| |
The gripping tale of lies, lost chances and misplaced love.
Will the secrets of the past destroy an artist’s legacy?
_______________________
The soul-searching conclusion to The Cornish Knot
_______________________
An Italian artist, a Cornish knot and a Maori koru lead to a shocking exposé.
As World War One escalates, can he keep his secrets safe?
In 1863, Matteo Borgoni is a desperate man. If he is to free his beloved wife held captive by her father in Melbourne, his picture framing business must succeed. Haunted by the memory of failure, he has many obstacles to overcome before he can establish himself with the artists of Dunedin, New Zealand and be reunited with his love.
Fifty years on, Luciano, a rakish Italian portrait artist fleeing from a life of lies, turns up at Borgoni Picture Framers seeking refuge. As the ravages of World War One escalate, an unusual friendship and newfound rapport brings unforeseen repercussions. A terrifying pandemic is the last thing they need.
Over a century later, a man recognises a portrait in an Auckland gallery, and demands it back. Amid another global pandemic, a marriage on the brink of failure, and a life-and -death struggle, the portrait exposes generations of family secrets and deceptions with life-changing results.
Portrait of a Man is told over three timelines through the eyes of different generations.
Vicky Adin has cleverly placed Portrait of a Man apart from other historical novels set in New Zealand’s pioneer years; there is nothing at all predictable about the story. With intricately interwoven stories to tease apart, readers are drawn into the fragments of a mosaic-like mystery. A refreshingly different family saga which I enjoyed on many levels.
**** 5-star Flaxroots review
_______________________
First book in THE ART OF SECRETS series
_______________________
