The Girl in the Painting

In my opinion...

I love stories about art, and I love Shakespearian plays- so what could be better than finding the two of them mixed together in this novel? From the start I was intrigued by our flame haired heroine, Cori, and found her likeable and could empathise with her feelings as she struggled to understand what was happening through a fog of confusion. I must say that I did find her new boyfriend, Simon, extremely tolerant throughout this! But this is no ordinary boy meets girl and talks art story, it soon becomes evident there is a ghostly twist to this time slip tale. I am not keen on supernatural stories, but this fascinated me & page after page I wanted to find out more, even though at times I felt a little shiver down my spine. My heart did sink on seeing Part 2 & then Part 3, but to be fair, these are needed to explain parts of the story & tie up some loose ends. Controversial subjects are covered in this story, including laudanum abuse& mental health issues, but they are dealt with knowledgeably and it felt as though the author had done her research thoroughly . I found it an enjoyable read, and it left me wanting to learn more about the Pre Raphaelite Movement

Want to know more?

What if you thought you knew a secret that could change history?Whilst standing engrossed in her favourite Pre-Raphaelite painting – Millais's Ophelia – Cori catches the eye of Tate gallery worker, Simon, who is immediately struck by her resemblance to the red-haired beauty in the famous artwork.The attraction is mutual, but Cori has other things on her mind. She has recently acquired the diary of Daisy, a Victorian woman with a shocking secret. As Cori reads, it soon becomes apparent that Daisy will stop at nothing to be heard, even outside of the pages of her diary …Will Simon stick around when life becomes increasingly spooky for Cori, as she moves ever closer to uncovering the truth about Daisy’s connection to the girl in her favourite painting?

My rating...

My thanks to ChocLit for providing me with a review copy of this novel