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The War Artist
'Excuse me,' the man interrupted her as if there was absolutely nothing she could say to comfort him. 'I have to get on with my digging.' Then he stabbed violently at her sketchbook with his finger. 'Get it all down,' he snarled. 'Every single disgusting, pathetic detail. And shove it in their faces.'
London, 1940
Following a chance meeting with her former teacher, young painter Sybil Paige wins a coveted assignment from the War Artists' Advisory Committee, and so begins her journey across the length and breadth of the country, sketching everything from airfields and assembly lines to farms and factories.
Sometimes it's milkmaids and poultry keepers, brave and hopeful; sometimes it's the harrowed faces of those digging through the rubble to find their loved ones and livelihoods. But armed with her sketchbook, Sybil captures it all, determined to tell the stories of the thousands of women fighting their own battles on the home front. Above all, she wants the voices of her subjects to shine through.
But amidst the scenes of despair and courage, the one picture Sybil cannot paint and yet cannot purge from her brain, no matter how hard she tries, is the image of a woman folded into a chair, the crumpled telegram about her missing husband clasped in her hand. Because a self-portrait, Sybil well knows, requires the artist to find her own voice.
With each new commission, Sybil grows in confidence. But, like the many people she meets and sketches, she fears the future: will it bring hope or heartbreak?
London, 1940
Following a chance meeting with her former teacher, young painter Sybil Paige wins a coveted assignment from the War Artists' Advisory Committee, and so begins her journey across the length and breadth of the country, sketching everything from airfields and assembly lines to farms and factories.
Sometimes it's milkmaids and poultry keepers, brave and hopeful; sometimes it's the harrowed faces of those digging through the rubble to find their loved ones and livelihoods. But armed with her sketchbook, Sybil captures it all, determined to tell the stories of the thousands of women fighting their own battles on the home front. Above all, she wants the voices of her subjects to shine through.
But amidst the scenes of despair and courage, the one picture Sybil cannot paint and yet cannot purge from her brain, no matter how hard she tries, is the image of a woman folded into a chair, the crumpled telegram about her missing husband clasped in her hand. Because a self-portrait, Sybil well knows, requires the artist to find her own voice.
With each new commission, Sybil grows in confidence. But, like the many people she meets and sketches, she fears the future: will it bring hope or heartbreak?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2024
6 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Jan Casey
7 books28 followersAll of my novels explore the themes around how ordinary people are affected by extraordinary events during any period of history, including the present. I'm fascinated with the courage, adaptability and resilience that people find within themselves during times of adversity and for which they do not expect pay, praise or commendation. I'm also interested in writing about the similiarities as opposed to the differences amongst people and the ways in which experiences and emotions bind humans together.
I was born in London but spent my childhood in Southern California where bookworm parents and regular trips to the library instilled a love of books and literature deep within me. For many years, I was a teacher of English and Drama and I worked, until recently, as a Learning Supervisor at a college of further education.
Now that my lifelong dream of becoming a published author as come true, I spend my time writing, reading, swimming, walking, cooking, practising yoga and enjoying my grandchildren.
You can follow me on Twitter @JanCaseyAuthor or find me on Facebook at facebook.com/JanCaseyAuthor
I was born in London but spent my childhood in Southern California where bookworm parents and regular trips to the library instilled a love of books and literature deep within me. For many years, I was a teacher of English and Drama and I worked, until recently, as a Learning Supervisor at a college of further education.
Now that my lifelong dream of becoming a published author as come true, I spend my time writing, reading, swimming, walking, cooking, practising yoga and enjoying my grandchildren.
You can follow me on Twitter @JanCaseyAuthor or find me on Facebook at facebook.com/JanCaseyAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 9, 2024
Sybil Paige meets her former art teacher Dame Lily Brampton who’s visiting London from Norfolk and she suggests Sybil apply to join the War Artists Advisory Committee and they want female artists to travel around England recording what’s happening to everyday British citizens and from a woman’s perspective.
While she waiting she teaches at an art school in Luton, here she meets Blanche and Ellen, two fellow artists and teachers. The three women become close friends, Blanche is offered a position in the Recording Britain Project and Sybil joins the War Artists Advisory Committee and Ellen keeps honing her skills.
Sybil is given a six month commission, with her passes and sketchbooks she sets off by train. During her travels Sybil visits airfields, assembly lines, farms, pop up cafes, and sees a woman shoveling ashes from a furnace, when she takes off her helmet she's shocked to see the lady is middle aged, she worked during The Great War and returned to help during the Second World War. Where ever she goes Sybil witnesses terrible suffering, all of England is being bombed, she sees a women pushing an empty pram, a man scrambling through rubble looking for his family and much more!
Sybil’s confidence grows, she has a purpose and the War Artists Advisory Committee is very happy with her work, her friendships with Dame Lily, Aunty Myrtle, Blanche and Ellen are meaningful and the women are kindred spirits. But it’s hard to feel safe, when the English coast is covered by landmines and barbed wire and they could be invaded.
I was given a digital copy of The War Artist by Jan Casey from Aria & Aries and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the author’s fifth novel, I think it’s her best, I felt a real connection to the characters and cared what happened to them. It makes you about how Sybil felt when she received a telegram, informing her husband is missing in action, her despair and wondering if she will ever know what happened to him and did she rush into marriage? Sybil wasn't alone, thousands of wives and mothers dreaded seeing the telegram boy and hoped he would ride past their house.
Art is a way to express feelings, and how a person comprehends the situation or subject, preserving it for future generations to see, to never forget the suffering and sacrifices made, the narrative has an overall theme of strong and resilient women, and five stars from me.
While she waiting she teaches at an art school in Luton, here she meets Blanche and Ellen, two fellow artists and teachers. The three women become close friends, Blanche is offered a position in the Recording Britain Project and Sybil joins the War Artists Advisory Committee and Ellen keeps honing her skills.
Sybil is given a six month commission, with her passes and sketchbooks she sets off by train. During her travels Sybil visits airfields, assembly lines, farms, pop up cafes, and sees a woman shoveling ashes from a furnace, when she takes off her helmet she's shocked to see the lady is middle aged, she worked during The Great War and returned to help during the Second World War. Where ever she goes Sybil witnesses terrible suffering, all of England is being bombed, she sees a women pushing an empty pram, a man scrambling through rubble looking for his family and much more!
Sybil’s confidence grows, she has a purpose and the War Artists Advisory Committee is very happy with her work, her friendships with Dame Lily, Aunty Myrtle, Blanche and Ellen are meaningful and the women are kindred spirits. But it’s hard to feel safe, when the English coast is covered by landmines and barbed wire and they could be invaded.
I was given a digital copy of The War Artist by Jan Casey from Aria & Aries and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the author’s fifth novel, I think it’s her best, I felt a real connection to the characters and cared what happened to them. It makes you about how Sybil felt when she received a telegram, informing her husband is missing in action, her despair and wondering if she will ever know what happened to him and did she rush into marriage? Sybil wasn't alone, thousands of wives and mothers dreaded seeing the telegram boy and hoped he would ride past their house.
Art is a way to express feelings, and how a person comprehends the situation or subject, preserving it for future generations to see, to never forget the suffering and sacrifices made, the narrative has an overall theme of strong and resilient women, and five stars from me.
June 9, 2025
I really liked his book. It helped me to imagine what the sights and feelings were during war time. I felt I could even smell the smoke and dust and concrete particles in the air. Excellent.
April 28, 2024
"Excuse me," the man interrupted her as if there was absolutely nothing she could say to comfort him. "I have to get on with my digging." Then be stabbed violently at her sketchbook with his finger. "Get it all down," he snarled. "Every single disgusting, pathetic detail and shove it in their faces."
London, 1940: Following a chance meeting with her former teacher, young painter Alison Paige wins a coveted assignment from the War Artists Advisory Committee, and so begins her journey across the length and breadth of the country, sketching everything from airfields to assembly lines, to farms and factories. Sometimes it's milkmaids and poultry keepers, brave and hopeful; sometimes it's the harrowed faces of those digging through the rubble to find their loved ones and livelihoods. But armed with her sketchbook, Sybil catches all, determined to tell the stories of the thousands of women fighting their own battles on the home front. Above all, she wants the voices of her subjects to shine through.
When Sybil met her former art teacher, Dame Lily Brampton, she advises Sybil that she could be a great help in the War Artists Advisory Committee as they want women to record the events that are occurring all over Britain. Sybil makes friends with Blanche and Ellen at an art school.
What a well-written and entertaining read this book was. Sybil travels the country, painting the scenes she comes across. The characters were well-developed and likeable. Sybil witnesses the worst kind of suffering during WWII. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Published 9th May
I would like to thank #NetGalley #Aria&Aries and the author #JanCasey for my ARC of #TheWarArtist in exchange for an honest review.
London, 1940: Following a chance meeting with her former teacher, young painter Alison Paige wins a coveted assignment from the War Artists Advisory Committee, and so begins her journey across the length and breadth of the country, sketching everything from airfields to assembly lines, to farms and factories. Sometimes it's milkmaids and poultry keepers, brave and hopeful; sometimes it's the harrowed faces of those digging through the rubble to find their loved ones and livelihoods. But armed with her sketchbook, Sybil catches all, determined to tell the stories of the thousands of women fighting their own battles on the home front. Above all, she wants the voices of her subjects to shine through.
When Sybil met her former art teacher, Dame Lily Brampton, she advises Sybil that she could be a great help in the War Artists Advisory Committee as they want women to record the events that are occurring all over Britain. Sybil makes friends with Blanche and Ellen at an art school.
What a well-written and entertaining read this book was. Sybil travels the country, painting the scenes she comes across. The characters were well-developed and likeable. Sybil witnesses the worst kind of suffering during WWII. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Published 9th May
I would like to thank #NetGalley #Aria&Aries and the author #JanCasey for my ARC of #TheWarArtist in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2024
I was first drawn to this book by the striking blues and red of the cover, then the intriguing title. The blurb sealed the deal.
Sybil is a young artist, all alone in the world, having received a telegram that her husband missing. World War 2 is raging, affecting everyone.
Needing a means to support herself, Sybil is fortunate to win an assignment from the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) to cover the length and breadth of the country, sketching women and how their lives have been affected by the war.
She encounters brave women wherever she goes, who are just getting on with things because they have no other option. Women working at airfields, on assembly lines, repairing locomotives or farming. Whatever is needed to be done.
Sybil gives these women a voice, telling their stories through her brilliant sketches.
I absolutely adored Sybil and the other central characters she becomes close to. They became like family to me, and I was totally invested in all of them.
I read this over 2 days, unable to tear myself away. I laughed and cried along this journey. It was a history lesson like no other.
I hadn’t read any books by Jan Casey before, but I will certainly be searching for them now.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Sybil is a young artist, all alone in the world, having received a telegram that her husband missing. World War 2 is raging, affecting everyone.
Needing a means to support herself, Sybil is fortunate to win an assignment from the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) to cover the length and breadth of the country, sketching women and how their lives have been affected by the war.
She encounters brave women wherever she goes, who are just getting on with things because they have no other option. Women working at airfields, on assembly lines, repairing locomotives or farming. Whatever is needed to be done.
Sybil gives these women a voice, telling their stories through her brilliant sketches.
I absolutely adored Sybil and the other central characters she becomes close to. They became like family to me, and I was totally invested in all of them.
I read this over 2 days, unable to tear myself away. I laughed and cried along this journey. It was a history lesson like no other.
I hadn’t read any books by Jan Casey before, but I will certainly be searching for them now.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
June 18, 2024
The War Artist is the latest novel from historical fiction author Jan Casey. After reading and reviewing her last book The Letter Reader last year, I was highly anticipating the release of The War Artist and it certainly did not disappoint.
The War Artist would be perfect for anyone wanting an easy and more light-hearted World War Two historical fiction read. The narrative was very well paced, covering Sybil’s experiences throughout the majority of the war. Jan Casey has a really engaging writing style and her storytelling immerses you in the story. I also liked the choice to have characters speaking with the local dialects of the different places Sybil visits, such as Cornwall, which really helped you to feel immersed in the story and its many settings. I do, however, wish the book had been slightly longer and covered Sybil’s work at Nuremberg as that could have been really interesting so it was a shame that this was missing from the story.
As always with Jan Casey, the history was clearly very well researched. Despite considering myself well read around the Second World War, I’d not heard of the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) before so I found the exploration of their work to be truly fascinating. I also liked the authentic touch of including redactions within letters, in accordance with censorship within the war.
Sybil was a likeable protagonist and the exploration of her mourning the loss of her husband, who was missing in action, was particularly powerful. I also enjoyed the romantic subplot she had. The theme of strong female friendships was really well explored within the book. Sybil has a fantastic friendship with Ellen and Blanche, strengthened by their shared passion for art. She also had a fantastic relationship with Dame Lily, her old art professor turned friend.
Overall, The War Artist is an interesting, enjoyable and easy historical fiction read.
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I have posted my review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk
*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published are completely honest and my own, and are in no way influenced by the gifting opportunity. Thank you to NetGalley, Jan Casey and Aria & Aries.
The War Artist would be perfect for anyone wanting an easy and more light-hearted World War Two historical fiction read. The narrative was very well paced, covering Sybil’s experiences throughout the majority of the war. Jan Casey has a really engaging writing style and her storytelling immerses you in the story. I also liked the choice to have characters speaking with the local dialects of the different places Sybil visits, such as Cornwall, which really helped you to feel immersed in the story and its many settings. I do, however, wish the book had been slightly longer and covered Sybil’s work at Nuremberg as that could have been really interesting so it was a shame that this was missing from the story.
As always with Jan Casey, the history was clearly very well researched. Despite considering myself well read around the Second World War, I’d not heard of the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) before so I found the exploration of their work to be truly fascinating. I also liked the authentic touch of including redactions within letters, in accordance with censorship within the war.
Sybil was a likeable protagonist and the exploration of her mourning the loss of her husband, who was missing in action, was particularly powerful. I also enjoyed the romantic subplot she had. The theme of strong female friendships was really well explored within the book. Sybil has a fantastic friendship with Ellen and Blanche, strengthened by their shared passion for art. She also had a fantastic relationship with Dame Lily, her old art professor turned friend.
Overall, The War Artist is an interesting, enjoyable and easy historical fiction read.
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
I have posted my review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk
*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published are completely honest and my own, and are in no way influenced by the gifting opportunity. Thank you to NetGalley, Jan Casey and Aria & Aries.
May 9, 2024
Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.
This was a fascinating insight into an area of wartime work about which I had no idea.
It tells of artists, often women, who were commissioned to paint either views of War or the lives of those living through the War. In a way it’s a snapshot of time in a period of upset and in some ways the inevitability of the effects of war.
Sybil had met her old tutor and then two other ladies who became part of her life and art.
The book was well written and well researched and kept me hooked till the end.
Thank you
This was a fascinating insight into an area of wartime work about which I had no idea.
It tells of artists, often women, who were commissioned to paint either views of War or the lives of those living through the War. In a way it’s a snapshot of time in a period of upset and in some ways the inevitability of the effects of war.
Sybil had met her old tutor and then two other ladies who became part of her life and art.
The book was well written and well researched and kept me hooked till the end.
Thank you
February 26, 2025
The War Artist was an interesting read. is not my favourite by this author, as I felt it a bit drawn out, leading me to skim over some passages I very much appreciated the detailed descriptions of the sketches and paintings, as they allowed me to visualize them vividly. The characters were very likable, and the different ages made for an engaging read However, I found the love stories to be predictable. Art is a great way to preserve our history for future generations, and I thought Jan Casey conveyed that well.
June 16, 2024
An interesting read. I enjoyed the parts of how the women took over and performed the jobs of men during the war. Being an artist and recording those moments for historical purposes must have been heartbreaking. The romance side was predictable.
June 11, 2024
I normally really enjoy books from this author but this time it didn’t have many ideas, just the same one repeated on different days, sorry, I wanted to enjoy it
June 21, 2024
A Wonderful Read
I recommend it to readers as a story that will have you immersed until finished and then again weeks later recalling parts of sadness and happiness.
I recommend it to readers as a story that will have you immersed until finished and then again weeks later recalling parts of sadness and happiness.
September 2, 2024
This is a really lovely book with a heart warming story.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews