Published By: Zaffre
Pages: 400
Released On: 07/11/2024
1938. Gillian Larking is used to blending in and going unnoticed, until she is befriended by her new roommate at boarding school, the vibrant and spirited Violet Claybourne. As the Christmas holidays approach, Gilly can’t believe her luck when Violet invites her to spend them at her home, the crumbling Thornleigh Hall.
At Thornleigh, Gilly is dazzled by the family’s faded grandeur, and above all by Violet’s beguiling older sisters who seem to accept her as one of their own. But following a terrible incident in the house’s grounds, Gilly begins to realise the Claybourne sisters aren’t quite what she thought they were. And if she’s to survive in their world, she may have to become just like them . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I do own a copy of Emily’s previous book, One Puzzling Afternoon, but for reasons unknown to me, I am yet to read it, but going on synopsis alone, this one sounded just as intriguing. And we all know how much I love an historical novel, especially when it blends thriller into it along with family drama.
It was a little slow to begin with. Not boring or dull or off-putting or anything, it just took a little longer to get into that mysterious element than I was expecting. I’d say maybe 35-40% is when it really gets going and the second half zoomed by. It was really engrossing and took turns I wasn’t expecting.
I did wonder at times if there was too much going on. Too many people, too much history, and too many secrets. And I thought about it throughout the book and I actually think it’s just the right side of too much. Everything is valuable to the story and context, so I think it works.
I loved that the main characters were female. There are men in it, but for the most part it’s just women and girls and they’re so powerful, and I think, it’s got more depth and emotion behind it for doing so, because it’s in a time when women were still seen as the lesser sex.
I was on the fence about a few characters. They’re all very well written with such depth and they all brought something to the table. I really felt for Violet, my heart really went out to her. Initially I thought I would like Gillian the most, as I assumed Violet’s arrival would upset things. But then Gillian didn’t turn out to be who I thought she was. Not to spoil it, but she is to make a choice and it’s not necessarily the choice I thought she should make.
I loved this idea of tyring to fit in. Violet is an outsider at school and Gillian helps her find her way. Gillian is an outsider at the house and Violet helps her fit in. And also about keeping up appearances. On the surface everything at Thornleigh House and with the Claybourne family seems perfect, the perfect house with glamorous inhabitants that dress for dinner, with fine dining etc. but there’s a lot of murkiness going on underneath and that was great to unpick. And also this sense of classism and snobbery, that women in a certain social class had to be a certain way and marry a certain way, and if you’re beneath that then you’re sort of swept away as to not sully everything else.
It was an interesting time period. Most of the historical novels I read are set way back in the 17-18th century, or during WW1 or WW2, and so to find one that is set between the two wars was very interesting for me.
It’s very evocative and atmospheric, almost nostalgic for a time I know nothing about. It’s eery but not in an overly obvious way, it’s not a thrill a minute, it’s subtle, with this mysterious undercurrent that held my attention throughout.
Overall I would say it’s a joyous book. The pacing ebbs and flows, with some bits slower and others quicker. That’s a minor negative for me as I felt some things zoomed by a bit too fast for me, but I’m splitting hairs here. The plot is interesting, the characters multi-layered and very human, the subtleties perfectly pitched, with a great sense of place and time, and just a very enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it, and you can be sure I will now be picking up her other book.
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