A Light of Her Own - by Carrie Callaghan (Paperback)

About the Book

Holland, 1633. Judith Leyster is a painter, dodging the law and whispers of murder in hopes of becoming the first woman admitted to the prestigious Haarlem artist's guild. Maria is a Catholic in a country where the faith is banned, hoping to absolve her sins by recovering a lost saint's relic. Both women's destinies will be shaped by their ambitions, running counter to the city's most powerful men, whose own plans spell disaster.

Book Synopsis

In Holland 1633, a woman's ambition has no place.

Judith is a painter, dodging the law and whispers of murder to try to become the first woman admitted to the Haarlem painters guild. Maria is a Catholic in a country where the faith is banned, hoping to absolve her sins by recovering a lost saint's relic.

Both women's destinies will be shaped by their ambitions, running counter to the city's most powerful men, whose own plans spell disaster. A vivid portrait of a remarkable artist, A Light of Her Own is a richly-woven story of grit against the backdrop of Rembrandt and an uncompromising religion.

Story behind the story . . .

The trail of Judith Leyster's career was so faint that only years after her death in 1660, collectors began attributing her few surviving paintings to other artists. She signed her work with only a beautiful, stylized monogram. Credit went to Frans Hals, Jan Miense Molenaer, and others. She would remain lost to history until 1893.

From the Back Cover

In Holland 1633, a woman's ambition has no place.

Judith is a painter, dodging the law and whispers of murder to try to become the first woman admitted to the Haarlem painters guild. Maria is a Catholic in a country where the faith is banned, hoping to absolve her sins by recovering a lost saint's relic.

Both women's destinies will be shaped by their ambitions, running counter to the city's most powerful men, whose own plans spell disaster. A vivid portrait of a remarkable artist, A Light of Her Own is a richly-woven story of grit against the backdrop of Rembrandt and an uncompromising religion.

Story behind the story . . .

The trail of Judith Leyster's career was so faint that only years after her death in 1660, collectors began attributing her few surviving paintings to other artists. She signed her work with only a beautiful, stylized monogram. Credit went to Frans Hals, Jan Miense Molenaer, and others. She would remain lost to history until 1893.

Review Quotes

Carrie Callaghan follows the intertwined journeys of two women in her debut novel, A Light of Her Own. As a young artist in 17th-century Holland, Judith Leyster struggles to make a living and earn the professional respect she deserves. She's gained valuable skills during her apprenticeship to Haarlem painter Frans de Grebber, and a close friend in his daughter, Maria. But Judith has her sights set higher: she wants to open her own workshop, train apprentices and win a place in the city's powerful guild of painters, all men. Maria, though she also wants to paint, is preoccupied with questions relating to her Catholic faith: What does God want of her and what sacrifices will he require?

Like her protagonists with their paintings, Callaghan renders her subjects in rich detail, giving readers a glimpse into the world of painters' workshops, smudged with freshly ground pigments and smelling of linseed oil. The politics of the painters' guild and the women's internal challenges are also vividly drawn. While Judith burns with ambition, she struggles to make ends meet, help her ne'er-do-well brother, Abraham, and fight the sexism and corruption displayed by her male colleagues. Maria, desperate for some higher purpose, throws herself into a quest to retrieve a saint's relic. The plot meanders for a bit until Maria's return, but Callaghan brings the characters together to uncover a conspiracy and mend their relationship. Callaghan's novel is as compelling as one of Judith's paintings, a well-crafted blend of light and shadow.

Discover: Carrie Callaghan's debut novel vividly renders the artistic journeys of two young female painters in 17th-century Haarlem, in Holland.

--Katie Noah Gibson "Shelf-Awareness "

"A Light of Her Own, as a portrait of two brave and ambitious Dutch women painters, and a glimpse into17th century life in Holland, is recommended to all fans of historical fiction." -- New York Journal of Books

--New York Journal of Books

"Against the backdrop of 1630s Holland, where women have little power and religion is strictly regulated, Callaghan's debut shines a light on the friendship between two artists... Fans of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring (2000) will enjoy this darker, grittier peek into the history of Dutch art and the struggles of women within that world." -- Booklist

--Booklist

"Set in 1633 Holland, Callaghan's riveting debut convincingly brings to life determined painter Judith Leyster, the first woman to attain master status in the cutthroat profession... Callaghan skillfully balances both the intricacies of the 17th-century Dutch art world and the religious persecution of the time, making this a dextrously woven and engrossing historical novel." -- Publisher's Weekly

--Publisher's Weekly

"A Light of Her Own is a beautifully crafted story set in seventeenth-century Holland, in which two women navigate the law, destiny, and their unstoppable ambition... Sensory details evoke the light, the feel, and the smell of the setting... a riveting fictionalized account of Judith Leyster." -- Foreword Reviews boosts#toggleFormOnEscOrEnter" data-boosts-adding-class="boosts--adding" data-boosts-deleting-class="boost--deleting"> --Foreword Reviews

"A Light of Her Own follows two women as they seek space, respect and professional opportunity in a culture that allows them very little of it. Impeccably researched and vibrantly told, Carrie Callaghan's debut paints a picture worthy of Judith herself."

--Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists

." . . Vividly rendered, Judith's story is one of loyalty, independence, and finding her place in a world dominated by male artists like Rembrandt and Molenaer . . . I feel fortunate to have met Judith Leyster through Carrie Callaghan's well-crafted words." --Jenni L. Walsh, author of Side by Side: A Novel of Bonnie and Clyde

--Jenni L. Walsh

"Colorful and absorbing, Callaghan paints a lively portrait of seventeenth century Dutch life in A Light of Her Own, and the struggles female artists endured to make names for themselves. After reading, I found myself eager to book my next trip to the Netherlands!" --Heather Webb, author of Rodin's Lover

--Heather Webb

"A vivid, ambitious novel about art and female friendship. With evocative detail, Callaghan transports us to 17th-century Holland and the early lives of Judith Leyster--who strives to be the first woman admitted to the elite Haarlem Painters Guild--and her friend and fellow artist, Maria, who has great talent but cannot match Judith's raw ambition. A Light of Her Own is engaging, heartfelt, and brimming with color and light." --Frances de Pontes Peebles, author of The Seamstress and The Air You Breathe--Frances de Pontes Peebles

About the Author

Carrie Callaghan is a writer living in Maryland with her spouse, two young children, and two ridiculous cats. Her short fiction has appeared in Weave Magazine, The MacGuffin, Silk Road, Floodwall, and elsewhere. Carrie is also an editor and contributor with the Washington Independent Review of Books. She has a Master's of Arts in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.