The Sculptress by V.S. Alexander is Historical Fiction set in World War I Boston and France. The reader is drawn into a time, events and places that are difficult to even imagine. The characters seem so real with their early 20th Century culture, speech and values. Emma the main character is a Sculpturess who does not fit in well in the artistic community in Boston. At first it was difficult to empathize with Emma because of her self-absorption but she is influenced by circumstances in her life and gradually matures. The author does not spare the reader and describes the gritty details of life, poverty, illness, war and love. My only disappointment in this was the end of the book seemed incomplete.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

Emma Lewis is given the opportunity to study sculpture with Daniel Chester French, a form of art that many men think isn’t suitable for women and the feminine mind can’t create works of merit and how sexists is that! Later on Emma meets Dr. Thomas Swan, he takes her mind off her broken heart, they marry and it’s not the passionate union she hoped for. Surgeons are needed in France during WW I and Tom quickly volunteers to help the Red Cross. Emma’s left behind in Boston, she’s busy with her sculpting and gets distracted by another male artist Linton Bower.

Tom keeps asking Emma to join him in France and she’s not keen until one day she notices a returned soldier begging on a footpath. He’s badly disfigured, people ignore him and turn away disgusted. Emma is horrified by his injuries and appalled at the way people treat him and maybe she’s needed in France after all. Emma decides to go Paris, use her skills as a sculptress and create facial masks for mutilated soldiers. Arriving in Paris Emma opens her studio and her patient’s wounds are horrific, taking casts with plaster and bandages she then creates a mask made out of copper and hand painted to match the patient’s skin tone.

Emma’s relationship with her husband Tom has always been strained, it only gets worse with both Emma and Tom continually making more poor choices. For me the story focuses too much on Emma’s romantic relationships, her controversial decisions and her disastrous marriage to Tom. I thought the story would be about WW I, Emma being a sculptress, helping the wounded, maybe working alongside her husband, changing damaged men’s lives and I was really disappointed with The Sculptress’s plot. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and sadly I can only give it three and a half stars.

The Sculptress by V.S. Alexander is a 2021 Kensington publication.

A First World War Saga-

I’ve been on a mission to locate new historical fiction that is NOT set during the second world war. This book, although still a wartime drama- at least transpires during a different world war.

The story is centered around the life of Emma Lewis, a female sculptress, who was fortunate enough to study under a world- renowned artist.

But, when Emma falls in love, she is left with a broken heart. Vowing to never allow her emotions to rule her head or heart ever again, she marries Tom, a doctor devoid of passion. Eventually, the marriage began to fray, becoming strained.

Then when war breaks out, Tom feels it is his duty to help with the war effort, and leaves Emma alone in Boston.

From there, Emma focuses on her art, only to feel frustrated by the lack of credit given to female artists. She also finds herself tempted by a blind artist who awakens her repressed feelings. Fearing further scandal, she departs for France to reunite with Tom.

It is there she discovers a purpose for her work- molding masks for soldiers disfigured in the war. While her marriage remains in shambles, Emma’s past comes roaring back in a most unexpected way. As stunning revelations mount, along with the heaviness of loss and missed opportunities, Emma rises up to take command of her life independently.

This is a strangely absorbing story, tragic and fraught with intense dramatics, but is also unflinching in its depictions of war. The author deftly draws the reader into the center of the horrors of war, and the tumultuous betrayals and desires of the heart.

That said, I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about this book. Because it draws from true events, ( the real-life sculptress, Anna Coleman-Ladd), and because it comes perilously close to becoming a retelling or re-imagining of Madame Bovary, the originality is thin- provided one is somewhat familiar with Gustave Flaubert's classic, that is.

It’s not the most cheerful novel, but boldly explores subject matter rarely acknowledged back in the early 1900s. The characters are not especially likeable, but, perhaps one could claim Emma’s work during the war provided her with some redemptive qualities.

The conclusion turned out to be a bit ambiguous, leaving me some conflicted feelings about how things were left.

While I can commend the research behind the novel, the homage to a renowned classic, and the way art brought about healing in the darkest of times, from a personal standpoint, the book didn't quite reach the its intended goal.

3 stars

I absolutely loved this book. It seemed to start slowly, but I encourage you to stick with it! There were unexpected plot twists, and I appreciated the nuances of the main character. Historical fiction fans are sure to be delighted.

Is this a romance....not really! Historical...only that it's set during WWI. Is it something you want to read page after page...for me, not really. Several chapters into the book, I decided this wasn't the book I wanted to read. I didn't. In any event thanks NetGalley for giving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this is a book that I won't be finishing. I had a really hard time getting into it, particularly because the main character, who we are going through the whole journey with, made a really questionable decision early on in the book that made me quite uncomfortable.

SPOILER:

Emma loses her virginity to a man, and he does not want her to tell anyone because of both their reputations. She decides that she will hold this over him and make him have sex with her whenever she wants it. I'm not sure if the author intended for this to be a sign of strength on her part, but I thought it was manipulative and cruel. She also thinks of this man often, envisioning him when she becomes intimate with her husband and lusting after him. It was so off putting for me.) END OF SPOILER

I also read this book hoping to read more about her as a sculptor and her love of art, but this is barely mentioned. We hear about none of her studies, and her artistry seems more like a side note as opposed to something that truly drives her. Instead, she fusses more over her love life (or lack there of) and seems to be characterized more by her marriage and the abortion she had in her youth than anything else.

Emma is incredibly hollow and lifeless, which is unfortunate. I think the author tried hard to round her out and make her interesting, but that is only because other characters in the book tell her she is. They point out how unique she is, and as a reader, I was left without any actual evidence that she was.

DNF'd at 35%.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington books for an Arc of this novel.. This novel is set during WWI and is the story of Emma Swan who is a sculptress. This story is about her search for love and her mistakes in finding it. In addition to this the novel deals with issues of that period like abortion, homosexuality and infidelity. Though the premise of this novel was interesting I was disappointed with this novel. I really didn't like the character of either Emma or Tom. I like flawed characters but Emma never works on her flaws. She just keeps searching for something in others but not in herself. She never really owns up for her actions. I really tried to like this novel but at the end didn't care for it.
Rounding up the reviews to 3 stars since it has covered some tough topics.

3.5 stars

Massachusetts, 1905. Emma Lewis at fifteen meets Daniel Chester French, the world-renowned sculptor. He takes her under his patronage. She learns “to love the process of bringing an idea, a drawing, to full form.” – And this is what I was looking forward to, her evolving into a skilled artist. Later, she continues her education at the School of Fine Arts in Boston. And again, it’s just in words.

I was excited about her studying under such famous artist and her choosing sculpture, an art done by men only. But her studying is only expressed in words, there is no action. We don’t get to experience her developing into a sculptress.

The story begins with her meeting Kurt. A man she loves, but he doesn’t love her. In Boston, she meets Tom, a good man, but she doesn’t love him and still marries him and still dreams about Kurt. Then her husband, who is a doctor, volunteers for Red Cross in France. She stays in Boston and develops feelings for another man named Linton. – The way this story turns is not what I was expecting.

I understand that Linton is a wounded soldier with disfigured face and he becomes her inspiration for using her skill to sculpt masks for face disfigured soldiers. But I wished she went straight to France with her husband and got that inspiration there.

I appreciate this author exploring less discussed subjects, but this story did not resonate with me. And once I got disconnected with the main character I struggled to stay engaged in the story.

I thought that the character development would evolve around artistry, instead it’s more about social issues including premarital sex and abortion.

As much as I enjoyed The Taster and The Traitor by this author, this book went in a different direction. However, those are personal preferences and you may still enjoy this story. Thus, I don’t want to discourage anyone from reaching for this book.

Alexander is one of my fav authors. She writes historical fiction in a way that is different from others as she addresses hard topics like abortion and homosexuality which clearly has always existed.
I really enjoyed this one and the strong female protagonist.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

The book starts in 1917 Boston with Emma, a young woman who becomes a sculptress and is faced with supremely difficult choices and experiences more heartache than joy in her young life. She marries Tom, a surgeon. When WWI starts Tom leaves for France to help in the war efforts where he faces unspeakable horrors of death, continually. Emma decides to remain in Boston to further her sculpting career and is haunted by her past which she holds secret. She eventually joins her husband in France and uses her talents to create face masks for soldiers who have had their faces shattered.

Both Emma and Tom harbour secrets and the consequences, including guilt. The war, of course, doesn't help. Tom is in a very depressed state. Emma sees the realities of war firsthand, too, and has to work hard to face her days. The author weaves the characters through several twists and around several unexpected turns. Each wonders and reflects and are suspicious of others and life in general as the war takes a toll in so many ways. Emma journals about her experiences. I like that perspective. The historical details really pull things together in a subtle way, beautifully done, brilliantly researched. This story is about making choices and reacting to and living with them. It is also about relationships and hardships as well as physical and mental turmoil.

A few scenes were too graphically descriptive for my preference which is my only criticism. The storylines and the vivid and raw emotions felt by the characters are well portrayed, very believable. The author's notes at the back are fascinating, including where his inspiration for this story originated.

My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this sobering and interesting book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

The Sculptress is a great read and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. V.S. Alexander is a great author and look forward into reading more books by him You won't be sorry a must read.

V. S. Alexander’s historical fiction book, The Sculptress, to be published February 23, 2021, examines the suffering caused by World War I from a fresh perspective – that of a female artist.

Emma Lewis has already lost so much in her short life. Now her husband, Dr. Swan, has joined the Red Cross and volunteered to help on the Western Front. His leaving has caused her to sink into a deep depression that is only lifted the moment she spots a disfigured returned soldier on the sidewalk. Her initial pity for the man turns into determination as she realizes she can use her talent as a sculptress to sculpt masks for soldiers with facial disfigurement. Heading to Paris, she leaves Boston and Linton Bower behind, making this the best decision Emma has made for years. She realizes that neither can offer her the love she desires nor give her the satisfaction she craves. Throwing herself into her art, Emma crafts lifelike masks to restore wounded men. With an ocean between her and her past, Emma has no reason to believe her past will catch up with her. Yet, it is here that she meets someone who forces her to face her past in order to create a new future for herself. How ironic that she should cast aside the façade she’s worn for so long in order to fully heal herself when she’s expertly designing the opposite for others.

Like most of his previous novels, V. S. Alexander brings to light topics not usually discussed. Abortion, premarital sex and homosexuality are not topics one finds in many historical novels set during World War One. A common thread in his writing seems to be the incorporation of a strong female protagonist. Emma Lewis can certainly hold her own in a room full of men and can initiate change for herself taking the opportunity when it presents itself, rather than waiting for a man to take the lead. It’s this trait that is paramount to Emma’s happiness. After all, she didn’t wait for her mother nor her lover to whisk her from her difficult circumstances. You’ll be silently cheering for Emma as she forges a new future for herself, one built on the back of so much suffering. It’s more than a book about a woman sculptress. It’s a book about forgiveness, healing, and finding oneself through art.

Thank you to V. S. Alexander, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read previous books by V.S. Alexander and thought they were well written, so I was looking forward to this one. This wonderful story takes place in 1917 and focuses on Emma, a sculptress who was often ignored because she’s a woman. She sees the need to use her artistic skill for good after she sees a soldier’s disfigured face.

That’s a big part of the story, but what you get from there is nuanced, multi dimensional characters who have a lot of strengths, very human flaws, and at times complicated relationships. All of this is incredibly well written and complex without being unrealistic.

Other things I thought the author did well - the details of this time period were clearly well researched and nicely incorporated into the plot. Also, I enjoyed this book because it certainly was thought provoking and really put the focus on both physical and mental scars.

Another winner from V.S. Alexander!

Excellent! The amount of research V.S. Alexander included so seamlessly in T h e Sculptress made this one of the best Historical Fiction novels I've read in awhile.

The Sculptress by V.S. Alexander is an interesting historical fiction novel that takes place during WWI and brings to light an aspect of war that is not always illuminated as much as it should be: the physical and mental scars and damage to our soldiers from battle.

I found this book fascinating in that it incorporated this into the plot of Emma Lewis Swann, the main female character, and her journey of taking her under used and under appreciated talent of painting/sculpting into helping find a way to help disfigured soldiers that have returned from war.

This novel takes place 1917/WWI and thereafter and incorporates the landscapes of the US and France. Emma has a real talent, and as many women have experienced, she is not taken seriously and dismissed. She is finally able to find her calling and the book elaborates on this journey. She has many obstacles that she experiences from a professional and from a personal standpoint during her quest, and the book also adds a romance lost and gained, as well as additional personal misunderstandings and struggles that she experiences that helps add a complexity to the story line itself.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and the Author's afterword that helped shed light on her inspirations for the characters and subject matter within the book as well as what was fiction vs fact.

A great read. 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/23/21.

In 1917 Boston, Sculptress Emma Lewis Swan worries for her surgeon husband, Tom, who has gone to France to help put together soldiers injured during what will come to be known as the Great War. Emma, whose work has been dismissed by critics because she’s a female, finds her true calling the day she sees a disfigured soldier on the streets of Boston. She becomes determined to make masks for these brave young men to try to restore a sense normalcy to their war torn lives. She journeys to Paris to learn and employ her skill, knowing that in doing so, she will also leave temptation, in the form of Linton Bower, behind. This is a fascinating account of the men who returned from the First World War, damaged and disfigured and the attempts they made to settle back into normalcy