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sara9b 's review for:
The Animals at Lockwood Manor
by Jane Healey
‘The Animals at Lockwood Manor' reminded me somewhat of the classic ‘The Secret Garden’ by F.H. Burnett; there being a large mansion tucked away in an English countryside, with a semi-welcomed guest who arrives for an unidentified amount of time, but with a more gothic twist to it.
Hettie Cartwright is young museum curator, who with the start of the WWII, finds herself in charge of safekeeping the Natural History Museum’s animal collection (originally just mammals, but that soon increased to include others), which has been shipped out of London in attempt to protect it from the German air raids. Lockwood Manor with its ninety-two rooms seemed like an idyllic space in which the menagerie would be free to peacefully wait-out the war, but as often seems to be the case, old mansions have secrets of their own which will threaten all of the mansion’s inhabitants.
Hettie soon after moving in, realises that the task of keeping her chargers safe and in the condition they arrived in will be harder than she imagined, for they begin to mysteriously move around or even disappear only to turn up skinned from their fur. The two other occupants of the Manor, Lord Lockwood and his daughter Lucy complicate things further. Lord Lockwood is arrogant and haughty and quick to turn things around and blame Hetty when things go wrong (which happens too often for Hettie’s liking). Meanwhile, Lucy seems to be burdened by some kind of trauma and bouts of ‘bad nerves’ and proves to be a distraction of a completely different kind that endangers to break the hound-like focus Hettie had put on the museum’s collection.
What’s more, Lockwood Manor appears to be head to head in competition for the ‘Creepiest Place Award’ with Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel, with the former being written out to be almost a character of its own. Sounds resonate through empty corridors, footsteps are to be heard in all hours of the night, and servants seems to want to leave not long after being hired with alarming frequency. Soon, Hettie thinking starts to mirror that of Lucy; that there might be a presence, with them on their sight.
I quite enjoyed reading this; there was no work required to get into the novel or stay focused. The random shenanigans involving the animals, the Lockwood Manor itself and the question of what fate awaited the two young women, created a small frisson of tension. This stretched out throughout the length of the novel, keeping the pace steady. I liked how the novel is primarily told from Hettie’s point of view, with a few short chapters in-between, narrated by Lucy Lockwood; offering a needed glimpse of the past and alternate viewpoints of the present. Both of the characters were complex and with faults, but likeable all the same. Throughout, the author tackled a mix of issues, which I will not mention here in order to avoid spoilers, but which added to the depth of the novel that made it a worthwhile and suspenseful read. ‘The Animals of Lockwood Manor’ was far more better than what I envisaged after reading the synopsis. The original storyline and atmospheric setting make it one a kind.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the Pan McMillan for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review
Hettie Cartwright is young museum curator, who with the start of the WWII, finds herself in charge of safekeeping the Natural History Museum’s animal collection (originally just mammals, but that soon increased to include others), which has been shipped out of London in attempt to protect it from the German air raids. Lockwood Manor with its ninety-two rooms seemed like an idyllic space in which the menagerie would be free to peacefully wait-out the war, but as often seems to be the case, old mansions have secrets of their own which will threaten all of the mansion’s inhabitants.
Hettie soon after moving in, realises that the task of keeping her chargers safe and in the condition they arrived in will be harder than she imagined, for they begin to mysteriously move around or even disappear only to turn up skinned from their fur. The two other occupants of the Manor, Lord Lockwood and his daughter Lucy complicate things further. Lord Lockwood is arrogant and haughty and quick to turn things around and blame Hetty when things go wrong (which happens too often for Hettie’s liking). Meanwhile, Lucy seems to be burdened by some kind of trauma and bouts of ‘bad nerves’ and proves to be a distraction of a completely different kind that endangers to break the hound-like focus Hettie had put on the museum’s collection.
What’s more, Lockwood Manor appears to be head to head in competition for the ‘Creepiest Place Award’ with Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel, with the former being written out to be almost a character of its own. Sounds resonate through empty corridors, footsteps are to be heard in all hours of the night, and servants seems to want to leave not long after being hired with alarming frequency. Soon, Hettie thinking starts to mirror that of Lucy; that there might be a presence, with them on their sight.
I quite enjoyed reading this; there was no work required to get into the novel or stay focused. The random shenanigans involving the animals, the Lockwood Manor itself and the question of what fate awaited the two young women, created a small frisson of tension. This stretched out throughout the length of the novel, keeping the pace steady. I liked how the novel is primarily told from Hettie’s point of view, with a few short chapters in-between, narrated by Lucy Lockwood; offering a needed glimpse of the past and alternate viewpoints of the present. Both of the characters were complex and with faults, but likeable all the same. Throughout, the author tackled a mix of issues, which I will not mention here in order to avoid spoilers, but which added to the depth of the novel that made it a worthwhile and suspenseful read. ‘The Animals of Lockwood Manor’ was far more better than what I envisaged after reading the synopsis. The original storyline and atmospheric setting make it one a kind.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the Pan McMillan for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review