Portrait of an Unknown Woman

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Call Number: Fiction
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf

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Meg Giggs submitted by Jen Chapin-Smith on August 3, 2017, 3:14pm "Portrait of an unknown woman" tells the (probably mostly) true story of Meg Giggs, adopted daughter of Sir Thomas More, who served England's King Henry VIII until Henry decided to turn his nation Protestant. The novel tells the story of love, politics and religion from a lesser known perspective-- the adopted family member of an important court official. Giggs, like More's other daughters, was well educated. Her family's fortunes, both her birth and her adoptive families, depend upon the favor of the king and his inner circle.
The book includes some (rightfully) disturbing descriptions of torture. The real More imprisoned (but denied torturing) Protestants, although did admit to canning two individuals for heresy. It is a very different image of More than "A man for all seasons" portrays.
The title is based on the real-life paintings of Thomas More and his family by Hans Holbein. Meg appears in these paintings and so the portrait is of a less-known but certainly not unknown woman. The painting appears on the cover of the book; a sketch that Holbein made before finishing his piece includes the names of each family member by their picture.