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Noble Beasts
Not yet published
Expected 21 May 26 A thing of beauty is a great temptation.
It's the summer of 1858 and everyone who can has fled London. As a foul miasma hangs over the capital, Sir Edwin Landseer is toiling at a fever pitch. Because England needs lions, England expects lions, and fifteen years to finish a monument like Nelson's column is a disgrace.
But even as lions stalk the sculptor's alcohol-fueled nightmares, his dreams take him elsewhere. No longer an old man losing his grip on reality, but a young artist eager for life, recognition and love. Traversing decades, the story leaps back and forth, from the squalor of Victorian London to Landseer's youth in the waning Regency as the Duchess - twenty years his senior - bursts into Edwin's life.
Noble Beasts is a fascinating tale that blends the hazy romance of the Scottish Highlands with the history of London's renowned Trafalgar Square. It charts his relationship to the Queen and the Royal Academy, alongside the events that led to his declaration of insanity in 1872. And it explores the infamous rumour that young Edwin Landseer, the painter to call if you wanted dogs or deer, was taking more from the Duke of Bedford than the occasional commission.
This is the story of a famed artist, a scandalous affair, and the beasts that roamed his mind.
It's the summer of 1858 and everyone who can has fled London. As a foul miasma hangs over the capital, Sir Edwin Landseer is toiling at a fever pitch. Because England needs lions, England expects lions, and fifteen years to finish a monument like Nelson's column is a disgrace.
But even as lions stalk the sculptor's alcohol-fueled nightmares, his dreams take him elsewhere. No longer an old man losing his grip on reality, but a young artist eager for life, recognition and love. Traversing decades, the story leaps back and forth, from the squalor of Victorian London to Landseer's youth in the waning Regency as the Duchess - twenty years his senior - bursts into Edwin's life.
Noble Beasts is a fascinating tale that blends the hazy romance of the Scottish Highlands with the history of London's renowned Trafalgar Square. It charts his relationship to the Queen and the Royal Academy, alongside the events that led to his declaration of insanity in 1872. And it explores the infamous rumour that young Edwin Landseer, the painter to call if you wanted dogs or deer, was taking more from the Duke of Bedford than the occasional commission.
This is the story of a famed artist, a scandalous affair, and the beasts that roamed his mind.
359 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication May 21, 2026
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25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 5, 2026
A fascinating story of Edwin Landseer, the famous artist who created the lions in Trafalgar Square.
This meticulously well researched account of the life and love of Edwin Landseer moves between his emergence as an artist in regency London to Victorian England where as Sir Landseer, friend and artist to the Queen, he is struggling to create the famous lions for Trafalgar Square and teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about this book is how much I learned about Edwin and the artistic movement during this period. The author crafts his story so cleverly without any info dumping (a historical fiction Cardinal sin). The rich detail makes you feel totally immersed in the period and in his life. The rigid Victorian era and class structures are brought to life through the account of the artist’s scandalous long term relationship with the (married and much senior) Duchess of Bedford. I was so invested in this forbidden love story, it was heart wrenching and beautifully portrayed. The vivid descriptions of the highlands through their visits and his paintings were also a real highlight. Gorgeous, evocative prose and a well crafted story. Loved it.
A very talented writer and an amazing debut. Can’t wait to read more from her.
Thank you to Netgally for the EARC.
This meticulously well researched account of the life and love of Edwin Landseer moves between his emergence as an artist in regency London to Victorian England where as Sir Landseer, friend and artist to the Queen, he is struggling to create the famous lions for Trafalgar Square and teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
One of the things I enjoyed so much about this book is how much I learned about Edwin and the artistic movement during this period. The author crafts his story so cleverly without any info dumping (a historical fiction Cardinal sin). The rich detail makes you feel totally immersed in the period and in his life. The rigid Victorian era and class structures are brought to life through the account of the artist’s scandalous long term relationship with the (married and much senior) Duchess of Bedford. I was so invested in this forbidden love story, it was heart wrenching and beautifully portrayed. The vivid descriptions of the highlands through their visits and his paintings were also a real highlight. Gorgeous, evocative prose and a well crafted story. Loved it.
A very talented writer and an amazing debut. Can’t wait to read more from her.
Thank you to Netgally for the EARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Sir Edwin Landseer - famous artist, favourite of Queen Victoria, lover, drunkard. Despite a lot of resistance and primarily being a painter, Edwin is eventually persuaded to take the commission of sculpting the brass lions which are to stand on Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. He's not a well man and knows it, but this is his shot at redemption...
This is a fictional re-telling of the life of Sir Edwin, a very real very prominent artist in the 1800s. He courted scandal, had dramatic rises and falls, and was both a troubled and gifted man. All of this comes across in this book, which narratively flits between his 'present' trying to finish the lion sculptures and his past doomed love.
There is a lot of subtext in this book and it is an interesting look at the life and status of a certain slice of society in a time when that society was changing rapidly. Edwin is associating with Duke's and royalty but is always separate from them, lauded for his skill but can never be accepted. There's a look too at the hypocrisy of the age where women are concerned - men can have dalliances and leave their families but for a woman to do the same would mean her losing all access to her children.
I have to say the writing of this is exquisite, the style is beautiful and the imagery evocative - absolutely the best thing about this book for me. The main reason for the star rating is that although it is beautifully written, I can't honestly say I enjoyed reading it. I didn't find any of the character particularly likeable or sympathetic and while there were genuinely tragic elements, I'm not sure they were balanced by enough joyful moments and because I didn't overly care for the characters I found it hard to engage with said tragedy.
While interesting and compelling at points, I actually think it would have worked better as a non-fiction.
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review -
This is a fictional re-telling of the life of Sir Edwin, a very real very prominent artist in the 1800s. He courted scandal, had dramatic rises and falls, and was both a troubled and gifted man. All of this comes across in this book, which narratively flits between his 'present' trying to finish the lion sculptures and his past doomed love.
There is a lot of subtext in this book and it is an interesting look at the life and status of a certain slice of society in a time when that society was changing rapidly. Edwin is associating with Duke's and royalty but is always separate from them, lauded for his skill but can never be accepted. There's a look too at the hypocrisy of the age where women are concerned - men can have dalliances and leave their families but for a woman to do the same would mean her losing all access to her children.
I have to say the writing of this is exquisite, the style is beautiful and the imagery evocative - absolutely the best thing about this book for me. The main reason for the star rating is that although it is beautifully written, I can't honestly say I enjoyed reading it. I didn't find any of the character particularly likeable or sympathetic and while there were genuinely tragic elements, I'm not sure they were balanced by enough joyful moments and because I didn't overly care for the characters I found it hard to engage with said tragedy.
While interesting and compelling at points, I actually think it would have worked better as a non-fiction.
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review -
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Click here for my full review
“The short hairs around the lion’s nostrils ripple as it assesses him, whiskers twitching. What can it smell? Oil paint and alcohol? Tobacco and dogs? Is that all he is now?”
The myth of the mad artist has lingered for too long. The painful lives and deaths of creatives like Vincent van Gogh have been romanticised into the dubious equation of genius with mental illness, using real suffering to sell paintings. Even now, we like the idea that art demands torment: think about all the actors who spend awards season tearfully recounting the toll that method acting has taken on them.
At first glance, Edwin Landseer’s life, plagued by alcoholism and depression and culminating in being declared legally insane, fits this pop-cultural pattern. However, NOBLE BEASTS backs up its fiction with detailed research to convey a biography that goes beyond the pain he endured.
We read about two phases of his career: designing the lions of Nelson’s Column, and flashbacks throughout his long affair with Georgina Russell, Duchess of Bedford. Twenty years his senior and married to his artistic patron, the Duchess nevertheless shares a love of animals and desire for genuine connection that battles constantly against the divides of class. “Dogs aren’t pretending to be something they’re not,” Landseer tells the Duchess, a stark contrast to their world of social ritual.
From the stench of Victorian London to the windblown Scottish Highlands, Waverley evocatively renders her setting, and how Landseer’s paintings show “tragedy and hope bound together in twisting, sinuous animal forms”. We see into his increasingly troubled mind, as a hallucinatory lion stalks him through his studio, taunting him for his failures as he tries to complete his final artworks...
“The short hairs around the lion’s nostrils ripple as it assesses him, whiskers twitching. What can it smell? Oil paint and alcohol? Tobacco and dogs? Is that all he is now?”
The myth of the mad artist has lingered for too long. The painful lives and deaths of creatives like Vincent van Gogh have been romanticised into the dubious equation of genius with mental illness, using real suffering to sell paintings. Even now, we like the idea that art demands torment: think about all the actors who spend awards season tearfully recounting the toll that method acting has taken on them.
At first glance, Edwin Landseer’s life, plagued by alcoholism and depression and culminating in being declared legally insane, fits this pop-cultural pattern. However, NOBLE BEASTS backs up its fiction with detailed research to convey a biography that goes beyond the pain he endured.
We read about two phases of his career: designing the lions of Nelson’s Column, and flashbacks throughout his long affair with Georgina Russell, Duchess of Bedford. Twenty years his senior and married to his artistic patron, the Duchess nevertheless shares a love of animals and desire for genuine connection that battles constantly against the divides of class. “Dogs aren’t pretending to be something they’re not,” Landseer tells the Duchess, a stark contrast to their world of social ritual.
From the stench of Victorian London to the windblown Scottish Highlands, Waverley evocatively renders her setting, and how Landseer’s paintings show “tragedy and hope bound together in twisting, sinuous animal forms”. We see into his increasingly troubled mind, as a hallucinatory lion stalks him through his studio, taunting him for his failures as he tries to complete his final artworks...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Historical fiction is my favourite genre and this is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read in years! Intensely moving and deeply evocative, Noble Beasts is a stunning portrait of a man as well as an era. Rendered in luscious prose, the novel’s bold exploration of the price of ambition and the enduring strength of love against the odds had me gripped from its optimistic beginning in the late Regency through Landseer’s final days of disillusionment and mental health struggles as the Trafalgar Square lions stalked his dreams.
Reading this gorgeous novel felt like travelling in time. I felt as if I was there, watching it all unfold as the story followed Landseer from busy Regency and Victorian London to the Highland mountains. The love story was beautifully written, both tender and heart-wrenching and I now want to go see Landseer's paintings. It was such a treat and I can't wait to read more from Lucy!
Reading this gorgeous novel felt like travelling in time. I felt as if I was there, watching it all unfold as the story followed Landseer from busy Regency and Victorian London to the Highland mountains. The love story was beautifully written, both tender and heart-wrenching and I now want to go see Landseer's paintings. It was such a treat and I can't wait to read more from Lucy!
Review of advance copy
I loved the back-and-forth nature of the chapters but how despite this, the story still flowed. I really fell for Georgina and her joie de vivre and approach to life. And yet she was not without her difficulties and was, of course, a woman in a time when men held the power.
I was really sorry to get to the end of this book as it totally absorbed me, and I have already begun to read up around Georgina and also about Edmund. I’ll be heading to Trafalgar Square next time I’m in London too, to have a look at those noble beasts…
I was really sorry to get to the end of this book as it totally absorbed me, and I have already begun to read up around Georgina and also about Edmund. I’ll be heading to Trafalgar Square next time I’m in London too, to have a look at those noble beasts…
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
How I adored this book. A captivating historical novel by Lucy Waverley, NOBLE BEASTS moves from Sir Edwin Landseer’s early years as a young painter to his troubled later life, completing the bronze lions of Trafalgar Square while wrestling with alcohol and his inner demons.
Lucy’s prose is elegant and quick-witted, while the love story at its heart is achingly rendered, as is the Scottish Highlands, where much of the action is set. As beautifully crafted as a Landseer painting, NOBLE BEASTS is a stunning debut.
Lucy’s prose is elegant and quick-witted, while the love story at its heart is achingly rendered, as is the Scottish Highlands, where much of the action is set. As beautifully crafted as a Landseer painting, NOBLE BEASTS is a stunning debut.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews