About the Book:

An incomparable beauty. A promise to a king. A portrait that can never be completed.

When Emilia Lennox loses everything after her husband’s lands and title are confiscated, her beauty is her best bargaining chip with the only man who can restore their fortunes: King Charles II himself.

But the king’s favour comes at a price. He will pardon Emilia’s husband only if she agrees to be his mistress. Torn, Emilia comes up with a condition of her own: she will consent, but not until her portrait hangs among the famed Windsor Beauties, a series commissioned by the Duchess of York to showcase the fairest women in the royal retinue.

For Henry Greenhill, ambitious assistant to the court painter, the opportunity to paint Emilia’s portrait is a chance to step out of his master’s shadow. But his sitter proves as evasive as she is beautiful, and with barely a sketch to show for his efforts, Henry’s career is on the line.

As the king’s patience wears thin, it’s clear that more than creative talent will be needed to capture this incomparable beauty on canvas.

Published by Simon & Schuster Australia

Released April 2024

My Thoughts:

A new release by Lauren Chater is always a much-anticipated literary treat. The Beauties is a novel about art and beauty – the way it is valued and the way it is represented. Told from multiple perspectives, The Beauties is at once an absorbing and enjoyable read. Set in the mid 1660s, within the reign of King Charles II, just as he is taking back his throne, and then several years later, as he is well and truly ascended to it.

I enjoyed all of the perspectives but had a particular liking and interest in Anne’s sections, prior to her becoming the Duchess of York, sister-in-law to the king. I enjoyed her character development and felt myself particularly invested in her destiny and admired her emphatic values and honour.

While this story is predominantly about art in the 17th century, it is also about beauty, its value, and the immortalisation of it on canvas. I found it interesting to read about the copies that were made of paintings as small cards, traded and sold in the same way of media today, reinforcing that a woman and her beauty has always been a commodity traded by men for gain, be it financial profit or for pleasure.

The Beauties is also a love story between two artists, but I enjoyed how this simmered in the background, not overtaking the larger story. This is very much a novel of female emancipation, using one’s beauty as a weapon, just as much as an asset. Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction with a feminist gaze.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.