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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I really liked the atmosphere of this book. Some sentences just did not make sense as sentences, and those always tripped me up, but mostly I really liked the characters and the house. I wish the present-day story had been given equal focus as the 1959 one, but overall I enjoyed the book.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found this a bit of a slog tbh and very nearly DNF’d just wasn’t as exciting or creepy as I thought it would be and very slow. The writing was beautiful though but I feel I’ve read similar books done much better.
This is the first of Eve Chase’s novels I’ve read and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoy books set across two different time frames with a bit intrigue and this certainly delivered. I enjoyed both strands of the story equally and got caught up in each part as the chapters alternated between past and present. At the heart of the story is the mysterious disappearance of Audrey Wilde. She is the cousin of Margot and her three sisters who go to stay with their aunt and uncle at Applecote Manor one summer. Fifty or so years later, Jessie moves from London to the rundown manor with her husband, young daughter and step-daughter unaware of the disappearance and the way the house is still viewed uneasily by the locals.
One focus of the book is the very different family situations portrayed. In the late fifties, Flora, Pam, Margot and Dot have lived just with their rather unorthodox mother, as their father has died. When their mother goes off to work in Paris for a bit, that’s when they go to stay with their aunt and uncle. Not surprisingly, their aunt and uncle are still traumatised by the disappearance of their daughter, with their aunt in particular having become something of a recluse. I really felt quite sorry for her as I can’t imagine what it must be like to not know what has happened to a missing child. In the present day, we have another kind of blended family. Will’s wife had died so Jessie is trying to parent truculent teen Bella as well as being the mother to young toddler Romy. I certainly had sympathy for her as Bella just did not respond well to her at all. Of course, poor Bella was still mourning her mother and taking it out on Jessie. The lasting effects of Audrey’s disappearance on the wider family and community are clear to see.
I found this a really compelling read. I really wanted to find out what had happened to Audrey and also what was going to happen with the four sisters. Equally, in the present day, I was eager to find out how the family situation would resolve itself for Jessie and just how the past would connect with the present.
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde is an unsettling read with a sense of imminent danger throughout. I thought it was perfectly paced and the author kept me wanting to turn those pages and find out what was going to happen. It’s a great story about secrets and sisters, mothers and mysteries.
One focus of the book is the very different family situations portrayed. In the late fifties, Flora, Pam, Margot and Dot have lived just with their rather unorthodox mother, as their father has died. When their mother goes off to work in Paris for a bit, that’s when they go to stay with their aunt and uncle. Not surprisingly, their aunt and uncle are still traumatised by the disappearance of their daughter, with their aunt in particular having become something of a recluse. I really felt quite sorry for her as I can’t imagine what it must be like to not know what has happened to a missing child. In the present day, we have another kind of blended family. Will’s wife had died so Jessie is trying to parent truculent teen Bella as well as being the mother to young toddler Romy. I certainly had sympathy for her as Bella just did not respond well to her at all. Of course, poor Bella was still mourning her mother and taking it out on Jessie. The lasting effects of Audrey’s disappearance on the wider family and community are clear to see.
I found this a really compelling read. I really wanted to find out what had happened to Audrey and also what was going to happen with the four sisters. Equally, in the present day, I was eager to find out how the family situation would resolve itself for Jessie and just how the past would connect with the present.
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde is an unsettling read with a sense of imminent danger throughout. I thought it was perfectly paced and the author kept me wanting to turn those pages and find out what was going to happen. It’s a great story about secrets and sisters, mothers and mysteries.
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I couldn’t wait to find out the ending. A great ride through two times and families.
I don't think I needed this to have multiple timelines, or not to the degree that it did. Via Gertrude Stein, there's just no there there.
The Wilding Sisters is set in the English countryside at a residence called Applecote Manor. The story alternates between 1959 and the present focusing on the residents of Applecote Manor. In 1959, four nieces of the Applecote Manor's owners, the Wildes, come to stay for the summer due to their mother's new job abroad. There visit is tainted by the disappearance of their cousin Audrey that happened 5 years ago. In the present, Jessie and Will have decided to purchase Applecote Manor to escape the city life of London. Jessie is adjusting to life as the "second wife" of Will that includes her stepdaughter, Bella, and her own daughter with Will.
I really enjoyed that the book went back and forth between the time periods and discovering the connections between them. The four Wilding Sisters are young, hopeful, and struggling with going from children to young women. Bella is a teenager who is struggling with the grief of her mother's death and dealing with her feelings concerning Jessie, her half-sister, and her new relationship with her father, Will.
The book was well written and kept me guessing till the end. I think this would be an excellent book for people of all ages.
Thank you for Netgalley, the publisher, and Eve Chase for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed that the book went back and forth between the time periods and discovering the connections between them. The four Wilding Sisters are young, hopeful, and struggling with going from children to young women. Bella is a teenager who is struggling with the grief of her mother's death and dealing with her feelings concerning Jessie, her half-sister, and her new relationship with her father, Will.
The book was well written and kept me guessing till the end. I think this would be an excellent book for people of all ages.
Thank you for Netgalley, the publisher, and Eve Chase for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really really really love books that switch between two timelines - I ESPECIALLY love books that flick between timelines, feature old houses hiding secrets, and unsolved mysteries!
I really enjoyed this - two timelines: present day - Jessie is feeling like Applecote Manor is the perfect countryside reset for her husband Will, her young daughter Romy and her reclusive step-daughter Bella. But Applecote Manor is hiding dangerous secrets.
1959 - four sisters, Flora, Margot, Pam and Dot - go to stay with their aunt Sybil and uncle Perry for the summer at Applecote Manor. But they are still mourning the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years earlier. By the end of summer these four sisters will be changed forever.
I really enjoyed this! I liked both storylines but really enjoyed Margot’s story. It was engaging, descriptive and really quite lovely. I definitely got Kate Morton vibes so if you’re a fan of hers, I’d suggest giving this a go! I look forward to reading more by Eve Chase in the future.
4.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this - two timelines: present day - Jessie is feeling like Applecote Manor is the perfect countryside reset for her husband Will, her young daughter Romy and her reclusive step-daughter Bella. But Applecote Manor is hiding dangerous secrets.
1959 - four sisters, Flora, Margot, Pam and Dot - go to stay with their aunt Sybil and uncle Perry for the summer at Applecote Manor. But they are still mourning the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years earlier. By the end of summer these four sisters will be changed forever.
I really enjoyed this! I liked both storylines but really enjoyed Margot’s story. It was engaging, descriptive and really quite lovely. I definitely got Kate Morton vibes so if you’re a fan of hers, I’d suggest giving this a go! I look forward to reading more by Eve Chase in the future.
4.5 stars.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Frankly, I’m surprised I had the patience for this book, because I am not lately a reader who appreciates slow-moving, thoughtful, atmospheric writing. Yet I was propelled toward the ending somehow, almost against my will. And when the quiet, reflective resolution came, I was strangely satisfied, even though part of me was hoping for a thunderclap of a finish. What sorcery is this?
The Wildling Sisters is a story of a summer heat wave that brought with it something weird and sinister, and how the twisted and tragic events of that summer reverberate into the future. It’s about two families living in the same estate in the English countryside half a century apart. It’s not, as I initially thought, a ghost story. There’s a creepy house, but it’s not haunted except by sad memories. And it’s only barely-kinda-maybe a murder mystery. Mostly, it’s about sisters and the bonds between them, which proves to be something that hasn’t changed much through the years.
So I guess you could say I grudgingly recommend this one. It won me over despite my typical preferences and expectations. Maybe the arrival of fall is making me contemplative. Maybe the book is just that good. The more I ponder it, the more I’m leaning towards the latter.
I should note that a sizeable portion of my enjoyment came from the quality of the audio version, fantastically read by two very distinct but equally talented narrators. It’s no trouble to keep track of alternating timelines when the narrators trade off; the voices signal to you which year you’re in. And of course, it goes without saying that British accents are dreamy AF.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
The Wildling Sisters is a story of a summer heat wave that brought with it something weird and sinister, and how the twisted and tragic events of that summer reverberate into the future. It’s about two families living in the same estate in the English countryside half a century apart. It’s not, as I initially thought, a ghost story. There’s a creepy house, but it’s not haunted except by sad memories. And it’s only barely-kinda-maybe a murder mystery. Mostly, it’s about sisters and the bonds between them, which proves to be something that hasn’t changed much through the years.
So I guess you could say I grudgingly recommend this one. It won me over despite my typical preferences and expectations. Maybe the arrival of fall is making me contemplative. Maybe the book is just that good. The more I ponder it, the more I’m leaning towards the latter.
I should note that a sizeable portion of my enjoyment came from the quality of the audio version, fantastically read by two very distinct but equally talented narrators. It’s no trouble to keep track of alternating timelines when the narrators trade off; the voices signal to you which year you’re in. And of course, it goes without saying that British accents are dreamy AF.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com