THE FRAUD by BARBARA EWING

THE FRAUD

BY BARBARA EWING

THE BLURB:-

1763. As candles flicker in the falling dust along Pall Mall, Filipo de Vecellio, fêted portrait painter from Florence, and his beautiful wife Angelica entertain the cream of London's art world in their fashionable home, with Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough among the guests, and William Hogarth a disapproving observer.

Little is known of Filipo's past or his family- except in the shadows sits his sister, Francesca, who watches, and listens, and waits.

For beneath the opulence and success, the house conceals a swarm of dangerous secrets, corruption and lies. Filipo's ambition has meant numerous, terrible sacrifices for Francesca but he is not the only painter, nor the only one capable of fraud. And as the great wild city of trade and business expands its grasping, avid tentacles, a climax erupts involving love and passion- and the quiet sister who has waited so long...

THE REALITY:-

Art- tick- I studied art before studying fashion, and still hold a very big interest. London- tick- the city of my birth and residence, and the place I feel truly at home. History- tick- I always wished I had continued studying history after the third year at school as I love it, but the teacher I had at the time, in his mismatched outfits, bored me to death going over the Reformation time and time again, so I dropped it. Mystique, lies and corruption- tick- this book sounded like it ticked most of my boxes!

It didn't, however, do that much for me. It was so put-down-able that I actually managed to read another novel half way through this book, and then come back to it! Although I was able to pick up the thread very easily, I frequently speed-read parts, skimming through page after page, like an errant student, in the places where the story dragged (there were a lot of them). And I guess that was the problem- the book was just too damn long winded.

The characters and setting were believable, the style of writing original and enchanting and the writer has certainly done her art and history homework. I loved the parts where Grace/ Francesca spoke in the first person, and the fact that a change of font differentiated between her words and the main body of the story. I also felt emotionally connected to her, liked her immorality, felt for her frustration, and sometimes wanted to get into the novel and shake her, to try and force her to stand up for herself. But I suppose her slyness was the whole basis for the story, and I'm glad she kind of got a happy ending. I would certainly give this author another go, but perhaps with trepidation.