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deniqd's review
2.0
What a disappointing book!
I read the blurb on the back cover and thought I was getting into a ghost story: it all started so well, with a strong female character and the promise of a ghost and actuall a few chapters in and we do indeed get a ghost. Then the story slows down and nothing at all happens for pages on end, just characters talking about the same thing over and over, or rather, Clara asking questions about Veronique and everyone else replying 'I can't tell you about her'. The middle part was just boring. Then there is a twist and the story is no longer a ghost story, but a story about long lost family members and revenge. We learn that George (supposedly the ghost hunter called in by Mr Fox) is actually Clara's half brother and he blames her (actually her mother, but she is already dead) for their father to have abandoned him and his mother when he was a child. He wants revenge but he dies instead. After that, there are too many pages of Clara felling confused and learning more about her long lost father. And then WWI starts and finishes and so does the book.
That's it, that's my ghost story gone bad. I've just read the blurb again, in case it was me misunderstanding it but, no... it quite clearly makes it sound as a ghost story... oh well!
I read the blurb on the back cover and thought I was getting into a ghost story: it all started so well, with a strong female character and the promise of a ghost and actuall a few chapters in and we do indeed get a ghost. Then the story slows down and nothing at all happens for pages on end, just characters talking about the same thing over and over, or rather, Clara asking questions about Veronique and everyone else replying 'I can't tell you about her'. The middle part was just boring. Then there is a twist and the story is no longer a ghost story, but a story about long lost family members and revenge. We learn that George (supposedly the ghost hunter called in by Mr Fox) is actually Clara's half brother and he blames her (actually her mother, but she is already dead) for their father to have abandoned him and his mother when he was a child. He wants revenge but he dies instead. After that, there are too many pages of Clara felling confused and learning more about her long lost father. And then WWI starts and finishes and so does the book.
That's it, that's my ghost story gone bad. I've just read the blurb again, in case it was me misunderstanding it but, no... it quite clearly makes it sound as a ghost story... oh well!
encounterswiththemoon's review against another edition
2.0
At the end of the day & when all is said & done; I’ve read this story before, split into other books. When I was making my way through this story I was hoping that something would transpire to set it apart from all the others but, nothing ever did & I was left disappointed.
I am glad to see a character who has physical impairments navigate their way through the world with a good head on their shoulders, familial support & a decent sense of self. Clara wanted to be a part of the world & worked very hard to realize that. Though she had a condition that made her subject frequently to broken bones, therefore rendering most things impossible, she still pushed herself to make her mark in society & I applaud Fletcher for writing the main character who was eager to surpass whatever (& anything) presented to them.
Unfortunately, in that same breath, Clara was so beyond rude, that I really could not get behind her as a character. Imagine going to someone else’s house (for work, mind you) & spending all your time pestering everyone at the house because you have an over-active curiosity. I felt a lot of second-hand embarrassment because I could not imagine doing everything she did. Read the room for goodness sake; people are uncomfortable talking about the past residents of the house.
I understand that for the purpose of the novel much of the progression in the story comes from Clara being a busybody with no social skills & noting that everyone is a ‘loser’ because they don’t get along with her in the same way that her parents did but, holy cow give it a rest. By page 100 Clara becomes such a rude, self-centred prick I was surprised that I made it that far in the book.
Fletcher is a good writer but the way this story was written left a bit to be desired. A lot of the story is fillers; Clara ponders how everyone around her is a simple village person, how her mother has just died, she talks to herself about how she thinks people are acting strangely, etc. I didn’t feel as though the scenes were ever set & but, maybe that was intentional as Clara had little to no experience outside her house in London. However, I found a lot of her dialogue redundant & it was difficult for me to believe that everyone would be so blissfully accommodating to her annoying questioning. I certainly would have told her to eat crow & busy herself with her job.
This leads me to Clara’s reason for being at the house; to plant flowers. Maybe I’m missing something but it felt a little contrived to think that someone who could hardly maneuver themselves in an exchange of goods at a store, let alone someone who just learnt about the garden where these plants were coming from (the month before) was suddenly the plant expert & was going to plant (alone) all these flowers in this massive greenhouse.
There was a crew specifically hired to tend to the garden, the lawns, & the landscape as a whole & yet this random girl is hired on with no previous experience to tend to an entire greenhouse on her own? Again, maybe I’m missing something but, along with the fact that Patrick leisurely let her leave the house to go do physical labour, the whole thing felt improbable.
While reading this story I couldn’t help but recall a handful of other novels that approached the same topics in a way that left me wanting while reading this one. I think we could have done without the entire Veronique plot because truly, how many times do we have to utilize the abuse of women as plot points; it’s tried.
The story behind Mr. Fox & his random desire to focus energies on the outside of a beautifully decrepit house rather than the inside repairs was interesting enough; we had a lot to go with in terms of exploring the village, the house, even if we held a little ghostly intrigue, a plot point we needed not, the staff, Clara herself (we spent 100 pages on her backstory). We could have even benefitted from a perspective change to that of Charlotte (her mother) to reveal the final twist.
Overall, this book could have been a novella & would have benefitted from a shorter format & possibly a less unnerving main character.
I am glad to see a character who has physical impairments navigate their way through the world with a good head on their shoulders, familial support & a decent sense of self. Clara wanted to be a part of the world & worked very hard to realize that. Though she had a condition that made her subject frequently to broken bones, therefore rendering most things impossible, she still pushed herself to make her mark in society & I applaud Fletcher for writing the main character who was eager to surpass whatever (& anything) presented to them.
Unfortunately, in that same breath, Clara was so beyond rude, that I really could not get behind her as a character. Imagine going to someone else’s house (for work, mind you) & spending all your time pestering everyone at the house because you have an over-active curiosity. I felt a lot of second-hand embarrassment because I could not imagine doing everything she did. Read the room for goodness sake; people are uncomfortable talking about the past residents of the house.
I understand that for the purpose of the novel much of the progression in the story comes from Clara being a busybody with no social skills & noting that everyone is a ‘loser’ because they don’t get along with her in the same way that her parents did but, holy cow give it a rest. By page 100 Clara becomes such a rude, self-centred prick I was surprised that I made it that far in the book.
Fletcher is a good writer but the way this story was written left a bit to be desired. A lot of the story is fillers; Clara ponders how everyone around her is a simple village person, how her mother has just died, she talks to herself about how she thinks people are acting strangely, etc. I didn’t feel as though the scenes were ever set & but, maybe that was intentional as Clara had little to no experience outside her house in London. However, I found a lot of her dialogue redundant & it was difficult for me to believe that everyone would be so blissfully accommodating to her annoying questioning. I certainly would have told her to eat crow & busy herself with her job.
This leads me to Clara’s reason for being at the house; to plant flowers. Maybe I’m missing something but it felt a little contrived to think that someone who could hardly maneuver themselves in an exchange of goods at a store, let alone someone who just learnt about the garden where these plants were coming from (the month before) was suddenly the plant expert & was going to plant (alone) all these flowers in this massive greenhouse.
There was a crew specifically hired to tend to the garden, the lawns, & the landscape as a whole & yet this random girl is hired on with no previous experience to tend to an entire greenhouse on her own? Again, maybe I’m missing something but, along with the fact that Patrick leisurely let her leave the house to go do physical labour, the whole thing felt improbable.
While reading this story I couldn’t help but recall a handful of other novels that approached the same topics in a way that left me wanting while reading this one. I think we could have done without the entire Veronique plot because truly, how many times do we have to utilize the abuse of women as plot points; it’s tried.
The story behind Mr. Fox & his random desire to focus energies on the outside of a beautifully decrepit house rather than the inside repairs was interesting enough; we had a lot to go with in terms of exploring the village, the house, even if we held a little ghostly intrigue, a plot point we needed not, the staff, Clara herself (we spent 100 pages on her backstory). We could have even benefitted from a perspective change to that of Charlotte (her mother) to reveal the final twist.
Overall, this book could have been a novella & would have benefitted from a shorter format & possibly a less unnerving main character.
cae's review against another edition
5.0
Marvelous, only I wish there'd been more plants in it. The greenhouse kind of falls away in light of everything else that's going on.
afterhours's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful novel! It kept me reading and anticipating till the end. Mesmerising, with dark undertones and by the end of it, it will be pulling at your heart strings. I just loooove damaged heros and heroines. In a nutshell, this is a novel about ghosts from the past, souls, human physicality and human disabilities. It is also about truths and rumours, about abuse, being damaged, guilty, about loss, betrayal and lies. Well, lots of themes are coming into this novel but they make it multi-layered, complex, exciting. I highly recommend this one. I am looking forward to reading other novels of Susan Fletcher in the future.
kaiiyo's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loss is a heavy burden and its reach is far beyond what we may expect. A story that highlights the humanity that ties us all together. A beautifully written reflection on life and love and learning too openness is not a weakness and there is strength in letting go of one's pride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism and War
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual violence
leari's review against another edition
4.0
trigger warning: death in the family
rep: protagonist with brittle bone disease
Although the middle dragged a little bit, it is a very atmospheric and emotional read, that is not as much about the ghost part as I thought it would be. More about women's rights, war, family, religion and flowers/plants tbh.
rep: protagonist with brittle bone disease
Although the middle dragged a little bit, it is a very atmospheric and emotional read, that is not as much about the ghost part as I thought it would be. More about women's rights, war, family, religion and flowers/plants tbh.
miamaybereading's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aimeespages's review against another edition
4.0
Mysterious, atmospheric and full of twists and turns, this book was hard to put down. The descriptions of Cotswold life were spot-on, and easy to recognise for someone who has lived there.
annailles's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25