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1st out of 285 books
—
200 voters
A Lasting Impression (Belmont Mansion #1)
by
Tamera Alexander (Goodreads Author)
Claire Laurent's greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she's forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. B...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
October 15th 2011
by Bethany House
(first published June 2nd 2011)
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A Lasting Impression is a wonderful start to a new series. With writing that is rich and textured, Ms. Alexander paints a portrait of Belmont and Nashville after the Civil War that will pull you in and almost make you believe that you are living there yourself.
First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.
Wow. Words seem so inadequate to express just how rich this book is—both in historical details and the romantic tension. I can't remember exactly, but it's been a while since a book touched me so emotionally; I was fighting tears at times. But therein is the beauty of Tamera Alexander's new release, A Lasting Impression—her writing touches to the heart.
And the writing! Tamera's style was beautiful and brought to life the Belmont mansion as seen through...more
Wow. Words seem so inadequate to express just how rich this book is—both in historical details and the romantic tension. I can't remember exactly, but it's been a while since a book touched me so emotionally; I was fighting tears at times. But therein is the beauty of Tamera Alexander's new release, A Lasting Impression—her writing touches to the heart.
And the writing! Tamera's style was beautiful and brought to life the Belmont mansion as seen through...more
This book was extremely well written and such a good read! I wanted to cry so many times while reading because the author purposely puts God's grace into her writing. it was so inspirational. I feel similar to when I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Tamera is one of my new favorite authors and I will want to read all of her books. This is the 1st book of a series and the other 2 haven't come out yet. However, you aren't going to be on the edge of your seat waiting for the next one because...more
This is the first book I've read by Alexander, and I really enjoyed it! The only thing that prevents me giving this a five-star rating is that, at least a half-dozen times throughout the book, there were extended passages of exposition that really seemed to bog the story down: in one example, during Claire's interview with Mrs. Acklen, she was asked a question, and it was followed by almost three full pages of internal monologue before being answered. I admit, I skipped over this and other such...more
Let me confess up front – the cover of this book made me fall in love with Claire. What woman doesn’t sometimes imagine herself wearing one of the beautiful ball gowns from the Civil War era? And this one was spectacular.
That aside, the story inside was wonderful. Claire Laurent leaves a bad situation and just happens to fall into a dream world. As liason to Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, who is trying to reclaim her place in society, Claire is delighted to find that Belmont is filled with artwork beyond...more
That aside, the story inside was wonderful. Claire Laurent leaves a bad situation and just happens to fall into a dream world. As liason to Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, who is trying to reclaim her place in society, Claire is delighted to find that Belmont is filled with artwork beyond...more
Bestselling Christian writer Tamara Alexander has created another masterpiece in her latest novel “A Lasting Impression”. Claire Laurent is living with her father in New Orleans as a copiest painting art that her father will sell as an original painting. Claire knows that what she is doing is wrong, but does not have the strength to go against her father. One night there is a robbery at the art studio and Claire’s father is murdered so Claire is forced to flee to Nashville Tennessee. When she ar...more
Again a wonderful I-can’t-put-this-away-to-go-to-bed-in-time novel written by Tamera Alexander. I had the honor of meeting her so I have *gleams with pride* a signed copy of A Lasting Impression.
The setting in which this story takes place, is different from Alexanders’ previous novels. The Fountain Creek Chronicles, the Timber Ridge Reflections and The Inheritance all take place in wild west Colorado, this book is located more to the south, around Nashville, where Tamera Alexander lives now. Thi...more
The setting in which this story takes place, is different from Alexanders’ previous novels. The Fountain Creek Chronicles, the Timber Ridge Reflections and The Inheritance all take place in wild west Colorado, this book is located more to the south, around Nashville, where Tamera Alexander lives now. Thi...more
This book gets four stars for the following reasons:
1. Fascinating period of history following the civil war (I'm a little obsessed with civil war, I DID grow up in Virginia.)
2. Beautiful setting of the Belmont Mansion.
3. Some of the most touching quotes about life I've read by an author.
Here are some of those quotes:
"We should not expect to have all the blessings of life and none of its trials. It would make this world too delightful a dwelling place, and I fear we would never care to leave it....more
1. Fascinating period of history following the civil war (I'm a little obsessed with civil war, I DID grow up in Virginia.)
2. Beautiful setting of the Belmont Mansion.
3. Some of the most touching quotes about life I've read by an author.
Here are some of those quotes:
"We should not expect to have all the blessings of life and none of its trials. It would make this world too delightful a dwelling place, and I fear we would never care to leave it....more
I love romance set against an historical background. Even more, I love when that story takes place in the era of the Civil War. So right from the start I felt A Lasting Impression had two things going for it.
Tamera Alexander's depiction of post-Civil War Nashville and the South is compelling. Her many-faceted characters are intriguing. The setting of Belmont in Nashville and the incorporation of Adelicia Acklen - the real owner of the estate used in a fictitious manner - made it all the better f...more
Tamera Alexander's depiction of post-Civil War Nashville and the South is compelling. Her many-faceted characters are intriguing. The setting of Belmont in Nashville and the incorporation of Adelicia Acklen - the real owner of the estate used in a fictitious manner - made it all the better f...more
Thanks to this wonderful creation called the Public Library, I’ve had the chance to read several more books. I’ve made myself cut down on the amount of books I actually buy (you think it would be easy!), so the gem of a library has allowed me to read a lot more books that looked interesting, but ones I never got around to. Why I didn’t get a library card earlier, one will never know.
Anyway, A Lasting Impression was the first I’ve read of Tamera Alexander and I loved it for several reasons.
A) It...more
Anyway, A Lasting Impression was the first I’ve read of Tamera Alexander and I loved it for several reasons.
A) It...more
A lasting impression is just like it says. I love the historical side of this book that makes me feel like I'm learning something along with enjoying a good book.
Is was a little slow at the start, but really had me wanting to know the outcome as the plot thickened. Great description and character development.
Claire became a forger painter at a young age in hopes of helping to supply medical care to save her mother. Her mother died and then her father is killed too in a robbery at their gallery w...more
Is was a little slow at the start, but really had me wanting to know the outcome as the plot thickened. Great description and character development.
Claire became a forger painter at a young age in hopes of helping to supply medical care to save her mother. Her mother died and then her father is killed too in a robbery at their gallery w...more
Claire Elise Laurent is a young woman that is an artist living in New Orleans with her widowed father. The time period is post Civil War. Claire is an artist like her mother was. Her father is an art broker.
Claire is forced to flee New Orleans, she must make a trip alone to Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville has been sorely bruised by the Civil War. While living in New Orleans Claire saw little of the wars devastation. Shortly after arriving Claire's original plan was thwarted. She instead intervi...more
Claire is forced to flee New Orleans, she must make a trip alone to Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville has been sorely bruised by the Civil War. While living in New Orleans Claire saw little of the wars devastation. Shortly after arriving Claire's original plan was thwarted. She instead intervi...more
Oh. My. I don't even know where to begin to write a review that can do justice to Tamera Alexander's latest masterpiece. When I opened this book, I knew I was in for a treat, and I still managed to be overwhelmed by it. Tammy is truly one of the most gifted authors I have read, and A Lasting Impression is her best novel yet. Just as a black and white sketch is only a faint depiction of a painting, the summary above can only give a glimpse into the outline of this book. Tamera Alexander brings li...more
This is the second historical novel I read from Tamera Alexander and I liked it even better than the first one I read. Maybe because it was set in the South just after the Civil War and it also dealt with the world of art. Claire Elise Laurent, A French artist who immigrated to the United States as a child, is taught by her parents to forge famous paintings so that her father can sell them. After her mother dies and her father is attacked and killed, she runs and ends up working at Belmont Mansi...more
When Claire Laurent flees New Orleans, she hopes to leave her past behind, a past of forging paintings for her father and uncle. She ends up at Belmont Mansion as a personal liaison for Adelicia Acklen, one of the wealthiest women in America after the Civil War. When her past comes back to haunt her, will Claire be able to right the wrongs and look to creating a beautiful future?
This book is amazing. I love that Tamera Alexander set the book in the mansion of a real historical legend. The charac...more
This book is amazing. I love that Tamera Alexander set the book in the mansion of a real historical legend. The charac...more
A Lasting Impression has all of the wonderful elements that make an historical fiction book great. The setting is a place that you can actually visit today. One of the main characters, Adelicia Acklen, is a real person and the storyline has stayed true to her life story. The heroine, Claire Laurent, is not only beautiful and witty, but she has secrets that she does not want to be discovered. The hero, Sutton Monroe, is a masculine species of the finest sorts. He also has things in his past that...more
Oh my goodness I enjoyed this book! When I first started it, I was in a place that had nothing to do with the Belmont Mansion but that was needed to have the story make sense. It was a dark place our heroine needed to escape from to find out who and what she is.
Claire Elise Laurent and Willister Sutton Monroe are the new Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler. I fell in love with them immediately. The sexual tension between them fits right in with the story and gives the story depth. He, a promising at...more
Claire Elise Laurent and Willister Sutton Monroe are the new Scarlet O'Hara and Rhett Butler. I fell in love with them immediately. The sexual tension between them fits right in with the story and gives the story depth. He, a promising at...more
“Would you paint if you knew you were only painting for me?”
Claire Laurent never asked for the life she was forced to lead. Her father manipulated and intimidated her into a life of deceit and lies by exploiting her artistic talents and forcing her to forge priceless paintings for his gallery. When an unexpected set of circumstances afford Claire an opportunity to leave her life of deception, she takes it and tries to make a new life for herself. As she finds a personal relationship with God and...more
Claire Laurent never asked for the life she was forced to lead. Her father manipulated and intimidated her into a life of deceit and lies by exploiting her artistic talents and forcing her to forge priceless paintings for his gallery. When an unexpected set of circumstances afford Claire an opportunity to leave her life of deception, she takes it and tries to make a new life for herself. As she finds a personal relationship with God and...more
I’m not a big historical novel reader,unless the novel has great characters who come alive in my mind, vivid settings and compelling stories.
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander has all of the above.
Set just after the Civil War in Nashville, A Lasting Impression is the story of Claire Laurent, a young woman with a talent for painting. Too bad her father forced her to paint forgeries which he sold in his gallery.
Clair has to flee the gallery and her home and ends up employed at the grandest m...more
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander has all of the above.
Set just after the Civil War in Nashville, A Lasting Impression is the story of Claire Laurent, a young woman with a talent for painting. Too bad her father forced her to paint forgeries which he sold in his gallery.
Clair has to flee the gallery and her home and ends up employed at the grandest m...more
Where I got the book: my local library.
Claire longs to be recognized for her artistic talent, but her father and his business partner force her to forge paintings. A move to Nashville gives Claire the chance for a new start, and she begins to fall for Sutton. But her past is still unresolved.
My pointer was hovering between three and four stars for this review. Let's start with the 4-star side: I did get caught up in the story by the time I got to the last hundred pages of the book. The plot was...more
Claire longs to be recognized for her artistic talent, but her father and his business partner force her to forge paintings. A move to Nashville gives Claire the chance for a new start, and she begins to fall for Sutton. But her past is still unresolved.
My pointer was hovering between three and four stars for this review. Let's start with the 4-star side: I did get caught up in the story by the time I got to the last hundred pages of the book. The plot was...more
I have read many of Tamera Alexander's book and I really enjoy reading them. I must say I was AMAZED and VERY IMPRESSED with this book! I really had a hard time putting this book down and had to keep "sneaking in read time", even when doing homeschool time with my boys. I felt like I a kid in class "hiding the book" so the teacher doesn't see, although this time it was the teacher doing the sneaking.
A Lasting Impression is a Historcial Fiction book, 426 pages in length. Tamera did an superb job...more
A Lasting Impression is a Historcial Fiction book, 426 pages in length. Tamera did an superb job...more
This was one of the few books I've read that has left me with a feeling of wow. The characters, the setting, the storyline...everything seemed to line up perfectly to create a fantastic novel. Claire was brilliant. The perfect mix of repentant with enough of a real person to really make her come alive. Her life was extreme but still believable, if a bit lucky at times. Her relationships, not just with Sutton, but with the entire cast of the book, come slowly at first and the develope into someth...more
Attorney Sutton Monroe is adjusting to post Civil War life in his native city of Nashville, TN. Not only did his father and his best friend perish during the war, Sutton is working to regain his family's land, which has been seized by the government. He hopes that his appeal will find favor with officials in Washington.
Claire Laurent nearly stumbles into Nashville, after being forced to leave her home in New Orleans. Her father has forced her to paint forgeries for his art gallery, something she...more
Claire Laurent nearly stumbles into Nashville, after being forced to leave her home in New Orleans. Her father has forced her to paint forgeries for his art gallery, something she...more
A LASTING IMPRESSION by Tamera Alexander is an intersting inspirational historical fiction set in Nashville's Belmont Mansion,New Orleans,Louisiana in 1866. First book in a new series "A Belmont Mansion Novel".I believe this is the most interesting book I have read in a while. I enjoyed the character Claire,how she believed in telling the truth no matter how bad things came her way. I believe she was teaching us the importance of truth. This is a book you will not want to put down,you will want...more
A talented artist, Claire Laurent is forced to work as a copyist who forges famous paintings, when she only desires to paint her own work. When her father's illicit occupation forces her to flee her New Orleans home, she finds herself adrift in post-Civil War Nashville. A chance encounter with Sutton Monroe leads her to a position in the home of the city's most prominent women.
Claire adapts to her new role and her new life and as she finds herself falling in love with Sutton, she worries that he...more
Claire adapts to her new role and her new life and as she finds herself falling in love with Sutton, she worries that he...more
I used to think every book was a good book. That is, until i got on goodreads and started reading reviews and getting slightly pickier. a lasting impression by tamara alexander had an interesting summary art forgeries intrigue romance nashville high society evything i liked reading about. The main character Claire Laurent is an immigrant from France and forced to forge paintings by her dad. When their business falls apart and her dad is murdered Claire whos always been ueasy about the family bus...more
Rich detail, dramatic storytelling, and well-developed characters help Tamera Alexander’s novel create . . .
A Lasting Impression.
The story follows Claire Laurent, an aspiring artist who is forced to work as a copyist by her father. Misfortune helps her break away from that life and leads her to Nashville, where she crosses paths with dashing attorney Sutton Monroe.
Claire quickly falls under Sutton’s spell, and the tale becomes a sweeping love story set against the backdrop of Nashville’s hist...more
Claire quickly falls under Sutton’s spell, and the tale becomes a sweeping love story set against the backdrop of Nashville’s hist...more
This book was an incredible read! I finished it in five nights - busy days and then I enjoyed my evenings. Once I finished the book I went to the computer to compare notes to the real Belmont in Nashville...looking at the photos on the website was as if the book came alive for me. The story was wonderful. Art, Horses, Nature, Horses, Nashville, Horses, Gowns, Art, History, History, History that was breath-taking. For this event-planner and exective assistant I found it quite appealing how assist...more
I am a big fan of art and I really enjoyed reading about someone who is an art forger. I love Tamara Alexander's books and this book did not disappoint. The love story was written well, the characters were excellent, and the plot was enjoyable.
I was surprised, however, about how long the book was- I felt like a good 50-75 pages of the book could have been cut out and I would have been fine with it. There were parts in the middle that lagged a bit (most of the real action happened in the beginnin...more
I was surprised, however, about how long the book was- I felt like a good 50-75 pages of the book could have been cut out and I would have been fine with it. There were parts in the middle that lagged a bit (most of the real action happened in the beginnin...more
Sigh ... From the breathtaking cover (I imagined what it would be like to wear that dress - didn't you?) to the last page, I was totally immersed in the world she created. I felt totally satisfied at the end, like I'd been seated at a Thanksgiving meal -- every dish special and created with love.
Nothing went to waste in this story either. The plot moves like a southern dance. It never drags or goes so fast you can't keep up. It's as beautiful to watch (read) as it is to participate. The beginni...more
Nothing went to waste in this story either. The plot moves like a southern dance. It never drags or goes so fast you can't keep up. It's as beautiful to watch (read) as it is to participate. The beginni...more
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| Christian Fiction...: August/September Main Group Read | 11 | 51 | Sep 22, 2012 11:45am |
USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander is a novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers worldwide as well as multiple industry awards. Tamera enjoys a devoted international following with her books being translated into German, Dutch, and Polish. She recently returned from a book tour in The Netherlands for the release...more
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“Just as hundreds of brushstrokes comprised a finished canvas, people were made up of a lifetime of experiences, both good and bad. And without knowing what someone had endured, it was impossible to truly know them - and accept them - for who they were.”
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22 people liked it
“Let no one define how you se yourself...save God alone. See yourself through His eyes and His strength, and you'll see who you can be despite being who you are.”
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14 people liked it
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