Victorian Gothic blends with ghostly glimspses of Tudor history in this fabulous tale of love and destiny London, 1876. The painter Amos Roselli is in love with his life-long friend and model, the beautiful Daphne - and she with him - until one day she is discovered by another man, a powerful and wealthy industrialist. What will happen when Daphne realises she has sacrificed her happiness to a loveless marriage? What will happen when the artist realises he has lost his most cherished source of inspiration? And how will they negotiate the ever-increasing frequency of strange and bizarre events that seem to be driving them relentlessly towards self-destruction. Here, amid the extravagant Neo-Gothic culture of Victorian England, the iconic poem 'The Lady of Shalott' blends with mysterious and ghostly glimpses of Tudor history. Romantic, atmospheric and deeply dark. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION A multi-layered story of romance, ghostly hauntings and hidden desire set amid the complex moral strictures of Victorian England.Overarching sense of destiny and magical realism blends with time-slip episodes that refer back to the Tudor era and the love triangle between Anne Boleyn, Thomas Wyatt and Henry VIII.Atmospheric historical fiction with neo-Victorian settings, including Gothic-revivalist architecture and the Tower of London.The characters are fascinated with the poetry of Tennyson and Wyatt. They are drawn to 'the occult' and to the sentiments of Pre-Raphaelite art.The presence of Tennyson's iconic poem The Lady of Shalott in the consciousness of the main protagonists serves as a bridge between the two periods.Aristocratic country living and high fashion contrasts with the liberating 'seaside culture' of late-Victorian England.
"'Although it is set in Victorian England the characters are "haunted" by the story of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, the queen who was executed on false charges of adultery. It is almost as if events are repeating themselves, but how will this story end? Will it be as tragic as Anne Boleyn's?' "Claire Ridgeway, theanneboleynfiles.com