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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
V mixed bag. So much good but some parts felt rushed/contrived
Came to this after reading and really liking The Ophelia Girls, but I struggled with this one. I feel like it could have used stronger editing—far too repetitive and the pace just stalled for loooong stretches in which neither the plot nor the characters developed significantly. Ultimately, Healey’s writing and original premise kept me from jumping ship (which is saying a lot, if you look at my DNF pile), but I much preferred The Ophelia Girls. I get the sense she is growing as an author and that she’ll keep getting better.
Firstly, this is such a STUNNING cover, by Neil Lang Designs, that has both obvious and subtle links to the content of this beautifully gothic and nostalgic story centred around a deteriorating manor house and a treasured museum collection of mammals & birds.
I was enraptured with this Gothic delight, it is part ghost story, part romance, part historical capturing the essence of rural life in the 1940's during World War 2. How villages used to very little change had to adapt and evolve almost overnight to evacuees and other arrivals, as well as men leaving for the war.
Jane Healey cleverly weaves in the historical changes for women that WW2 helped emerge: the aspirations of some women to do more than marry and raise children, the ability to pursue careers even within traditionally male fields, and the beginnings of sexual liberation and revolution.
This book is atmospheric, full of suspense with just teases of mysteries and secrets unknown as Hetty begins to become acquainted with the manor house and it's inhabitants. Lucy and Hetty's connection was a joy to read, I felt deeply the loneliness Lucy clearly had and hated her father (Lord Lockwood) with his entitled attitude and oblivious nature to Lucy, both her capabilities and her hurt.
With things soon going awry as Hetty's prized collection suffers losses, Hetty also struggles with recurring nightmares, visions and a sense of paranoia that threatens her position at Lockwood as well as her future.
Secrets of cruelty, betrayal, wickedness and revenge seep through the manor house and yet there is a counterbalance of passion and devotion. The delicate and endangered nature of the creatures in Hetty's collection reflect the precarious balance of secrets and appearances of life in Lockwood, and as everything begins to unravel, something dangerous and yet magical is released.
This book is an exquisite piece of storytelling that is just as impressive as its cover. It leaves you captured in its disturbing vision and breathless with what ultimately concludes.
Thank you to the author and publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this title via Netgalley. All opinions are entirely my own.
I was enraptured with this Gothic delight, it is part ghost story, part romance, part historical capturing the essence of rural life in the 1940's during World War 2. How villages used to very little change had to adapt and evolve almost overnight to evacuees and other arrivals, as well as men leaving for the war.
Jane Healey cleverly weaves in the historical changes for women that WW2 helped emerge: the aspirations of some women to do more than marry and raise children, the ability to pursue careers even within traditionally male fields, and the beginnings of sexual liberation and revolution.
This book is atmospheric, full of suspense with just teases of mysteries and secrets unknown as Hetty begins to become acquainted with the manor house and it's inhabitants. Lucy and Hetty's connection was a joy to read, I felt deeply the loneliness Lucy clearly had and hated her father (Lord Lockwood) with his entitled attitude and oblivious nature to Lucy, both her capabilities and her hurt.
With things soon going awry as Hetty's prized collection suffers losses, Hetty also struggles with recurring nightmares, visions and a sense of paranoia that threatens her position at Lockwood as well as her future.
Secrets of cruelty, betrayal, wickedness and revenge seep through the manor house and yet there is a counterbalance of passion and devotion. The delicate and endangered nature of the creatures in Hetty's collection reflect the precarious balance of secrets and appearances of life in Lockwood, and as everything begins to unravel, something dangerous and yet magical is released.
This book is an exquisite piece of storytelling that is just as impressive as its cover. It leaves you captured in its disturbing vision and breathless with what ultimately concludes.
Thank you to the author and publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this title via Netgalley. All opinions are entirely my own.
“It was as if I was kindling lit by her touch, and she had joined me in the flames.”
I don’t entirely understand why some of the GR reviews for The Animals at Lockwood Manor are so disparaging tbh??
It’s a lovely debut novel, with a gorgeous representation of the tenderness of sapphic love, and a few good haunting twists and turns in an overall atmospheric setting.
If you’d like bit of a slow burn with a rather complex look at parent/child inter generational trauma, a dash of disability rep, and an absolutely delicious atmosphere (English countryside estate through all seasons /oof) then you’re set. I will be reaching for Healey again!
TW: sexual abuse, abuse of a minor, mild gore
I don’t entirely understand why some of the GR reviews for The Animals at Lockwood Manor are so disparaging tbh??
It’s a lovely debut novel, with a gorgeous representation of the tenderness of sapphic love, and a few good haunting twists and turns in an overall atmospheric setting.
If you’d like bit of a slow burn with a rather complex look at parent/child inter generational trauma, a dash of disability rep, and an absolutely delicious atmosphere (English countryside estate through all seasons /oof) then you’re set. I will be reaching for Healey again!
TW: sexual abuse, abuse of a minor, mild gore
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can understand some people's frustration with the plot, it was a little lacking. Spooky things happened and then nothing would happen following the spooky thing. For me, the prose made up for it. As someone who loses interest relatively quickly, the prose and relationship between Hetty and Lucy kept me engaged despite the lackluster plot.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes