The Beauties

Reviews

‘Delicious and sexy … Chater’s writing is full of rich details … Her love of the history and knowledge of the painting styles of the Dutch masters shines through in her meticulous research that hits the page with just the right brushstroke.’  'The Beauties is an enjoyable romantic history in more ways than one. Romance, love, sexual liaisons and dilemmas abound, but these are all part of the richness, romance and rivalries of courtly life. Lauren Chater sets her scenes and paints her characters and their various lives, thoughts, emotions and problems with the discerning eye and skill of an artist inspired by the painter of the Windsor Beauties.' ‘Perfectly scripted.’ ‘Power. Ambition. Passion ... Lauren Chater’s The Beauties explores the many facets of beauty – and those who covet it, curse it, and long to create it – while capturing the grit and vibrancy of seventeenth-century London in rich and sweeping brushstrokes. Delicious and addictive!’ ‘The Beauties is intelligent, beguiling and absorbing ... Chater’s writing is a feast, rich and detailed, drawing us into the world of theatre, art and court in sixteenth-century London and Delft, where women strive against social limitations to create and develop their talents, and to find love and security.’ ‘In The Beauties Lauren Chater has inhaled the spirit of the age and breathed it onto every shimmering page. A beautifully evocative must read.’ ‘The Beauties is simultaneously a beautifully structured portrait of the intrigue and treachery of life in the court of Charles II and a deeply empathetic study of the sacrifices the women at its centre must make to survive.’ ‘A sumptuous and stirring tale of power and privilege, art and aesthetics in the court of King Charles II, The Beauties captivates from the first page to the final. Lauren Chater writes clever and compassionate historical fiction.’ ‘The success of this novel is in the beautiful language. It is lush and evoked a sense of time and place … Highly recommended.’ Expand reviews