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magicofthepages's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
erica_lynn_huberty's review against another edition
5.0
Much can be made of the stories people have been telling themselves since the dawn of humanity. Ask any anthropologist how people thought the Earth was created, and you will get a list featuring everything from sea turtles with omnipotent powers to two naked humans living in a magical garden. Why these fables came to be is another question all together, and there remains the question of why some of us still believe them, even in our modern age of reason. With great poignancy these questions are posed—and sometimes answered—in Anna Mazzola’s second excellent novel “The Storykeeper.” In particular, the Gaelic traditions originating in the Isle of Sky, a small cluster of landmasses off the west coast of Scotland, are the crux from which human beliefs and behaviors are dictated, or adopted to explain the unfathomable.
Also a lawyer in London, Mazzola has a solicitor’s mind for facts and the nuances of human behavior, which serves her tales well—the hidden clues and reveals are speckled throughout “The Story Keeper,” unfolding at just the right moments. Her debut, “The Unseeing,” was based on a true case of an early-Victorian woman accused of murdering her lover’s wife. Equally gritty and atmospheric, this current novel follows folklorist Audrey Hart, who runs from London high society in 1857 to the place where she summered as a child and where her mother—also a fable collector—died years before. There are eerie parallels to the modern-day #metoo movement in Audrey’s past, though they are of course the sort of debacles women have been negotiating for eons. The expectation of the Victorian “good girl” (no men’s work for her, she is all about the proper etiquette, the right dress and hair, the right tone of voice) haunts Audrey, and she is as ill-suited for it as the lower-class crofter women on the island. Oppressed by the British aristocracy, these women have had their lands taken, their husbands and fathers butchered, their children vanished. All they have left is their stories and the power of their belief in them.
The plot of “The Story Keeper” is straight-forward enough—an outsider becomes embroiled in a mystery involving missing girls in a strange, Gothic land where nearly everyone could be a suspect—but it is layered with the eerie uncommon. Swooping black clouds of birds appear in the sky foretelling doom, or nothing at all; men are never to be trusted, until they have to be; claustrophobic manors and dangerous cliffs abound, yet they feel more like home to Audrey than the comfortable home she’s run from; and orphan girls parrot the ancient tales instead of revealing what has really happened to them, though it is entirely possible they believe these myths with all their heart. Also entirely possible: that they are not myth, but truth.
Also a lawyer in London, Mazzola has a solicitor’s mind for facts and the nuances of human behavior, which serves her tales well—the hidden clues and reveals are speckled throughout “The Story Keeper,” unfolding at just the right moments. Her debut, “The Unseeing,” was based on a true case of an early-Victorian woman accused of murdering her lover’s wife. Equally gritty and atmospheric, this current novel follows folklorist Audrey Hart, who runs from London high society in 1857 to the place where she summered as a child and where her mother—also a fable collector—died years before. There are eerie parallels to the modern-day #metoo movement in Audrey’s past, though they are of course the sort of debacles women have been negotiating for eons. The expectation of the Victorian “good girl” (no men’s work for her, she is all about the proper etiquette, the right dress and hair, the right tone of voice) haunts Audrey, and she is as ill-suited for it as the lower-class crofter women on the island. Oppressed by the British aristocracy, these women have had their lands taken, their husbands and fathers butchered, their children vanished. All they have left is their stories and the power of their belief in them.
The plot of “The Story Keeper” is straight-forward enough—an outsider becomes embroiled in a mystery involving missing girls in a strange, Gothic land where nearly everyone could be a suspect—but it is layered with the eerie uncommon. Swooping black clouds of birds appear in the sky foretelling doom, or nothing at all; men are never to be trusted, until they have to be; claustrophobic manors and dangerous cliffs abound, yet they feel more like home to Audrey than the comfortable home she’s run from; and orphan girls parrot the ancient tales instead of revealing what has really happened to them, though it is entirely possible they believe these myths with all their heart. Also entirely possible: that they are not myth, but truth.
always_need_more_books's review against another edition
3.0
My second book my Anna Mazzola - I really enjoyed her first, The Unseeing so I was keen to read this when the opportunity came up.
Set in 1857 on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Audrey Hart applies for a job with Miss Buchanen who wants to collect the folk and fairy tales of the people of Skye and write them down. Audrey is qualified for the post being able to speak Gaelic and having a love of the regional tales from travelling there with her mother as a child. And for some reason we don't know at the beginning, she is also keen to get away from her father and stepmother in London. The people of Skye are suspicious and hostile towards strangers - the Highland Clearances have left devastation and poverty.
Then Audrey discovers the body of a young girl washed up on the beach, and she soon discovers another girl has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. The people of Skye believe they are victims of sprits who take the form of birds.
Audrey is sceptical, believing the girls have been abducted but she soon starts to believe there is something more supernatural is the cause.
This was a rich and evocative gothic tale. Based on a real case from the 1880s, in which a series of young children and adults disappeared from the East End. Eliza Carter, returned briefly before her final disappearance to tell her friends that the fairies had kidnapped her and forbidden her to return home. She was never seen again.
I really enjoyed the dark fairy tales mixed in with historical facts and each page is richly atmospheric. At times I found it a little slow going and it took me a while to warm to the characters but overall it is a great spooky tale mixed with true life historical happenings.
Thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour for this book.
Set in 1857 on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Audrey Hart applies for a job with Miss Buchanen who wants to collect the folk and fairy tales of the people of Skye and write them down. Audrey is qualified for the post being able to speak Gaelic and having a love of the regional tales from travelling there with her mother as a child. And for some reason we don't know at the beginning, she is also keen to get away from her father and stepmother in London. The people of Skye are suspicious and hostile towards strangers - the Highland Clearances have left devastation and poverty.
Then Audrey discovers the body of a young girl washed up on the beach, and she soon discovers another girl has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. The people of Skye believe they are victims of sprits who take the form of birds.
Audrey is sceptical, believing the girls have been abducted but she soon starts to believe there is something more supernatural is the cause.
This was a rich and evocative gothic tale. Based on a real case from the 1880s, in which a series of young children and adults disappeared from the East End. Eliza Carter, returned briefly before her final disappearance to tell her friends that the fairies had kidnapped her and forbidden her to return home. She was never seen again.
I really enjoyed the dark fairy tales mixed in with historical facts and each page is richly atmospheric. At times I found it a little slow going and it took me a while to warm to the characters but overall it is a great spooky tale mixed with true life historical happenings.
Thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour for this book.
nexerix's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
snoakes7001's review against another edition
4.0
The Story Keeper is a gothic period novel about Audrey, a young woman who decides to take control of her life. She effectively runs away from her father and stepmother in London to travel to Skye where she has accepted a job helping to gather and record the islanders' folk tales.
Audrey is running from more than her family and there's a theme running through the story about how difficult it was throughout history to be heard and taken seriously as a woman. It's set just after the Highland clearances, and the gulf between the mean poverty of the crofters and the lifestyle of the landowners is nicely highlighted without hammering the point home.
I did enjoy it, although towards the end it did descend into slightly hackneyed horror territory. That aside though, it's an interesting and entertaining read.
Audrey is running from more than her family and there's a theme running through the story about how difficult it was throughout history to be heard and taken seriously as a woman. It's set just after the Highland clearances, and the gulf between the mean poverty of the crofters and the lifestyle of the landowners is nicely highlighted without hammering the point home.
I did enjoy it, although towards the end it did descend into slightly hackneyed horror territory. That aside though, it's an interesting and entertaining read.
jodiehanley's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
Folklore and gothic horror...
It’s 1857, and Audrey Hart has arrived on the Isle of Skye to assist an elderly lady, Miss Buchanan, to collect the old folktales before they are lost forever. The issue has become urgent because the Highland Clearances are underway, with landowners driving people out of their homes and crofts to make way for more profitable use of the land. With communities being broken, the old traditions are disappearing fast and with them the stories that have been passed down through the generations. But Audrey has another reason for going to Skye too – she spent some time there as a child with her beloved mother, who died on the island when Audrey was still very young. When young girls begin to go missing, the crofting folk believe it’s the work of the fairies. Suddenly Audrey finds herself caught up in a mystery full of folklore and gothic horror...
It took me a long time to get into this book, largely because I’m not an enthusiast for fairy and folk tales, and they play a big part in the story. Audrey is initially sceptical but seems very easily won over to the crofters beliefs, which made my inner cynic curl her lip and sneer a little, I’m afraid. However, the quality of the writing and storytelling kept me turning pages and gradually I found myself becoming absorbed. Audrey is torn – part of her is increasingly falling under the sway of the supernatural explanation, but her more rational side is still wondering if the reason for the girls’ disappearances might have more to do with humans than fairies.
Mazzola shows the cruelty of the Clearances well, although (and I could easily be wrong here) I felt her portrayal of the crofters as being still quite so steeped in superstition at this relatively late date might be a little anachronistic. It was as if they felt that everything that happened was down to the intervention of the fairy folk – no consideration was given to any other possible cause. The fairies here are of the evil kind and the folk stories tell of changelings and stolen children, and cruel punishments for those who don’t show proper respect to them.
Anachronistic or not, though, Mazzola gradually builds up an excellent atmosphere of growing horror, and Audrey’s descent towards an insanity born of fear is very well done. There are lots of nice Gothic touches – a big old house with empty wings and rooms shrouded in dust-covers, strange noises and tunnels, dark nights and graveyards, and mysteriously threatening flocks of birds appearing at unexpected moments. The islanders are initially hostile towards Audrey, seeing her as connected to the landowners who are behaving so cruelly towards them. Since she has cut herself off from her family, Audrey finds herself isolated and alone, dependent on the goodwill of her employer. Mazzola uses this to show the still subordinate and precarious position of women without means of their own, and we gradually learn of the circumstances that have driven Audrey to leave the home that may not have offered her much in the way of love but at least gave her security from poverty.
By the time I got to the second half I was fully caught up in wanting to see how it would all be resolved. I had a pretty good idea of who were the goodies and baddies so the suspense really came from how it would be played out, and I found the ending quite satisfying. Considering all the folklore stuff isn’t really to my taste, Mazzola did an excellent job of gaining and keeping my interest and I’ll be interested to read more from her in the future.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Tinder Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
It’s 1857, and Audrey Hart has arrived on the Isle of Skye to assist an elderly lady, Miss Buchanan, to collect the old folktales before they are lost forever. The issue has become urgent because the Highland Clearances are underway, with landowners driving people out of their homes and crofts to make way for more profitable use of the land. With communities being broken, the old traditions are disappearing fast and with them the stories that have been passed down through the generations. But Audrey has another reason for going to Skye too – she spent some time there as a child with her beloved mother, who died on the island when Audrey was still very young. When young girls begin to go missing, the crofting folk believe it’s the work of the fairies. Suddenly Audrey finds herself caught up in a mystery full of folklore and gothic horror...
It took me a long time to get into this book, largely because I’m not an enthusiast for fairy and folk tales, and they play a big part in the story. Audrey is initially sceptical but seems very easily won over to the crofters beliefs, which made my inner cynic curl her lip and sneer a little, I’m afraid. However, the quality of the writing and storytelling kept me turning pages and gradually I found myself becoming absorbed. Audrey is torn – part of her is increasingly falling under the sway of the supernatural explanation, but her more rational side is still wondering if the reason for the girls’ disappearances might have more to do with humans than fairies.
Mazzola shows the cruelty of the Clearances well, although (and I could easily be wrong here) I felt her portrayal of the crofters as being still quite so steeped in superstition at this relatively late date might be a little anachronistic. It was as if they felt that everything that happened was down to the intervention of the fairy folk – no consideration was given to any other possible cause. The fairies here are of the evil kind and the folk stories tell of changelings and stolen children, and cruel punishments for those who don’t show proper respect to them.
Anachronistic or not, though, Mazzola gradually builds up an excellent atmosphere of growing horror, and Audrey’s descent towards an insanity born of fear is very well done. There are lots of nice Gothic touches – a big old house with empty wings and rooms shrouded in dust-covers, strange noises and tunnels, dark nights and graveyards, and mysteriously threatening flocks of birds appearing at unexpected moments. The islanders are initially hostile towards Audrey, seeing her as connected to the landowners who are behaving so cruelly towards them. Since she has cut herself off from her family, Audrey finds herself isolated and alone, dependent on the goodwill of her employer. Mazzola uses this to show the still subordinate and precarious position of women without means of their own, and we gradually learn of the circumstances that have driven Audrey to leave the home that may not have offered her much in the way of love but at least gave her security from poverty.
By the time I got to the second half I was fully caught up in wanting to see how it would all be resolved. I had a pretty good idea of who were the goodies and baddies so the suspense really came from how it would be played out, and I found the ending quite satisfying. Considering all the folklore stuff isn’t really to my taste, Mazzola did an excellent job of gaining and keeping my interest and I’ll be interested to read more from her in the future.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Tinder Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
maddie_09's review against another edition
5.0
"The Story Keeper" is beautifully written, engaging, atmospheric and haunting. Just pure joy to read. I started reading and didn't put it down till I finished. I absolutely loved it!
Anna Mazzola wrote a stunning and unique novel. Set on and around the Isle of Skye, "The Story Keeper" is steeped in folklore, superstition, dark and brooding landscape and flawed human nature. Loss and deep grief, madness, abuse and social unfairness. Mazzola took all those ingredients and wove a beautiful and enticing story.
If books with gothic atmosphere, rich in folklore and mystery are your thing, read that book, please. Highly recommended!
Anna Mazzola wrote a stunning and unique novel. Set on and around the Isle of Skye, "The Story Keeper" is steeped in folklore, superstition, dark and brooding landscape and flawed human nature. Loss and deep grief, madness, abuse and social unfairness. Mazzola took all those ingredients and wove a beautiful and enticing story.
If books with gothic atmosphere, rich in folklore and mystery are your thing, read that book, please. Highly recommended!
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
BookTrail the locations in the novel
Changelings, fairy folk, communities scared by the Highland clearances, talk of dark deeds and missing girls....there's a lot going on on the Isle of Skye. Well there was in 1857 where this dark and foreboding tale is set.
Anna Mazzola has woven a rich tapestry of folklore, legend and setting to create a tale of intrigue and dark, gothic mystery. Stunningly rich in detail and shrouded in ethereal mist. The Isle of Skye has never looked so mysterious.
Brilliant. Loved it.