Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Creating love from darkness is the greatest art…

Living a bohemian lifestyle in Paris is wonderful for Teddy Dandridge, but disastrous for his finances. His unconventional artistic creations find few buyers. After a year of failure, he returns to England to fulfill a portrait commission for a wealthy family, but he finds a different, source of inspiration secreted away in their sprawling house. 

Isolated and rejected by his family, Phineas Abernathy haunts the west wing like a ghost. A physical deformity has locked him away from society for all his life. Filling his days with reading and drawing, he dreams of a life that seems unachievable…until irreverent, opinionated Teddy explodes into his quiet world.

Intrigued by the kind and creative man beneath the ungainly exterior, Teddy gives Phin nightly drawing lessons. A private friendship is born as the men share life stories, future hopes and a growing attraction. Phin agrees to pose for a portrait in which Teddy tries to illustrate the depth and beauty he sees in him. He also guides the eager virgin in the ways of love between men.

When persecutors from Phin’s past arrive at the house, the slights and hurts he has suffered his entire life boil over. He must at last be brave enough to emerge from his cocoon and venture into an often cruel and judgmental world. And Teddy must risk Society’s censure to embrace his protégé’s love.

Book Review

Two artists with very different backgrounds are at the center of this story of painful isolation, growing self-awareness, and an unexpected love that changes both main characters from the inside out. Set at the beginning of the twentieth century, when modern, abstract art was just about to take off, it is a showcase for the strength of a creative drive that can have a range of consequences on an artist’s life as well as his personality. It was interesting for those reasons alone, but what kept me turning the pages was the interpersonal drama between Teddy, a free spirit who is fighting for the freedom of expression, and Phineas, a physically disfigured man who has been basically imprisoned by his family “for his own good” and slowly learns that the world “out there” might have a space for him – if he can find the courage to go for it.

Teddy is a painter, a passionate young man who has been to Paris but had to return when the money ran out. His abstract style is not exactly “in” so he has to turn to painting portraits to earn a living. The wealthy family he stays with while he puts the youngest daughter’s likeness on canvas harbors a few secrets – one of them the second-oldest son who is less than handsome, has a disfigured left arm, and is made out to be a “monster” who is not to be seen outside the west wing of the house lest he embarrass the family.

Phineas is shy, doesn’t know much about the world other than what he has read in books, and has a keen interest in drawing the animals and plants he observes in the hidden corner of the gardens that he considers his. Like all victims of emotional abuse, he believes the things his cruel parents and siblings tell him: he is hideous, stupid, not good for anything, and should be grateful that he is being fed and clothed. His servant is as horrible as the rest of them, but Phineas is grateful the man even speaks to him.

As you can probably imagine, the sparks fly when the two meet. Phineas is fascinated with the presence of such a talented painter, and keeps sneaking to the room where Teddy works. Teddy is intrigued to find that the “monster” the rest of the family members described is a curious, intelligent young man. One thing leads to another, art lessons for Phineas turn into a hesitant friendship, and eventually, the two men become lovers. Teddy is very insistent that Phineas should fight for his rights and maybe become an artist in his own right. But Phineas is not ready and, while Teddy opens the door to a new world for him, Phineas will have to walk through it himself. It is a painful process, and I despaired at times, but the author did a great job describing what someone in his situation would feel and do – or not do, as the case may be.

If you like character-driven stories with lots of personal pain and growth, if you want to watch two young men figure out how to make a life for themselves against all odds and in a society that considered love between two men to be deviant and illegal, and if you’re looking for a spellbinding read that might just make you cry, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. Bravo, Bonnie!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 153 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	28-August-2018
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Bonnie-Dee-ebook/dp/B07FCRVSWK