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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this one! Black Rabbit Hall is an atmospheric novel, full of poetic language. It's a story in which the stately manor is just as much a character as the people who inhabit it. By the end, despite all that had happened there, I found myself wishing I could visit.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Easy to read but the plot twists didn't feel earned and none of the characters were particularly likeable or realistic. Saw a review compare it to Daphne du Maurier.... It might be set in Cornwall but I don't think it lives up to her books in any other way!
This is a mystery that unfolds in two timeframes. In the late 1960s, Amber and her family spend idyllic holidays at the family estate in Cornwall, nicknamed Black Rabbit Hall. However tragedy and change are just around the corner. Over 30 years later, Lorna and her fiance Jon visit Black Rabbit Hall in search of a location for their upcoming wedding. Instead of Amber's family, the house is home to only an eccentric grand old lady. However Lorna will stumble on clues that point to dark events in the house's past.
I was drawn into this book by the gorgeous cover and reviews promising me an atmospheric family mystery, but it failed to live up to my expectations. There is an interesting story at its core and this is what kept me reading, wondering how things would all pan out. But it's an unlikely and drawn out story. Fans of of Hannah Richell or Kate Morton may enjoy this, but they may also suspect that those authors could have tightened and polished it, ironed out some of the fortuitous and unlikely kinks in the story.
I also got irritated by the absence of even one character who behaved in a realistic way. Among others, I didn't buy into Caroline who has nothing more to her than being an archetypal villian, to Lorna who accepts an invitation to stay with a creepy lady that she doesn't know in a creepy house or to Hugo who has a permanent personality change overnight.
I was drawn into this book by the gorgeous cover and reviews promising me an atmospheric family mystery, but it failed to live up to my expectations. There is an interesting story at its core and this is what kept me reading, wondering how things would all pan out. But it's an unlikely and drawn out story. Fans of of Hannah Richell or Kate Morton may enjoy this, but they may also suspect that those authors could have tightened and polished it, ironed out some of the fortuitous and unlikely kinks in the story.
I also got irritated by the absence of even one character who behaved in a realistic way. Among others, I didn't buy into Caroline who has nothing more to her than being an archetypal villian, to Lorna who accepts an invitation to stay with a creepy lady that she doesn't know in a creepy house or to Hugo who has a permanent personality change overnight.
Definitely an interesting read. Some bits reminded me of the film Crimson Peak. Characters become more interesting the farther into the book you go.
This was a great story for fans of Kate Morton books who enjoy time hopping between past and present as mysteries slowly reveal themselves. I truely enjoyed the vivid characters and setting in this amazing novel. It is a solid 4.5 stars.
I really liked this story of a crumbling old Cornish mansion (Black Rabbit Hall) and the family who owned it, changed forever one spring. This story is told from two different points in time. Amber mainly tells the story from the 1960's. Hers is an idyllic childhood filled with summer vacations and holidays with her mother, father, and siblings at the lovable old family estate in Cornwall. There is laughter, love, fun and adventure. When a horrible accident changes the family forever, Amber must step up to be the responsible one. Her twin Toby reacts very badly. Her younger siblings are lost. Everything comes to a head when a interloper intrudes on their home and grief.
Lorna's story is told from the 1990's. She is getting married and looking for the perfect venue. She is drawn to Black Rabbit Hall. As she tries to unravel its secrets, her own past is caught up in the crumbling mansion.
This story reminded me a lot of a Kate Morton book only much more concise. It has many twists and turns. While I guessed a few of the twists, there were some that I couldn't see coming. The villain in this is deliciously evil, but yet in some ways sympathetic. There is some language and adult themes, but all in all an interesting psychological story that gets more interesting as the layers are revealed. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Lorna's story is told from the 1990's. She is getting married and looking for the perfect venue. She is drawn to Black Rabbit Hall. As she tries to unravel its secrets, her own past is caught up in the crumbling mansion.
This story reminded me a lot of a Kate Morton book only much more concise. It has many twists and turns. While I guessed a few of the twists, there were some that I couldn't see coming. The villain in this is deliciously evil, but yet in some ways sympathetic. There is some language and adult themes, but all in all an interesting psychological story that gets more interesting as the layers are revealed. I look forward to reading more from this author.
A rollercoaster of emotions: from joy to sadness to frustration to elation. Black Rabbit Hall is a book full of surprises and an incessant journey that spans over 30 years. This is the story of four children broken by the loss of their beloved mother and how they learn to cope with grief, change and love. Eve Chase gifts us with a beautifully written story which has the right amount of intrigue and carries you, chapters after chapters, to a remarkable ending. Enjoyable from the first to the last page.
I've spent the weekend in Black Rabbit Hall. Well, that's how it feels anyway. Loved this dual narrative family history set in a big old house in the remote Cornish countryside. All the secrets, lies and intrigue you'd expect. Loved it.