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A review by beate251
The House of Lost Whispers: An utterly unforgettable reading group historical novel from Jenni Keer by Jenni Keer
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.
It is 1912. The Titanic has sunk. Or has she? Olivia Davenport has been orphaned at 13. But has she really?
After the Davenport parents sink with the Titanic, 13 year old Olivia is sent to live with the Fairchilds, her guardians at Merriford Manor. They are kind people but not very demonstrative. They have four sons, Clarence, Louis, Howard and Benji, with Howard being roughly her age. She also meets a very grumpy young gardener called Seth Tanner, but he doesn't take much notice of her.
Olivia is a very unusual child, full of wild, fun imagination that she seems to have inherited from her writer father. She asks to be allowed to sleep in one of the towers on her own, and one night she hears a voice that seems to come from next door. It is Seth Tanner but he seems to live in an overlapping parallel universe where the Titanic never sank.
Then World War I, often called "The Great War", starts and frustratingly, this unusual occurrence is parked for half the book while men and boys in both worlds go to war and women and girls try to gain some purpose by helping the war effort. Merriford Manor is turned into a convalescent hospital while three of the four sons go fighting "the Hun".
After the war Seth returns to the tower and we finally delve into the two worlds that are mostly but not exactly the same and what it means for Seth and Olivia. Can they solve the mystery of Seth's first girlfriend's disappearance, overcome wartime grief and more importantly - can they meet and fall in love in their own worlds, if they cannot meet through the wall?
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, unless it's the Tudors, but Jenni Keer's unique stories always draw me in for that one magical realism thing that you just have to run with. The characters are well-drawn and compelling damaged souls trying to rescue each other after a melancholic exploration of loss. This is, as usual, incredibly well-written and interesting and the author packs in a lot, but I wish that the majority of the book had been about the mystery of two overlapping worlds and how to deal with it, plus I would have liked to see more of the Titanic disaster-free world.
Nevertheless, if you enjoy love across class barriers in an atmospheric historical setting with a dash of mystery and alternate histories science fiction, plus a gorgeous cover, this is for you. Run of the mill this isn't.
It is 1912. The Titanic has sunk. Or has she? Olivia Davenport has been orphaned at 13. But has she really?
After the Davenport parents sink with the Titanic, 13 year old Olivia is sent to live with the Fairchilds, her guardians at Merriford Manor. They are kind people but not very demonstrative. They have four sons, Clarence, Louis, Howard and Benji, with Howard being roughly her age. She also meets a very grumpy young gardener called Seth Tanner, but he doesn't take much notice of her.
Olivia is a very unusual child, full of wild, fun imagination that she seems to have inherited from her writer father. She asks to be allowed to sleep in one of the towers on her own, and one night she hears a voice that seems to come from next door. It is Seth Tanner but he seems to live in an overlapping parallel universe where the Titanic never sank.
Then World War I, often called "The Great War", starts and frustratingly, this unusual occurrence is parked for half the book while men and boys in both worlds go to war and women and girls try to gain some purpose by helping the war effort. Merriford Manor is turned into a convalescent hospital while three of the four sons go fighting "the Hun".
After the war Seth returns to the tower and we finally delve into the two worlds that are mostly but not exactly the same and what it means for Seth and Olivia. Can they solve the mystery of Seth's first girlfriend's disappearance, overcome wartime grief and more importantly - can they meet and fall in love in their own worlds, if they cannot meet through the wall?
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, unless it's the Tudors, but Jenni Keer's unique stories always draw me in for that one magical realism thing that you just have to run with. The characters are well-drawn and compelling damaged souls trying to rescue each other after a melancholic exploration of loss. This is, as usual, incredibly well-written and interesting and the author packs in a lot, but I wish that the majority of the book had been about the mystery of two overlapping worlds and how to deal with it, plus I would have liked to see more of the Titanic disaster-free world.
Nevertheless, if you enjoy love across class barriers in an atmospheric historical setting with a dash of mystery and alternate histories science fiction, plus a gorgeous cover, this is for you. Run of the mill this isn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail