ISBN:  978-0-06-125651-6

Author: Vanora Bennett

Publisher: Morrow

Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a simple love story that uses the turmoil and tragedy of Henry VIII’s court to trip up its lovers, like so many others, but this one is different. Vanora Bennett weaves her charming love story around a real mystery: the fate of Edward and Richard, the Plantagenet princes who disappeared as teenagers. History tells us that Richard III, their uncle, murdered them. After reading this story, you won’t be so sure.

It’s 1527 and Hans Holbein paints a portrait of the Thomas More family—yes, that More family. Holbein falls in love with More’s beautiful, intelligent, and sensitive ward, Meg Giggs. Meg is pinning for her old tutor, John Clements, who she hasn’t seen in ten years. Unexpectedly, John shows up and asks for Meg’s hand in marriage. She’s ecstatic, until More, whom she calls ‘Father,’ insist that John reveal his past to Meg.

When Holbein returns five years later, England and the More family have changed. By now Holbein too knows John’s secret and he reveals the family’s many secrets in small clues painted into a new portrait—exposing secrets that the Mores would just as soon the world never know.

There are really three stories here: Meg and John’s story; the dangers and intrigues of the Protestant Reformation; and the mystery of Edward and Richard.

What makes this book so compelling is that all of these characters are real. Hans Holbein was a real artist and he actually painted two portraits of the More family. Meg was More’s ward and she married John Clements, her childhood tutor. Bennett takes liberties with the relationships between these real people, but otherwise the book is historically correct. It’s commendable that Bennett does a great job of exposing fanaticism—both Catholic and Protestant.

The above review was contributed by: Susan Sales Harkins:  Software consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. She and her husband, William, collaborate on children's non-fiction. Click Here to read more of Susan’s Reviews