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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
It's hard not to put in historical fiction as a tag because the plot centers so much around historical discoveries... this book is told in first person by Hannah, a married woman who gave up her career as a historian to care full-time for her neurodivergent son, Nicky, who is eight when the story begins. Hannah and Nicky arrive at Ashton Hall in Cambridge, England, expecting to care for Hannah's honorary Uncle Christopher, who is nearing the end of his life. Ashton Hall is restored and open to the public, and when Nicky is exploring, he finds the skeleton of a woman. This is a mystery indeed... how long has the skeleton been there? How has it been hidden so long? Who was this woman? Hannah and some of the researchers at Ashton uncover historical documents that record the life of the household and attempt to find out more about who was living there and what their lives were like. Meanwhile relationships are changing for Hannah the longer she and Nicky stay in England. I didn't like the moments of self-flagellation that Hannah sometimes experienced but other than that I enjoyed this mixture of history and contemporary life. I would read another by this author.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"Fred has a girlfriend" I had no idea how terrifying those words could turn out to be. A child with a unique look at the world makes a terrifying discovery and integrates himself and his mother on the case to solve a mystery over 500 years in the making.
This is one of those rare books where the setting is a character of it's own and I loved it, the descriptions of Ashton Hall, the village, all of the places that Hanna and Nicky see, Castles to Cotttages, the setting is vibrant and comes alive under Lauren Belfers masterful storytelling.
The natural flow of this book allows for seemless transitions between the current world and the late 1500's which is no easy task, and while there are a lot of almost educational moments I found it helpful as I'm sure not everyone has firsthand knowledge of the things used in the Edwardian era.
From murder to affairs, priests hiding rooms to hidden passages, children with special needs to children that are just a handful this book has a little something that will interest anyone who loves a good, well written, engaging story.
There are so many questions this book poses and doesn't fail to deliver answers that will leave you mind blown wondering how you never saw it coming.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I truly enjoyed this book and would happily read anything else this author writes.
This is one of those rare books where the setting is a character of it's own and I loved it, the descriptions of Ashton Hall, the village, all of the places that Hanna and Nicky see, Castles to Cotttages, the setting is vibrant and comes alive under Lauren Belfers masterful storytelling.
The natural flow of this book allows for seemless transitions between the current world and the late 1500's which is no easy task, and while there are a lot of almost educational moments I found it helpful as I'm sure not everyone has firsthand knowledge of the things used in the Edwardian era.
From murder to affairs, priests hiding rooms to hidden passages, children with special needs to children that are just a handful this book has a little something that will interest anyone who loves a good, well written, engaging story.
There are so many questions this book poses and doesn't fail to deliver answers that will leave you mind blown wondering how you never saw it coming.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I truly enjoyed this book and would happily read anything else this author writes.
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is marketed as a gothic mystery, but that is not what I got. Instead it is a slow paced fiction novel. That in itself wasn’t terrible, but the way relationships are portrayed was. Our protagonist who has a special needs son is very weak when it comes to him and her manipulative husband. Also, adultery is portrayed to be excusable in certain circumstances her and I’m not ok with that. All of these things combined made this not the boom for me. If I was not reading an ARC for review, I would have dnf’d this one. I gave this two stars instead of one because the historical part about the Tudor era of England was of interest to me.
This is a very very slow atmospheric read. There were times that I thought the plot would never pick up and I would be stuck but it picked up at the end.
Perfect for a slow winter evening but not a beach read
Perfect for a slow winter evening but not a beach read
UGH
Who talks like this? Who talks like the main character would.
It’s cool she basically wrote an Autistic child, but everything else was whiny. I found myself skipping over parts because it trudged along.
Who talks like this? Who talks like the main character would.
It’s cool she basically wrote an Autistic child, but everything else was whiny. I found myself skipping over parts because it trudged along.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death