A review by outsmartyourshelf
The Crow Garden by Alison Littlewood
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
1.0
Nathaniel Kerner arrives to take up a position as an alienist - doctor to the unfortunate at Crakethorne Asylum. He soon becomes entranced by a patient, Mrs Victoria Adelina Harleston, who is at the asylum because she tried to run away from her husband. When Mrs Harleston then accuses her husband of a terrible crime, Kerner knows he has to help her.
I'm still not sure what I just read. For the first half of the book it was shaping up to be an interesting gothic historical fiction with some supernatural elements, but it all went pear-shaped. The main character spent most of his time mooning around after Mrs Harleston, & interesting aspects, such as the murder Mrs Harleston accused her husband of, ultimately went nowhere, & led to the strangest conclusion I have ever read. It is a shame as it could have been so good.
I'm still not sure what I just read. For the first half of the book it was shaping up to be an interesting gothic historical fiction with some supernatural elements, but it all went pear-shaped. The main character spent most of his time mooning around after Mrs Harleston, & interesting aspects, such as the murder Mrs Harleston accused her husband of, ultimately went nowhere, & led to the strangest conclusion I have ever read. It is a shame as it could have been so good.