In this historical fiction novel, Emily Howes introduces readers to the Gainsborough daughters Mary and Margaret, daughters of the famous English painter who lived in the eighteenth century. Told from alternating perspectives from an older Margaret and her younger self, readers explore the Gainsborough girls’ childhood from their difficult relationships with their parents to the development of Mary’s illness and Margaret’s attempts at painting to their adulthood and the further deterioration of their relationships with each other and their parents. Ultimately a tragic historical fiction novel, the readers gain some insight into the lives of two girls who lived in the shadow of their father and struggled to handle a world that did not accept their creativity or their illness. Howes brings two complicated characters and their equally complicated relationships to other characters in the novel to life and maintains the realistic complexity in her recreation of these characters’ dynamics. Howes has certainly invoked strong emotions and feelings in her characters, and she has done an incredible job bringing such complex characters like the Gainsborough girls to life in this novel. This is an incredibly emotional novel that brings forgotten women to life through Howes’ powerful language and descriptive prose.

The Painter's Daughters is a work of biographical fiction focusing on Molly and Peggy Gainsborough (yes, daughters of Thomas Gainsborough). As with all biographical fiction, one can't assume that what one is reading is "true," but Emily Howes, the author, does a fair job in the afterword explaining which bits of the story are based on unproven claims and notes the occasional shifts she has made in dates.

The novel follows two story lines that seem disconnected, but that play off against each other well, giving the author multiple ways to explore the exploitation of young women by more powerful men in the 1700s. I read this title in two nights and sincerely enjoyed myself. Molly and Peggy's lives were difficult: Molly had increasing mental health issues as she grew up, and Peggy spent much of her life trying to "protect" Molly by hiding her illness from her family and outsiders. Both women have strengths, despite the difficulties they're wrestling with, and I appreciated Howes' exploration of what their inner lives might have been like.

If you enjoy historical fiction, particularly that set in the 1700s, this is book you should keep an eye out for.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Wonderful historical fiction that centers on the two daughters of the famous artist, Gainsborough. The book is set in England, primarily in Bath. This is a rich and detailed story about the two girls as they grew up, their famous father, and their mother, the artwork, as well as the back story of the ancestry of the mother. This was an excellent read.

This was an interesting book about the famous painter named thomas gingersburg. He had 2 daughters, pegging and Molly.They had a very interesting background as well. The story is very interesting, especially the mother's part of it.Because you find out what really happened to her and how?Nobody really knew what was going on. Molly had a lot of problems in her head. And peggy always was very protective of her. Then grew up in Ipswich.And then the mother decided they were too wild so she moved them to bed B a t h. Things really do not go well there for them so. Your mother tried to introduce them to society.But molly was just not able to handle it. When the father got sick and supposedly died they had. Had a rough time of it. The father also took on a pretty's and he was not very nice to the girls. Things went sideways with him as well.So they were sent away to a school. The mother had a very shady past and was Connect it to Lord. She was Barmaid in H a r o w d. She fell from this man who promised her everything , but then aband commander. She went to London to find him.But things did not turn very well for her there either. She had the baby so she was forced to marry another man. It's man Gave her money to keep her quiet. This album gets revealed at the end of the book and we'll see how it's all tied together. Peggy fell from Manning.John fisher who was Compose music. Molly fell for him too, and they both got married at the time.Peggy was very upset. Molly did not feel very well with this man. Peggy helped out with this as well. Very interesting book you like it.

A story of two daughters of English painter Thomas Gainsborough - Peggy and Molly. In the 1700s, mental illness is looked down upon, and Peggy goes to great lengths to protect Molly's differences. As they age, Peggy falls in love, and lines are blurred as to where her allegiance must lie. A heart wrenching tale of the girls who are best known for their portraits.

This was a fantastic debut novel from Emily Howes. It was absolutely brilliant and beautifully written. Featuring art, mental illness, sibling relationships, and filled with historical details about the 1700s, the Painter's Daughters was simply perfect.

The story begins in Ipswich when Peggy and Molly are very young and follows them as their childhood progresses in Bath. Molly has started to show signs of mental illness and Peggy is trying to keep her well. As they become adults Peggy realizes that she will always have to be with Molly and that her sister will never lead a normal life.

Emily Howes does such an amazing job telling this story about the family of artist Thomas Gainsborough. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC of The Painter’s Daughters, which published February 27th. I grabbed this ARC when it was available as a Read Now on NetGalley months and months ago, thinking surely I would have time to finish it before pub day. You guessed it- I didn’t!

I actually had a difficult time getting into this book and needed the audiobook to help me push through and finish it. I think this is a circumstance where I am the problem, not the book. The writing style was lovely and evoked vivid imagery of what it would be like to experience life through Peggy and Meg’s eyes. In my opinion, the plot felt like it moved on the slower side throughout the book- though this may be because I was not terribly invested in what was happening to the characters. Although the cultural misogyny of the time shows through in the circumstances that Peggy, Molly, and Meg find themselves in, they were big contributors to their own misfortunes. Thinking about the ending of the story makes me wonder what the point of the book really was- that familial love comes with strings attached? That blood is thicker than water and your fate is decided by duty to your family at your own personal detriment? Reviewing the blurb for this book also really gives a lot of the story away, so I would recommend going into it blind.

Again, this might be a story that YOU read and love, and there are many positive reviews for The Painter’s Daughters. I would not discourage anyone from reading it if they are interested; it was just not my cup of tea.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this story. The writing style was not for me. I appreciate the opportunity and apologize for not being able to complete the story. I wish the author the best of luck!

For readers who enjoy novels that fictionalize the world beyond a painting, The Painter's Daughter by Emily Howes, is a good offshoot of that genre. In this case, Howes explores the lives of portrait artist Thomas Gainsborough's two daughters as their family moves from the country to city in the 1700s. The family is always on the precipice of financial ruin, at one time trying to emulate the lifestyles of their well-to-do clients while wholly dependent upon their largess to fund their lives. Peggy and Molly, Gainsborough's two daughters, are complex individuals who also struggle to hide the health of one sister, all while ensuring this is hidden from public view. The Painter's Daughter is a depiction of womanhood in the 1700s, explores the stigma of mental health conditions, and - in a tale for all times - asks how much people can stray beyond society's expectations and still be successful.

The Painters Daughters is a quiet story of two sisters navigating the struggles of girlhood and womanhood with the added complication of mental illness during the 1700s in England.

I love stories about sisters and this is no exception.

The sisters are the daughters of renown English portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough and you can tell the author did her research on the real Gainsboroughs.

The way the story is written feels intentionally stifling and there is an undercurrent of dread that the older sister’s mental illness would be outed or would flare up. I could feel the deep love and fear that were so intwined as to be unrecognizable from each other. Additionally, because this is about “The Painters Daughters” reading this story is a full sensory experience.

There is an alternate timeline/narrative that I didn’t always love because it felt like I was pulled from story that is otherwise so immersive. What I did like about it was we ended somewhere in the middle, which isn’t really an ending, but felt appropriate.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book really had no lasting impact on me. I felt like the writing was pretty good, because I was able to finish the story, but did not feel any connection with the characters. I wish Meg had more of a role in the story because I liked her short chapters better. Overall, there wasn't much romance or development and the book remained pretty sad. I would probably still check out others written by this author, but unfortunately this one was a flop for me.

Slow and fairly dark, the writing in this book wasn't for me. The premise was interesting but the pacing didn't keep me hooked. It was also fairly repetitive and bland. I think some readers will enjoy it based on the time period its set in, but for me it was a miss.

Thank you for the advance copy!

This book about the daughters of painter Thomas Gainsborough was pretty good. I wish the characters had been a little more developed but overall it was a solid piece of historical fiction from an era I don’t usually read about.

Another slow start for me - but man oh man once I was in, I couldn’t put it down. An absolutely fascinating tale of 2 sisters and their love for one another. But laced throughout is mental illness, betrayal and secrets. So well done and beautiful - highly recommended.

The unbreakable bonds of sisterhood is very much the main focus of this novel that tells the story of Thomas Gainsborough, a famous 18th century English painter and his family. The story is told in two timeframes but mostly from the perspective of Peg, Gainsborough’s younger daughter and involves her devotion to her older sister, Molly who suffers from an unknown (for the time) mental illness. Interspersed with Peg’s story, we hear from Meg, who is revealed to be Peg and Molly’s maternal grandmother and explains the attitude of the girls’ mother. Peg is the only person in the family who recognizes Molly’s crippling but sporadic episodes of mental breakdown and she commits all her effort into hiding Molly’s condition from society as well as her parents. As the girls grow up in Bath, their father develops his fame as a painter while their mother seeks a role in high society that she believes to be her birthright. Peg’s devotion to Molly becomes her life’s mission in spite of her own heartache and experiences of betrayal.
This is a very interesting piece of historical fiction that will especially appeal to readers who love art history. I really enjoyed knowing more about Thomas Gainsborough and his rocky rise to fame. But the story being told from Peg’s perspective with the added theme of the bond between sisters made the story so much more interesting and engaging. The author did a great job of portraying all the emotions that Peg’s devotion to Molly caused her to experience and this was by far my favorite part of the book. I would have liked more of Meg’s story, especially in regards to her daughter’s growing up years. There were also some interesting little tidbits of information about what life was like in high society Bath at the time that really added more interest to the story. I found the book to be well written with good character development and would definitely recommend it.

When I started reading The Painter's Daughters, I wasn't familiar with Thomas Gainsborough. After a quick internet search, it turns out I do recognize a few of his paintings after all.
I really enjoyed the dual timeline but I almost wish there were more of Meg's chapters. She was such a strong character! I would have enjoyed more time with her while she was in London.
I ended up getting the audio version to listen to while I read and I highly recommend either version.

I feel like this book has everything. Romance, grief, betrayal, action, and even a little spice, all within a Christian perspective but without being cheesy (and I feel like I'm pretty sensitive to cheese if ya know what I'm sayin'). The storyline is very raw and the characters are very human. Not just some cutesy fairy tale, but people having to work through real-life challenges

The Painter's Daughters follows Molly and Peggy, daughter of renowned painter Thomas Gainsborough. Growing up in rural England, Molly and Peggy run freely in the garden and play with their father in his studio. They are close and Peggy knows from an early age that she must protect her older sister Peggy, who suffers from spells of a sort, often losing track of where she is or when.

When their mother decides enough is enough, that the daughters should be raised as proper ladies, the family moves to Bath, and soon Peggy realizes just how different her sister is and how difficult it will be to keep those differences from society.

Beautifully written, and mysteriously plotted, this is a book that will carry you through with the vaguest hint of a question--Howes leaves so much behind the curtain that I'm not certain I could always articulate what I was wondering about. There's some quiet intrigue. The historical aspect of the story is also well written, the depth of Howes' presentation of the expectations of women of the time shines through. I personally love speculative historical fiction that takes the lives of real people and fleshes them out in a way we could never know their story truly. I think Howes did an excellent job with this.

An excellent read for fans of historical fiction, especially 18th century. There's not a tremendous amount of plot here but what plot there is reads carefully cultivated and the prose itself is gorgeous.

Dive into the heart of 18th-century England with this captivating historical fiction, spotlighting the lives of Thomas Gainsborough's daughters, icons in their father's illustrious paintings. The narrative skillfully intertwines fact with fiction, exploring the intertwined fates of Molly and Meg, sisters born just a year apart. Molly grapples with psychological turmoil, while Meg stands by her as both guardian and confidante, a bulwark against the era's harsh judgments on mental health.

The novel paints a vivid picture of the era's grandeur, from the pastoral beauty of Ipswich to the vibrant energy of Bath. It sent me down a delightful rabbit hole, googling sedan chairs—those luxurious, human-powered vehicles navigating the era's grimy streets. The story also brings to life the expected path of privilege: the glittering "season," the whirlwind of balls, the quest for matrimonial alliances, all while being cocooned in the era's sumptuous fashions.

Equally enchanting is the peek into the household's heart—the bustling kitchen with its eternal hearth warmth, the tactile coolness of flagstone floors, and the intimate assistance of servants in daily grooming rituals.

A parallel tale unfurls, too, featuring a modern Meg uncovering the Gainsborough sisters' royal lineage. Unlike the jarring back-and-forth of some novels with dual timelines, this one weaves both strands into a seamless and engrossing read. Each storyline enriches the other, making for a thoroughly enjoyable dive into both the past and its echo in the present.

Well written and well plotted, though I would have a tough time saying I “liked” this.

Howes is a lovely writer and this is an interesting meditation on familial duty and the repercussions of madness, but it’s hard to get away from the fact that it’s a deeply depressing story populated by characters who are difficult to like.

It’s easy to feel some sympathy for the girls, sure, but I don’t think I would call them likable. And they aren’t especially interesting either aside from their dealings with the family’s strain of mental illness, which is mostly sadder than it is intriguing.

I thought the setting and sense of place were a bit of a bright spot (particularly in a book where the descriptive content—generally speaking—wasn’t great). I was intrigued by Howes’ evocations of each place the family lived, particularly Bath.

The story could have used stronger links to Gainsborough’s work, particularly since I’d imagine that’s what will draw most readers to the book in the first place. Without the art to being a sense of beauty and historical significance to the story, it mostly just feels like a swampy, tragic period piece. Great if that’s what you’re into, but if you were looking for greater insight into the great painter himself and what his life was like, look elsewhere.