casc8a's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I loved the beginning of this story - Hannah with her son Nicky (who is undefined but probably on the spectrum), arrive at an English manor house for the summer. He discovers a secret tunnel and rooms, as well as a skeleton. Hannah asks around to try to figure out what may have happened to the skeleton.
Much of the rest of the book is the relationship between mother and son, and coping with difficult child behaviors, and the effects they cause on relationships. In addition, Hannah’s marriage isn’t what she thought, and she opens her mind to other ideas of marriage.
I feel like it really could be edited down quite a bit… also not a fan of multiple adultery situations.
Hearing her talk about the book, she mentioned her son inspired the character in the book, and that she wanted to talk about mothering an autistic child. She also mentioned living in England and different manor homes she visited; how she took pieces of each of them and created the manor for this book. She loves describing places so she can see them like a movie.
“Who gets to decide what’s normal, anyway?” Ch 33
I felt like this was a central question to the book… in a family, a marriage, for children… who decides what is normal?
“That’s the point of books, isn’t it? To be passed from hand to hand, until they fall apart. Part of the great river of life.” Ch 12
“Everyone I met seemed to be performing in a play. Each had a well-defined part. Even the way the two women addressed each other as Dr. Tinsley and Mrs. Gardner seemed to be an aspect of their performance. What was my part? Ward of Mr. Eckersley. Harmless American. I bristled at having my role determined for me, rather than creating it for myself—an example of how American I truly was.” Ch 3
Much of the rest of the book is the relationship between mother and son, and coping with difficult child behaviors, and the effects they cause on relationships. In addition, Hannah’s marriage isn’t what she thought, and she opens her mind to other ideas of marriage.
I feel like it really could be edited down quite a bit… also not a fan of multiple adultery situations.
Hearing her talk about the book, she mentioned her son inspired the character in the book, and that she wanted to talk about mothering an autistic child. She also mentioned living in England and different manor homes she visited; how she took pieces of each of them and created the manor for this book. She loves describing places so she can see them like a movie.
“Who gets to decide what’s normal, anyway?” Ch 33
I felt like this was a central question to the book… in a family, a marriage, for children… who decides what is normal?
“That’s the point of books, isn’t it? To be passed from hand to hand, until they fall apart. Part of the great river of life.” Ch 12
“Everyone I met seemed to be performing in a play. Each had a well-defined part. Even the way the two women addressed each other as Dr. Tinsley and Mrs. Gardner seemed to be an aspect of their performance. What was my part? Ward of Mr. Eckersley. Harmless American. I bristled at having my role determined for me, rather than creating it for myself—an example of how American I truly was.” Ch 3
jillwerbisky's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard not to put in historical fiction as a tag because the plot centers so much around historical discoveries... this book is told in first person by Hannah, a married woman who gave up her career as a historian to care full-time for her neurodivergent son, Nicky, who is eight when the story begins. Hannah and Nicky arrive at Ashton Hall in Cambridge, England, expecting to care for Hannah's honorary Uncle Christopher, who is nearing the end of his life. Ashton Hall is restored and open to the public, and when Nicky is exploring, he finds the skeleton of a woman. This is a mystery indeed... how long has the skeleton been there? How has it been hidden so long? Who was this woman? Hannah and some of the researchers at Ashton uncover historical documents that record the life of the household and attempt to find out more about who was living there and what their lives were like. Meanwhile relationships are changing for Hannah the longer she and Nicky stay in England. I didn't like the moments of self-flagellation that Hannah sometimes experienced but other than that I enjoyed this mixture of history and contemporary life. I would read another by this author.
hmwhitten's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
annsbibliotherapy's review against another edition
4.0
"Fred has a girlfriend" I had no idea how terrifying those words could turn out to be. A child with a unique look at the world makes a terrifying discovery and integrates himself and his mother on the case to solve a mystery over 500 years in the making.
This is one of those rare books where the setting is a character of it's own and I loved it, the descriptions of Ashton Hall, the village, all of the places that Hanna and Nicky see, Castles to Cotttages, the setting is vibrant and comes alive under Lauren Belfers masterful storytelling.
The natural flow of this book allows for seemless transitions between the current world and the late 1500's which is no easy task, and while there are a lot of almost educational moments I found it helpful as I'm sure not everyone has firsthand knowledge of the things used in the Edwardian era.
From murder to affairs, priests hiding rooms to hidden passages, children with special needs to children that are just a handful this book has a little something that will interest anyone who loves a good, well written, engaging story.
There are so many questions this book poses and doesn't fail to deliver answers that will leave you mind blown wondering how you never saw it coming.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I truly enjoyed this book and would happily read anything else this author writes.
This is one of those rare books where the setting is a character of it's own and I loved it, the descriptions of Ashton Hall, the village, all of the places that Hanna and Nicky see, Castles to Cotttages, the setting is vibrant and comes alive under Lauren Belfers masterful storytelling.
The natural flow of this book allows for seemless transitions between the current world and the late 1500's which is no easy task, and while there are a lot of almost educational moments I found it helpful as I'm sure not everyone has firsthand knowledge of the things used in the Edwardian era.
From murder to affairs, priests hiding rooms to hidden passages, children with special needs to children that are just a handful this book has a little something that will interest anyone who loves a good, well written, engaging story.
There are so many questions this book poses and doesn't fail to deliver answers that will leave you mind blown wondering how you never saw it coming.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I truly enjoyed this book and would happily read anything else this author writes.
s_woodcox's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
txmxy's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
manugareau's review against another edition
informative
reflective
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
2.75
jenmoody23's review against another edition
2.0
This book is marketed as a gothic mystery, but that is not what I got. Instead it is a slow paced fiction novel. That in itself wasn’t terrible, but the way relationships are portrayed was. Our protagonist who has a special needs son is very weak when it comes to him and her manipulative husband. Also, adultery is portrayed to be excusable in certain circumstances her and I’m not ok with that. All of these things combined made this not the boom for me. If I was not reading an ARC for review, I would have dnf’d this one. I gave this two stars instead of one because the historical part about the Tudor era of England was of interest to me.