"The Crimson Portrait" is a story of Catherine, a young widow who decides to honor her late husbands wishes to allow the troops to use their beautiful, sprawling mansion as a make-shift hospital. After some time she is starting getting used to strangers in her beloved house, to beds and all medical stuff, abominable smells and views and to lack of the privacy.
As
she begins to take part in helping at the hospital that was formerly
her home, she sees a chance at literally being able to recreate her dead
husband's image in a soldier who must undergo surgeries to restore his
face. That man is Julian, a young soldier who is having his face reconstructed after losing it in battle. She finds herself torn between making the choice that will forever change not only her life but also the man who's like her lost husband.
There's also the second main character - Anna, the artist who creates drawings of the soldiers and who feels a loneliness because of lost husband in battle.
Who will find himself again after all these bad things? Who will love and be loved? Who will find freedom and a normal life after the war days? Is it right to see and have a lost husband in the body of other man?
Why you should read it
I always write here, why it is worthwhile to read the book. This time will be a bit different. Why? Because this book is a bit boring, hard to read and it isn't easy to understand. Sure, "The Crimson Portrait" is about an interesting subject: the real life during World War I, all these consequences of wars and fight. It's about hard life and future of soldiers who during the battle lost hands, legs, fragments of their faces, fragments of their bodies, eyesight. Soldiers who lost everything, even dignity. The story is interesting but written quite heavily...
But this book is a bit like a book of medicine and history of medicine. Too many fragments about medical things that normal person can understand, too long fragments of pointless descriptions or moments.
You can read "The Crimson Portrait" if you like: A) World War I things; B) medicine and
history of medicine; C) boring stories ; D) give your time to the book which won't change your life.
history of medicine; C) boring stories ; D) give your time to the book which won't change your life.
Of course I'm not telling that this book is bad, but I want to be honest with you telling you that this story is boring because of too long and pointless fragments.
Things to look out for
Effects of wars, development of medicine, devoting civilians during World War I, the life and the future of soldiers after the fights.
The last word about the book
"The Crimson Portrait" isn't a long book but it's hard to read. If you're brave enough - read it. If you want something good to read, choose other book.
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