Into the Blue
In late 19th-century Devon, vicar’s daughter Hester Redding longs to experience all the exciting challenges that the approaching new century will bring, but she feels trapped by family responsibilities and the prospect of an arranged marriage. She longs to break out of the confinement of social conventions and pursue a new life as an artist.
With two potential suitors and a few hidden secrets, this is a well written and interesting read with an appropriate title which refers both to the spirit of adventure and the liberating feeling of art which lies at the heart of this work. You really get the sense of the confinement young women like Hester might have felt and the sense of adventure as she sets off into the blue, the turning point in the story.
