This month's historical fiction offerings include Wendy Holden's "The Queen's Painter," Emily Howes' "Mrs Dickens," and Maggie O'Farrell's "Land." Eithne Farry reviews the novels, noting O'Farrell's significant return to the genre.
The Queen's Painter
Wendy Holden's "The Queen's Painter" delves into the complex relationship between artist Hans Holbein and King Henry VIII, with Anne Boleyn appearing as a central, albeit spectral, figure. The novel is rich with details of Holbein's work, tracing his career from humble beginnings in Basel to his patronage under Thomas Cromwell, who is portrayed as a more deceitful character than in Hilary Mantel's works. Farry describes Holden's prose as intimate and conversational, providing a fresh perspective on Tudor-era politics.
Mrs Dickens
Emily Howes' "Mrs Dickens" offers a tender portrayal of Catherine Hogarth, the wife of Charles Dickens. The novel focuses on Kate's life as the mother of ten children and the emotional core of the Dickens household, especially as Charles's infatuation with a younger actress develops. Howes gives voice to Kate's historically marginalized story, depicting her as a loving wife and mother, a loyal friend, and a skilled cook who is shown to have been manipulated by her ambitious husband. A servant named Anne also contributes her moving account of her connection to Dickens and her friendship with Kate.
Land
Maggie O'Farrell's "Land" is characterized by its slow-burn stateliness and draws inspiration from her great-grandfather's work on Ordnance Survey maps in Ireland during the post-Famine era. The novel centers on a family striving to survive on a piece of land in the 1860s. The land itself, bordered by ancient woods and featuring a mysterious pool, becomes a site for unexplained events. Patriarch Tomas, who works as a cartographer for the British, experiences an encounter that profoundly alters his family's life, leading them from a Dublin tenement to a dilapidated cottage near the spring. Farry notes that "Land" is a rewarding read, grounded in harsh reality.
