false 592091 15 <p> <I>The year is 1527. The great portraitist Hans Holbein, who has fled the reformation in Europe, is making his first trip to England under commission to Sir Thomas More. In the course of six years, Holbein will become a close friend to the More family and paint two nearly identical family portraits. But closer examination of the paintings reveals that the second holds several mysteries... </I> </p> <p> Set against the turmoil, intrigue and, tragedy of Henry VIII's court, <I>Portrait of an Unknown Woman</I> vividly evokes sixteenth-century England on the verge of enormous change. As the Protestant Reformation sweeps across Europe to lap at England's shores, relations between her king and the Catholic Church begin to plummet-driven by Henry VIII's insatiable need for a male heir and the urgings of his cunning mistress Anne Boleyn-and heresy begins to take hold. As tensions rise, Henry VIII turns to his most trusted servant and defender of Catholic orthodoxy, Sir Thomas More to keep peace in England, but soon the entire More family find their own lives at risk. </p> <p> At the center of <I>Portrait of an Unknown Woman</I> is Meg Gigg's, Sir Thomas More's twenty-three year old adopted daughter. Intelligent, headstrong, and tender-hearted, Meg has been schooled in the healing arts. And though she is devoted to her family, events conspire that will cause Meg to question everything she thought she knew-including the desires of her own heart. As the danger to More and his family increases, two men will vie for Meg's affections: John Clement, her former tutor and More's protégé who shares Meg's passion for medicine, but whose true identity will become unclear, and the great Holbein, who's artistic vision will forever alter her understanding of the world. <p> <p> With a striking sense of period detail <I>Portrait of an Unknown Woman</I> is an unforgettable story of sin and religion, desire and deception. It is the story of a young woman on the brink of sensual awakening and of a country on the edge of mayhem. </p> 892759 1 4 2007 Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Novel total:516|5:50|4:206|3:181|2:60|1:19| 516 1756 865 157 2 1 false false Tue Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 29 20:37:46 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 15 20:29:53 -0700 2008
The main thing that struck me about the book was it's incredible length, and unbelievable non-action. There was no climax. There was only weak plot. It took FOREVER to listen...more...]]> 1 1 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 05:47:58 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 06:05:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Jun 14 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 16:09:03 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 03 10:54:55 -0800 2009 I enjoyed this perspective on those crazy power mongers who lived during the reign of Henry VIII. Vanora Bennett creates a fictional account of the life of Meg Griggs, Thomas More's adopted daughter. Thomas More being one of King Henry VIII's devoted servants and a staunch defender of Cathol...more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Nov 06 10:32:38 -0800 2007 Mon Nov 12 09:25:33 -0800 2007 Morland Dynasty series, I have been completely and totally in love with English historical fiction. I will happily read just about anything set in England prior to 1945. Yum! So far, this novel is filling the basic requirement of filling my...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 13 13:49:50 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 13 13:59:00 -0700 2007
I agree that the book would appeal to those who are interested in a conspiracy theory, but I must admit...more...]]> 1 1 false false Sun May 20 17:49:14 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 06 10:21:15 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 22:53:25 -0700 2008 Sat May 24 23:11:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false true Sun May 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 04:32:43 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 05:01:36 -0700 2009 1 Meg feels left out because she is the only daughter of the house unmarried. She has ...more...]]> 2 0 false true Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 17:35:53 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 17:47:07 -0700 2009
To begin with, there were several lapses into 'modern-speak' which stood out glaringly. That is always a particul...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Feb 04 18:13:41 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 18:17:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 21:03:15 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 21:09:44 -0800 2009 It takes place in 1557 during the English Renaissance under a young King Henry VIII. The young German painter Hans Holbein, who has come to London to seek hi...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 10:18:23 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 18:49:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat May 16 21:02:59 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 21:11:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false true Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 09:26:58 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 09:35:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 19:12:16 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 06:57:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false true Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 11:16:09 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 12:06:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 22 10:19:48 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 10:19:56 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jan 02 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue May 05 19:20:17 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 03:00:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 12:09:05 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 12:19:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 29 11:05:19 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 20:26:26 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1070268