REMBRANDTS PROMISE : A BELIEVABLE ELEGANT AND ATMOSPHERIC NOVEL – JUST BEAUTIFUL – NUALA OCONNO PB – BARBARA LEAHY

Stunning historical immersion into the world of Rembrandt with a gripping plot of a promise turned sour. For fans of Stacey Halls, Maggie O Farrell and Tracy Chevalier. With glorious language, she gives us a believable, elegant and atmospheric novel – just beautiful – Nuala O Connor – author of Seaborne and NORA Hanging beside the door is a painting of a wedding feast. ­ The light is centred on the bride; the guests are banished to the shade. ­ That is how it is when he looks at her: all others fade away. 1642. ­The Dutch Golden Age is underway, with Amsterdam at the height of its powers. Geertje, an impoverished widow from Edam, enters a melting pot of wealth and culture when she becomes nursemaid in the house of renowned painter Rembrandt. After Rembrandt s wife dies, Geertje is drawn deeper into his world and despite her friends warnings, she begins a passionate affair with the master of light and shadow, with devastating results. Based on the true account of a wronged woman who demanded justice, with themes of feminism, loss, ambition and redemption, this is a remarkable debut, perfect for fans of sumptuous historical fiction.