Estelle

Book Review
Estelle, by Linda Stewart Henley
I love historical fiction, and this debut offering by Ms. Henley does not disappoint. This charming story set in New Orleans connects a family visit by a famous 19th century artist, Degas, with Anne, a modern girl seeking a connection with her family’s past. Just as the artist’s visit to New Orleans and the family portraits completed while there reshape his future, Anne’s insights into her family history set the stage for her adult life to finally begin. Mysteries along the way make keep the story moving. Her writing motivated me to research the artist, Degas, and I look forward to including a stop to this historic area the next time I am in New Orleans.

𝙃𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙝𝙚’𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.

𝘌𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦 is a moving historical fiction story about Edgar Degas, French born artist known for his drawings and oil paintings of ballerinas, during his stay with French Creole relatives in New Orleans from 1872 to 1873. It is interesting to note that despite being considered an impressionist, he wasn’t, as it is apparent to those in the know (which I am not) that he didn’t use the same colors as impressionists and he bucked against that very label. It’s a fascinating history to research for curious minds. The title character is his cousin and sister-in-law Estelle, married to his brother René. The eldest of five children and born into a family of bankers, it’s his family’s hope he will take in interest in their business dealings (cotton/textile merchants) and the beauty of New Orleans. If only he would stay, make roots, marry. His brother looks down on his chosen profession, as Edgar has not yet achieved recognition for his hard work. The more popular artists of the times paint outdoors but not Degas, and is it possible there is a reason? A malady he shares with dear Estelle that could make painting in the bright outdoors an insurmountable difficulty?

The moments of familial intimacy between Estelle and Edgar reveal a bit about their disease. Estelle is far more supportive and kind, encouraging Edgar’s passions, than his own brother just as her dear cousin gives her much needed attention. She pushes him gently to paint, but he seems hesitant. Although not his usual subject, he is soon painting the children and Estelle. All isn’t as well as René pretends either in his own life, and worse, his attentions towards his wife and children is waning. Heavily pregnant, Estelle does her best to manage her family and see that Edgar enjoys his time with them, despite her own fractured, wounded heart. The charm is in the food he eats, the local culture he takes part in while visiting and the bound between family. Henley made me feel like I was there, feasting my eyes on the surroundings and filling my gut with delicious New Orleans favorites. Of course, there are sorrows, the trace of romance and silly, humorous misunderstandings.

1970 is where the novel first opens, with Ann Gautier at the end of a late, summer morning run on Esplanade Avenue, returning to a house she has inherited from her mother’s estranged side of the family. Once an elegant house on one of the finest streets of New Orleans, it is howling to be brought back to it’s former state of grace and beauty. With a passion for art, it is her desire to restore it, but she has to juggle her own budding career at the same time. Being an artist doesn’t always feel like the best choice for a lucrative career. Luckily for her, she has the help of a seductive, attractive older man named Sam but can she trust her heart? The area has become crime ridden, and it isn’t the safest place to be, as she soon learns that not all the locals are keen on her restoration plans. It seems there are several puzzles to solve, not all of them about her family’s past. Discoveries within the crumbling home give voice to her long dead ancestors, and nothing delights her more than the revelation that her own family had ties to Edgar Degas. No one has more import, though, than Estelle whose namesake connects Anne to her deceased mother’s shrouded past, full of cold consequences that cost her greatly. When Anne reaches out to a family member, one discarded by the clan, she questions her motives. This other Estelle “Stella” knows quite a bit about her kin’s less lustrous facts. Two worlds collide, and with it preservation groups face a fight as the city plans for urban renewal projects , and the wealthy butt heads with the poor. Her family wasn’t always upstanding, and racism rears it’s ugly head.

The story stretches back through time reaching out to Anne in the present. Estelle and Anne may be a century apart, but their lives touch each other. The mysteries grow, the greatest though living within Anne’s own heart. At times, her sheltered reactions, her assumptions about the other “Estelle” can be infuriating yet perfectly fitting for the times. Schemes, betrayals, serious crimes, a social class divide and muddy family history, all bound together by a great artist. It was a delightfully engaging read. How stupid people can be, that’s one solid fact about history that seems as evident today. When I read the epilogue I felt such sorrow for the characters I came to love- I don’t include René here! I went on to look into René and his debts, abandonment, and about Edgar’s generosity in righting his brother’s wrongs. I feel the author rendered René perfectly, with his wandering eye, cruel humiliations towards his pregnant wife and looking down on the very brother whose ‘silly career’ he benefited from! See, this is what happens when a novel stokes my curiosity; I look into history and feel offended for those who are wronged. Of course, looking into any historical figure you read unflattering truths, like Degas and his misogyny but no one can deny when it came to family he was stellar- it warmed me to his side more than his beautiful works of art. An engaging read.

Publication Date: August 25, 2020

She Writes Press