The Artist's Apprentice by Clare Flynn
Narrated by Annette Chown

England, 1908 - Alice Dalton's only purpose in life has been to make a good marriage. But, with her father's fortunes failing, her parents' pressure to do so grows by the day. When a potential engagement to a handsome young man of a wealthy stockbroker family falls through in the most tragic way, another engagement is planned for her. That one goes awry, too, and Alice flees her home in shame, vowing to never marry.

Edmund Cutler is one of the men that Alice was slated to marry. But his stockbroker father had no care for Edmund's wishes so he thwarted his father's plans and set his own fate. Part of the plan was a sad failure but he did further his hopes of a career as a stained glass artist. Miserable on the home front, his work is his passion and that can keep him going.

Five years later, Edmund and Alice's lives collide. Edmund needs an assistant and willful and independent Alice, now involved in the suffrage movement, wants the job, is more than up to doing the menial chores, and also has the artistic talent to make a real, productive artist's assistant. She's a fast learner and loves the work she learns to do with Edmund. Neither wants to face up to their feelings for each other, one having gone from indifference and other from hate, to both feeling something more. Edmund has obligations elsewhere, their friendship and love for their art must be enough.

When we first meet Alice and Edmund they are young, both naive and immature in a variety of ways. Both of them are caught in the expectations of their families and their Victorian times. They make several hasty and some unwise decisions that lead them to the place they are five years later. Both are forced to grow up, find their ways, and live with knowing their choices got them to where they are in life, for better or worse. They do mature, they do admit mistakes they made. They have moved on as best as possible. This story leaves us in a good place for the most part, except that there is another book after this one. We know there is a war looming and the foreboding is strong that a dark cloud is descending on everyone. Annette Chown does a fine job with the narration of the story, which is not finished yet.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC.

A beautifully written story of forbidden love and societal prejudice, set in the early 1900's.

Alice Dalton's parents want her to marry into the wealthy Cutler family, in order to secure the future of their family home and societal status. Whether Alice and her betrothed are in love is surplus to requirements. With the threat of WWI in the air and the suffragette movement in full swing, Alice bravely chooses to live her life, her way.

Excellent character development leads in to a captivating story, filled with immersive descriptions of village high society life, the creation of stunning artwork and societal prejudices of the time, including class and homophobia.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Annette Chown, who captured the essence of each personality skilfully.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Clare Flynn and Dreamscape for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I received an ARC from netgalley.
I was enjoying this story and it had promise. However, I was very disappointed to find that one of the main characters in the story is very homophobic. I couldn't get past that. It stopped me in my tracks.

I absolutely adore historical fiction, especially regarding women who were defying convention of their timeand striving for more.

Alice Dalton is a daughter of the gentry and as was commmon in the time, was set up to marry Edmund Cutler, the son of her fathers stockbroker(In order to alleviate the pressure on her father due to his disastrous financial decisions)

However, the trothe is a failure and Alice is devastated, fleeing her home, running away to start over as her own person, independant of the family ties and dramas. However, this is not an era that takes a kind view to a womans independance and Alice is horrified to discover, that when taking a position in an art studio, she discovers she wil be working for Edmund Cutler, the very man that rejected her (who, following a blazing row with his vile father, also cut ties with family money to pursue his passion of stained glass) There is a slow burn between the two as they work but family interference has the potential to drive them apart and Alice must fight for her love, and her independance.


The character development is incredibly strong and the era well researched and described. Clare Flynn is certainly an author I will follow as her writing style is at once illustrative and immersive. There is a deep empathy for the experiences of women in the era of suffrage and this is portrayed beautifully from both sides. Edmund and Alice are desperately trying to defy the conventions forced upon them by the era and their families, which woudl have ben incredibly brave and almost impossible at the time. It was a time for many people to fight for a change in soceital rules so they could live as they chose

Gilbert Cutler, the other brother, is bullied and downtrodden by his father, offered to marry Alice instead, and is a wonderful character, who adores his brother, but also likes to keep his father sweet and thus does as he is told.

Dora Fisher is utterly vile, a true villain. Horrible, horrible girl

Annette Chown is a phenomenal narrator, with fantastic diversity of vocals and wonderful continuity of characters, Her accents are varied and each character is easily identified. A fantastic listen

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing, the author Clare Flynn and narrator Annette Chown for this stunning historical ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own