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James Koppert (2698 KP) rated Wakenhyrst in Books

Jul 17, 2020  
Wakenhyrst
Wakenhyrst
Michelle Paver | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Paranormal, Thriller
8
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pacers ability to bring locations to life (0 more)
Edwardian Gothic Horror
Michelle Paver has this exceptional ability to create a location that always becomes the lead character of her stories. Here it is The Fen and the Manor House within it. You can smell the pond weed, hear the birds and visualise the location immaculately. This incredible writer also always manages to create suggestions and hints of horror without ever over stating it. Its a beautiful subtlety which makes it even more haunting. This book also highlights strong feminist values simply by portraying female strength she ridicules the notion of patriarchy.
As you know I don't like to give away the story, wanting you to discover the pages yourself. Wakenhyrst is set in the early 1900s and is a dark githic thriller about past deeds haunting the now, and like her other books it's spectacular.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Last House on Needless Street in Books

Mar 14, 2021  
The Last House on Needless Street
The Last House on Needless Street
Catriona Ward | 2021 | Crime
6
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am, once again, in the minority here because I just didn't get into this at all.

I was confused about the timeline, who was who, what was what and I spent most of my time with a frown on my face and scratching my head wondering what the heck was going on.

I think I just lost the plot completely but there are loads of others who have read this and given it 5 stars so it must be me!!

If you enjoy something of a challenge and dark, gothic stories, this is probably for you but not so much for me unfortunately.

Thank you to Serpent's Tail, Viper Books and Profile Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in return for an unbiased and unedited review and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Foundling in Books

Jan 14, 2020  
The Foundling
The Foundling
Stacey Halls | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gothic historical fiction - just my cup of tea!
The Foundling is set in Georgian London, and is packed full of secrets. No-one in it appears to be telling the truth.

Bess Bright, a hawker of shrimps on London’s streets, leaves her newborn, Clara, at the London Foundling Hospital with every intention of reclaiming her when she is older. When Bess does return having saved the money to pay for the care her daughter has received over the last six years, it’s to discover that Bess Bright has already claimed her baby the day after she left her. So someone has taken her daughter.

In a much wealthier part of London, a widow is persuaded by her doctor to take on a nursemaid for her daughter. The widow rarely leaves her home, and doesn’t let her daughter play outside. The child’s only time outside is the journey to church at the Foundling Hospital every Sunday. The new nursemaid, along with the doctor, convince the widow that she should allow the child some times outside to play, and some fresh air.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though. The widow is a complex, damaged character who tries to hide from her past - but as secrets have a habit of doing, hers catch up with her. The nursemaid is instrumental in this.

The descriptions in this book are all so vivid - I was transported into the contrasting world of Georgian London and those who lived in poverty living alongside (streets away from) those who lived with unmentionable amounts of money. The oppression in the widows household was overwhelming: claustrophobic, even.

I loved everything about this book - I loved the gothic, suspense-filled atmosphere, and spent a large part of the book with my heart in my mouth!

Another wonderful book by Stacey Halls, and one I’d highly recommend reading!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for the reading AND the listening experience (I loved the narrators on the audio book!), and Stacey Halls for reading along, too!