The Portrait

by Evelyn Chartres

“A vision from the past becomes a writer’s deadly obsession.”

The Portrait is a Gothic fantasy about Victoria Frost, an author who develops an unhealthy obsession for her character. As events unfold, her infatuation sours, forcing Victoria to question her sanity. Is she simply slipping into madness, or is there something else at play?

The Portrait features a mixture of contemporary and historical scenes brought forward as Victoria explores the world of her muse. Using both prose and art, every scene yields a new piece of the puzzle, providing insights on the origins of her character’s portrait and its featured model.

Discover how a vision from the past becomes a writer’s deadly obsession.

Genres: Fantasy

298 pages, ebook

First published January 31, 2015

About the author

Evelyn Chartres is the nom de plume for a self-published, Canadian author. The writer of nine Gothic fantasy novels, Evelyn released her debut novel, The Portrait, in 2016, and her latest, Man of War, in 2024.

A fan of the phrase ‘live to eat’, Evelyn shares her recipes on evelynchartres.com. These recipes have a loose focus on French-Canadian cuisine, featuring deep-dish meat pies, seafood, and desserts that are rarely seen outside of La Belle Province.

Evelyn is currently living in Ottawa, Ontario, and is busy laying the foundations of another book in the Adventures of Clara Grey series.

Reviews

[Martin Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Portrait more Gothic than horror. Like the governess in Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, the main character seems to be unraveling, but it's not clear to the reader whether it's insanity, demonic possession, or something else. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend to those who like their horror without the gore and endless cliffhangers.

[Dua (in reading slump) ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second thoughts on November 2020
This book randomly popped into my head today so I opened my copy and skimmed over a bit. Imagine my surprise when I realized the prose wasn't actually convoluted or purple. I am now certain this was a me issue all along because this was one of the first books I read in English. I've read many more since then which helped me tremendously in my vocabulary and comprehension so I might as well give this one another read and see how it goes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Original Review on June 2019
When I first saw The Portrait, the premise seemed right up my alley and I was quite intrigued. So much so that I got the author's all three books and decided to read them in publication order.

I had high expectations for this book and while it wasn't terrible, it did frustrate me so much at times. This is a debut novel and it definitely shows.

So let's get the negatives out of the way first.

The prose
I feel like this is one of those cases where the prose is distracting to the point of detracting from the story but maybe that's a me issue given that English is not my native language. It was hard for me to go through the prose in this book and immerse myself in the story. Some paragraphs were disjointed from one to the next. Some sentences were weirdly structured and didn't sound natural. The whole thing felt alien at times. There were also purple patches here and there.

Weird word choices
It probably contributed to the aforementioned alienation, because I was constantly checking the dictionary. I mean, why scrumptous instead of delicious? Why stipulated instead of demanded? Then again, this is probably another me issue.

The author's apparent love for the word "this"
This author, this writer, this young author, this aspiring writer, this young woman, this investigator, this artist, this apprentice, this virgin nudist, this student, this researcher, this miscreant, this hunter, this creature, this server... The biggest offender is definitely "this author" though. It's used countless times in the book and this reader rolled her eyes every time.

So. Many. Questions.
Almost all paragraphs include or end with questions. "Could it be...? Would that mean...? Perhaps it was...?" Well, it was getting on my nerves so much I actually thought about calling it quits. Why did the author choose to write that way? Perhaps this reader is simply not used to such a writing style?

Typos and errors
Some words are typed twice. Some words and many apostrophes are missing.

What about the positives?

- I wasn't expecting that twist at all and I loved it. There were hints, of course, but for some reason I didn't give that idea much weight. I liked the way the author handled the whole thing in the last chapter, which is my favourite part of the book. It was all so subtle yet captivating.

- Art, in its many forms, is an important part of the book, almost like a character on its own, and I loved how it was woven throughout the story.

- The author clearly did her homework and seems knowledgeable on a wide range of topics which I believe vastly improved her work.

- Oh and Evelyn... I loved Evelyn. I'd love to read a book solely focused on her.

Overall I enjoyed the idea, the story, and the setting. My main issue was the prose and I'm definitely going to take a long break before I start reading the next book.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria Frost has been a dutiful daughter to her parents her whole life. When they parish in a plane crash, going on their 35th Anniversary, Victoria is orphaned. She takes a hiatus from her high paying power attorney job to mourn their deaths. During this time she begins to discover she doesn't have to stick to her parents status quo so she quit her job. She choses to go on her own path and that is to be an author. She has been haunted all of her life by a beautiful woman in a portrait. She pours out all that she know of her character, even acting out parts of Evelyn to bring her to life. Instead it changes her life drastically in the most peculiar way.

Evelyn Chartres weaves her prose and scenes you will find yourself mesmerized into her characters world. I always felt a sense of dread and the macabre, but I couldn't pinpoint from which direction it would come. I was on edge and captivated by the gothic scenes. this sense of mystery had me reading like a fiend to figure out the outcome...What a shocking outcome!!!

[C.J. Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artists express themselves in many different ways. From the grandmother crocheting a baby blanket to a singer crooning about true love, they all leave a large part of themselves in the finished work. Being a writer, I know this more than anyone. Being a reader… I wonder just how much of this novel is fiction, and how much of it is non-fiction. Thinking about the fact that Evelyn is writing about an author named Victoria, writing about a character named Evelyn boggles the mind. Both the fictional writer and her character parallel each other as they move through their respective worlds trying to find themselves.

A quote from this author’s own work sums it up beautifully. “In her novel, Victoria easily envisioned the painting working similarly to the mirror in Through the Looking-Glass. A story in which a character named Alice saw both her world and a variant thereof while unaware of the subtle differences between the two.”

Evelyn uses her words to paint this imaginative novel about two women who know each other as well as they know themselves without actually meeting – until later. At times, it almost seemed like she was holding up a mirror and demanding that I take a good look at myself. Which, of course, means I identified with parts of her story. This is truly a necessity for any author and she definitely accomplished that task in spades.

[Carin Camen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Portrait interweaves mystery and intrigue throughout the book as you read the tale of an author in her journey of writing a story which seems to have a life of her own. There is intrigue throughout the book, not only from the author's story, but as she shares bringing the life of her character to life.

While this book is the beginning of a series, I read it towards the end. I'm glad I did. I believe it gave me more of an inquisitive nature that had me eagerly turning the pages, in anticipation.

If you were ever curious about a writer's mind, this book will also leave you intrigued into the journey of being an author.

Brilliantly done!

[Anya Pavelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in a different style than the author's other works, but it's just as spooky and as chilling. In this story, a young author, Victoria, finds herself obsessed (and possibly possessed) with a woman named Evelyn. Much of the story takes place in Victoria's head as she navigates the world of a Parisian courtesan from the Baroque area. The reader feels Victoria's confusion and surprise. The text has formal syntax and diction, which echo Evelyn's time period. As an art historian, I very much enjoyed how the author used art to engage the reader in the story.

[Nick Braker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is told by the author, pen named Evelyn, writing about another author, named Victoria, who is writing about a character, named Evelyn. Both authors write about the character, Evelyn, in a unique way that makes the story even more interesting than it would have been writing in a more traditional style. Language is period appropriate and draws you into the realism of the times. You will enjoy this story as you learn about the struggling lawyer who is smarter and more compassionate than her peers. Great writing style and vividly realistic characters.

[Quinn W Buckland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved watching Victoria's evolution from a mild mannered shut in to becoming the woman she was always supposed to be.
I did not see the ending coming, at least not until i was damn near on top of it.
The writing both works for the sake of the story, but can feel like a bit of a slog at times. But, what works in the book really works, making the slower parts seem inconsequential.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. i recommend it.

[Sahreth Bowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has taken me way too long to get around to reading this, but I'm so glad I finally did! The story follows a woman who, after the tragic death of her parents, quits the job always expected of her in order to pursue her own desires. Coming from money allows her the fortune of leaving behind stable work for the uncertainty of a writing career.

While highly intelligent and a killer lawyer, Victoria is also described as plain, unnoteworthy, and when out of the court, socially awkward and meek. It is through a sort of role play as a character she has long dreamt of that she begins to become more fierce and confident like she's always wanted. But when pretending to be someone else begins giving her knowledge she shouldn't have and attracting mysterious people, her sanity comes into question. This couldn't truly be real, could it?

'The Portrait' is largely focused on Victoria's point of view, but also has passages of the story she is writing from the POV of the dream character she's been playing make believe as. The shifts between her writing and her actual life seem to become less and less differentiated as 'The Portrait' continues. The reader is then offered snippets from a third perspective when Victoria begins to ponder reality.

Like other books by Evelyn Chartres, 'The Portrait' is beautifully written. The author pays a lot of attention to detail, from all five senses to environment and emotion. It is extremely easy to fully immerse in the world she's created. I was glued to the pages attempting to discern truth from fiction alongside Victoria and despite my constant predictions of how the conclusion 'must be this or that,' the ending exceeded expectations with a twist that evaded my theories.

The book is a bit of a slow burn, but I found the end worth it. Although there is a dark overtone to the entire novel, it is in the last pages that straight out horror comes to life which I would say is unnerving despite the lack of gorish overkill, especially after coming to feel Victoria's experience as your own. Truly her journey was fantastic to witness.

[C.J. Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artists express themselves in many different ways. From the grandmother crocheting a baby blanket to a singer crooning about true love, they all leave a large part of themselves in the finished work. Being a writer, I know this more than anyone. Being a reader… I wonder just how much of this novel is fiction, and how much of it is non-fiction. Thinking about the fact that Evelyn is writing about an author named Victoria, writing about a character named Evelyn boggles the mind. Both the fictional writer and her character parallel each other as they move through their respective worlds trying to find themselves.

A quote from this author’s own work sums it up beautifully. “In her novel, Victoria easily envisioned the painting working similarly to the mirror in Through the Looking-Glass. A story in which a character named Alice saw both her world and a variant thereof while unaware of the subtle differences between the two.”

Evelyn uses her words to paint this imaginative novel about two women who know each other as well as they know themselves without actually meeting – until later. At times, it almost seemed like she was holding up a mirror and demanding that I take a good look at myself. Which, of course, means I identified with parts of her story. This is truly a necessity for any author and she definitely accomplished that task in spades.

Definitely recommended for those of you who like “word art”.

[Cathleen Maza · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Portrait" is a unique story about the development of a fictional character that directly relates to the transformation of the author who creates her. The interweaving story lines of Victoria and Evelyn are filled with intrigue and self-discovery on the part of both characters. This intimate look inside a writer's mind is well written and beautifully detailed. Some readers may not care for the sophisticated tone and dated prose, but I feel they both served as key elements in the delivery of the story. Thumbs up for this enjoyable novel.

[Dean O'Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother was a wildlife artist and I have been surrounded by art for most of my life. The story reached out to me because I truly know the influence that a painting can have on a person. The visualizations behind a portrait can be quite palpable. I am also trying to be an author and I drift between the past and the present in my own writings, so I extremely liked how she wove together the history and the present. Victoria Frost, our FMC, becomes infatuated by the character that she has created, and may be losing her mind in the process of making her own creation. This is the first novel from Evelyn Chartres that I have read and look forward to reading "The Grand, "Come Hell or High Water", and "Paradox", which I have also purchased. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading more of her works.

[Bianca Hanga · Rating 2 out of 5]

The prose was very pretentious and it distracted me from the story. A lot of weird word choices (boreal climate???), the overuse of “this author”, “this writer”, “this young artist” etc all over the book. I really wanted to DNF but I’m a completionist. If it were written today I would suspect AI.
The plot wasn’t very exciting; I couldn’t suspend my disbelief at the way Victoria became a prodigy in every art she attempted; the twist at the end left me with more questions than answers. It wasn’t the worst book I ever read but not great either.

[Gladys · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Portrait is beautifully eerie and emotionally gripping. I loved how Victoria’s obsession with her character slowly blurs the line between imagination and reality. The mix of past and present, along with the visual art elements, made it feel haunting and immersive. A dark, atmospheric read that lingers.