The Artist’s Apprentice
She’s dutiful. He’s defiant. Each knows what they want. Neither knows what they need.
Against the backdrop of the Arts & Crafts movement and the campaign for women’s suffrage comes a story of family duty, societal norms and forbidden love. Clare Flynn’s sixteenth novel is a captivating tale of love and art that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
A captivating novel of love and art before WW1.
England, 1908. Alice Dalton bows to the will of her aristocrat parents and agrees to marry the elder son of a wealthy stockbroker to bolster the failing family finances. But on the morning of her engagement, Alice confronts a shocking betrayal by her fiancé that ends in a heartbreaking tragedy. His younger brother, Edmund, an up-and-coming stained glass artist is driven by passion for his art and love for a fellow student. His domineering father has other plans, demanding Edmund takes his brother’s place and marries Alice. Alice, tired of being used as a pawn, turns to the women’s suffrage movement. And Edmund, torn between duty and emotion, chooses to follow his heart. Can Alice and Edmund each find fulfilment in a world where duty, money and class jeopardise their dreams?
What readers are saying about The Colour of Glass
“With a master artisan’s eye and exquisite craft, Clare Flynn has created a world where family is not to be trusted, first impressions may deceive, and the path to happiness takes you a long way from home.”
Jane Davis
Author of Small Eden
“This book is a paean for all those who fought to live life their own way. An unlikely romance in a period of unromantic history, I dare you not to fall in love.”
JJ Marsh
Author of the Beatrice Stubbs series
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From the blog
Another story about stained glass
A central theme of The Colour of Glass is stained glass windows, something I’d not previously known very much about but which I now find fascinating. By coincidence, just as I was finishing writing the book, my brother told me about a stained glass window that had appeared in auction – a beautiful portrait that, incredibly, had links to the story I’d just written! In this blog I take a closer look.
