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Book Review
Mar. 3rd, 2018 08:11 pmThe Title: Blindspot by Jane Kamensky & Jill Lepore
The story: Stewart Jamieson, a Scottish painter, flees his debts by sailing to Boston. As soon as he sets up shop in America, he advertises for a painter. Fanny Easton is a "fallen woman" from a prosperous family who longs to paint, so she dresses up as a boy and takes the job. The situation becomes complicated when Stewart falls in love with Fanny, still thinking that she's a boy.
My review: The authors could have cut out a good 100 pages without losing anything, but overall I quite enjoyed the book. It's written by two Harvard history professors, so they really excel at bringing the period to life with small details. I enjoyed the book as both a love story and a satire of Jane Austen-ish tropes, and it was interesting to read about a queer character in a time period when they are very rarely portrayed.
The story: Stewart Jamieson, a Scottish painter, flees his debts by sailing to Boston. As soon as he sets up shop in America, he advertises for a painter. Fanny Easton is a "fallen woman" from a prosperous family who longs to paint, so she dresses up as a boy and takes the job. The situation becomes complicated when Stewart falls in love with Fanny, still thinking that she's a boy.
My review: The authors could have cut out a good 100 pages without losing anything, but overall I quite enjoyed the book. It's written by two Harvard history professors, so they really excel at bringing the period to life with small details. I enjoyed the book as both a love story and a satire of Jane Austen-ish tropes, and it was interesting to read about a queer character in a time period when they are very rarely portrayed.
