The Light Within Us (The Spindrift Trilogy #1) by Charlotte Betts
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas
Read: 16th June 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 5th March 2020)
★★★★★ 5 stars
Historical fiction sagas are one of my favourite genres and Cornwall is one my favourite locales. The first of three books, THE LIGHT WITHIN US by Charlotte Betts has got the trilogy off to a fantastic start and I cannot wait for the next one "The Fading of the Light". The only problem is that I now have to wait till January 2021!
Beginning in 1891, Edith marries her beloved Benedict and the couple honeymoon in the South of France with a group of their artist friends from the Slade. An interesting way to spend one's honeymoon - though not unheard of in Victorian times - they meet Pascal, cousin to one of their friends Wilfred, staying at his beautiful villa in Provence. The group spend their time painting, sketching, eating and drinking and basically having a wonderful time.
Having not long graduated from the Slade, Edith begins sketching in an attempt to find her niche whilst her new husband Benedict spends his time laughing and drinking and pretty much anything but painting. When he does produce something, Edith feels it is lacking and somewhat wooden but when she verbally makes this observation, Benedict is enraged and mortified. He in turn decides to ignore his wife until she apologises, humiliating her at every turn. The honeymoon now over, Edith devotes all her energy to painting with some delightful results.
Then one afternoon, missing the closeness she shared with her husband, Edith goes in search of Benedict to try and put their differences aside and move forward in their marriage. What she didn't expect was to walk in on something so shocking, leaving her both humiliated and ashamed by the discovery that in her distress she finds herself in the comfort of another's arms. By the time the group return to Cornwall, Edith finds herself pregnant with his child.
Too ashamed to reveal her secret, Edith resolves to reconcile with Benedict in the hope he will accept the child as his own. By this time, Benedict has shown that he is not the man Edith had thought him to be and so she makes the best of things by devoting herself to her art and creating a community of artists at Spindrift House.
Soon after the friends arrive, they discover the truth behind Benedict's inheritance of Spindrift House and are soon ostracised by the locals, the source of which coming from the Penroses of Cliff House whose family had once owned Spindrift House. For once, Benedict is not to blame but that doesn't stop vicious gossip being spread about the artists living a depraved and bohemian lifestyle.
The story revolves primarily around Edith and Benedict and the difficulties in their marriage, along with their friends who live in the remote house just outside of Port Isaac. Each friend has their own unique talent and shine in their own particular way. Clarissa finds her niche in designing jewelery from sea glass, Dora becomes an illustrator of children's stories whilst Pascal, like Benedict and Edith, is a painter. Benedict, however, has always been jealous of his wife's talent as a better artist than he is.
Benedict is a volatile and disagreeable character who is both lazy and envious of Edith's greater talent. He spends more time drinking and cavorting at the local pub than painting and soon funds are fast depleting that the group must find a way to bring more income into Spindrift House. Edith decides to open the house to other artists, renting out rooms and outbuildings, and open a gallery for passing tourists. However life at Spindrift House was never going to be easy as the community of friends and artists find themselves facing eviction and poverty as well as being ostracised by a number of shopkeepers and residents in the village. But Edith is determined to find a way to keep them at Spindrift House and the threat of eviction far from reality.
THE LIGHT WITHIN US is well told tale that spans several years approaching the end of the 19th century. It is meticulously researched with a wonderful backdrop that brings life to both the story and the characters, each of whom are all carefully developed. Pascal, the French artist, is likable from the start who always seems to be there for Edith when her husband clearly is not. Dora, who did not grow up in the social circles of class as her friends, teaches them all to cook and how to keep house and who becomes one of the most dependable characters in the story. Clarissa, I did not like at the beginning, but her story unfolds we discover she is nursing a secret backstory that will break your heart. There are the other artists who also move into their community - Wilfred, Julian, Augustus and spinster sisters Mabel and Maude (I think?) - who band together when Edith needs them most. Tension is supplied by the vindictive neighbours, the Penroses, along with another secret that lingers on the edge of the story.
An absorbing and compelling tale, THE LIGHT WITHIN US is wonderful easy to read book, with the most difficult thing about it is not being able to put it down!
A poignant and engrossing read, THE LIGHT WITHIN US is a fascinating story that I strongly recommend for lovers of historical fiction. As the first in the trilogy, I cannot wait for the next one to see where Edith and her friend's stories lead.
My first read by Charlotte Betts and it won't be my last!
I would like to thank #CharlotteBetts, #NetGalley and #Piatkus for an ARC of #TheLightWithinUs in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment