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Portrait of an Unknown WomanReview of Vanora Bennett’s Tudor-Period Historical Novel
Portrait of an Unknown Woman, by Vanora Bennett, explores life surrounding Sir Thomas More and painter Hans Holbein, through the eyes of a young woman in the household.
For art lovers and fans of historical fiction, Vanora Bennett’s Portrait of an Unknown Woman (HarperCollins, 2007) is a fascinating read. The 1520s and 1530s are filled with religious upheaval, with Martin Luther’s Protestant reformation sweeping across Europe, and King Henry VIII eventually leaving the Catholic church to obtain a divorce and marry Anne Boleyn. Life in Sir Thomas More’s householdThe novel is centered around Hans Holbein’s nearly identical portraits of Sir Thomas More’s family, painted five years apart. The intricacies of family life are shown through the eyes of Meg Giggs, the adopted daughter of Thomas More. She is intelligent, observant, and schooled in healing, but she doesn’t seem to have the love she wants from her adoptive father, and he seems to be doing nothing about arranging a marriage for her. She has fallen in love with her former tutor, John Clement, who has opened her mind and shares a talent for the healing arts. He loves her also, but says that More won’t give permission for them to marry until John establishes himself in the physician’s college. Hans HolbeinWhile she is longing for John, painter Hans Holbein arrives from Germany to create a family portrait. With danger and upheaval over the new Protestant religion at home, there aren’t many people commissioning portraits. Holbein has come to England to build his career, leaving behind a wife (pregnant again!) and children. He is rough and homely, but very perceptive of others’ feelings, and Meg feels herself drawn to him as well. Problems and SecretsThere are secrets in the household, however. Is the tortured heretic hidden in the gatehouse really there for his protection? What is John Clement’s true identity, and what other secrets does he carry? What is Elizabeth, Meg’s foster sister, hiding? And how much does Thomas More know about the goings-on in his household? Early in the novel, More is high in the court of King Henry VIII, and moving higher. He is a devout Catholic, though, dedicated to wiping out heresy wherever he finds it. When More places his faith above his king’s desire for a divorce, he falls from grace. Plague also visits the city, and the More’s aren’t as isolated at the family manor as they thought. For art loversHolbein returns again to paint a nearly identical family portrait. Art lovers will enjoy the historic details about Holbein, painting, and technique, but especially the symbolic differences between the two paintings. The second version is shown on the back endpapers. The first was lost to fire in the 18th century, but a sketched plan is included in the front of the book. Readers will find themselves flipping back and forth as seemingly minor details become significant through the story. Bennett has included a number of surprising plot/character twists (no spoilers here). Readers will finish the book fascinated with 16th century life, pleased with the depth of characters and Meg’s growth as a woman, and possibly asking a few more “what ifs” than before. Bennett is an accomplished British journalist. Portrait of an Unknown Woman is her first novel.
The copyright of the article Portrait of an Unknown Woman in Modern American Fiction is owned by Jennifer Jensen. Permission to republish Portrait of an Unknown Woman in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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