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A review by herreadingroom
Tiding by Siân Collins
4.0
This story is set during the Great Freeze of 1963 in Wales. Eleanor O’Dowd is found brutally murdered beside her beloved piano and local man Johnny Parry, deaf and mute, is accused of her murder.
10 year old Daphne Morgan, the local vicar’s daughter was a pupil of Eleanor’s, but on this particular day she missed her piano lesson in favour of exploring the bone house with her friends, where they discover a mysteriously chilling box containing a skull.
The plot and characterisation in this book felt strong - I especially liked the character of Daphne and the hustle and bustle of her family life; and I felt a strong sense of sympathy for Johnny “Nebo” Parry, unable to understand or respond to the accusations levelled at him.
Although it is a murder mystery there is a definite quietness to the drama, a kind of placidity to the way it unfolds which I really liked. There’s a gentleness to the plot that belies the premise of the story and yet it enhanced my experience of reading it. The murder is just one small part of this wonderful book - there are deeper themes of childhood, growing up and the power of the imagination.
I loved the author’s style of writing - the way the story was constructed flowed beautifully and her skill at evoking imagery with such clarity almost made me forget about the dark thread she had seamlessly woven through the pages of this book, and the ending - well, that gave me little chills! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It’s a beautifully descriptive read and one I have no hesitation in recommending
10 year old Daphne Morgan, the local vicar’s daughter was a pupil of Eleanor’s, but on this particular day she missed her piano lesson in favour of exploring the bone house with her friends, where they discover a mysteriously chilling box containing a skull.
The plot and characterisation in this book felt strong - I especially liked the character of Daphne and the hustle and bustle of her family life; and I felt a strong sense of sympathy for Johnny “Nebo” Parry, unable to understand or respond to the accusations levelled at him.
Although it is a murder mystery there is a definite quietness to the drama, a kind of placidity to the way it unfolds which I really liked. There’s a gentleness to the plot that belies the premise of the story and yet it enhanced my experience of reading it. The murder is just one small part of this wonderful book - there are deeper themes of childhood, growing up and the power of the imagination.
I loved the author’s style of writing - the way the story was constructed flowed beautifully and her skill at evoking imagery with such clarity almost made me forget about the dark thread she had seamlessly woven through the pages of this book, and the ending - well, that gave me little chills! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It’s a beautifully descriptive read and one I have no hesitation in recommending