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Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite
We begin The Portrait by Hazel Statham during the Spanish battle of Salamanca where a young Edward Thurston, Earl of Sinclair, was grievously injured by a cannonball. The only companionship he seeks when he returns to Fly Hall is that of a miniature portrait of a young lady with smiling eyes, which is unfortunate as he is supposed to marry Lady Jennifer Lynton. They have both concluded, for different reasons, that they cannot go through with the impending marriage. Lady Jennifer feels as though she knows little of the earl. His correspondence has been dry and impersonal, and he believes no woman could love him in his current physical state which solidifies his resolve to end the betrothal.
That, in a nutshell, is what The Portrait is “about” but really Hazel Statham has infused the story with much more than its characters. It is about one man’s obsession with a portrait, which he often gazes upon in times of weakness or melancholy that really forms the foundation for this story. It had me wondering just who this beautiful woman with the dark curls was, which incidentally had me eating up the pages to find out. The friendship between Jennifer and Edward is solid and strong and obviously based on more than mere friendly affection. Their friendship forms the basis of the romance instead of the typical way of a two-week courting period, so the reader is allowed to see the relationship develop. The other characters in The Portrait are rich, multi-faceted people, not just vapid men and women of the ton, particularly their trouble-making siblings.
The Portrait is a wonderful tale of love and of friendship.
