Nineteen year old Chastity Wayman is about to make her entrance into society. She is young and awkward. Very shy and completely under her strong-willed mother's influence, she doesn't see herself as anyone of note. Her social climbing mother decides a portrait of Chastity by a well-known artist will increase attention to her and result in a better marriage. The talented Mr. Sutherland is hired to paint her.

At first, Chastity dislikes the forward, critical artist. He calls her hair 'a rotten color.' He picks apart her clothes, telling her she has "no more color than a three-day-old corpse". Then he dresses her in oranges. He touches her almost but not quite inappropriately. He calls her mouth a "promise of smiles." He makes her feel like a desirable woman. She blossoms under his focus, finding her power as a woman.

The Portrait is not a romance. Told in first person, it is a powerful yet subtle coming of age story. Judith B. Glad skillfully draws readers through Chastity's changing emotions and growing awareness of her sexuality, her desirability. She evolves from seeing herself as a dutiful child to embracing her unique beauty. The Portrait is a gem of a story, one to be passed on from mother to daughter.

Reviewed by: Kimber