A review by anatl
Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge

4.0

Lady Grace Kilmichael the heroine of the book is a 45 years old married lady who feels underappreciated by her husband and grown up children. She escapes to Europe where she encounters a kindred spirit Nicholas Humphries a young man who wants to become a painter while his family objects. She already a well renown painter helps him gain confidence and independance and he in turn helps her. The romance here is very chaste, rather like courtly love, a meeting of like minds or spirits. Plus the book is very reflective and introspective, Lady Kilmichael uses the distance to diagnose where things went wrong in her family life. Accompanying this meditative mood are long descriptions of views, plants and architecture. Be warned that the most dramatic thing to happen in the book is food poisoning. I liked the book very much accept for the ending which seemed a little too pat.