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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Visit the locations in the novel : Audrey Wilde and Applecote
Eve Chase wrote Black Rabbit Hall which built a very idyllic yet gothic mansion deep in the English countryside. Here we have Applecote with secrets within its walls and what went on there all those years ago made me shiver.
I do love a good dual time line novel and this just sang to me. The opening chapter was one of the best and suspenseful I’d read in a while. The time line stories really fitted with the themes and setting but I did prefer the story in the past. The house was at the centre of a deliciously hidden and evocative time - the secret which broke that all apart, and made the house what it is today.
I felt part of the scene - sitting in the hot summer grass, the grand house behind me.There’s some lovely writing in this book “We move away but we live for ever where we were most alive”. A novel to read with a glass of something cold and the promise of a sunny escape with clouds of intrigue and darkness on the horizon
There is lots of scene setting , some intriguing characters, a weaving tale and the result is a captivating read.
Atmospheric suspense novel set at the same English country home fifty years apart.
The Wildling Sisters was surprisingly good! Don't let the three stars scare you away. Please. Read this book! There were some very magical things that I adored the entire way through this book but unfortunately there was also some things I just didn't care for.
The story structure was nice. With the alternating POVs, past and present, we were able to watch the story unfold in a way that made it all click together. BUT, with me saying that, I would have much rather read about the past and the Wilde girls. Reading the present POV just didn't spike any of my interests nor did the characters. I felt as if I didn't want to leave my Wilde girls every time the chapter ended.
The book as a whole was very character driven— which I liked. I love when books revolve around well-developed and three dimensional characters. The author did a fantastic job at writing characters that jumped off the pages. The details in their characteristics, as well as the settings, were all very pleasant to me.
I just couldn't help but feeling like the present POVs were a waste of my time. I hate feeling like that. When it was all said and done, I still didn't care much for the present POV we got. Yeah, it helped build the story and put it all together but it all just fell flat for me. Like the author put all of her hard work into the Wilde girls that she forgot about the girls in the present POV. Other than that, the book was a solid hit for me. I loved the writing, the characters, and the settings.
The story structure was nice. With the alternating POVs, past and present, we were able to watch the story unfold in a way that made it all click together. BUT, with me saying that, I would have much rather read about the past and the Wilde girls. Reading the present POV just didn't spike any of my interests nor did the characters. I felt as if I didn't want to leave my Wilde girls every time the chapter ended.
The book as a whole was very character driven— which I liked. I love when books revolve around well-developed and three dimensional characters. The author did a fantastic job at writing characters that jumped off the pages. The details in their characteristics, as well as the settings, were all very pleasant to me.
I just couldn't help but feeling like the present POVs were a waste of my time. I hate feeling like that. When it was all said and done, I still didn't care much for the present POV we got. Yeah, it helped build the story and put it all together but it all just fell flat for me. Like the author put all of her hard work into the Wilde girls that she forgot about the girls in the present POV. Other than that, the book was a solid hit for me. I loved the writing, the characters, and the settings.
Two stories intertwined - the past and the present day. Loved it, so absorbing.
An atmospheric story that skilfully blends two stories.
The novel begins with a body being dragged across grass. We don’t know whose it is, or who’s involved. But when we switch to 50 years later, we know we’re not getting answers soon.
In the 50s we have Margot and her sisters,the Wilde girls, sent to live in Applecote Manor in the Cotswolds. The home is the scene of her cousin Audrey’s disappearance. What happened? Who knows about Audrey?
Interspersed with this we have the modern story of Jessie who moves to the Manor with her young family.
Slowly, the details are resolved.
Gothic qualities abound and this is a story packed with sentiment. There may well be elements of the plot you guess, but some details will certainly surprise you.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this.
The novel begins with a body being dragged across grass. We don’t know whose it is, or who’s involved. But when we switch to 50 years later, we know we’re not getting answers soon.
In the 50s we have Margot and her sisters,the Wilde girls, sent to live in Applecote Manor in the Cotswolds. The home is the scene of her cousin Audrey’s disappearance. What happened? Who knows about Audrey?
Interspersed with this we have the modern story of Jessie who moves to the Manor with her young family.
Slowly, the details are resolved.
Gothic qualities abound and this is a story packed with sentiment. There may well be elements of the plot you guess, but some details will certainly surprise you.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this.
"It will cement my position as Strange Margot forever, even though this version of me, the one who walks in Audrey's shoes, is transitory, an experiment, alive only in the confines of Audrey's room. She isn't allowed to escape or leave footprints behind."
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde is a beautifully written gothic tale detailing two generations of lives at Applecote Manor in the English countryside. In the present, we have Jessie, new wife to widower Will, and their daughter Romy as well as his daughter from his first marriage, the unhappy teenage Bella. In 1959, we have the four sisters, dropped off at Applecote to spend the summer while Ma goes travelling: Flora the beauty, Pam the bossy one, Margot the oddball (and narrator) and Dot the baby sister. Five years before that, their cousin Audrey mysteriously disappeared from Applecote. Both Margot in 1959 and later Jessie and Bella in the early 2000s are entranced by this story: What happened to Audrey?
For me, the answer to that question was actually one of the weaker parts of the story. I loved all of the sisterly dynamics, the complicated game of discovering who you are in relation to the wider world. I don't really like coming of age stories, and this book had a little of that that I skimmed over. I found the story of Jessie and her uncertainties as Will's second wife and stepmother to Bella really interesting. (I too am a second wife but my situation is completely different - wife number didn't die, nor was she beloved. Frankly, from what I understand, the world was happier place when wife one ran off. So I felt a certain connection to Jessie over this).
At first, I thought that Margot and I were alike but the more I read, the more Margot irked me, and the more I realised that actually we have very little in common. Interestingly, take any of the four sisters, and she was somewhat unlikable - Flora was selfish and toyed with the hearts of men, Pam was bossy and bullish, Margot was a whiner and a bit weird, and Dot was wrapped up in her own world that it was hard to connect with her. But put all four together, and you had a beautiful, unshakeable bond. The sum is greater than the parts.
I loved the gothic overtones, and the rich atmosphere. In present, we have the dark and stormy summer with the new family moving into a creaky old house, and in the 50s we have a muggy heatwave weighing on the characters. In past and present, we have the spirit of Audrey, the missing girl, who makes her presence known through the living.
The imagery in the book was very rich as well, though it takes a bit of getting used to - Chase loves to use hyphens in her complex adjectives.
Lastly, the thing that I loved best of all were the references, so many of my favourites. Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca was ever-present in this novel. In present, the story of Jessie follows a lot like Mrs de Winter's in Rebecca. Audrey, too, has hints of Rebecca (with Audrey as Rebecca) - they even have a boat called Daphne, just in case you missed in. Then we get Jane Eyre, another long time fave. The story of Bertha seems present in some ways, as does the "plain Jane" aspect of Jane Eyre's early life. And of course, Pride and Predjuce - we have a whole host of sisters, daughters to a slightly ridiculpus mother, all trying to catch the eyes of the two young men who've just moved into the grandest house in town. And the eldest is even the most beautiful. They even reference Pemberley when mocking Flora! And lastly, I caught whiffs of Diane Setterfield (others ref the Thirteenth Tale but I've not read this one yet!) - for me, it was Once Upon a River - the sweltering heat, the focus on the river and its flow, the mysterious child (in the other book, a child is found, and in this one, a child is lost...), and in both cases, it is blamed on the enigmatic "boat people" or "river gypsies." And then the whole "mysterious old mansion" had a bit of an Agatha Christie vibe, even if the mystery did not.
It's like Eve Chase reached into my mind and my bookshelves and searched for the books that I loved the most and then squeezed their essence into this book. Referencing some of my favourite books/authors, gothic atmosphere, historical mystery, gorgeous writing/imagery, set in England in a big old house... this book was right for me, and I didn't want to put it down!
I think a few of the things that didn't work for me was the revelation and also Chase's discussions of beauty - several times, it felt like she was saying that beauty (or lack thereof) had some bearing on a woman's essence, on who she really was, and the way it was done was, for me, a bit icky. But it was just a few small references so not a reason to not read the book.
All in all, I really enjoyed Audrey Wilde and I look forward to seeing what else Eve Chase might write!
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde is a beautifully written gothic tale detailing two generations of lives at Applecote Manor in the English countryside. In the present, we have Jessie, new wife to widower Will, and their daughter Romy as well as his daughter from his first marriage, the unhappy teenage Bella. In 1959, we have the four sisters, dropped off at Applecote to spend the summer while Ma goes travelling: Flora the beauty, Pam the bossy one, Margot the oddball (and narrator) and Dot the baby sister. Five years before that, their cousin Audrey mysteriously disappeared from Applecote. Both Margot in 1959 and later Jessie and Bella in the early 2000s are entranced by this story: What happened to Audrey?
For me, the answer to that question was actually one of the weaker parts of the story. I loved all of the sisterly dynamics, the complicated game of discovering who you are in relation to the wider world. I don't really like coming of age stories, and this book had a little of that that I skimmed over. I found the story of Jessie and her uncertainties as Will's second wife and stepmother to Bella really interesting. (I too am a second wife but my situation is completely different - wife number didn't die, nor was she beloved. Frankly, from what I understand, the world was happier place when wife one ran off. So I felt a certain connection to Jessie over this).
At first, I thought that Margot and I were alike but the more I read, the more Margot irked me, and the more I realised that actually we have very little in common. Interestingly, take any of the four sisters, and she was somewhat unlikable - Flora was selfish and toyed with the hearts of men, Pam was bossy and bullish, Margot was a whiner and a bit weird, and Dot was wrapped up in her own world that it was hard to connect with her. But put all four together, and you had a beautiful, unshakeable bond. The sum is greater than the parts.
I loved the gothic overtones, and the rich atmosphere. In present, we have the dark and stormy summer with the new family moving into a creaky old house, and in the 50s we have a muggy heatwave weighing on the characters. In past and present, we have the spirit of Audrey, the missing girl, who makes her presence known through the living.
The imagery in the book was very rich as well, though it takes a bit of getting used to - Chase loves to use hyphens in her complex adjectives.
Lastly, the thing that I loved best of all were the references, so many of my favourites. Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca was ever-present in this novel. In present, the story of Jessie follows a lot like Mrs de Winter's in Rebecca. Audrey, too, has hints of Rebecca (with Audrey as Rebecca) - they even have a boat called Daphne, just in case you missed in. Then we get Jane Eyre, another long time fave. The story of Bertha seems present in some ways, as does the "plain Jane" aspect of Jane Eyre's early life. And of course, Pride and Predjuce - we have a whole host of sisters, daughters to a slightly ridiculpus mother, all trying to catch the eyes of the two young men who've just moved into the grandest house in town. And the eldest is even the most beautiful. They even reference Pemberley when mocking Flora! And lastly, I caught whiffs of Diane Setterfield (others ref the Thirteenth Tale but I've not read this one yet!) - for me, it was Once Upon a River - the sweltering heat, the focus on the river and its flow, the mysterious child (in the other book, a child is found, and in this one, a child is lost...), and in both cases, it is blamed on the enigmatic "boat people" or "river gypsies." And then the whole "mysterious old mansion" had a bit of an Agatha Christie vibe, even if the mystery did not.
It's like Eve Chase reached into my mind and my bookshelves and searched for the books that I loved the most and then squeezed their essence into this book. Referencing some of my favourite books/authors, gothic atmosphere, historical mystery, gorgeous writing/imagery, set in England in a big old house... this book was right for me, and I didn't want to put it down!
I think a few of the things that didn't work for me was the revelation
Spoiler
Harry as the killer, just playing a silly game, that was a bit of a letdown. I was pretty sure she was actually dead but I was hoping for something more meaningfulAll in all, I really enjoyed Audrey Wilde and I look forward to seeing what else Eve Chase might write!
AUDIO
A twisted tale of sisters and families and how the past informs the present.
A twisted tale of sisters and families and how the past informs the present.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow! What a surprise! A slow starter with a Secret Garden and a mystery feel
[b:The Wildling Sisters|31851232|The Wildling Sisters|Eve Chase|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488915672s/31851232.jpg|52521858] is an atmospheric tale about the bonds of sisterhood and family set against the backdrop of a mysterious house with a dark secret. Told via dual narratives, the story’s timeline alternates between the summer months of 1959 and the “present” setting a little over 50 years later. Both narratives are linked together by what I feel is truly the main character in the entire story: the looming Applecote Manor in the English countryside town of the Cotswolds. In 1959, the teenage Wilde sisters Flora, Pam, Margot, and Dot are shipped off to Applecote Manor to spend the summer with their Aunt Sybil and Uncle Perry while their mother sought out a job opportunity in Morocco. Sybil and Perry lost their only daughter Audrey 5 years ago when the teenager disappeared one day without a trace – devastated, the couple cut off ties with the outside world and shutter themselves inside their house, clinging constantly to the hope that Audrey will some day return. In the present day narrative, Jessie and her husband Will want to move with their daughters -- teenager Bella and little two-year old Romy -- out of their home in London to a more idyllic, quieter place in the countryside in the hopes that it will give Bella – who is still trying to come to terms with the death of her mother several years ago -- a chance at a fresh start. Without knowing much about its history, Jessie and Will decide to move into Applecote Manor, the beautiful, sprawling country house recently put up for sale by the Wilde family. Soon, the past collides with the present when Jessie and her stepdaughter Bella start to dig into the house’s secrets and learn the story of the previous owners’ past, including that fateful summer of 1959.
I’ve been reading a lot of dual timeline books recently but this one definitely felt different. Despite the gap in timespan, the two narratives had a “continuity” about them that didn’t make me feel like I was being taken out of one time period and placed in another. Yes, part of this has to do with the common setting of Applecote Manor as well as some of the characters from the past narrative still having some involvement in the present narrative, but I think a large part was also due to the writing, which had an atmospheric, elegant feel to it that was consistent in both narratives. The author Eve Chase captured the essence of time and place well, especially with the narrative of the Wilde sisters and their coming of age during those summer months alongside the mystery of Audrey’s disappearance. Chase did a great job giving us vivid descriptions of the house and its surrounding area so as to make us as readers feel as though we were right there at Applecote Manor – in the past narrative, right alongside the Wilde sisters trying to fill up the long, idle days of summer with anything exciting and in the present narrative, right alongside Jessie and Bella as they try to mend their rocky relationship while also trying to make sense of their surroundings. What I appreciated most was that Chase was able to do all this without sacrificing characterization, as each of the characters in both narratives came alive for me and I found all of them quite endearing, despite their flaws. I also loved the way the author tackled the theme of sisterhood and family, showing the ups and downs of those relationships in a realistic way.
One thing to note is that this is more of a character-driven story (I’m including Applecote Manor as one of the “characters”) than a plot-driven one, so the pace is a bit slow, which is a little ironic given that the story starts off with an absolutely attention-grabbing scene involving the Wilde sisters and something that happened at the end of their summer at the manor. After that initial scene, the rest of the story is a slow buildup to that day, as events unfold one by one in both past and present, until we eventually find out what truly happened. I actually felt this was a clever way to tell the story, but the “slow burn” aspect might be an issue for those who prefer a more action-filled plot. Also, I’ve seen this book categorized as “gothic”, which I guess is true to some extent given the mysterious undertones and the haunting, gloomy feel to the setting, but this one wasn’t dark or dreary like some of the classic gothic tales we may be used to reading -- this one had more of a lightness to it, which I appreciated. A lovely read that I definitely recommend!
Received ARC from G.P. Putnam and Sons via Penguin First-to-read program
I’ve been reading a lot of dual timeline books recently but this one definitely felt different. Despite the gap in timespan, the two narratives had a “continuity” about them that didn’t make me feel like I was being taken out of one time period and placed in another. Yes, part of this has to do with the common setting of Applecote Manor as well as some of the characters from the past narrative still having some involvement in the present narrative, but I think a large part was also due to the writing, which had an atmospheric, elegant feel to it that was consistent in both narratives. The author Eve Chase captured the essence of time and place well, especially with the narrative of the Wilde sisters and their coming of age during those summer months alongside the mystery of Audrey’s disappearance. Chase did a great job giving us vivid descriptions of the house and its surrounding area so as to make us as readers feel as though we were right there at Applecote Manor – in the past narrative, right alongside the Wilde sisters trying to fill up the long, idle days of summer with anything exciting and in the present narrative, right alongside Jessie and Bella as they try to mend their rocky relationship while also trying to make sense of their surroundings. What I appreciated most was that Chase was able to do all this without sacrificing characterization, as each of the characters in both narratives came alive for me and I found all of them quite endearing, despite their flaws. I also loved the way the author tackled the theme of sisterhood and family, showing the ups and downs of those relationships in a realistic way.
One thing to note is that this is more of a character-driven story (I’m including Applecote Manor as one of the “characters”) than a plot-driven one, so the pace is a bit slow, which is a little ironic given that the story starts off with an absolutely attention-grabbing scene involving the Wilde sisters and something that happened at the end of their summer at the manor. After that initial scene, the rest of the story is a slow buildup to that day, as events unfold one by one in both past and present, until we eventually find out what truly happened. I actually felt this was a clever way to tell the story, but the “slow burn” aspect might be an issue for those who prefer a more action-filled plot. Also, I’ve seen this book categorized as “gothic”, which I guess is true to some extent given the mysterious undertones and the haunting, gloomy feel to the setting, but this one wasn’t dark or dreary like some of the classic gothic tales we may be used to reading -- this one had more of a lightness to it, which I appreciated. A lovely read that I definitely recommend!
Received ARC from G.P. Putnam and Sons via Penguin First-to-read program