Portrait of an Unknown Woman

A young woman comes of age in Tudor England amid rising political and religious tensions in this luminous historical novel debut.

"Readers of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring will enjoy this debut novel for its elucidation of Holbein's symbolism. . . . Highly recommended." —Library Journal (starred review)

"Part love story, part thriller, all excellently imagined and written." —The Times (London)

In the year 1527, the great portraitist Hans Holbein, fleeing this Protestant Reformation, comes to England under commission to Sir Thomas More. Over the course of the next six years, Holbein paints nearly two identical portraits of the More family, his dear and loyal friends. But closer examination of the second painting reveals several mysteries . . .

Set against the turmoil and tragedy of Henry VIII's court, Portrait of an Unknown Woman vividly evokes sixteenth-century England on the verge of enormous change—as viewed through the eyes of Meg Giggs, More's intelligent, tenderhearted, headstrong adopted daughter, who stands at the center of this sweeping, extraordinary epic. It is a tale of sin and religion, desire and deception—the story of a young woman on the brink of a sensual awakening and a country on the edge of mayhem.

"An engrossing, quietly impassioned historical that blends some big ideas into the love story and ends with a touching burst of emotional insight." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Bennett constructs lush backdrops and costumes, and has impeccable historical sense. She luminously shades in an ambiguous period with lavish strokes of humanity, unbridled passion and mystery." —Publishers Weekly

"A must-have for those readers who like literary fiction with a large dose of historical authenticity." —Booklist