The Painter’s Daughters brings the story behind so many paintings of Thomas Gainsborough, renowned 18th century English painter.

The story explores the close bond between two sisters, Peggy and Molly Gainsborough. Molly is older, but Peggy knows she needs to protect her sister, who occasionally experiences mental confusion. They both enjoy roaming barefoot through the fields surrounding their home in Ipswich, but the mother stops it. She feels that the daughters need to be raised as proper ladies. Thus, the family moves to Bath, where Molly’s bouts progress and Peggy continues to cover it up as much as she can. When a man by the name Johann Fischer enters the scene, the sisters’ bond gets under fractured.

This story has a feel of a build up until the end, and the mystery aspect continues to linger to the very last pages. The story is told through the eyes of sisters and a young woman named Meg Grey. It is not clear what the connection is to the family, but Peggy questions the mystery behind her mother’s family. Those who are into mystery may have stronger connection to this lingering aspect.

The threads of the story are loose to the very end. I wished they were tied up much earlier. I’m more into straightforward storytelling rather than lingering mystery. That lingering aspect made me disengage with the story half-way through. For me tying the ends much earlier would make the read much more engaging, and understanding earlier on the direction of the story as half-way through I questioned the point of telling this story. I had to reread the synopsis to understand it.

Nevertheless, it is still a fascinating story of two sisters who are subject of their father’s many paintings. It always makes the experience much richer to be able to look at a painting and know a story behind it.

I enjoyed Peggy’s sharp tongue and honest observations without holding anything back. The sisters’ voices at the beginning of the story are very distinct, but as the story progresses I wished for more of character-development to make them distinct individuals with their traits besides devotion and protection.

This richly imagined story is written with outstanding prose which is the strong part of this story.

This is the story of two sisters and of how mental illness can affect their familial bond as they grow up. "The Painter's Daughters", takes place in 18th century England, a time when someone with mental disorders was locked away in a madhouse. The strange thing was that some of what the mentally ill sister would scream was true and not at all the ravings of a lunatic. This is also the story of a family; that of the British painter Thomas Gainsborough and the world that he and his family inhabited.

I did like this book very much and found it quite moving. The twist at the end made it all the more compelling and I do recommend this historically accurate novel.

This book is dark and grim. Nothing good happens in it. Not one thing and that brought me down. Then to make matters even more contentious, I didn't know the story wasn't fiction or that the characters weren't fictitious until I got to the end and read the author's notes. I went back and read the blurb again and it's under the category of historical fiction, so now I'm really confused.

I did some research on a few of the characters and they did exist. Thomas Gainsborough was a famous artist. He had two daughters. It may have helped to be able to read and understand the letter to the readers at the beginning of the book, but there were so many missing words and sentences that I couldn't make sense of it. I was hoping that wasn't going to be the case for the entire book. Fortunately, the story itself is readable and easily understood.

The story itself follows Molly, Peggy, their mother Margaret, and their father Thomas Gainsborough. It starts in Ipswich when the girls are young, frivolous, wild, and just doing kid things. It makes their mother crazy and all she does is rant and rave about how terrible they are and that she's going to end up in Bedlam because they won't behave. She didn't have a positive word for either of those girls at any time in the book. They were always doing something they shouldn't, not acting like ladies...she was like a siren that's stuck. Whir whir whir-SHUT UP already! She was never happy about anything. She was a miserable excuse for a mother and that left her children mired in guilt and self-doubt.

Her solution to it was to move to Bath and get them some culture. Thomas wanted to stay in Ipswich, but he made the move probably just to shut her up. I didn't appreciate that they abandoned their cat on the side of the road when they left. Just something else that added to the desolation of this story.

Thomas set up shop and was doing well for himself with the help of some friends. But while he's working and playing, he's losing touch with his daughters. Their mother was never in touch with them, unless it was to harp on them or tell them they had royal blood in them and let them hold a mysterious gold box with the letter F on it. I have to admit that the box intrigued me, too.

What these self-centered parents aren't seeing is that Molly is quite ill. She's having mental episodes where she doesn't know where she is, who she is, what she's doing, sleepwalking, then having no memory of it. Peggy covers for her like nothing else. She takes care of Molly and keeps her condition a secret from their parents until she can't anymore.

Meanwhile, there's another story going on about a girl named Meg. I wasn't sure how she was going to come out with her situation or how it related to Molly and Peggy, but the author did a great job of making the story come full circle.

As I said, there isn't even one happy moment in this book. The ending was particularly tragic. I was hoping for something much lighter than this, but it is a good story about sisterly devotion..

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

This is a moving and poignant story , which explores love, between sisters, mental illness, societal stigma and expected behaviors. I found it fascinating and couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

A beautifully written tale about the 2 young daughters of renowned painter Thomas Gainsborough whose fierce love for each other is tested by mental illness, betrayal and loyalty.
Molly and Peg are young and precocious little girls growing up in the shadows of their father's work as he paints portraits of the gentry in 1759 Ipswich. They though they fiercely love their papa he is emotionally distant and their mother is more concerned with the girl's impending entry into society to pay them much attention as Molly begins to exhibit odd behaviors that the younger Peg begins to notice. As these odd behaviors begin to increase and are perceived as troublesome to their parents Peg often shoulders the blame in order to protect fragile Molly from herself because she knows that something is terribly wrong with her sister and is determined to keep her from harm's way even if she suffers for it. After the family moves to Bath, Peg is desperately trying to keep Molly from ending up in the asylum as her mental illness is manifesting itself more frequently with outbursts and mad declarations a fact that her parents are willing to accept as blatant as it is. When their mother can no longer cope with the girls' behavior the two sisters are sent away to school in hopes they will finally learn discipline and for a time Molly's mental illness is controlled while the girls are away at under Peg's watchful protection but as they grow up into refined young women Peg has dreams and hopes of her own and no longer wants to be Molly's constant protector a fact that is put to the test when she falls in love for the first time.
This was beautifully written and eloquent in its form, as well as moving and a bit sad, this was well worth the time I spent reading this, I couldn't put it down. Maybe this is so touching for me because I lost my sister a few months ago and this speaks volumes of the love sisters can have for one another. Recommended.

Thank you to author Emily Howes and NetGalley for granting me access to this lovely read.

This is a fictional story about Peggy and Molly Gainsborough, daughters of English portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough. Drawing both from history and weaving in a fictional story line Emily Howes paints a story about sisterhood, family life, mental illness, protection, obsession, and what society expects of both women and men in the 1700s.

This is a heartbreaking look into mental illness and the stigma it often brings. What people are willing to see regardless of the truth. Caregiver strain. What we are willing to do for those we love. Excuses we make for the ones we love. Excuses we make for ourselves in our care for those we love. Haunting beautiful Howes tells a tale that is gripping.


Description
Peggy and Molly Gainsborough—the daughters of one of England’s most famous portrait artists of the 1700s and the frequent subject of his work—are best friends. They spy on their father as he paints, rankle their mother as she manages the household, and run barefoot through the muddy fields that surround their home. But there is another reason they are inseparable: from a young age, Molly periodically experiences bouts of mental confusion, even forgetting who she is, and Peggy instinctively knows she must help cover up her sister’s condition.

When the family moves to Bath, it’s not so easy to hide Molly’s slip-ups. There, the sisters are thrown into the whirlwind of polite society, where the codes of behavior are crystal clear. Molly dreams of a normal life but slides deeper and more publicly into her delusions. By now, Peggy knows the shadow of an asylum looms for women like Molly, and she goes to greater lengths to protect her sister’s secret.

But when Peggy unexpectedly falls in love with her father’s friend, the charming composer Johann Fischer, the sisters’ precarious situation is thrown catastrophically off course. Her burgeoning love for Johann sparks the bitterest of betrayals, forcing Peggy to question all she has done for Molly, and whether any one person can truly change the fate of another.

A tense and tender examination of the blurred lines between protection and control, The Painter’s Daughters is a searing portrait of the real girls behind the canvas. Emily Howes’s debut is a stunning exploration of devotion, control, and individuality; it is a love song to sisterhood, to the many hues of life, and to being looked at but never really seen.


I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are on my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Fans of historical fiction will surely enjoy this intimate portrait of the daughters of famed painter Thomas Gainsborough, which has been crafted beautifully by author Emily Howes. This is not a lascivious or scintillating tale along the lines of the Historical Fan-Fic that is out there (a la the Real Housewives of Henry VIII), nor is there any overt violence or war. Instead, it's a quiet, atmospheric-- and occasionally too slow for my taste-- exploration of sisterhood and life as a woman in the era. There's a delicacy to the writing that mirrors the girls' mental states and helps set you as the reader in the period.

This is a voluntary review for a complimentary ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher.

This one was a struggle for me. It moves slow and left me wondering what the point of the story was. The emotional bond between the two sisters and their father came across, as did their lesser connection with their mother, but it left me flat. Someone used the word melancholy which I think perfectly describes this story.

Historical fiction tends to be my comfort read, and I dove headfirst into this one. Howes tells the story of the two daughters of English portrait painter, Thomas Gainsborough. From a young age, Peggy watches over her older sister, Molly, who suffers from mental illness and has spells where she isn’t herself. But nothing can be kept secret for that long as more people are invited into their inner circle, and the small world Peggy grew up in steadily expands.

With colorful, observant writing, Howes explores the forbidden, and all that’s hidden underneath a pretty surface. I especially enjoyed her writing about the act of painting, and the small details that might escape other peoples’ notice. In a novel where not much happens, Howes makes the story feel unrelenting as we wait for the pin to drop. The crescendo is dramatic and scintillating, exploring what one might do to protect someone they love.

A stunning debut, and I look forward to more from Howes!

Based upon the real-life daughters of Thomas Gainsborough, a famous painter from the 1700s - Molly and Peggy are as close as sisters as they are friends. The older sister, Molly, begins to show signs of madness, younger sister, Peggy, swears to keeping Molly's secret, even from her parents. As they enter society, the secret becomes harder to keep.

This historical fiction is gripping and fascinating. Highly recommend!

I love this interesting and beautifully written story of the daughters of Thomas Gainsborough, portrait painter in England in the 1700's. Peg is the younger daughter and she is intelligent and logical as she works to protect her fragile older sister, Molly, who suffers from an undetermined mental health issue where she has stretches of time that she has no memory of and behaves out of character. Of course mental health was not something that was respected and well cared for in the 1700's, so Peg devotes herself to caring and protecting Molly as they grow up.

Such an interesting story and so beautifully written. I loved the author's word choice and beautiful turns of phrase.

Thank you for my copy!

A very well done historical fiction of the lovely daughters in Gainsborough's paintings. Do a quick review of family history first to better understand Meg and the royalty surrounding the family because that part is not explained well.

The story about the daughters was great (their relationship, falling in love with an older musician, Peg taking care of Molly.) The surrounding story could have been better explained.

Overall, enjoyable.

The Painters Daughters by Emily Howes tells the story of Molly and Peggy the daughters of Thomas Gainsborough. Peggy takes care of her older sister Molly who has a mental illness. A interesting and well researched story. Thank you to NetGallery and Simon and Schuster for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a spectacular and staggering story about the famous artist Thomas Gainsborough and his family. It’s a tale of love, sacrifice, illness, betrayal, and a caring family. All families have secrets; the Gainsborough family has more secrets than most.

Thomas and his wife Margaret are loving and concerned parents. They have two daughters, Molly and Peggy. There sometimes seems to be something off with Molly, and Peggy, still quite young, takes on the responsibility for protecting her older sister from whatever it is.

The book also follows Meg, the daughter of an abusive inn keeper. When a German contingent arrives at the inn, Meg finds herself drawn to one of them. This connection is doomed from the start, but the repercussions will go well beyond the lives of either.

The Painter’s Daughters follows three generations of women. None of them has an overly easy life, but they all pursue the best lives they can have. They must face instances of mental/physical illness, bulimia, isolation.

Read this book! It’s beautiful and heartbreaking, a painting of sisterly love, concern, care, and friendship.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

I found this historical novel to be really interesting as the only thing I knew about Thomas Gainsborough was that he was a famous artist. This is an inside look at the entire family from the eyes of his two daughters. It was not a fast read but one that kept me involved for the most part. I would recommend this one to readers interested in the artist, and the time period. I found it sad that his daughters had so much drama in their life but interesting in the choices they made. Much of the book centers on the sisterly devotion and the struggles they endured while being the daughters of such a well known person. I felt like I had stepped back into the 1700s and was actually living it with the characters. That is the mark of a great author.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

While we often hear about famous artists and see their works displayed in museums, what do we know about their backgrounds? The Painter's Daughters takes us into the private lives of Thomas Gainsborough and his family. Gainsborough's two daughters are best friends and are always together. But, there is more to the story than that. Peggy, the younger sister, knew that she had to protect Molly to keep her from being sent to Bedlam, the insane asylum. Molly is subject to fits of sleepwalking, forgetfulness, inability to speak, etc.

Hiding Molly's condition becomes much more difficult when the family moves from a small town to Bath, a major resort in 1700s England. We see how Gainsborough dotes on his daughters but also ignores them for long periods of time while he works.

It is also interesting to see how the times affected Gainsborough's artwork and the business of being an artist.

So absorbing. What a great read!!! Alot if detail which makes a reader feel like they are really there in the story.
Family drama with a beautiful background will keep you waiting for the resulting outcome. At times I got mad at some of the characters but that's what makes a good book!!

Highly recommend this read. It will keep you wanting more

4.5 stars
HIGHLY recommend

I received a complimentary Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Emily Howes, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a very dense, heavy, and hard-to-read book. I knew little about Thomas Gainsborough other than the "Blue Boy" painting that resides nearby in San Marino at the Huntington Library. I have admired it and visited it many times, but never thought about the back story.

The novel is really about love at the core of it all. The story centers around Gainsborough's two daughters, Molly and Peg, and their devotion to each other. It is sad, heavy, and very hard to read.

This was a slow, difficult read because of the subject matter and the time period. But it was totally worth the read! If you like historical fiction, this is a great book for YOU!!

The Painter's Daughters by Emily Howes was a fantastic historical fiction story.
This book was paced really well, and the story was just so rich with history.
With its evocative setting, well-drawn characters, and compelling narrative, this novel is sure to resonate with fans of historical fiction and women's fiction.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Painter’s Daughters is the perfect balance of history and fiction, taking us back in time to the 18th century and it’s art and music scene. We are introduced to the renowned (real life) painter, Thomas Gainsborough, and his family. His daughters Molly and Peggy, are bound to each other by their deep love, protection and sense of loyalty to one another. As the girls get older and family secrets begin to surface (some
factual, some created by the author) the promise of their futures in high society will be tested.

This story was a slow starter for me but once the pace picked up and the plot twists began brewing, I was glued. Emily Howes does a wonderful job at atmospheric writing, and provided a look at life back then so vivid that I could’ve lived it. If you have no prior knowledge of this era prepare yourself for the google deep dive it will take you down!