Author: Vanora Bennet

ISBN: 978-0-06-125651-6

I have not enjoyed a debut novel this much in a long time.  Vanora Bennet has written a beautiful historical romance, a very personal story of actual events told from the viewpoint of a woman who was there, and who was profoundly affected by them.

Meg Giggs is a ward of Sir Thomas More, brought up in his household as one of his daughters.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, More is forward-thinking and he believes girls should be educated.  He hires John Clement to tutor all of his children.  Clement is a mysteriously tragic figure with a sweet sadness about him. Meg relates to his sadness, and becomes devoted to him, eventually falling in love with him.

Meg is a watchful young woman who keeps her thoughts to herself.  She always feels outside of things, a bit insecure and unsure of how events will affect her.  She is self-protective and has developed a routine of listening at doors, opening locked rooms and reading personal correspondence not intended for her.  She does whatever is necessary to uncover secrets that could threaten her.

It is not surprising that Meg discovers more than she wants to.  She learns truths that don’t threaten only her; the things Meg learns threaten her father, family, the love of her life and the kingdom of King Henry VIII.

Portrait of an Unknown Woman is set in England, just as Henry is trying to rid himself of Catherine of Aragon so he could legally marry Anne Boleyn and, hopefully, produce a male heir.  The book is set in the intersection of the Renaissance and the Reformation, when Martin Luther, Erasmus, William Tyndale, Thomas Cromwell—and Sir Thomas More—were important figures.  Bennet conveys the deep insecurity of those times, when the very foundations of faith and government, the basis for daily life at that time, were being shaken apart.

Vanora Bennet took her inspiration from two paintings of Thomas More’s family.  Both are believed to have been done by German artist Hans Holbein, five years apart.  Bennet read comments on the paintings and, noting the differences between them, wondered what happened between the first and second to produce those differences.  The result is a well-researched, totally plausible, engrossing “what if” story of one of England’s most influential families.

The above review was contributed by: Penny Watkins, Free Lance Writer, Mother, Grandmother, and Cat Lady:  CLICK HERE  to read more of Penny's Reviews.