The Painter's Daughter

By: Julie Klassen

Narrated by: James Gillies

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Julie Klassen Is the Gold Standard for Inspirational Regency Fiction

Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the North Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It's where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she's beautiful.

Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother's neglected duties. Home on leave, he's sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter's daughter. He's startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him - one of Wesley's discarded works. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse.

Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. He does not offer love or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she'll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family.

Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family's estate. But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?

©2015 Julie Klassen (P)2015 Recorded Books

I found a new author that I love

This is one of the best books I've listened to in a while. I've gone through all of Tamera Alexander's books and have been looking for another great christian author and I've finally found one. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

Christian Book

The story was a little bland and pious. I don't think I read the description. If you like Christian historical romance then this is the book for you-it was a bad fit for me.

Where is Elizabeth Jasicki?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If my friend was new to audiobooks, I would not suggest they start with this one. James Gillies has a very, uh, 'unique' sense of pacing and tends to speed-narrate, so it is difficult to keep up.

What other book might you compare The Painter's Daughter to and why?

I adore all of Julie Klassen's books, and this one will not disappoint fans of her earlier stories.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

First, please slow down! Gillies' disregard for punctuation makes it very difficult to follow what he is saying without manually slowing down the speed of the narration using the audible player. Second, stop voicing all of the older female characters as if they were blowsy cockney whores.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I honestly wish that I could listen to it all in one sitting, because the story is compelling and the characters are interesting. But listening to Gillies is like trying to sprint a marathon; eventually you just have to take a moment to slow down and figure out where the heck you are.

Any additional comments?

I was fine with Saskia Maarleveld's narration of "Lady Maybe", and I eventually got to the point where I appreciated her voice, though not as much as I appreciate Elizabeth Jasicki's narrations. I desperately wish that one of the two of them could have narrated this book, as there is just something inherently silly about men imitating female voices; it can work for romantic comedies and children's books, but it takes away from more serious period romantic dramas, in my opinion.

A surprise narrator. Michael Caine is WINDERFUL

He uses a pseudo name but I can say with certainty it his his voice. He took this book from great to extraordinary. What an amazing performance and storyline.

When I first began to listen I was disappointed that it was going to be yet again about one girl liking two men, in this case two brothers. As the story went on I realized that was where the similarities ended and I can not be more happy I did not give up on this gem. I can easily say this is the best book I have read by Julie Klassen and it will remain in my heart for many years to come.

Great Book

This book kept me interested the entire time. Great clean historical romance. I would recommend this book.

One I could listen to over and over again.

This book is awesomely written with a perfect balance of drama, suspense, and romance. Read it. You will love it.

Splendid Story

Loved the characters and how the story unfolded. Especially enjoyed the faith and love of God that was clear in their lives. Thank you for a wonderful book.

Very good!

This book made me think of the type of romantic heroes found in pride and prejudice and sense and sensibility. I may or may not have fallen in love with the hero of the story. In any case, this was a fantastic story and the narrator did a wonderful job of capturing the characters' personalities in their voices. I plan to recommend this book to everyone that I know that enjoys Christian Romances.

Phenomenal writer!

I like the fact that the writers are not too perfect! Christian values were woven into the story without preaching at the reader. The humor had me laughing out loud at times. There were adventurers and a plot outside of the romance. Some authors make the mistake of just making a romantic story with no plot. This author did not do that. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Great Listen

Very refreshing to listen to a novel with Christian value and characters that are honorable. Very much enjoyed the story.
Narrator is very talented. Well done!

Entertaining twist and turns

I would recommend this listen, the orator was good and the story captivating.
My only complaint is that at the end, Stephen didn't tell Sophie about the painting he had carried around with him of her and that not knowing her name he had called her Jenny.
I'll be looking for more of this author.