Frederic Ashton Thorpe and his best friend, Henry Winstone, are artists immersed in the Pre-Raphaelite movement, with its yearning for romantic escape from the materialism of Victorian society. Seeing a half-finished portrait of the beautiful Eleanor Farnham at Henry's studio, Fred is fascinated and returns in order to meet her. He and Ellie fall in love and are married. But every heart hides a secret and both Fred and Ellie have put certain events behind them - events that, if exposed, could threaten their blissful new life. After her mother's death, Ellie inherits the Crimson Bed, a family heirloom passed down through the female line since Elizabethan times. With the bed come ancestral secrets that will eventually affect Ellie as much as the unhappy memories from her own past. Meanwhile, Fred is haunted by shameful memories of his own, that lead him into the darkness of the London slums and a very different world to that of his peaceful home. As a brilliant and talented artist, Henry is beginning to experience success and fame, but his life is haunted by tragedy and loss. Despite their own problems, Ellie and Fred watch in despair as he sinks slowly into drink, illness and decline. Passions escalate as Fred becomes increasingly jealous of Ellie's closeness to her handsome godfather, Lord Percy Dillinger, and when shocking truths finally come to light, their lives will never be the same again...
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I revelled in this sumptuous depiction of the Pre-Raphaelite period ... Rich and multi-faceted, this is a book for anyone who enjoys a beautifully written and original historical romance. -- Nicola Cornick I could not put this book down! All of the expectations raised by the story were satisfied by this reader. The author has thought out completely, as coolly as any critic, what her fiction means. She has thought out the subtlest implications of what she's said, gotten at the truth not just of her characters and action but also of the fiction's form. She has created an "oral sculpture" rich in detail, observations and plot. An exquisite read! -- M.L. St. Sure, author of Evensong
About the Author
Loretta won prizes for stories and plays in the 1970s, but put writing aside for many years. Now back to writing novels, her first book, The Long Shadow, was published in 2005. Her own interest in painting and a lifelong fascination with Pre-Raphaelite artworks led to her writing The Crimson Bed.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Beginning in Belgrave Square, London, 1838, the author's attention to detail in vividly transported me, not just to the period but to the vibrancy of the lives of those characters who might very well have inhabited the beautifully evoked scenes.
It's pure escape to be first placed alongside the young child and her mother, lives and lifestyle which were once so real.Subtly introduced to the ancestral history of the four-poster, dating back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I, we are taken through scenes and manners which have all the lushness of the 'rich red velvets' in which the four poster stands, the visual images worthy of the eye of a Pre-Raphaelite painter. I was reminded of the other-worldly romance in Gabriel Rossetti's paintings and poetry.
There is almost a supernatural quality to the bed as the child wonders at its elaborate carvings which 'seemed to be alive and rustling with leaves, birds and creatures'; a pleasant enough musing and yet one tinged with the ominous as she also imagines she sees in the configuration something else in what was once the bridal bed of her distant ancestor; a 'dark, stern looking lady with black puritanical clothes and a stiff white ruff about her neck and whose eyes seemed still to follow about accusingly.'
The young girl is in her mother's bedroom and yet it's a room which her father decrees no man should enter for it's a room 'sacred to the Feminine' and, already, we have a foreshadowing of that to which the back-jacket synopsis hints in the girl's subsequent fortuitous marriage; one that will reach the heights of bliss and yet will be tragically challenged by ancestral secrets that seem inextricably bound to the four-poster - and still to still to stir.
It's pure escape to be first placed alongside the young child and her mother, lives and lifestyle which were once so real.Subtly introduced to the ancestral history of the four-poster, dating back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I, we are taken through scenes and manners which have all the lushness of the 'rich red velvets' in which the four poster stands, the visual images worthy of the eye of a Pre-Raphaelite painter. I was reminded of the other-worldly romance in Gabriel Rossetti's paintings and poetry.
There is almost a supernatural quality to the bed as the child wonders at its elaborate carvings which 'seemed to be alive and rustling with leaves, birds and creatures'; a pleasant enough musing and yet one tinged with the ominous as she also imagines she sees in the configuration something else in what was once the bridal bed of her distant ancestor; a 'dark, stern looking lady with black puritanical clothes and a stiff white ruff about her neck and whose eyes seemed still to follow about accusingly.'
The young girl is in her mother's bedroom and yet it's a room which her father decrees no man should enter for it's a room 'sacred to the Feminine' and, already, we have a foreshadowing of that to which the back-jacket synopsis hints in the girl's subsequent fortuitous marriage; one that will reach the heights of bliss and yet will be tragically challenged by ancestral secrets that seem inextricably bound to the four-poster - and still to still to stir.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
How refreshing to read a historical romance set against such a lush and unusual background. I revelled in this sumptuous depiction of the Pre-Raphaelite period. The story is multi-layered and rich in symbolism and the detail is exquisitely drawn, conjuring up both the vivid atmosphere of the period and the complexities of the secrets and lies that bind the characters. Fred and Ellie are multi-dimensional and deep and the reader is drawn into their lives and their struggles. I loved the little insights the author gave into all the characters; the wise observations that made them jump off the page and become real to me. The book is a page-turner too - I couldn't put it down. Rich and multi-faceted, this is a book for anyone who enjoys a beautifully written and original historical romance.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first came across this book on The Authonomy website where it was getting rave reviews from other authors. If you enjoyed the recent TV dramatisation of the Pre-Raphaelite Brothers, you'll love this. The author has researched the period with meticulous care, and created a story which transports you body and soul back to the Victorian period in England. The plot is clever, and the characters are totally engaging - I promise you won't be able to put this book down. Lorri is a marvellous writer - spread the word.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Why all the rave reviews? It's average
I'm amazed that this book has received 5 stars. The book never really gets going and is more than a narrative than a story. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Buried In Books
5.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging and thought provoking look at Pre-Raphaelite London
This book provided a very interesting and thought provoking look into the lives of a Victorian couple and their checkered pasts. Read more
Published 15 months ago by V.R. Christensen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Un-put-downable
Quite simply - storytelling at its best. The author proved her wonderful gift for portraying human relationships in her exquisite novel The Long Shadow, and she does not... Read more
Published on 9 May 2011 by Peter McGarry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lost in colours
'The Crimson Bed' has everything a historical romance should have: a good plot, characters that have weight to them, are well-rounded and vibrant and come alive though the... Read more
Published on 7 May 2011 by AnLe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious and satisfying
I became so entangled in the story and characters that I abandoned TV and other distractions in order to spend more time in the world of The Crimson Bed. Read more
Published on 30 April 2011 by RAL in the West
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasure
The Crimson Bed was a gift to me, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this wonderful story. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2011 by Aimee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exquisite Read
I could not put this book down! All of the expectations raised by the story were satisfied by this reader. Read more
Published on 17 April 2010 by M. L. St. Sure
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