March 2017 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: beautiful young maid catches the eye of the Pre-Raphaelites | Mary leads a Cinderella life: by day she’s blacking grates as the most junior servant in her household, but in secret she’s also sitting for a handsome, talented young artist; with her flame-red hair, so loved by the Pre-Raphaelites, Mary is his muse. In a story filled with glamour and excitement, Bennett paints her own portrait of 1850s London, its fusty interiors and filthy streets, describing Victorian clothes – her own passion - in particularly wonderful detail. It’s certainly not all glamour for Mary and Bennett shows readers how hard it was for poor young women, no matter how beautiful, to control their lives, and how easy it was for them to fall into poverty. It makes for heady, absorbing reading; fans will want to know what happens to Mary next, and may well be inspired to seek out Pre-Raphaelite paintings, and Millais’s Ophelia in particular.
Sophia says: “Since my teens I’ve been in love with fine art, and the creative geniuses who broke the rules to change the way we see the world. No one broke the rules quite like the Pre-Raphaelites, or portrayed their muses with such obsession and intensity. Persephone Lavelle wants to be one of the ‘stunners’ to take Victorian society by storm. My heroines are never mere muses, so Persephone has a lot of adventures in store and the personality to match.”
When Mary Adams sees Millais' depiction of the tragic Ophelia, a whole new world opens up for her. Determined to find out more about the beautiful girl in the painting, she hears the story of Lizzie Siddal - a girl from a modest background, not unlike her own, who has found fame and fortune against the odds. Mary sets out to become a Pre-Raphaelite muse, too, and reinvents herself as Persephone Lavelle. But as she fights her way to become the new face of London's glittering art scene, 'Persephone' ends up mingling with some of the city's more nefarious types and is forced to make some impossible choices. Will Persephone be forced to betray those she loves, and even the person she once was, if she is to achieve her dreams?
The Pre-Raphaelites were founded in London in 1848, and began as a secret society of enfant terrible artists and writers who believed in nature and realism, even when approaching religious and mythological subjects. They were inspired by literature, modern society, love and death. Its principal members were John Everett Millais, William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Together these rebels tore up the rule book of Victorian England. The movement entered a second surge of popularity in 1860, where the symbolism and style of their work became highly fashionable.
“A vivid portrait of Pre-Raphaelite glamour and the perils of beauty, desire and independence” – Anna McKerrow
Praise for Love Song:
“An uplifting love story” – The Telegraph
“She makes teenage dialogue sing true” – The Times
“I flew through it” – Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eater's Daughter
Author
About Sophia Bennett
Sophia Bennett’s debut novel, Threads, won The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition in 2009. She has since published six further teen novels, including The Look and Love Song. Sophia has been called “the queen of teen dreams” by journalist Amanda Craig, for her exploration of the worlds of fashion, art and music. Her books have sold internationally to over 16 countries. Sophia lives with her family in Wandsworth, south west London
