Skye Ashton is a 21-year
old approaching her final year at the university. “Balanced on the edge of everything and a
little bit scared to step off. Dreaming all the dreams that girls of my age do,
of a career. Running my own business. Turning the tedious studies of the
business management classroom into a real-life adventure. Running my own
marketing consultancy. Being a serious player.” (7)
“While my mother and sister flaunted
their romances, I kept my first serious boyfriend as secret as it was possible
to do….My dreams were of the conventional kind; a life of safety and security,
a career where I knew what I was doing and could follow a defined path. They
didn’t include a roller-coaster of romance when I wouldn’t know which day was
my anniversary of which wedding to which husband.” (10)
Right away you have to admire the
young girl’s thrive for independence, but she’s so dependent on Zach, who is 28
years old—a little too old for her, really. It’s true though—being someone’s
“inspiration” carries the shackles of commitment. And I could certainly
understand Skye’s reluctance to settle down. What better way to get over Zach
than to take a holiday in Italy? Yay!
Of course, Zach feels that Skye could
be in charge of her destiny and still be in love with him.
Set against the lavish scenes of
Edinburgh, Scotland (another place on my bucket list) AND Verona, Italy, A Portrait of My Love is an artsy
romance of the hazardous beauty of love gained and love lost. “Curious, how
that was what love did, how it held you like a bird on a sticky branch, always
able to flap your wings but never able to fly free.” (84)
I especially liked the artistic manner
in which she described Zach’s drawing ability. “He saw things no-one else did—a lizard
clinging to a wall in defiance of gravity, someone sitting peacefully on a
self-made island of quiet framed by a cloud of busyness, a child investigating
a crack in the pavement with wide open eyes; the world through his eyes was a
special place.”
(50) Such vivid
descriptions throughout that I felt I was right there.
Overall, this was a lovely and
well-written account of self and love’s journey. Skye and Zach care for each
other so much, but unknown forces and personal demons keep them apart. The
reader will feel the connection of their souls and hope they get back together.
The story obviously centered on them. I wasn’t too keen on the whole family
feud surrounding the hotel business or Leona’s $50 million net worth. I thought
those were odd pieces in this worldly, vibrant puzzle. Still, albeit a bit slow
and jaded at times, this was a nice story. Mostly I wondered what would become of Skye
and Zach and whether he would draw her portrait.
My rating: 3.5 stars
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