My best reads from June are:
Victoria Connelly - Family Portrait
Following the death of Brenna's father, landscape painter Nicholas Bellwood, she meets up with her older brother, Alex, and younger sister, Cordelia, at his home in the Lake District. They need to decide what to do with his paintings, studio, and the contents of their substantial family home. Their mother died several years earlier, after leaving her husband following years of coming second to his illustrious career. Alex and Brenna also had difficult relationships with Nicholas, though much younger Cordelia was close to him. All of them are emotionally attached to the magnificent setting of the home where they grew up, and they struggle to deal with Nicholas's belongings while they prepare for his funeral. But the reading of their father's will to them brings a huge shock for them as they discover that their father had a whole other secret side to his life. The siblings struggle to understand their emotions about the enigmatic man who was their father. Cordelia remembers seeing a family portrait that he had painted, and becomes desperate to trace it to see if it can provide answers about his true feelings for them. As the search for the painting begins, they begin to learn more about themselves and there is the chance to heal old emotional wounds from the past. A novel that explores difficult family relationships and how the lives our parents live are seen from a totally different perspective once we grow up. Interesting characters, all within the setting of one of the most beautiful areas of England.
Heidi Eljarbo - The London Forgery
I am a great fan of this author's novels, which always have a Norwegian thread. This one is the first in a series set in the 1970s. The main character is Fabiola Bennett, the daughter of Soli Hansen, heroine of the author's series about the wartime Norwegian art resistance group. Fabiola is an art historian, called to the National Portrait Gallery in London to quietly investigate a possible problem with the Gainsborough Painting of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews. What she discovers is shocking, and she knows she has to keep it hidden from public knowledge. With the help of her friends - Cary, a London police officer, and Pippa, a bookseller - she sets out on a mission to rectify the matter. But it turns out to be a tricky and even dangerous endeavour, as she encounters people from even the darkest areas of society. The mystery unfolds with dexterity and fascinating leads, rabbit holes, and twists. Meanwhile we get a glimpse into the life of the painter, Thomas Gainsborough, back in the 18th century as he paints the portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, and why he painted it the way he did. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Jo Leevers - The Museum of Second Chances
This newly published novel of awakenings and coming to terms with the past is thoroughly heartwarming and a great read. The main character is Evelyn, a lonely and disappointed woman in her sixties who runs a little museum in a boathouse on the Cornish coast. She spends her days trawling the beach, picking up rubbish but also hoarding items she thinks are interesting, which she displays in the chaotic museum. She views her life as a failure, having started life as a foundling, and later having ruined her chances of working in the British Museum in London. In the neighbouring boathouse, Della with her colourful clothes and hair runs an ice cream parlour, dispensing bizarre flavours of her wares. When each woman receives a letter informing them that their leases are to be ended and the boathouses sold to a developer, Evelyn is reluctantly drawn into a campaign to save them. Three younger people who want to save the boathouses step in and begin to organise their strategies - Sariah, estranged from her family and a manager at the local hotel; Angela, who works at the local leisure centre and mother to a young boy; and Jacob, who works in the local newsagents, but who has grander origins. As part of their campaign they choose four objects to display, asking people to comment on them. But as stories begin to come to light, there are secrets that have long lain undisturbed and begin to lay bare hidden truths that stir up the lives of all involved. The museum begins to live up to its name, as each of the participants is given the opportunity for new chances - but are they too much to bear?
