nothing about and so I approached the story completely fresh.

Mildred and her husband, William come to Huntingfield, a small Suffolk village, so that he can take up his position as Rector of the church there. They had spent the previous eight years travelling on the continent, seeing sights that most people at the time couldn't hope to see, for this is the mid-1800s. After such incredible experiences, Mildred finds Huntingfield too quiet, she is stifled and feels she does not have a role to play. Of course, she's the Rector's wife and there are demands that come with that but she feels adrift.

Until, that is, she takes on a huge project, connected to the church. She decides to paint the ceiling. For a woman to do such a thing at that time, well it was quite shocking, especially for the closeted villagers. What often amazes me in historical fiction is the scorn and hatred for a strong woman, not least by fellow women. Thank goodness we have moved on from that.

Mildred is indeed a strong woman. I thought she was magnificent. This is the author's imagining as not much is known about the real Mildred, but surely she must have been incredibly plucky to even consider going against the conventions of the time and taking on such a gargantuan task.

I'll admit I found the first half of the book a little slow. It sets the scene for Mildred's growing discomfort with her purpose in life and is necessary to fully portray that, but I was always waiting for something to happen and then it did and it was wonderful. I flew through the second half of the story and loved every bit of it, leading up to an ending that left me feeling really quite emotional.

This is fiction with a root based in reality, something I really enjoy. The writing is beautiful and the characterisations are perfectly done. I found The Huntingfield Paintress to be an absorbing and fascinating read, one that showcases the legacy that Mildred Holland left behind.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
nicx27 | 2 outras críticas | Jul 30, 2019 |
A charming and interesting little story inspired by the life of Mildred Holland, a rector's wife, who painted the ceiling of St Mary's Church in Huntingfield during the 1850s. This is not just any old painting. It's a brilliantly colourful masterpiece! I was prompted to look it up on the Internet and it's an astonishing work of art, just fabulous. Here's a link to this amazing achievement:

http://www.stmaryshuntingfield.org.uk/ceiling.htm

Mildred Holland was definitely a woman ahead of her time, she seemed to have had such determination and strength of mind.

There are some great descriptions of how this intricate accomplishment unfolds and there is quite a lot of attention to detail.

However, I have to say that although I found the art side fascinating, I was not totally gripped by the storyline for some reason. Mildred's life is for the most part imaginatively told, but at times the tale did drag a little for me. Nevertheless, I thought it was a worthwhile read and I did enjoy it.
… (mais)
½
 
Assinalado
VanessaCW | 2 outras críticas | Sep 10, 2016 |

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Estatísticas

Obras
3
Also by
1
Membros
18
Popularidade
#630,789
Avaliação
½ 3.3
Críticas
3
ISBN
10