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jmatkinson1 's review for:
The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde
by Eve Chase
1959 and the young daughters of Bunny Wilde are sent to the country whilst widow Bunny travels to Morocco. The four girls decamp to Applecote Manor to stay with their Uncle and Aunt whose only child, Audrey, disappeared five years ago. As Margot Wilde suffers the pains of adolescence, her resemblance to Audrey provokes a strange obsession from her Aunt. In the present day Jessie moves to Applecote Manor with her family, husband Will, daughter Romy and resentful stepdaughter Bella. As Jessie tries to fit into local life, the rumours about previous events at Applecote dog the family and eventually the two stories come together.
There is much to like about this book, especially the sections set in 1959. I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the characters of Margot and Bella as troubled adolescents and of Margot and Jessie as people trying to live up to the memory of 'perfect' others. At times I felt that the story was a little forced, particularly the revelation of what had happened to Audrey, but this didn't detract from a strong and readable novel.
There is much to like about this book, especially the sections set in 1959. I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the characters of Margot and Bella as troubled adolescents and of Margot and Jessie as people trying to live up to the memory of 'perfect' others. At times I felt that the story was a little forced, particularly the revelation of what had happened to Audrey, but this didn't detract from a strong and readable novel.