The War Artist

Poignant, warm, gut-wrenching, and hopeful, this book is just beautiful. - 5* reader review

*

‘Excuse me,’ the man interrupted her as if there was absolutely nothing she could say to comfort him. ‘I have to get on with my digging.’ Then he stabbed violently at her sketchbook with his finger. ‘Get it all down,’ he snarled. ‘Every single disgusting, pathetic detail. And shove it in their faces.’

London, 1940

Following a chance meeting with her former teacher, young painter Sybil Paige wins a coveted assignment from the War Artists' Advisory Committee, and so begins her journey across the length and breadth of the country, sketching everything from airfields and assembly lines to farms and factories.

Sometimes it’s milkmaids and poultry keepers, brave and hopeful; sometimes it’s the harrowed faces of those digging through the rubble to find their loved ones and livelihoods. But armed with her sketchbook, Sybil captures it all, determined to tell the stories of the thousands of women fighting their own battles on the home front. Above all, she wants the voices of her subjects to shine through.

But amidst the scenes of despair and courage, the one picture Sybil cannot paint and yet cannot purge from her brain, no matter how hard she tries, is the image of a woman folded into a chair, the crumpled telegram about her missing husband clasped in her hand. Because a self-portrait, Sybil well knows, requires the artist to find her own voice.

With each new commission, Sybil grows in confidence. But, like the many people she meets and sketches, she fears the future: will it bring hope or heartbreak?

*

Readers love The War Artist

'I read this over 2 days, unable to tear myself away. I laughed and cried along this journey. It was a history lesson like no other' - Reader review

'Enthralling and captivating. I truly couldn't put it down' - Reader review

'Excellent! Jan has written a memorable story about a wartime artist that’s so descriptive you are completely immersed in it. I thoroughly enjoyed it' - Reader review

'Well written and well researched and kept me hooked till the end' - Reader review