“The Lady with the Dark Hair” by Erin Bartels ~ Book Review

“The Lady with the Dark Hair” by Erin Bartels

Duel-timeline novel

Review copy through Revell Publishing

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

About the Book:

Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella. They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work. But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella’s greatest work–a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair .

In 1879, Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France. It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists’ pigments. When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella’s sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial. Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.

This dual-timeline story from award-winning author Erin Bartels takes readers from the sleepy Midwest to the sultry Mediterranean on a relentless search for truth, identity, and the freedom to follow one’s dreams.

My Thoughts:

This book is packed with heart and history. The two timelines read seamlessly, and I enjoyed seeing how they connected. 

The historical timeline was probably my favorite; I loved following Viviana’s story and felt for all her heartache, as well as admired her strength.

I was impressed with how the author can start you off feeling one way about a character (or characters) and then have those feelings and perceptions change as you continue reading.

It was beautifully written, and I found the entire story captivating.

I am extra blessed because the reading of this book coincided with a first time trip to France, and so seeing various paintings at Le Louvre while reading a book centered around painting added another level of wonder.

 I will say that I wish the Christian content would have been more. It was extremely light on that account, and I think faith would have added so much more to it as well.

Thanks to the publishers for a complimentary copy of the novel. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts expressed are entirely my own.