The Sculptress

V.S. Alexander

Feb 2021 · Kensington Books

About this eBook

From acclaimed author V.S. Alexander comes an absorbing, immersive novel set during World War I, as a talented and ambitious artist finds an unusual calling.
 
May 1917: The elegant streets of Boston are thousands of miles away from the carnage of the Western Front. Yet even here, amid the clatter of horse-drawn carriages and automobiles, it is impossible to ignore the war raging across Europe. Emma Lewis Swan’s husband, Tom, has gone to France, eager to do his duty as a surgeon. Emma, a sculptress, has stayed behind, pursuing her art despite being dismissed by male critics. On the bustling sidewalk she spies a returned soldier. His brutally scarred face inspires first pity, and then something more—a determination to use her skill to make masks for disfigured soldiers.
 
Leaving Boston for France also means leaving behind Linton Bower, a fiery, gifted artist determined to win her. Emma’s union with Tom has been steady yet passionless, marred by guilt over a choice she made long ago. In Paris, she crafts intricate, lifelike masks to restore these wounded men to the world. But in the course of her new career she will encounter one man who compels her to confront the secret she’s never revealed, not even to Tom. Only by casting off the façade she has worn for so long can she pursue a path through heartbreak and turmoil toward her own unexpected future. . . .
 
 
Praise for V.S. Alexander’s The Traitor
 
“Alexander brings his signature commitment to historical accuracy to The Traitor, immersing readers in the intrigue of the resistance. Fans of Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See and Alex Rosenberg's The Girl from Krakow will fall under the spell of this powerfully moving novel.”
—Booklist
 

Ratings and reviews

Unlikeable Characters and Bad Narration Audiobook Review: Having just listened to a fascinating historical fiction novel about a group of young Smith college graduates who took part in the war effort in France during World War II (Band of Sisters), I was fascinated by this book when I saw it at a review site. The book's description and cover promised a fascinating story about a young American sculptress who comes to Paris to make masks for men disfigured in the war. The description really makes it sound like this is going to be the major thrust of the book, but the heroine doesn't even get to France until the halfway point of the book. Since I listened to the novel as an audiobook, I kept you waiting for what I thought the story was going to be about to happen. Instead, the author spends a lot of time on the heroine's earlier life, focusing on her mistakes with men as well as her art. There were so many problems beyond this. The author did not create likeable characters. One appeared to be noble in his intentions, but he ended up being as slimy as Emma's teenage baby daddy, thinking it’s OK to be unfaithful while he’s at war. I kept waiting for a story of any merit to emerge or for the characters to grow and become better people (or even more interesting to follow). There were so many things not to like about Emma in particular. I won't detail them all here, but she just wasn't a good person, flitting through life, bemoaning her circumstances, and making bad choices (especially with men). The narrator did not do a good job either. Except for the ones who had accents, all the male characters sounded exactly the same. And I mean exactly! Emma and the other female characters had at least a little distinction between their voices, but not much. If you enjoy historical fiction about World War I, I suggest finding another, better book. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

About the author

V.S. Alexander is an ardent student of history with a strong interest in music and the visual arts. Some of V.S.’s writing influences include Shirley Jackson, Oscar Wilde, Daphne du Maurier, or any work by the exquisite Brontë sisters. V.S. lives in Florida and is at work on a new historical novel for Kensington.