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A review by joyceheinen
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Set in Vermont in the 1950s, four girls share a room at Idlewild Hall, a boarding school for girls. All of them being disowned by their families for different reasons. Reliant on each other, a deep friendship develops. When one of the girls suddenly disappears, they are unanimous that the truth must come out.
Years later, someone has plans to have the haunted Idlewild Hall restored and turned back into a school. Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot understand this; her older sister Deb was found dead on the grounds of Idlewild Hall twenty years ago. The culprit is behind bars, but Fiona has never been able to let go of the case. She doubts the truth. She decides to write a story about the renovation of Idlewild Hall, to find out the truth about the past.
I’ve had several of Simon St. James’ books on my shelves. This was the one I heard about the most and I decided to pick it up first. I’m glad that I did, because I loved “The Broken Girls”.
We follow two storylines, the one set in the 1950s and one that takes place in 2014. Fiona manages to unravel the real story of Idlewild Hall piece by piece. Past and present blend together beautifully and once again a story with dual timelines manages to captivate me from start to finish.
In the chapters set in the 1950s we meet four young girls that go to Idlewild Hall, each time a chapter is told from another girl’s perspective. This way each of them get a voice and they become all are well fleshed out. All girls have a feeling of not belonging anywhere and together they form their own little family.
The 2014 timeline is completely told from Fiona’s point of view. An interesting character, driven, determined and smart. She want to find out what really happened to her sister, but stumbles upon other mysteries revolving around Idlewild Hall. I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy the supernatural element, but I surprisingly did.
“The Broken Girls” is a very well-written and strong mystery, that remains in the dark for a long time. The setting, Idlewild Hall, is atmospheric and eery. Friendship, suspense, fear and unprocessed grief are all themes in this story. It’s the type of book that will stay with you for a long time.
Years later, someone has plans to have the haunted Idlewild Hall restored and turned back into a school. Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot understand this; her older sister Deb was found dead on the grounds of Idlewild Hall twenty years ago. The culprit is behind bars, but Fiona has never been able to let go of the case. She doubts the truth. She decides to write a story about the renovation of Idlewild Hall, to find out the truth about the past.
I’ve had several of Simon St. James’ books on my shelves. This was the one I heard about the most and I decided to pick it up first. I’m glad that I did, because I loved “The Broken Girls”.
We follow two storylines, the one set in the 1950s and one that takes place in 2014. Fiona manages to unravel the real story of Idlewild Hall piece by piece. Past and present blend together beautifully and once again a story with dual timelines manages to captivate me from start to finish.
In the chapters set in the 1950s we meet four young girls that go to Idlewild Hall, each time a chapter is told from another girl’s perspective. This way each of them get a voice and they become all are well fleshed out. All girls have a feeling of not belonging anywhere and together they form their own little family.
The 2014 timeline is completely told from Fiona’s point of view. An interesting character, driven, determined and smart. She want to find out what really happened to her sister, but stumbles upon other mysteries revolving around Idlewild Hall. I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy the supernatural element, but I surprisingly did.
“The Broken Girls” is a very well-written and strong mystery, that remains in the dark for a long time. The setting, Idlewild Hall, is atmospheric and eery. Friendship, suspense, fear and unprocessed grief are all themes in this story. It’s the type of book that will stay with you for a long time.