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bookwormmelissa 's review for:
Ashton Hall
by Lauren Belfer
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. I've never read this author before, but I was intrigued by the book's cover and description. Hannah and her neurodiverse son, Nicky, move for the summer to Cambridge to care for an aging relative living in a historic manor house. A discovery is made at Ashton Hall by Nicky, which sets up the mystery for the rest of the novel. This is a slow-burn mystery with some gothic, atmospheric vibes, and while the mystery involves the Tudor time period, the book is set in present day. I loved the exploration of women's lives in the Tudor period to present, being normal, libraries, academia, art history, literature, and motherhood. The research was obviously well done, and the writing itself is beautiful. The author references Jane Eyre and Middlemarch quite a bit, and I think Ashton Hall is a perfect blend of those two classics. I'm really interested in checking out her other books now!