The Painter' Daughters is the story of Molly and Peggy Gainsborough, daughters of famous painter Thomas. The story is told from Peggy's perspective, with the occasional chapter from the perspective of a young woman named Meg, whose connection to the Gainsboroughs and the story as a whole only becomes clear towards the book's end. I had rather mixed feelings about the book. I thought it did a great job portraying the impact of Molly's undiagnosed medical condition - intitally a sort of mental vagueness that was later accompanied by seizures and more worrying behaviour - on the family at a time when medical matters were less well understood than they are now, when abnormal behaviour was viewed almost as a moral defect that reflected badly on the entire family. Given the Gainsboroughs relied on social connections and reputation for their income it was imperative that Molly's condition be kept as quiet as possible. The dynamic between Molly and her younger sister Peggy, who took on the role of Molly's keeper in an effort to keep her safe and placate their mother, was particularly interesting and I appreciated the nuance with which Howes depicted it, allowing Molly to eventually express her dissatisfaction and resentment and Peggy to question her own motives as well as the possibility and advisability of what she was trying to achieve.

However, not all aspects of the book worked for me. I especially question the inclusion of Meg's storyline. Not only was it a story as old as time, but I don't think it added anything significant to the story. The cause of Molly's illness simply didn't feel important to me. I think the story would have been stronger had we heard from both of the painter's daughters directly, although I do understand that a point could be being made by not having Molly speak for herself. However, I loved when we did hear from her and would have liked more.