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Abbeygate
A woman alone.
When beautiful Elinor Winter arrived at the palatial Abbeygate -- home of the world-famous actor Dominic Desmond -- it didn't take her long to know and love the three children she was to tutor.
At first, Dominic was not there at all -- only friends of the family. But then a murder shocked the estate and Dominic was forced to come home.
With that -- and the threat against Elinor's own life -- Elinor knew she was in danger. A secret was being held from her...a mysterious secret that could mean her death!
When beautiful Elinor Winter arrived at the palatial Abbeygate -- home of the world-famous actor Dominic Desmond -- it didn't take her long to know and love the three children she was to tutor.
At first, Dominic was not there at all -- only friends of the family. But then a murder shocked the estate and Dominic was forced to come home.
With that -- and the threat against Elinor's own life -- Elinor knew she was in danger. A secret was being held from her...a mysterious secret that could mean her death!
- GenresGothic
236 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 30, 2015
Let it be said that I loved Crowe's
Northwater
. But the others? Not so much. I've appointed Porkins to demonstrate:
Thanks, buddy. :D
This was dull as dishwater. From the first page it parades kinship to Jane Eyre, which is somewhat accurate -- but Abbeygate never manages to rise above a parade of tropes employed by countless gothics since Bronte put pen to paper. I'm certainly not opposed to judicious use of homage -- the gothic genre isn't afraid to embrace cliche when necessary -- but such an unoriginal combination put me to sleep within 50 pages. Clumsy, flag-waving foreshadowing + an obvious 'twist' = BORING. (Seriously, the twist was so freakin' obvious that I was shocked the author had the nerve to use it.)
As if that wasn't enough to stomp my rating, this book also contains the Twee Children plot device. Cutesy kids do absolutely nothing for my feelz -- the harsh truth, but there it is. And of course there was more ham-handed foreshadowing when the kids dropped a 'body' filled with sawdust onto the patio. SPLAT! I bet you'll never guess what happens to the villain at the end... *wiggles eyebrow*
Yeah. Not good. I liked the references to literature & stage productions, but the overall delivery was slow & obvious. As with Bloodrose House , Crowe was so enamored of locale & atmosphere that she forgot to include a plot with any zip.
Thanks, buddy. :D
This was dull as dishwater. From the first page it parades kinship to Jane Eyre, which is somewhat accurate -- but Abbeygate never manages to rise above a parade of tropes employed by countless gothics since Bronte put pen to paper. I'm certainly not opposed to judicious use of homage -- the gothic genre isn't afraid to embrace cliche when necessary -- but such an unoriginal combination put me to sleep within 50 pages. Clumsy, flag-waving foreshadowing + an obvious 'twist' = BORING. (Seriously, the twist was so freakin' obvious that I was shocked the author had the nerve to use it.)
As if that wasn't enough to stomp my rating, this book also contains the Twee Children plot device. Cutesy kids do absolutely nothing for my feelz -- the harsh truth, but there it is. And of course there was more ham-handed foreshadowing when the kids dropped a 'body' filled with sawdust onto the patio. SPLAT! I bet you'll never guess what happens to the villain at the end... *wiggles eyebrow*
Yeah. Not good. I liked the references to literature & stage productions, but the overall delivery was slow & obvious. As with Bloodrose House , Crowe was so enamored of locale & atmosphere that she forgot to include a plot with any zip.
May 8, 2018
Elinor Winter comes to Ireland as a summer instructor for famous actor Dominic Desmond's recently orphaned children. After this familiar setup, Cecily Crowe crafts what should be an equally expected mixture murder, mystery, and nefarious doings with a little bit of romance. But "Abbey Gate" is more than that. Crowe's lucid prose and complicated characters lift a genre novel to a different level. The author has a deep interest in the psyches of her cast, making this a contemporary gothic that feels more solid than its contemporaries. Like "Northwater," her slim, powerful masterpiece, "Abbeygate" pushes the boundaries of what a gothic novel can be. The local color and travelogue aspects work their magic; the mystery plot is serviceable; but above all, it's the people we meet between the covers who will stay with us.
May 2, 2019
This book was a little slow. I probably wouldn't read it again.
June 9, 2023
I found this to be a quick and easy read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews