Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 7/11/2025 + 714 more book reviews

The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay transports readers to the posh world of fine art in 1970s London. I really liked this woman-centric story featuring the works of Pablo Picasso; it includes history, mystery, intrigue, family drama, and a bit of romance. The audiobook is masterfully narrated by Fiona Hardingham as Lily and Saskia Maarleveld as Diana.

Katherine Reay creates a strong sense of time and place thanks to her extensive research. The plot begins a bit slowly, but from the moment I audibly gasped, I was all in. (Don't read the publisher's blurb as it gives away too much). I wasn't always sure who trust which draws me fully into a novel.

I enjoyed reading this soon after The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis as both center around prestigious museums in the 1970s and a young woman as assistant/protégé to a woman older than her. Although the plots are very different, they are in conversation with each other, especially about the role of women at the time.

Thank you to Harper Muse, Blackstone Publishing, and Uplit Reads for the review copies of this captivating novel.

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