Stanley and Elsie by Nicola Upson






It is my first book by Nicola Upson, and I was surprised by the story. I love historical fiction, and this is a very good book about the life of Sir Stanley Spencer (1891-1959). I must admit I didn’t know the work of Sir Stanley Spencer and this book gave me the opportunity to discover a painter and his works. It left me with the wish to I to go and visit the Sandham Memorial Chapel.

I loved more the first part where it is well described the life and the relationship between Elsie, the Spencers’ housemaid and Stanley. It is a beautiful description of everyday family-life with its ups and downs.

The second part of the book was interesting but, because it was a quite detailed description of the conjugal struggles and of Stanley relationship with Patricia Preece, I didn’t like much.

I recommend this book to readers who loved “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain because it describes the marriage life and troubles of an artist and to the readers who love to learn more about artists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Published on May 2nd by Duckworth

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