Into The Blue

By Christina Green

        Hester Redding yearns to be an artist, but instead lives with her demanding father and stepmother who want to arrange a marriage for her. All she thinks about is painting flowers, and is talented enough to attract the interest of various people who might be able to make her dreams come true. But to do this she will need to leave home, and even if she does this, things are bound to go wrong. Would being married to childhood friend Hugh Marchant be so bad, or would she prefer nursery owner Nicholas Thorne?

Despite being a gentle enough tale this book brings to life the lack of choices faced by women a hundred years ago without being overly melodramatic. Hester’s choice of career seems ladylike enough to us, but so much stands in the way of her happiness and she has some hard choices to make. The author conveys Hester’s despair at her stifling existence and her shining joy whenever she paints flowers with equal intensity, making this an absorbing read. I found myself rooting for Hester every step of the way, and I also enjoyed some of the surprises that arise, and the way they are handled which is often unexpected. A side plot involves a new maid and her secret that stands to cause trouble for the family. The way this is woven into the main story adds interest, although not perhaps in the way the reader expects. An interesting read.