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Equilibrium
Epiphany and Martha are sisters with a stage mediumship act in Edwardian London. When they are asked to give a private spiritualist reading at the home of Lady Adelia Lyward to find out the truth about her brother's death, Martha must face up to her past. For two years ago, her affair with Lord Rafe Lyward ended in pregnant disgrace, and her attempted suicide in the River Thames. But there is more at stake than Martha's anonymous return, for Epiphany bears the burden of restoring the equilibrium, not just to the Lywards but to her sister and ultimately to herself.
Equilibrium has been awarded the Awesome Indies Seal of Approval, and is a recommended read by the Historical Novel Society.
Equilibrium has been awarded the Awesome Indies Seal of Approval, and is a recommended read by the Historical Novel Society.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2012
14 people want to read
About the author
Evie Woolmore
3 books4 followersEvie Woolmore is a conjuress of magical realism. Her novels infuse historical settings with an otherworldly quality. Their evocative atmospheres blur boundaries between the real and the imaginary, or whatever passes for real and imaginary...
An experienced writer and editor, Evie Woolmore has been writing fiction and non-fiction for twenty years. Having written books for other people, she also finds time to write books for herself. She has lived here, there and everywhere, but finds that imagination travels well. She enjoys publishing independently, and focuses her contribution to the indie community through reviewing other indie books, particularly those in a similar genre to her own.
An experienced writer and editor, Evie Woolmore has been writing fiction and non-fiction for twenty years. Having written books for other people, she also finds time to write books for herself. She has lived here, there and everywhere, but finds that imagination travels well. She enjoys publishing independently, and focuses her contribution to the indie community through reviewing other indie books, particularly those in a similar genre to her own.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 27, 2013
One evening in May 1903 Martha Collett goes down the steps in Wapping into the river. The former servant girl has left the workhouse determined to leave the disappointments of her life behind. This is the start to this historical book by Evie Woolmore.
The historical element centres on the spiritual acts that were popular in the early twentieth century. Martha and her sister, Epiphany initially hone their act in the North before deciding that the time is right to return to London and reclaim the child that Martha left behind. By chance Martha and Epiphany now in the guise of Mrs Hearn and Miss Fortune are invited to hold a séance in the very house where Martha used to work, the home of Rafe Lyward, the very man whose baby they returned to London to reclaim.
Adelia the lady of the house is an unhappy woman, her brother died in Africa and along with her sister-in-law Flora she longs to know the truth of what happened to him. The question is will Miss Fortune be able to summon his spirit to put the living at peace?
I am not really a believer in the supernatural so I had some reservations about this book which were quickly dispelled. Martha is a believable character a woman who has had to make difficult decisions just as many women did at this time. Poor Adelia does not fit into Edwardian England having an enquiring this intelligent woman is trapped by society’s expectations. As such this is a fascinating study of women at the opposite ends of society at the turn of the twentieth century. This is a well-plotted story which offered so much more than I expected.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
The historical element centres on the spiritual acts that were popular in the early twentieth century. Martha and her sister, Epiphany initially hone their act in the North before deciding that the time is right to return to London and reclaim the child that Martha left behind. By chance Martha and Epiphany now in the guise of Mrs Hearn and Miss Fortune are invited to hold a séance in the very house where Martha used to work, the home of Rafe Lyward, the very man whose baby they returned to London to reclaim.
Adelia the lady of the house is an unhappy woman, her brother died in Africa and along with her sister-in-law Flora she longs to know the truth of what happened to him. The question is will Miss Fortune be able to summon his spirit to put the living at peace?
I am not really a believer in the supernatural so I had some reservations about this book which were quickly dispelled. Martha is a believable character a woman who has had to make difficult decisions just as many women did at this time. Poor Adelia does not fit into Edwardian England having an enquiring this intelligent woman is trapped by society’s expectations. As such this is a fascinating study of women at the opposite ends of society at the turn of the twentieth century. This is a well-plotted story which offered so much more than I expected.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
February 1, 2013
What is truth? The novel asks this question, not only of the novel's protagonists, but also of the reader. Truth is tricky. We can seldom see more than one piece at a time, and once we've examined the other pieces, we may find the first one altered.
In London in 1903 a housemaid throws herself into the Thames. The reason is as old as time: impregnated by the master of the house where she worked, Martha was turned out in disgrace to give birth in the workhouse and hand her child to someone else to raise.
But she fails in her attempt to leave this world, and for the next two years she and her sister Epiphany support themselves with a stage act, with Epiphany as a psychic and Martha as her spirit guide. All the tricks of the trade are in evidence, but we soon suspect that Epiphany may well be the real thing. Yet we are cautious. As we should be.
Adelia, Martha's former mistress, wife of the man who impregnated her, has a habit of sneaking out of her own house to go secretly to the theater, where she happens to see Epiphany's act. Adelia's sister-in-law has recently been widowed, and there is some mystery about her husband's death in South Africa during the Boer War. Perhaps, Adelia thinks, Epiphany can contact him to learn the truth about his fate.
So Epiphany is engaged to give a private seance at Adelia's house, and Martha returns to the place in which she was once a servant, so invisible, as servants are, that a mob cap and an Irish accent make an adequate disguise. Her motives are mixed. She wants to help her former mistress, but she also yields to the temptation to revisit her past, to learn the truth of what happened to her in that house. Did the master ever care for her, or was she just the pleasure of the moment? And once that question is answered, the next arises: did she truly care for him, as she once told herself, or was it something else she wanted?
Adelia has her own questions. She tries to understand why her husband has begun to neglect her, and she struggles with the difficulties of having married above her station, of being a tradesman's daughter among the aristocracy. Together these two women, Martha and Adelia, begin their search for truth.
The house itself conspires with the characters. Hidden corridors allow both servants and masters to navigate in secret both public and private rooms. Within the rigid structure, the secret passages subvert the discipline the house imposes, while within the rigid social structure of the time, the women must find clever ways, often subversive ways, to navigate their own lives.
The writing style is both unusual and effective. The author leaves things out, just as the stories we experience in real life leave things out. From a glimpse, we must construct a situation. And as in real life, we are not always certain what is going on or who is trustworthy. Most enjoyable are the author's surprising turns of phrase--original, poignant, illuminating. "... a lullaby gone lewd on gin..." And the odd historical reference. "Mrs. Keppel's knickers!"
The initial truth sought is the fate of a young man who died under mysterious circumstances in a faraway land. But the search for this truth sets loose one truth after another, until in the end no one is deceived.
In London in 1903 a housemaid throws herself into the Thames. The reason is as old as time: impregnated by the master of the house where she worked, Martha was turned out in disgrace to give birth in the workhouse and hand her child to someone else to raise.
But she fails in her attempt to leave this world, and for the next two years she and her sister Epiphany support themselves with a stage act, with Epiphany as a psychic and Martha as her spirit guide. All the tricks of the trade are in evidence, but we soon suspect that Epiphany may well be the real thing. Yet we are cautious. As we should be.
Adelia, Martha's former mistress, wife of the man who impregnated her, has a habit of sneaking out of her own house to go secretly to the theater, where she happens to see Epiphany's act. Adelia's sister-in-law has recently been widowed, and there is some mystery about her husband's death in South Africa during the Boer War. Perhaps, Adelia thinks, Epiphany can contact him to learn the truth about his fate.
So Epiphany is engaged to give a private seance at Adelia's house, and Martha returns to the place in which she was once a servant, so invisible, as servants are, that a mob cap and an Irish accent make an adequate disguise. Her motives are mixed. She wants to help her former mistress, but she also yields to the temptation to revisit her past, to learn the truth of what happened to her in that house. Did the master ever care for her, or was she just the pleasure of the moment? And once that question is answered, the next arises: did she truly care for him, as she once told herself, or was it something else she wanted?
Adelia has her own questions. She tries to understand why her husband has begun to neglect her, and she struggles with the difficulties of having married above her station, of being a tradesman's daughter among the aristocracy. Together these two women, Martha and Adelia, begin their search for truth.
The house itself conspires with the characters. Hidden corridors allow both servants and masters to navigate in secret both public and private rooms. Within the rigid structure, the secret passages subvert the discipline the house imposes, while within the rigid social structure of the time, the women must find clever ways, often subversive ways, to navigate their own lives.
The writing style is both unusual and effective. The author leaves things out, just as the stories we experience in real life leave things out. From a glimpse, we must construct a situation. And as in real life, we are not always certain what is going on or who is trustworthy. Most enjoyable are the author's surprising turns of phrase--original, poignant, illuminating. "... a lullaby gone lewd on gin..." And the odd historical reference. "Mrs. Keppel's knickers!"
The initial truth sought is the fate of a young man who died under mysterious circumstances in a faraway land. But the search for this truth sets loose one truth after another, until in the end no one is deceived.
August 29, 2013
'There is surely no more fitting place for a disgraced housemaid to take her life,' and there surely no better place to start a novel. Almost immediately the questions were lining up: We know that the housemaid is Martha Collett, we can guess at the nature of her disgrace, but why does the author state that 'they' plunge into the river?
Rescued, Martha is persuaded to pair up with her sister Epiphany to form a psychic act - Miss Fortune and her spirit guide, Rosina. And it is a good act: the most one hundred per cent genuine demonstration of Psychic Power you will ever see on this our mortal plane. But Martha is completely unaware that this will take her back to the very house where she became mistress to Rafe Lyward. A house which seems reluctant to give up its secrets: How did Dacre meet his end in Africa? What is Rafe hiding from Dacre's grieving widow, Flora, and his own wife, Adelia - also Dacre's sister? (I would draw you a venn diagram if I could.) Why do housemaids keep on leaving without notice? And what has become of Martha's child who was born in a workhouse?
This atmospheric novel paints a stark picture of the limited options available to women - even intelligent upwardly-mobile young women like Adelia - in 1903. After marriage there is the running of the household. For respectable working class women there is domestic service, but this is sometimes little better than prostition, sometimes remarkably similar. Some authors try to impose 21st Century standards on their characters. Evie Woolmore avoided this temptation, so that the scandal that might be caused by divorcing a husband whose affections clearly lay elsewhere was a serious consideration even for the most modern of the women depicted.
Equilibrium was the subject of my first experiment with a Kindle and so I was a little slow to get into the story, but it soon became apparent that several characters were on their own truth-seeking missions. For me, the fact that no-one was as they first seemed provided the perfect distraction from the book's biggest twist. I don't want to give it away but suffice to say I simply didn't see it coming.
There is much to admire in the writing and something to appeal to fans of both historic fiction and the paranormal, particularly those who enjoyed Barbara Ewing's The Mesmerist. Evie Woolmore's exploration of the the hinterland between the living and the dead is even more poignant because the reader knows what the characters do not: that although the Boer War is over, the horrors of the First World War are just around the corner. So whilst Equilibrium is restored, for most of them, respite can only be temporary.
Rescued, Martha is persuaded to pair up with her sister Epiphany to form a psychic act - Miss Fortune and her spirit guide, Rosina. And it is a good act: the most one hundred per cent genuine demonstration of Psychic Power you will ever see on this our mortal plane. But Martha is completely unaware that this will take her back to the very house where she became mistress to Rafe Lyward. A house which seems reluctant to give up its secrets: How did Dacre meet his end in Africa? What is Rafe hiding from Dacre's grieving widow, Flora, and his own wife, Adelia - also Dacre's sister? (I would draw you a venn diagram if I could.) Why do housemaids keep on leaving without notice? And what has become of Martha's child who was born in a workhouse?
This atmospheric novel paints a stark picture of the limited options available to women - even intelligent upwardly-mobile young women like Adelia - in 1903. After marriage there is the running of the household. For respectable working class women there is domestic service, but this is sometimes little better than prostition, sometimes remarkably similar. Some authors try to impose 21st Century standards on their characters. Evie Woolmore avoided this temptation, so that the scandal that might be caused by divorcing a husband whose affections clearly lay elsewhere was a serious consideration even for the most modern of the women depicted.
Equilibrium was the subject of my first experiment with a Kindle and so I was a little slow to get into the story, but it soon became apparent that several characters were on their own truth-seeking missions. For me, the fact that no-one was as they first seemed provided the perfect distraction from the book's biggest twist. I don't want to give it away but suffice to say I simply didn't see it coming.
There is much to admire in the writing and something to appeal to fans of both historic fiction and the paranormal, particularly those who enjoyed Barbara Ewing's The Mesmerist. Evie Woolmore's exploration of the the hinterland between the living and the dead is even more poignant because the reader knows what the characters do not: that although the Boer War is over, the horrors of the First World War are just around the corner. So whilst Equilibrium is restored, for most of them, respite can only be temporary.
January 19, 2014
The sisters have returned to Edwardian London. While they are searching for Marthas’ past, Epiphany (Fanny) has the gift of clairvoyance and is summoned to The Lyward house to find out what happened to the Lady Adelias brother. This brings complication to them both for Lord Lyward is the one to drive Martha to the river 2 years ago but Fanny sees the ones that linger and must put things right.
This is a journey of redemption and setting right to wrongs. Martha must forgive Rafe for his actions towards her that cause her to want to drown herself, Fanny must help the spirits of those that have died and have messages to pass on, and Adelia must forgive the husband that wronged her in so many ways. I will be honest the whole story is dark and heartbreaking like the time period it takes place in….. I loved it all! The story is a little slow going but the threads of the characters lives are so intertwined that you cant help but look at the mastery of it.
My favorite character is defiantly the strong yet delicate Fanny. She is the driving force behind Martha, the quiet voice that people wanting closure cling to, and the accepting soul of her destiny in this world. She is a beautiful and unforgettable character. All the other characters are very well written and they play their parts skillfully.
I greatly look forward to reading other books of Evie Woolmore!
This is a journey of redemption and setting right to wrongs. Martha must forgive Rafe for his actions towards her that cause her to want to drown herself, Fanny must help the spirits of those that have died and have messages to pass on, and Adelia must forgive the husband that wronged her in so many ways. I will be honest the whole story is dark and heartbreaking like the time period it takes place in….. I loved it all! The story is a little slow going but the threads of the characters lives are so intertwined that you cant help but look at the mastery of it.
My favorite character is defiantly the strong yet delicate Fanny. She is the driving force behind Martha, the quiet voice that people wanting closure cling to, and the accepting soul of her destiny in this world. She is a beautiful and unforgettable character. All the other characters are very well written and they play their parts skillfully.
I greatly look forward to reading other books of Evie Woolmore!
June 1, 2013
This novel is outside my typical genres, but I tried the free sample at Amazon and was hooked. The characters are richly drawn and you feel pulled into their struggles. Some are trying to undo the consequences of their own actions, some are trying to unravel others' mysteries, and all are thrown together as they do so. The pace is perfect - just enough is revealed along the way to keep you glued to the pages. There were several twists and turns that I didn't expect, but none of them felt engineered.
It is written mostly in the present tense, which I don't typically enjoy, so it is a testament to how captivating the story is that I hardly noticed it. Be warned that it is quite long, so I wouldn't recommend starting it late in the evening (as I did - I was up until one in the morning).
Read the blurb, try the sample. If those interest you, you will not regret reading this book.
It is written mostly in the present tense, which I don't typically enjoy, so it is a testament to how captivating the story is that I hardly noticed it. Be warned that it is quite long, so I wouldn't recommend starting it late in the evening (as I did - I was up until one in the morning).
Read the blurb, try the sample. If those interest you, you will not regret reading this book.
October 23, 2014
Book - Equilibrium
Author – Evie Woolmore
Star rating - ★★★★☆
Plot – interesting, sticky in parts, but overall good.
Characters – very varied and true to the historic period.
Movie Potential - ★★★★☆
Ease of reading – moderate. Some parts were difficult to get through.
Cover - ✔
Suitable Title - ✔
Would I read it again – Probably not. Just because it's so long.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Plot
First off, let me say that it took me a really, really long time to read this book. May to October. That was for a few reasons. Mostly, I read Chapter 1 and it was so super, really, exceptionally long that I was afraid Chapter 2 would be the same, so I was hesitant to pick it back up again. I had a few health problems at this time, that made reading and taking in the words difficult, so I didn't want to have to read a chapter that was the equivalent to a short story.
I like to read each chapter in one sitting, but Chapter 1 made this feel impossible. Why? Because Chapter 1 was 14% of the book. 778 of 5601 locations on my Kindle (no idea what that translates to in pages, but it's a lot.) Going by Amazon's claim of 355 pages, I'd say that makes Chapter 1 about 49 pages. I've read short stories that aren't that long, so it really did put me off a little.
As for the story – it was interesting. I was drawn in by the first few pages, but the other big problem I faced, which made reading difficult, was that there are some superbly long run on sentences. And I don't just mean that go on for a few lines. More than one of them went on for half a page! That makes following the thread of the sentence, for me, nearly impossible. When I saw these coming, I'll admit that I skimmed a lot.
However, I don't feel like I missed anything, by bypassing or skimming these sentences. They were mostly description of the era, streets, locations, buildings, people that didn't really interest me or seem all that important to the story. I can understand that they make the book historically accurate, but I don't need them to enjoy the story. And since I have no real knowledge of the life and times of this era, in the detail that the author has, I don't know if what they're telling me is accurate. I gather, from the amount of detail they go into, that they are, but I kind of couldn't care less about it. I'm all about the story, not the historical elements.
I do think, however, that the second half of the novel was far better than the first. I really struggled with the first 45% and couldn't connect with the characters until after that point. It felt like the first 45% was the build up, to what happened later and then in the second half, everything happened at once. I liked the faster pace and the way the story flowed in the second half, much better than the first half.
Sometimes it was difficult to remember who Epiphany, Martha, Mrs Hearn and Miss Fortune were, as characters and to each other, because it flitted between identities so often. One minute Epiphany was called by her name, then it was Miss Fortune and similarly with Martha and Mrs Hearn. It was a little confusing.
I did enjoy the uncertain romances between Martha and Olivas, and Epiphany and Josiah. They were genuine and heartfelt, but I also knew that Olivas knew, because he seemed so unruffled by everything that was going on around him, and much more persistent after he was alone with Epiphany. Like he'd made up his mind about Martha.
Characters
I couldn't really connect with Martha or Epiphany on the same level that I could with Adelia. Which is odd, because the book begins with Martha and Epiphany in a tough spot, that should really have tugged at my heart strings. But, I found Martha kind of selfish and stubborn through the entire book, while Epiphany was flighty and indecisive. It seemed like Epiphany always knew what was going on, like she was two steps ahead of everyone else, but instead of just spitting it out and getting it over with, she kept everyone hanging. It felt a little like she was used to drag the story out long enough for all the other characters to fill in their stories.
There comes another issue: there were a lot of characters to keep up with. Lots of friends of Adelia, lots of Mrs this and Mrs that, sometimes having similar sounding or spelled last names that made it hard to keep track of who was who. Sometimes Mrs Whoever was then called by a first name, when we had Adelia's POV. She knew who she was talking about, as did the author, but I'm afraid I couldn't keep up.
I really connected with Adelia, though I can't exactly say why. She was strong, but didn't think much of herself most of the time, and she was faced with a really difficult life, that was all too common back then. Her husband had done a 180º change, since they got married and she was left picking up the pieces of a life that she no longer recognised as her own. With players that she hadn't wanted or known were playing the same game.
I also, oddly enough, connected with Rafe. I really felt for him. I sensed, really early on, that he was a troubled soul with a massive secret that was just waiting to be exposed. I always knew that he had used Martha as a filled for someone, to drown himself in, and that she never really loved him. Which, you wouldn't really have known from the way she acted. She was like a screaming banshee, scorned woman half the time, whenever he came into it. It made her erratic and unlikeable, for me, getting other people in trouble and making assumptions about them, from what she saw at a distance. To me, Martha used Rafe as much as he used her and poor Adelia was stuck in the middle. Yet, Adelia stayed strong while everyone around her fell apart.
I can't believe that Flora knew such a secret about Rafe and never told anyone. It seems odd, though it certainly explains his drinking. Still, she had the cheek to live in his house, under his nose, rubbing it in. It's no wonder he ended up the way he did. And, to be fair, I don't think he had the slightest clue that none of the maids were willing to be with him. I'm sure it was Graves who told him they were more than happy to be there. It doesn't excuse what he did, but I think it is an explanation that fits better with his personality.
Flora was the biggest surprise, for me. I always knew the secret about Rafe and Dacre, since it felt a little obvious and there were enough hints in the book to convince me I was right. Flora was the one that caught me off guard and made sense of everything else.
Overall
I really enjoyed the ending, though I would have liked to know more about whether Adelia actually divorced Rafe or not, and whether he ever told her of the child he had with Martha, or that he'd turned her away.
I changed my mind, quite a lot, throughout the story, about who I liked and who I would trust in that situation, which was good. I also really enjoyed the Seances, which were the highlight of the story, for me. I think a good chunk of the description could have been taken out, making it easier to read, and faster paced, but I do understand the historic integrity of it, so I didn't mind skimming it. It just made it longer to read. I really would have liked some of the run-on sentences to be shorter, though. If they'd been cut, reworded or changed to make them not as long, then I probably would have finished this book a lot quicker.
I did tear up at the end, when Martha and Epiphany had their scene. I also teared up a few times, for Adelia. Especially the scene with Rafe drunk out his mind, when she finally confronts him about how she feels. I would have liked to see more of them, though, rather than spending our time with Martha, who had no idea where Epiphany was. I feel that was wasted time, since the author had already told us where she was. Maybe if we'd been kept out of the loop and Epiphany had just disappeared, it would have felt different, but it seemed obvious.
Overall, I enjoyed the mystery, the intrigue and the relationships explored throughout the book, so it's a solid 4 stars from me. I can look past the difficulties with the sentence structure, to see the value of the story within and appreciate that the author made me feel very strongly about all the characters and their situations. Love or hate, as long as I feel for them, then it's a job well done.
Author – Evie Woolmore
Star rating - ★★★★☆
Plot – interesting, sticky in parts, but overall good.
Characters – very varied and true to the historic period.
Movie Potential - ★★★★☆
Ease of reading – moderate. Some parts were difficult to get through.
Cover - ✔
Suitable Title - ✔
Would I read it again – Probably not. Just because it's so long.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Plot
First off, let me say that it took me a really, really long time to read this book. May to October. That was for a few reasons. Mostly, I read Chapter 1 and it was so super, really, exceptionally long that I was afraid Chapter 2 would be the same, so I was hesitant to pick it back up again. I had a few health problems at this time, that made reading and taking in the words difficult, so I didn't want to have to read a chapter that was the equivalent to a short story.
I like to read each chapter in one sitting, but Chapter 1 made this feel impossible. Why? Because Chapter 1 was 14% of the book. 778 of 5601 locations on my Kindle (no idea what that translates to in pages, but it's a lot.) Going by Amazon's claim of 355 pages, I'd say that makes Chapter 1 about 49 pages. I've read short stories that aren't that long, so it really did put me off a little.
As for the story – it was interesting. I was drawn in by the first few pages, but the other big problem I faced, which made reading difficult, was that there are some superbly long run on sentences. And I don't just mean that go on for a few lines. More than one of them went on for half a page! That makes following the thread of the sentence, for me, nearly impossible. When I saw these coming, I'll admit that I skimmed a lot.
However, I don't feel like I missed anything, by bypassing or skimming these sentences. They were mostly description of the era, streets, locations, buildings, people that didn't really interest me or seem all that important to the story. I can understand that they make the book historically accurate, but I don't need them to enjoy the story. And since I have no real knowledge of the life and times of this era, in the detail that the author has, I don't know if what they're telling me is accurate. I gather, from the amount of detail they go into, that they are, but I kind of couldn't care less about it. I'm all about the story, not the historical elements.
I do think, however, that the second half of the novel was far better than the first. I really struggled with the first 45% and couldn't connect with the characters until after that point. It felt like the first 45% was the build up, to what happened later and then in the second half, everything happened at once. I liked the faster pace and the way the story flowed in the second half, much better than the first half.
Sometimes it was difficult to remember who Epiphany, Martha, Mrs Hearn and Miss Fortune were, as characters and to each other, because it flitted between identities so often. One minute Epiphany was called by her name, then it was Miss Fortune and similarly with Martha and Mrs Hearn. It was a little confusing.
I did enjoy the uncertain romances between Martha and Olivas, and Epiphany and Josiah. They were genuine and heartfelt, but I also knew that Olivas knew, because he seemed so unruffled by everything that was going on around him, and much more persistent after he was alone with Epiphany. Like he'd made up his mind about Martha.
Characters
I couldn't really connect with Martha or Epiphany on the same level that I could with Adelia. Which is odd, because the book begins with Martha and Epiphany in a tough spot, that should really have tugged at my heart strings. But, I found Martha kind of selfish and stubborn through the entire book, while Epiphany was flighty and indecisive. It seemed like Epiphany always knew what was going on, like she was two steps ahead of everyone else, but instead of just spitting it out and getting it over with, she kept everyone hanging. It felt a little like she was used to drag the story out long enough for all the other characters to fill in their stories.
There comes another issue: there were a lot of characters to keep up with. Lots of friends of Adelia, lots of Mrs this and Mrs that, sometimes having similar sounding or spelled last names that made it hard to keep track of who was who. Sometimes Mrs Whoever was then called by a first name, when we had Adelia's POV. She knew who she was talking about, as did the author, but I'm afraid I couldn't keep up.
I really connected with Adelia, though I can't exactly say why. She was strong, but didn't think much of herself most of the time, and she was faced with a really difficult life, that was all too common back then. Her husband had done a 180º change, since they got married and she was left picking up the pieces of a life that she no longer recognised as her own. With players that she hadn't wanted or known were playing the same game.
I also, oddly enough, connected with Rafe. I really felt for him. I sensed, really early on, that he was a troubled soul with a massive secret that was just waiting to be exposed. I always knew that he had used Martha as a filled for someone, to drown himself in, and that she never really loved him. Which, you wouldn't really have known from the way she acted. She was like a screaming banshee, scorned woman half the time, whenever he came into it. It made her erratic and unlikeable, for me, getting other people in trouble and making assumptions about them, from what she saw at a distance. To me, Martha used Rafe as much as he used her and poor Adelia was stuck in the middle. Yet, Adelia stayed strong while everyone around her fell apart.
I can't believe that Flora knew such a secret about Rafe and never told anyone. It seems odd, though it certainly explains his drinking. Still, she had the cheek to live in his house, under his nose, rubbing it in. It's no wonder he ended up the way he did. And, to be fair, I don't think he had the slightest clue that none of the maids were willing to be with him. I'm sure it was Graves who told him they were more than happy to be there. It doesn't excuse what he did, but I think it is an explanation that fits better with his personality.
Flora was the biggest surprise, for me. I always knew the secret about Rafe and Dacre, since it felt a little obvious and there were enough hints in the book to convince me I was right. Flora was the one that caught me off guard and made sense of everything else.
Overall
I really enjoyed the ending, though I would have liked to know more about whether Adelia actually divorced Rafe or not, and whether he ever told her of the child he had with Martha, or that he'd turned her away.
I changed my mind, quite a lot, throughout the story, about who I liked and who I would trust in that situation, which was good. I also really enjoyed the Seances, which were the highlight of the story, for me. I think a good chunk of the description could have been taken out, making it easier to read, and faster paced, but I do understand the historic integrity of it, so I didn't mind skimming it. It just made it longer to read. I really would have liked some of the run-on sentences to be shorter, though. If they'd been cut, reworded or changed to make them not as long, then I probably would have finished this book a lot quicker.
I did tear up at the end, when Martha and Epiphany had their scene. I also teared up a few times, for Adelia. Especially the scene with Rafe drunk out his mind, when she finally confronts him about how she feels. I would have liked to see more of them, though, rather than spending our time with Martha, who had no idea where Epiphany was. I feel that was wasted time, since the author had already told us where she was. Maybe if we'd been kept out of the loop and Epiphany had just disappeared, it would have felt different, but it seemed obvious.
Overall, I enjoyed the mystery, the intrigue and the relationships explored throughout the book, so it's a solid 4 stars from me. I can look past the difficulties with the sentence structure, to see the value of the story within and appreciate that the author made me feel very strongly about all the characters and their situations. Love or hate, as long as I feel for them, then it's a job well done.
October 1, 2024
Equilibrium is an evocative tale of two Sisters-Epiphany and Martha-who are mediums performing on stage in a theater in London, England in the early 1900’s. A Lady Adelia Lyward sees the performance and wants Epiphany to give her a private reading. She wanted to learn the truth of her brother’s death not knowing the sisters have a connection to her household. Martha was a housemaid to the Lyward’s two years previous and fell pregnant by Adelia’s husband, Lord Rafe Lyward. In disgrace Martha left the Lyward’s household, gave her child away and attempted suicide in the River Thames, she survived… But there is more to the Lyward’s household then meets the eye.
The beginning of the story starts slowly but I was pleasantly surprised as I read on to discover how the mystery surrounding Adelia’s brother’s death is revealed. However, I would have liked to have seen the historical elements to be stronger and expanded further on-such as the social changes in England during this period and I wanted to have a clearer picture on the details as to why Adelia’s brother went to South Africa during the Boer War then what was told.
Overall, this story is rich in complex characters with remarkable depth despite their shortcomings. Epiphany’s voice gave- what I believe- a comfort to those she was interacting with at times and I thought she gave the story a calmness and a delicate reality to this tragic and harsh story that was unfolding. I recommend Equilibrium to readers who enjoys historical fiction with spiritualism influences.
Stephanie Hopkins
Layered Pages
Review previously published on the Historical Novel Society website many years ago.
The beginning of the story starts slowly but I was pleasantly surprised as I read on to discover how the mystery surrounding Adelia’s brother’s death is revealed. However, I would have liked to have seen the historical elements to be stronger and expanded further on-such as the social changes in England during this period and I wanted to have a clearer picture on the details as to why Adelia’s brother went to South Africa during the Boer War then what was told.
Overall, this story is rich in complex characters with remarkable depth despite their shortcomings. Epiphany’s voice gave- what I believe- a comfort to those she was interacting with at times and I thought she gave the story a calmness and a delicate reality to this tragic and harsh story that was unfolding. I recommend Equilibrium to readers who enjoys historical fiction with spiritualism influences.
Stephanie Hopkins
Layered Pages
Review previously published on the Historical Novel Society website many years ago.
February 21, 2014
Equilibrium is a haunting tale of guilt and longing. Set against the backdrop of London and the Boer War, it shows Britain in a state of change. And as with all change, it is not welcomed by everyone. Between reactionary forces and those of change, the characters in the book struggle to find their own balance.
The atmosphere of London is captured beautifully in the book. The strict class divisions were still very prevalent in social Britain around the turn of the twentieth century. And it plays a huge role in the story. It illustrates poignantly the position of women at the time and the dire consequences for those who try to reach beyond its confines. Add to these the ingredients of the paranormal and a skeptical scientist and you get an idea of the historical depth and detail of the book. I found it absolutely captivating.
We learn much of what drives the characters because we spent a lot of time in their minds. But instead of it bringing me closer to the characters, I mostly felt it slowed down the story. The real engagement came when the pace of the story picked up. At that point, the dialogue and action brought them to life much better than the musings in their mind did. This is illustrated by the characters with whom you don’t get to spend time in their heads; Rafe (who at the start of the story conjured up echoes of Mr. Rochester for me. You’ll have to read the book to see how that works out!) is an excellent example.
The paranormal aspects in the book are well handled. There was a surge of interest for mediums and the paranormal during the time the book is set so it blends in seamlessly. Epiphany, ethereal as she may seem, is the real driving force behind the events of the story and the magical realistic elements are the author’s well used tools to portray what is in essence a very realistic tale of human losses and how to deal with them.
The atmosphere of London is captured beautifully in the book. The strict class divisions were still very prevalent in social Britain around the turn of the twentieth century. And it plays a huge role in the story. It illustrates poignantly the position of women at the time and the dire consequences for those who try to reach beyond its confines. Add to these the ingredients of the paranormal and a skeptical scientist and you get an idea of the historical depth and detail of the book. I found it absolutely captivating.
We learn much of what drives the characters because we spent a lot of time in their minds. But instead of it bringing me closer to the characters, I mostly felt it slowed down the story. The real engagement came when the pace of the story picked up. At that point, the dialogue and action brought them to life much better than the musings in their mind did. This is illustrated by the characters with whom you don’t get to spend time in their heads; Rafe (who at the start of the story conjured up echoes of Mr. Rochester for me. You’ll have to read the book to see how that works out!) is an excellent example.
The paranormal aspects in the book are well handled. There was a surge of interest for mediums and the paranormal during the time the book is set so it blends in seamlessly. Epiphany, ethereal as she may seem, is the real driving force behind the events of the story and the magical realistic elements are the author’s well used tools to portray what is in essence a very realistic tale of human losses and how to deal with them.
August 20, 2021
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include EQUILIBRIUM by EVIE WOOLMORE in the library of Awesome Indies'
Seal of Excellence
recipients.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews