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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
tbh this story line was pretty random and seemed to want to blend multiple genres together in a way that didn’t really work for me
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
slow-paced
This was just okay. The atmosphere was the best part, but the pacing was extremely slow and then rushed at the end.
3.5! solid but i felt like the plot and romance weren't integrated very well. cws for csa, animal death (not just for the taxidermy), abuse (spousal & parent/child)
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
CAWPILE score: 8.14
What a mysterious, gothic story! Set on the eve of World War II, The Animals at Lockwood Manor follows Hettie, a director of London’s mammal exhibit, and Lucy, the daughter of a man who agrees to host the collection during the war. What follows is a tense stay at Lockwood Manor, as Hettie attempts to keep the creatures safe from harm and possibly…a haunting?
I really enjoyed this book: the characters were interesting, and I found the atmosphere to be utterly tense in the way gothic books usually are. The only thing that really snagged me was more so the production of the audiobook than the story itself — it seemed like there were points throughout that the narrator was speaking softly, and while it would be okay with earbuds, I found that it was a struggle to understand her when I was listening in my car. The narrator did this quite a bit, I’m assuming to add emotion to what was going on in the story at the time, but I found it to be difficult.
Apart from that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thinking about grabbing a physical copy of my own!
What a mysterious, gothic story! Set on the eve of World War II, The Animals at Lockwood Manor follows Hettie, a director of London’s mammal exhibit, and Lucy, the daughter of a man who agrees to host the collection during the war. What follows is a tense stay at Lockwood Manor, as Hettie attempts to keep the creatures safe from harm and possibly…a haunting?
I really enjoyed this book: the characters were interesting, and I found the atmosphere to be utterly tense in the way gothic books usually are. The only thing that really snagged me was more so the production of the audiobook than the story itself — it seemed like there were points throughout that the narrator was speaking softly, and while it would be okay with earbuds, I found that it was a struggle to understand her when I was listening in my car. The narrator did this quite a bit, I’m assuming to add emotion to what was going on in the story at the time, but I found it to be difficult.
Apart from that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thinking about grabbing a physical copy of my own!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
This was a surprisingly fun book. I always wanted to keep reading to figure out the many mysteries of Lockwood Manor even when I got the end, which was surprising and just excellently done. I liked Hetty and Lucy as individual characters even if I didn't like them much as a couple. I would have loved them as a couple but I just don't think the writing sold me that they were great together or had a deep meaningful relationship -- in this context, I feel like the writer could have shown more than just tell us they loved each other. But I loved them individually as characters, their perspectives, anxieties, nightmares. Even though sometimes it felt like the chapters got a little repetitive establishing how they felt about things, it moved the plot along consistently and made the ending all the more believable and the perfect ending to the book.
I liked all the additional characters as well. The major, the housekeeper, Mary, etc. They all contributed the underlying feeling that more was going on in the house than one would expect. And although again, it felt repetitive at times, I liked how for most of the book, Lockwood Manor felt like a character itself. It came so alive, dark and encroaching, and sucked you right into the realm of a gothic novel. It was a fun escapist read and I greatly enjoyed it!
I liked all the additional characters as well. The major, the housekeeper, Mary, etc. They all contributed the underlying feeling that more was going on in the house than one would expect. And although again, it felt repetitive at times, I liked how for most of the book, Lockwood Manor felt like a character itself. It came so alive, dark and encroaching, and sucked you right into the realm of a gothic novel. It was a fun escapist read and I greatly enjoyed it!
A museum curator follows part of the collection brought outside of London due to the war, but then dead things begin to stir.
The high concept of the book is good, a nice twist on the stranger in a strange land that ought to be familiar. And in general, the treatment of the tropes of gothic fiction is good, verging on clever. It is a response to every madwoman in the attic. And the mystery has a satisfying, somewhat ambiguous, solve to it that I like. And it's been a while since I felt like I was rooting for a character as much as here.
Unfortunately, the text is something of a mess. The first person narration hurts by providing far too much telling as opposed to showing. In particular the romance plot has all its energy drained by that, and its somewhat...porny method of description (take a drink every time the heat of touch comes up) that telegraphs everything. That the first person narration switches characters seems like one of those 101 mistakes, and at least in my edition the choice to make some whole chapters italicized makes them functionally unreadable. Which is a shame because that was the more interesting POV. The writing is dry. The historicity is not quite there, and it feels like a lot more could or should have been made of it, and instead is just a sort of casual way to stand out a little from similar texts.
So solid ideas, but the execution is a drag.
The high concept of the book is good, a nice twist on the stranger in a strange land that ought to be familiar. And in general, the treatment of the tropes of gothic fiction is good, verging on clever. It is a response to every madwoman in the attic. And the mystery has a satisfying, somewhat ambiguous, solve to it that I like. And it's been a while since I felt like I was rooting for a character as much as here.
Unfortunately, the text is something of a mess. The first person narration hurts by providing far too much telling as opposed to showing. In particular the romance plot has all its energy drained by that, and its somewhat...porny method of description (take a drink every time the heat of touch comes up) that telegraphs everything. That the first person narration switches characters seems like one of those 101 mistakes, and at least in my edition the choice to make some whole chapters italicized makes them functionally unreadable. Which is a shame because that was the more interesting POV. The writing is dry. The historicity is not quite there, and it feels like a lot more could or should have been made of it, and instead is just a sort of casual way to stand out a little from similar texts.
So solid ideas, but the execution is a drag.
I downloaded this historical novel because of the beautiful cover. I also love gothic fiction!
It's 1939 and war has broken out. Hettie Cartwright works at a natural history museum in London. As the two senior male members of staff have enlisted, she has been given the job of overseeing the evacuation of the museum's collection of stuffed animals to the country - and she's thrilled at the responsibility. However, once the collection is installed at Lockwood Manor, Hettie realises she's taken on more than she'd bargained for. The staff, taking their cue from the irritable and sexist Lord Lockwood, refuse to take her seriously. Some exhibits go missing and others are deliberately damaged, but is there something else going on behind the scene? There are rumours of a curse and the late Lady Lockwood had seen the ghost of a woman in white before she died. Meanwhile, Hettie finds herself falling under the spell of Lord Lockwood's beautiful daughter - but is Lucy all she seems to be?
I do love a good gothic mystery and The Animals at Lockwood Manor ticked all the boxes for me. A spooky old house, mysterious owner, mad woman in the attic - the twist being that Hettie falls for the enigmatic lady of the manor rather than the lord. The writing is beautiful, the setting deliciously creepy and I loved the sweet romance. The story is slow burn but with plenty of chilling moments. I think my only disappointment was that I was expecting a different ending.
Recommend to fans of gothic mysteries and authors such as Daphne du Maurier (Rebecca), Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) and Sarah Waters (The Little Stranger).
Thank you to Jane Healey and Mantle (Pan Macmillan) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
It's 1939 and war has broken out. Hettie Cartwright works at a natural history museum in London. As the two senior male members of staff have enlisted, she has been given the job of overseeing the evacuation of the museum's collection of stuffed animals to the country - and she's thrilled at the responsibility. However, once the collection is installed at Lockwood Manor, Hettie realises she's taken on more than she'd bargained for. The staff, taking their cue from the irritable and sexist Lord Lockwood, refuse to take her seriously. Some exhibits go missing and others are deliberately damaged, but is there something else going on behind the scene? There are rumours of a curse and the late Lady Lockwood had seen the ghost of a woman in white before she died. Meanwhile, Hettie finds herself falling under the spell of Lord Lockwood's beautiful daughter - but is Lucy all she seems to be?
I do love a good gothic mystery and The Animals at Lockwood Manor ticked all the boxes for me. A spooky old house, mysterious owner, mad woman in the attic - the twist being that Hettie falls for the enigmatic lady of the manor rather than the lord. The writing is beautiful, the setting deliciously creepy and I loved the sweet romance. The story is slow burn but with plenty of chilling moments. I think my only disappointment was that I was expecting a different ending.
Recommend to fans of gothic mysteries and authors such as Daphne du Maurier (Rebecca), Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) and Sarah Waters (The Little Stranger).
Thank you to Jane Healey and Mantle (Pan Macmillan) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
go girl give us nothing! if it was supposed to be a gothic novel it had 0 suspense. if it was supposed to be a romance it had 0 chemistry. if it was supposed to be a mystery it had 0 big reveals