The Crimson Portrait

by JodyShields (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2008

  $7.53

  Spring 1915: On a sprawling country estate not far from London a young woman mourns her husband, fallen on a distant battlefield. But the isolation and eerie stillness in which she grieves is shattered as her home is transformed into a bustling military hospital. Disturbed by the intrusion of the suffering soldiers, the increasingly fragile widow finds unexpected solace in the company of a wounded officer whose mutilateded face, concealed by bandages, she cannot see.Their affair takes an unexpected turn when fate presents her with an opportunity: to remake her lover - with the unwitting help of a visionary surgeon and a woman artist - in the image of her lost husband...Inspired by the little-known but extraordinary collaboration between artists and surgeons in the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded men during the First World War, The Crimson Portrait illuminates the abiding mysteries of identity and desire. It is a disturbing, dazzling novel - as stylish, suspenseful and darkly erotic as Jody Shields' acclaimed bestselling debut, The Fig Eater.

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $8.43

  Spring 1915. On a sprawling country estate not far from London a young woman mourns her husband, fallen on a distant battlefield. The eerie stillness in which she grieves will soon be shattered as her home is transformed into a bustling military hospital. Recoiling from the chaos, unhinged by grief, the young widow finds unexpected refuge in the plight of a young soldier whose face, concealed by bandages, she cannot see. Their affair takes a fateful turn when she seizes upon the opportunity to remake her lover in the image of her lost husband. he Crimson Portrait is a novel of glittering surfaces that belie dark truths. Its rich cast - including the elderly surgeon whose skills prove tragically insufficient, the stable boy who seeks to improve his station, and the American woman artist through whose alchemy the wounded soldiers are afforded their best hope of reclaiming their shattered lives - comes into focus as the novel peels back layers of suspense and intrigue to show the blossoming of romance and the inevitable testing of true love.