A gripping tale of love and madness! I could not put this book down. What a unique look at women’s independence in the 1700s.

What an absolutely enthralling book! I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and I am so glad that I did!
I was impressed with how much of the “historical fiction” of this book was actually based on fact. It was one of those books where I felt as if I had actually learned something about the topic. The author did a wonderful job at taking a topic that was somewhat interesting and weaving fantastic narrative throughout to make a novel that read so smoothly and kept the reader engaged to the last page!
Well done, I loved it!

I’m really not a historical lover in literature and I really only picked up this book for the cover and ignored the description, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book was very well written. The story really came to life and I was invested rather than tolerant of the historical aspects. I recommend for everyone weather it’s what you would normally read or not.

The Painter's Daughters - An excellent blend of fact and fiction creating an interesting, intriguing, and entertaining story of the two daughters of the Eighteenth-Century painter Thomas Gainsborough. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the little gold box. It is difficult not to go into book report stage about all the good things that made this a mesmerizing story in so many ways. Source: Netgalley. 5*

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised that this book was so intriguing! This beautifully written historical fiction is Emily Howes' first novel. It is the story of Peggy and Molly Gainsborough and their struggle with insanity. This novel tells a little-known story of the sister's life, love, and devotion. As with all good historical fiction I have to learn more about Gainsborough, his wife, his daughters, and his paintings.
Meg's story intertwines with the story of the sisters. It keeps the reader wondering who Meg is and how she relates to this story. The mystery is revealed in the end.
Thanks to NetGalley! I loved this novel!

I enjoyed “The Painter’s Daughters” by Emily Howes—it’s a well-written and informative look at the lives of painter Thomas Gainsborough’s daughters, Molly and Peggy, and their struggle with Molly’s mental illness at a time when its discovery by the outside world would send her to the asylum. There’s lots of local color, particularly of life in Bath during the late 18th century, and I enjoyed the imagined stories behind Gainsborough’s famous paintings—I frequently found myself referring to reproductions of those paintings as I was reading. This is a dual storyline book, and while I didn’t find Meg’s story as compelling as that of the Gainsborough sisters, I soon figured out why her narrative was included. Meg’s storyline, in particular, brings up my usual problem with historical fiction—how to separate what is verifiably true from what imagined by the author—but I appreciated Howes’s notes at the end, which explained both her research and her fictional extrapolations. Fans of the period should enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

This story was very emotional about two sisters who were a year apart. The period of time was so interesting and it was described in such a way it felt very real. The sisters were always in trouble as children. As adults the fell in love with the same man. Both sisters had mental issues. Molly the older daughter as worse then Peggy. Peggy had an eating disorder but Molly had blackouts. The sad things that Peggy had to do to keep her sister well and hide the fact she was mentally disturbed was a heavy burden for a child. The author did a great job of describing the struggles and bringing their characters to life. I look forward to reading future books from Emily Howes.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of The Painter's Daughters by Emily Howes

The turbulent upbringing of Peg and Molly Gainsborough are brought to life in this thought-provoking tale of two sisters never at peace. With an artist father Thomas Gainsborough as the head of the household, one would expect their lives to be filled with beauty, calm and achievement. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Older sister Peggy (Margaret) at an early age must look after younger sister Molly whose frequent bizarre behaviors forces the family to consider placing her in an institution. Having rejected this idea, the entire family is at the mercy of what will befall them next. The sisters' wills will clash over a man Peg loves but Molly will win but with disastrous results. Thomas has become a well-known portraitist although his first love is painting landscapes. Ongoing strife with his wife Margaret adds to the family's struggles.

The story of a young woman working in the family tavern named Peg parallels the Gainsborough family saga and will conclude the story with surprising revelations..

Author Emily Howes has weaved a fascinating tale into the realities of the Gainsborough family.

This beautiful novel of love and sacrifice is based on the story of painter Thomas Gainsborough’s two daughters. Peggy and Molly are sisters, bound by a deep love for one another. As they grow up, Peggy becomes Molly’s protector as mental health issues begin to emerge in Molly. The characters are vivid and well-fleshed out, and the story is captivating and sad at the same time. I enjoyed this very much and recommend it to lovers of historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my free and unbiased review of this book.

Emily Howes’s The Painter’s Daughters is a highly readable work of historical fiction. The novel takes up the stories of Molly and Peggy Gainsborough, daughters to 17th-century portrait and landscape artist Thomas Gainsborough (of Blue Boy fame). Gainsborough’s wife Margaret Burr Gainsborough was the illegitimate child of possibly a Duke but some say of the Prince of Wales. Hopes uses this connection to the total family as a possible explanation for the mental illness that Molly suffered, suggesting that she had inherited porphyria like her possible great uncle “Mad King George.”

Beyond the historical retelling lies the sisters’ intense bond, by turns protective and cloying. Part of the interest for me with this novel was my lack of familiarity with the history surrounding Gainsborough’s family. Howe’s fictional account offers a believable explanation for much of what can only be speculated upon. I found the book enjoyable and somewhat a page turner. Not the best novel I have ever read yet still quite good.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is historical fiction. It is the story of the famous painter Thomas Gainsborough and his wife Margaret and their children Margaret (Peggy) and Mary (Molly). His wife has a past concerning her parentage. Molly the younger daughter has mental health issues-sleep walking, fits, going into trances. Her younger sister is aware of what could happen if people start noticing this - being sent to Bedlam - a hospital for the insane. She tries to hide this from her parents also. Their story is intertwined with another story of Meg - a barmaid. I found both stories very interesting and they do come together at the end.
I enjoyed this book finding out about Thomas Gainsborough and his paintings. I recommend the book to whoever enjoys historical fiction.

Novel depicts the story Thomas Gainsborough, a famous painter in the 1700s and his two daughters, in case the title didn't give that away. The eldest daughter, Molly deals with bouts of mental illness and her younger sister, Peggy vows to protect this secret from everyone including their parents. This is an easy vow in their tiny town until the family moves to Bath and their mother thrusts the family "into society". Thrown into 18th century English high society the girls navigate society especially young men together. A gripping tale for fans of the painter who depicted his daughters often in his canvas.

I want to thank Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to review an ARC of The Painter’s Daughters by author Emily Howes.
“It is good to be alone sometimes,.If you fill up every gap with people there’s no space to live.” So spoken by a man destined to ruin the daughter’s lives
I’m getting ahead of myself. Peggy and Margaret are the daughters and only children of Thomas Gainsborough. He was an artist born in 1727 and best known for his painting of The Blue Boy.
This is a sad tale of a broken family. Thomas spent most of his time hidden away in his studio trying to make a living while avoiding his wife who was concerned about social status and bringing up her girls to marry well. Molly, the older daughter had spells. Sometimes she just froze, sometimes she acted out and sometimes she walked in her sleep, even to going outside at night in her nightgown. Peggy tried to always protect her, even tying them together when they slept!
There is also a sub story about a barkeep’s daughter Meg who is badly treated and runs away to find her Prince,
This book may be of interest to those interested in the artist’s life and to women!
I found the use of a combination of mercury and other products to make a salve to treat his illness so frightening. They also confined him to dark closed in rooms!
The Painter’s Daughters publishes 02/27/2024.

This book is about the real-life daughters of Thomas Gainsborough, a famous painter from the 1700s. The novel takes you back to a time and place where you will see the differences between classes and the contrast between the wealthy and those who live in poverty. The many differences in food, clothing, housing and the social structure of the times. It is a fascinating story of the Gainsborough family and the bond between the two sisters, Molly and Peg. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Howes delivers a beautiful, haunting story that explores family dynamics, mental illness, love, and devotion in The Painter’s Daughters. The painter is the renowned 1700s artist Thomas Gainsborough and his two daughters, who were the subject of many of his canvases, are Peggy and Molly Gainsborough.

The sisters are as close as two sisters can be. When they’re young they play together, wandering the countryside to their mother’s dismay. They spy on their father together, learning things they’re not sure they understand. And they grow up together, navigating relationships with young men. But they also share a secret that began early in their lives when Molly begins to experience bouts of severe confusion. From the start of Molly’s mental troubles,

Peggy feels compelled to manage things for her, to sweep reality away from everyone’s attention.
With gorgeous language, Howes paints a portrait of two sisters’ relationship, revealing a complicated equation of love and control. The book rings with truth, insight, emotion, and candor. I loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my advance reader’s copy.

This was a melancholy read about a younger sister's life of sacrifice on behalf of her older sister. I can't quite agree with the description of it as 'a love song to sisterhood' since I was left wondering whether Molly ever really appreciated Peggy's sacrifice or if she mainly just felt stifled and restricted.

There was a second storyline not mentioned in the description. It was speculative historical fiction (or maybe not so speculative according to the interesting author's note). It was connected to Peggy and Molly's story. However, the tone and language were quite different from the main story, and while that might make sense given that this other heroine was older and from a different background, it still felt a bit disjointed to me.

Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

Really interesting and engrossing story. I found myself wanting to research and find out which parts were factual.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Painters Daughter is the story of two sisters, Peggy and Molly, who grow up living in the shadows and observing their parents lives (their father is a famous painter, as the title might suggest, and a philanderer, which you may not get from the title), household, society, etc. However, Molly suffers from bouts of mental confusion or psychosis and there’s only so long that Peggy can help her keep that publicly concealed. Once Peggy falls in love and her priorities shift, the story takes a swift turn.

Overall, this book was well written and especially enjoyable for fans of a Jane Austen style setting! It does move slowly, especially in the beginning, and I found myself wondering what the point of the story was. Once the primary twist of the story was thrown in, it began to pick up a bit for me and kept my interest through to the end. I thought the relationship between the two sisters was very well developed and I was clearly able to discern the great connection there, despite their challenges growing up, given Molly’s condition. The author is extremely descriptive in writing about the sisters’ bonds, emotions, and their physical surroundings as well. I appreciated how the author was able to clearly convey to the audience some of Molly’s mental issues but, was also able to be realistic in her showcase of how this was perceived by society at the time.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to historical fiction fans; there’s a lot of information that you can continue researching after you read the book! I’d also recommend this to fans of regency England stories and those who enjoy a slow burn.

This is a fascinating book about some relatively obscure figures who have been lost to history. I became completely invested in the story, and stopped at several points to look up information about Thomas Gainsborough and his family. Lovers of historical fiction, in particular, will enjoy this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.