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Lacey's House
Lacey Carmichael leads a solitary life. To her neighbours she is the mad old woman who lives at the end of the lane, crazy but harmless.
Until she is arrested on suspicion of murder.
When Rachel Moore arrives in the village, escaping her own demons, the two women form an unlikely bond. Unravelling in each other tales of loss and heartache, they become friends. Rachel sees beyond the rumours, believing in her innocence, but as details of Lacey's life are revealed, Rachel is left questioning where the truth really lies.
Until she is arrested on suspicion of murder.
When Rachel Moore arrives in the village, escaping her own demons, the two women form an unlikely bond. Unravelling in each other tales of loss and heartache, they become friends. Rachel sees beyond the rumours, believing in her innocence, but as details of Lacey's life are revealed, Rachel is left questioning where the truth really lies.
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2012
39 people are currently reading
833 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Graham
2 books45 followersJoanne Graham lives in rural Mid Devon, UK, with her two children. Being the youngest of five children, her love of the written word began when she would escape the busyness of her childhood home by diving into a good book. She has been writing since the tender age of eleven when her mother bought her a typewriter for her birthday.
Her first book, Lacey's House was published in 2013 and her second book, To the Edge of Shadows was published in 2014.
Joanne facilitates writing groups and courses, details of which can be found here:
http://joanne-graham.weebly.com/works...
www.facebook.com/Miss.Jo.G
Her first book, Lacey's House was published in 2013 and her second book, To the Edge of Shadows was published in 2014.
Joanne facilitates writing groups and courses, details of which can be found here:
http://joanne-graham.weebly.com/works...
www.facebook.com/Miss.Jo.G
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
September 22, 2019
I’m quite behind in some of my Netgalley books. When I first joined I was requesting all the time. Now I’m more sensible.
So this one I purchased through audible so that I could listen on the go.
This was mesmerisingly beautiful and sad.
No one knows what the future holds do they. And I’m wondering if I thought this fleetingly through my mind when my kids were little. I can’t recall I did.
This tales a poignant tale and decisions of, if anything happened to you, who would be the best to rear your children.
Quite a subject matter that this author took
So this one I purchased through audible so that I could listen on the go.
This was mesmerisingly beautiful and sad.
No one knows what the future holds do they. And I’m wondering if I thought this fleetingly through my mind when my kids were little. I can’t recall I did.
This tales a poignant tale and decisions of, if anything happened to you, who would be the best to rear your children.
Quite a subject matter that this author took
September 4, 2015
Lacey's House by Joanne Graham
After reading this book I sat for a while, totally speechless and dumbfounded. It took several minutes, a lot of 'several minutes' actually, to come back to my own life and its immediate demands. Believe me, I almost did it kicking and screaming!
For a debut novel, this is surely one of the best I have ever read! There is so much I want to, and can, say, but somehow my thoughts just drifted off in a multicolored hot air balloon over the Winscombe skies. There was simply none left for me to write a suitable review with.
Two women, young Rachel Moore and 84-year old Tracey Eleanor Carmichael, ended up living side by side in Apple Lane, Winscombe where Rachel moved into Dove cottage next to Tracey. The address was not only words to suit a chocolate-box address. Lacey's House would open up a journey for both to finally rise above: electric shock treatments; a lobotomy; a cruel life in an orphanage; an unknown mother who valued her alcohol addiction above everything else; a monstrous doctor; an ignorant vicious community; a village outlay in the form of a question mark; a woman talking to the dead at their graves, planting roses there because it was a hated flower for that particular deceased, since in real life her words was forced inside her head for safety reasons; a cat named Peachy. And then there was Charlie...
"That's the funny thing about small village life, reputations often last longer than the person themselves." But perceptions can be forced to change. When "Albert was dead lying on the floor of his house with his blood serving as a cushion for his head", the increasingly embellished tale of a witch, which was told to children in the dark of night, suddenly took a turn that would change lives forever.
Without the truth, fiction is not possible. "This story... this story is different, tantalizing, compelling" Lacey herself said that, which saves me from using the publishing-industry's neologism to sing the praise of this 2012 Luke Bitmead Bursary Award-winning book. Although there's no love lost for sentimentality in the book, the same compassionate message is present as evident in my speechless state of wonder afterwards!
This tale proves a theory: Anything, from an unwanted -ism to an un-addressed emotion, forced underground, takes root and flourish. People sadly and often deny it. And if it is nourished well, deeply loved, it can push up beautiful flowers to face the sun. But to become beautiful, it needs strong roots underground, in the often dark, in the uncompromising toughness of the earth. It is the only way that the perfect flowers can rise above the surface and charm the world. Even well-nourished weeds have beautiful flowers.
This book addresses the wealth and strength of the human spirit in unimaginable ways. The elements used in the book, two vastly opposite life stories, with one common denominator namely the absence of love as children, are not unknown to the world at all, but the combination used in this narrative, makes it stand out way above the average novel in this genre.
The conclusion is surprising and original.
In the end it confronts us all, who we are and how we ended up as human beings and what became of us in the aftermath of those choices. It is not how and where we were planted,but how we utilized the nourishment bestowed on us to paint the picture we would ultimately call our chocolate-box address. What a difference attitude can make!
After reading this book I sat for a while, totally speechless and dumbfounded. It took several minutes, a lot of 'several minutes' actually, to come back to my own life and its immediate demands. Believe me, I almost did it kicking and screaming!
For a debut novel, this is surely one of the best I have ever read! There is so much I want to, and can, say, but somehow my thoughts just drifted off in a multicolored hot air balloon over the Winscombe skies. There was simply none left for me to write a suitable review with.
Two women, young Rachel Moore and 84-year old Tracey Eleanor Carmichael, ended up living side by side in Apple Lane, Winscombe where Rachel moved into Dove cottage next to Tracey. The address was not only words to suit a chocolate-box address. Lacey's House would open up a journey for both to finally rise above: electric shock treatments; a lobotomy; a cruel life in an orphanage; an unknown mother who valued her alcohol addiction above everything else; a monstrous doctor; an ignorant vicious community; a village outlay in the form of a question mark; a woman talking to the dead at their graves, planting roses there because it was a hated flower for that particular deceased, since in real life her words was forced inside her head for safety reasons; a cat named Peachy. And then there was Charlie...
"That's the funny thing about small village life, reputations often last longer than the person themselves." But perceptions can be forced to change. When "Albert was dead lying on the floor of his house with his blood serving as a cushion for his head", the increasingly embellished tale of a witch, which was told to children in the dark of night, suddenly took a turn that would change lives forever.
Without the truth, fiction is not possible. "This story... this story is different, tantalizing, compelling" Lacey herself said that, which saves me from using the publishing-industry's neologism to sing the praise of this 2012 Luke Bitmead Bursary Award-winning book. Although there's no love lost for sentimentality in the book, the same compassionate message is present as evident in my speechless state of wonder afterwards!
This tale proves a theory: Anything, from an unwanted -ism to an un-addressed emotion, forced underground, takes root and flourish. People sadly and often deny it. And if it is nourished well, deeply loved, it can push up beautiful flowers to face the sun. But to become beautiful, it needs strong roots underground, in the often dark, in the uncompromising toughness of the earth. It is the only way that the perfect flowers can rise above the surface and charm the world. Even well-nourished weeds have beautiful flowers.
This book addresses the wealth and strength of the human spirit in unimaginable ways. The elements used in the book, two vastly opposite life stories, with one common denominator namely the absence of love as children, are not unknown to the world at all, but the combination used in this narrative, makes it stand out way above the average novel in this genre.
The conclusion is surprising and original.
In the end it confronts us all, who we are and how we ended up as human beings and what became of us in the aftermath of those choices. It is not how and where we were planted,but how we utilized the nourishment bestowed on us to paint the picture we would ultimately call our chocolate-box address. What a difference attitude can make!
August 5, 2013
This book really tugs on your heartstrings. Rachel and Lacey, are a generation apart, but both have experienced many of life's trials in ways that have had a detrimental effect on their lives. Lacey's background is so personally horrific that it is hard to understand how she has managed to cope. Yet she has found a way, and when Rachel moves next door to her, they become friends.
A novel about the importance of friendships, of having just one person you trust enough to open up to and tell your secrets. There are so many poignant moments in this novel, and I came to care greatly for these two woman. In some parts it was very hard to read, I really just wanted to comfort the poor young girl that Lacey was.
I read somewhere that the author wrote this about some parts of her grandmother's life. I am so glad that mental illness has come father than the barbaric treatments they practiced in the past. That some secrets that need to be told are not being kept in the family home, that there are people who care enough to intercede. How important that is.
In some places I felt it was overdone and could definitely see this being made into a Lifetime channel movie. I would recommend this to readers who like Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice and those who like woman's fiction. A wonderful tribute to the author's grandmother.
Love the simpleness, yet elegance of the cover. ARC from NetGalley.
A novel about the importance of friendships, of having just one person you trust enough to open up to and tell your secrets. There are so many poignant moments in this novel, and I came to care greatly for these two woman. In some parts it was very hard to read, I really just wanted to comfort the poor young girl that Lacey was.
I read somewhere that the author wrote this about some parts of her grandmother's life. I am so glad that mental illness has come father than the barbaric treatments they practiced in the past. That some secrets that need to be told are not being kept in the family home, that there are people who care enough to intercede. How important that is.
In some places I felt it was overdone and could definitely see this being made into a Lifetime channel movie. I would recommend this to readers who like Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice and those who like woman's fiction. A wonderful tribute to the author's grandmother.
Love the simpleness, yet elegance of the cover. ARC from NetGalley.
July 14, 2013
I bought this book as a Daily Deal, started to read it straightaway and just could not put it down. It is an absolutely fantastic read about the bond that forms between Rachel and Lacey when they become next door neighbours. Rachel has moved to the village of Winscombe to make a fresh start and finds her new neighbour Lacey, is known as the mad woman down the lane. As they get to know each other they form a close friendship as we find out about each woman’s life and Lacey’s in particular is extremely heartbreaking.
It is an extremely compelling, addictive read, with some beautiful writing and with a shocking twist right at the end. A highly recommended read which I am so glad I discovered.
It is an extremely compelling, addictive read, with some beautiful writing and with a shocking twist right at the end. A highly recommended read which I am so glad I discovered.
July 23, 2013
This is the moving and thought-provoking story of two women, both alone in the world, whose paths through life cross.
Lacey Carmichael had lived in the same village all her life but she wasn’t the part of the community. Far from it. She was known as the mad woman, the witch, and kept at arm’s length. Her only friend was her next door neighbour, but he died. Lacey was accused of his murder and, though the police were quick to clear her of suspicion, her neighbours weren’t so sure.
Rachel Moore moved into the house next door. She’d had a difficult time, she needed a change, and as she was an freelance artist and could work anywhere, she decided to move to the country.
Rachel met Lacey before she heard what the neighbours had to say about her, and a friendship grew between them.
The story moved back and forth between them.
Rachel was very rational, very self aware, and her first person narrative reflected that. But Lacey was different. I wondered of she had mental health issues, or if she was in the early stages of dementia, and her third person narrative left me the space to wonder exactly who she was. That was very clever writing.
I was pulled into each woman’s story. I cared, and I wanted to know. Because they were beautifully realised, utterly believable characters. And because there was always something to think about, I could never quite predict just how events would play out.
Some themes echoed across both stories, but they were distinctive. Lacey and Rachel came from different generations, they had grown up in different worlds, and their experiences and attitudes reflected that.
It was difficult to believe that Lacey had endured through the darkest moments of her life, but sadly what had happened to her – and what became of her – was utterly credible.
I feared that the story was going to turn back to the death at the beginning, and questions about Lacey’s culpability, but it didn’t. It went somewhere much more interesting.
Rachel discovered something that contradicted things that Lacey had told her, but there was a final – very clever – twist, and she began to understand.
That brought a very well constructed plot to a close.
There were one or two points I might have questioned, but I didn’t, because this book was pitch perfect emotionally .
And it’s one of those books that is very difficult to write about without giving too much away, particular because the way that the story evolves is not as obvious as it may appear. If at any point you’ve thought ‘I know’ it is quite probable that you don’t, and that what did happen is rather more interesting.
It’s definitely worth finding out what did happen, and meeting Rachel and Lacey, first hand.
I’d say that it is an accomplished debut novel, and that Joanne Graham is an author worth watching.
Lacey Carmichael had lived in the same village all her life but she wasn’t the part of the community. Far from it. She was known as the mad woman, the witch, and kept at arm’s length. Her only friend was her next door neighbour, but he died. Lacey was accused of his murder and, though the police were quick to clear her of suspicion, her neighbours weren’t so sure.
Rachel Moore moved into the house next door. She’d had a difficult time, she needed a change, and as she was an freelance artist and could work anywhere, she decided to move to the country.
Rachel met Lacey before she heard what the neighbours had to say about her, and a friendship grew between them.
The story moved back and forth between them.
Rachel was very rational, very self aware, and her first person narrative reflected that. But Lacey was different. I wondered of she had mental health issues, or if she was in the early stages of dementia, and her third person narrative left me the space to wonder exactly who she was. That was very clever writing.
I was pulled into each woman’s story. I cared, and I wanted to know. Because they were beautifully realised, utterly believable characters. And because there was always something to think about, I could never quite predict just how events would play out.
Some themes echoed across both stories, but they were distinctive. Lacey and Rachel came from different generations, they had grown up in different worlds, and their experiences and attitudes reflected that.
It was difficult to believe that Lacey had endured through the darkest moments of her life, but sadly what had happened to her – and what became of her – was utterly credible.
I feared that the story was going to turn back to the death at the beginning, and questions about Lacey’s culpability, but it didn’t. It went somewhere much more interesting.
Rachel discovered something that contradicted things that Lacey had told her, but there was a final – very clever – twist, and she began to understand.
That brought a very well constructed plot to a close.
There were one or two points I might have questioned, but I didn’t, because this book was pitch perfect emotionally .
And it’s one of those books that is very difficult to write about without giving too much away, particular because the way that the story evolves is not as obvious as it may appear. If at any point you’ve thought ‘I know’ it is quite probable that you don’t, and that what did happen is rather more interesting.
It’s definitely worth finding out what did happen, and meeting Rachel and Lacey, first hand.
I’d say that it is an accomplished debut novel, and that Joanne Graham is an author worth watching.
September 10, 2019
They say that timing is everything...
I just finished a book that frequently jumped back and forth in time. Unfortunately for me, "Lacey's House" did the same.
The chapters were only 3 - 4 pages long, and they usually alternated between Rachael and Lacey. To add to my woe, Rachel's story was written in 3rd person, past tense. Lacey's story was written in 1st person, present tense. Both bounced back and forth in time. I found it all a bit jarring.
I need to to avoid dual timeline stories for a while.
I just finished a book that frequently jumped back and forth in time. Unfortunately for me, "Lacey's House" did the same.
The chapters were only 3 - 4 pages long, and they usually alternated between Rachael and Lacey. To add to my woe, Rachel's story was written in 3rd person, past tense. Lacey's story was written in 1st person, present tense. Both bounced back and forth in time. I found it all a bit jarring.
I need to to avoid dual timeline stories for a while.
July 17, 2018
A lovely, lovely book! So unlike anything I usually read, because it deals with mental health and loneliness, but I really enjoyed it. Sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes poetic, but always fascinating and thought-provoking. A first novel, delicately written, I will look out for other novels by this fine author. A book I would recommend to women.
March 9, 2015
Heart-rending -it had me crying at the end- but a wonderfully written and beautiful story.
July 16, 2020
4.5/5 🌟
Lacey's house is a story of people who discover the bond that's deeper than the actual kinship. Build by hope, long-forgotten dream, regret, and the loneliness that comes crawling to your bone as they completed one another by one circumstance.
In the beginning, the author sways you with lyrical words about nature but as you read deeper, you'll come to realize there's more to it. The words become real and glue in your head. And what you do is letting the words run in you and as that happened, you become one with the story. Without knowing it, my tears drop like a waterfall at 3 a.m. in the morning, an appreciation for the beautifulness, quietness, and isolation.
Altogether, there's so much that the author wanted to bring out to our attention, first, the effect of unhealthy, controlling, and strict upbringing can take away the joyfulness in children life. What they endure along the process makes then inept to live their life to the fullest and constantly in fear.
Another vital thing that Lacey's house makes me understand is to embrace our existence. It makes me realize that our presence in someone's life whether small or big could play significant meaning, either bring hope or destruction. But when we truly reach out for actual love and not being judgemental, the sincerity can be felt.
This book is underrated as I don't see much discussion anywhere. It shouldn't be so as it has a realistic and likable character that we can all resonate and by the end of the pages, all we want to do is pat at their shoulders and said, “you are safe, it's alright I'm here for you, you don't have to be afraid anymore.” It's a beautiful book. Recommended.
Thank you so much @bookxcess #bookxcess for this hard to believe collaboration. It's a dream come true.
Lacey's house is a story of people who discover the bond that's deeper than the actual kinship. Build by hope, long-forgotten dream, regret, and the loneliness that comes crawling to your bone as they completed one another by one circumstance.
In the beginning, the author sways you with lyrical words about nature but as you read deeper, you'll come to realize there's more to it. The words become real and glue in your head. And what you do is letting the words run in you and as that happened, you become one with the story. Without knowing it, my tears drop like a waterfall at 3 a.m. in the morning, an appreciation for the beautifulness, quietness, and isolation.
Altogether, there's so much that the author wanted to bring out to our attention, first, the effect of unhealthy, controlling, and strict upbringing can take away the joyfulness in children life. What they endure along the process makes then inept to live their life to the fullest and constantly in fear.
Another vital thing that Lacey's house makes me understand is to embrace our existence. It makes me realize that our presence in someone's life whether small or big could play significant meaning, either bring hope or destruction. But when we truly reach out for actual love and not being judgemental, the sincerity can be felt.
This book is underrated as I don't see much discussion anywhere. It shouldn't be so as it has a realistic and likable character that we can all resonate and by the end of the pages, all we want to do is pat at their shoulders and said, “you are safe, it's alright I'm here for you, you don't have to be afraid anymore.” It's a beautiful book. Recommended.
Thank you so much @bookxcess #bookxcess for this hard to believe collaboration. It's a dream come true.
June 12, 2014
'I wanted to walk right out of my life and leave it behind.'
Sometimes one way I can see how much I loved a book is by how many sentences or paragraphs I tab with little sticky notes to come back to and think about again once I've finished. There were a lot of places I marked in this book. There were parts of the prose that resonated with me, that moved me, and parts where the use of language particularly appealed to me. In summary, I thought this was a very special book.
Rachel Moore has suffered a sad loss and moves from Birmingham to the countryside, to get away and start afresh. She is a solitary soul, having grown up in care, though having a brief period with some loving foster parents. She meets Lacey Carmichael, the older lady living next door. Lacey is another isolated soul, teased by the local children, labeled as the mad woman down the road, she is misunderstood and lonely. Then she is accused of a terrible crime.
A connection forms between them, and they begin to trust each other, and to share painful things with each other that they have never told anyone else. They've both experienced such sadness and from sharing their secrets a friendship blossoms despite the difference in their ages. The development of this friendship between Rachel and Lacey over the course of the book is wonderful and fascinating to observe. As time passes, Rachel thinks about how she feels about Lacey: 'I found that I cared for her very deeply, that her vulnerability had somehow pulled me closer and I carried her words, her story, like a heavy cloak about my shoulders.' Rachel attempts to express the pain and sorrow in Lacey's past through her artwork.
'Her memories came home with me. Walking straight into my studio, I mixed them with acrylics; different shades of blue and deep, swirling turquoise that I threw at the huge canvas as I painted her sorrow, a raging, tumultuous thing that, when I was finished, left me breathless and empty.'
The chapters alternate between the two of them, Rachel's in the first person and Lacey's in the third, and the story progressed and worked really well written in this way.
Rachel likes and trusts Lacey, but doesn't yet know the whole truth; she, and the reader, are kept in suspense. Rachel fears that in the future she too might experience the depths of isolation that Lacey has;
'In fifty years time would it be me standing where Lacey was, with the past eating into me from the inside? I recoiled from the idea of experiencing for myself the stark loneliness that had been so apparent in Lacey's eyes.'
Joanne Graham writes with immense insight, empathy, warmth and poignancy about these women's lives and pasts, and writes sensitively and honestly about themes of mental health, loneliness and loss of a child, about damaging things that happen in people's lives which they are scarred by and understandably spend much time and energy grappling with. I felt emotional as I read, I was angry at the cruelty in Lacey's past, at what people could get away with. So much of a person's past can be hidden away, unknown, unvoiced. I empathised with and liked both Rachel and Lacey, and they both felt very real to me as I was reading. As Lacey thinks to herself, 'How sad for them both that they had to grow up without loving families.' As well as creating engaging, rounded characters, the author tells a powerful story.
For me, Lacey's House is a wonderful, incredibly moving and very special story of female friendship across generations. It has stayed in my mind since reading it and it made me think. Beautifully, sensitively written, perceptive and touching, I think it was a very worthy recipient of the Luke Bitmead Bursary, a superb debut novel and I'd say it's one of my reading highlights of the year so far.
Sometimes one way I can see how much I loved a book is by how many sentences or paragraphs I tab with little sticky notes to come back to and think about again once I've finished. There were a lot of places I marked in this book. There were parts of the prose that resonated with me, that moved me, and parts where the use of language particularly appealed to me. In summary, I thought this was a very special book.
Rachel Moore has suffered a sad loss and moves from Birmingham to the countryside, to get away and start afresh. She is a solitary soul, having grown up in care, though having a brief period with some loving foster parents. She meets Lacey Carmichael, the older lady living next door. Lacey is another isolated soul, teased by the local children, labeled as the mad woman down the road, she is misunderstood and lonely. Then she is accused of a terrible crime.
A connection forms between them, and they begin to trust each other, and to share painful things with each other that they have never told anyone else. They've both experienced such sadness and from sharing their secrets a friendship blossoms despite the difference in their ages. The development of this friendship between Rachel and Lacey over the course of the book is wonderful and fascinating to observe. As time passes, Rachel thinks about how she feels about Lacey: 'I found that I cared for her very deeply, that her vulnerability had somehow pulled me closer and I carried her words, her story, like a heavy cloak about my shoulders.' Rachel attempts to express the pain and sorrow in Lacey's past through her artwork.
'Her memories came home with me. Walking straight into my studio, I mixed them with acrylics; different shades of blue and deep, swirling turquoise that I threw at the huge canvas as I painted her sorrow, a raging, tumultuous thing that, when I was finished, left me breathless and empty.'
The chapters alternate between the two of them, Rachel's in the first person and Lacey's in the third, and the story progressed and worked really well written in this way.
Rachel likes and trusts Lacey, but doesn't yet know the whole truth; she, and the reader, are kept in suspense. Rachel fears that in the future she too might experience the depths of isolation that Lacey has;
'In fifty years time would it be me standing where Lacey was, with the past eating into me from the inside? I recoiled from the idea of experiencing for myself the stark loneliness that had been so apparent in Lacey's eyes.'
Joanne Graham writes with immense insight, empathy, warmth and poignancy about these women's lives and pasts, and writes sensitively and honestly about themes of mental health, loneliness and loss of a child, about damaging things that happen in people's lives which they are scarred by and understandably spend much time and energy grappling with. I felt emotional as I read, I was angry at the cruelty in Lacey's past, at what people could get away with. So much of a person's past can be hidden away, unknown, unvoiced. I empathised with and liked both Rachel and Lacey, and they both felt very real to me as I was reading. As Lacey thinks to herself, 'How sad for them both that they had to grow up without loving families.' As well as creating engaging, rounded characters, the author tells a powerful story.
For me, Lacey's House is a wonderful, incredibly moving and very special story of female friendship across generations. It has stayed in my mind since reading it and it made me think. Beautifully, sensitively written, perceptive and touching, I think it was a very worthy recipient of the Luke Bitmead Bursary, a superb debut novel and I'd say it's one of my reading highlights of the year so far.
June 23, 2013
Lacey Carmichael leads a solitary life. To her neighbours she is the mad old woman who lives at the end of the lane, crazy but harmless.
Until she is arrested on suspicion of murder.
When Rachel Moore arrives in the village, escaping her own demons, the two women form an unlikely bond. Unraveling in each other tales of loss and heartache, they become friends.
Rachel sees beyond the rumours, believing in her innocence, but as the details of Lacey’s life are revealed, Rachel is left questioning where the truth really lies.
I was browsing books on Netgalley one day and came across this one and was delighted when Legend Press allowed me to review.
I think this book will stay with me for a very very long time. I was incredibly moved by the story that Joanne Graham had so beautifully put together.
This was an incredibly sad and poignant tale about how two different women came together and the pain and sadness that each of them had suffered throughout their lives. We see how their lives change from the friendship that they develop with each other and how they are able to come to terms with their pasts, through sharing their stories with one another.
Joanne Graham gets right to the very soul of the main characters, Lacey and Rachel. It was the way the book was written that this was so achievable by the author. The books’ chapters alternate between Lacey and Rachel and this is how the reader gets right into the minds of both women.
Rachel’s chapters are written in the first person and she comes across as very much in the present, whereas Lacey’s chapters are written in the third person, which I thought was so clever of the author to do as Lacey, as the story unfolds, is never really in the present, her past being very much what has dominated her whole life and we can see why see finds it so hard to completely live in the present.
The character that I felt the most pain for was Lacey, this poor woman had been put through hell all because of an extremely abusive Father and he shaped her whole life even after he was dead. It reminded me of how much women went through and how powerless they were.
I was completely lost in this story; it was intensely absorbing and sucks you in right from the start. When I finished I could not quite believe I had been reading a story and it had not actually been happening around me; I had been that emotionally with the characters. It amazed me that these two women had to endure so much in their young lives and yet even Lacey was some how still standing.
The anger, sorrow and pain I felt, particularly for Lacey went right to the core of me. I wanted to reach in and take her away from all that was happening to her. I couldn’t believe that her Father could be so cruel and that one person could go through so much suffering.
Through each other Rachel and Lacey each other the little bit of happiness that they had so deserved. Particularly for Lacey had what she went through was so horrifying; no one deserves to go through that.
This story was difficult and painful to read at times, but it was so compelling I just had to read on. For a debut novel this was incredible. Joanne Graham is an extremely talented author and I thoroughly recommend this and cannot wait for her next novel
Until she is arrested on suspicion of murder.
When Rachel Moore arrives in the village, escaping her own demons, the two women form an unlikely bond. Unraveling in each other tales of loss and heartache, they become friends.
Rachel sees beyond the rumours, believing in her innocence, but as the details of Lacey’s life are revealed, Rachel is left questioning where the truth really lies.
I was browsing books on Netgalley one day and came across this one and was delighted when Legend Press allowed me to review.
I think this book will stay with me for a very very long time. I was incredibly moved by the story that Joanne Graham had so beautifully put together.
This was an incredibly sad and poignant tale about how two different women came together and the pain and sadness that each of them had suffered throughout their lives. We see how their lives change from the friendship that they develop with each other and how they are able to come to terms with their pasts, through sharing their stories with one another.
Joanne Graham gets right to the very soul of the main characters, Lacey and Rachel. It was the way the book was written that this was so achievable by the author. The books’ chapters alternate between Lacey and Rachel and this is how the reader gets right into the minds of both women.
Rachel’s chapters are written in the first person and she comes across as very much in the present, whereas Lacey’s chapters are written in the third person, which I thought was so clever of the author to do as Lacey, as the story unfolds, is never really in the present, her past being very much what has dominated her whole life and we can see why see finds it so hard to completely live in the present.
The character that I felt the most pain for was Lacey, this poor woman had been put through hell all because of an extremely abusive Father and he shaped her whole life even after he was dead. It reminded me of how much women went through and how powerless they were.
I was completely lost in this story; it was intensely absorbing and sucks you in right from the start. When I finished I could not quite believe I had been reading a story and it had not actually been happening around me; I had been that emotionally with the characters. It amazed me that these two women had to endure so much in their young lives and yet even Lacey was some how still standing.
The anger, sorrow and pain I felt, particularly for Lacey went right to the core of me. I wanted to reach in and take her away from all that was happening to her. I couldn’t believe that her Father could be so cruel and that one person could go through so much suffering.
Through each other Rachel and Lacey each other the little bit of happiness that they had so deserved. Particularly for Lacey had what she went through was so horrifying; no one deserves to go through that.
This story was difficult and painful to read at times, but it was so compelling I just had to read on. For a debut novel this was incredible. Joanne Graham is an extremely talented author and I thoroughly recommend this and cannot wait for her next novel
June 29, 2015
This review was originally published on my blog: Fictionophile
A beautifully written, well crafted, debut “Lacey’s house” is a novel told in two voices. Alternate chapters introduce us to Rachel — a young, single, and solitary artist who has just miscarried — and Lacey, an elderly women with a horrific past who is shunned socially. The chapters delve into their characters allowing the reader to know them gradually, much like peeling the many layers of an onion, one by one…
When Rachel suffers a miscarriage, she feels that she is ready for a complete change in her life. Thus, she moves from the bustling city of Birmingham, to rural Devon. She rents a cottage at the furthest end of a small village, and just over the hedge from Lacey Carmichael. Before Rachel rented the cottage it belonged to Albert, an elderly widower who was Lacey’s one and only friend. When Albert passed away, Lacey was under suspicion for his death, partly due to the fact that she found his body, and partly due to the fact that she was viewed as eccentric and was a social outcast. Even after the police proved via forensic evidence that Lacey had nothing to do with his death, the village people still harbored doubts of her innocence.
Over time, Rachel and Lacey become true friends. Their friendship is based on mutual respect, understanding of loss, and a shared joy in the simple magic that can be found in life. Loneliness is not a stranger to either of the women and when their friendship blooms it is a much needed panacea to their solitary lives. Over time they share their life stories with each other. Something neither has every done before… They begin to trust at a time when the concept of trust seems impossible. Their stories are both tragic, with Lacey’s story being both tragic and appalling.
The novel is not a mystery novel, yet the reader realizes early on that there is a mystery contained within it. Not a murder mystery, but one of curiosity as to what really happened in Lacey’s early life. That might sound dull to some, but nothing could be further from the truth. The pages almost turned themselves. The pace of the narrative was faultless. “Lacey’s house” was one of those novels that made me as a reader grateful for having had the opportunity to read it. I loved both characters equally and felt bereft when the last page was turned.
Thanks to Legend Press via NetGalley for allowing me to read this special debut novel.
A beautifully written, well crafted, debut “Lacey’s house” is a novel told in two voices. Alternate chapters introduce us to Rachel — a young, single, and solitary artist who has just miscarried — and Lacey, an elderly women with a horrific past who is shunned socially. The chapters delve into their characters allowing the reader to know them gradually, much like peeling the many layers of an onion, one by one…
When Rachel suffers a miscarriage, she feels that she is ready for a complete change in her life. Thus, she moves from the bustling city of Birmingham, to rural Devon. She rents a cottage at the furthest end of a small village, and just over the hedge from Lacey Carmichael. Before Rachel rented the cottage it belonged to Albert, an elderly widower who was Lacey’s one and only friend. When Albert passed away, Lacey was under suspicion for his death, partly due to the fact that she found his body, and partly due to the fact that she was viewed as eccentric and was a social outcast. Even after the police proved via forensic evidence that Lacey had nothing to do with his death, the village people still harbored doubts of her innocence.
Over time, Rachel and Lacey become true friends. Their friendship is based on mutual respect, understanding of loss, and a shared joy in the simple magic that can be found in life. Loneliness is not a stranger to either of the women and when their friendship blooms it is a much needed panacea to their solitary lives. Over time they share their life stories with each other. Something neither has every done before… They begin to trust at a time when the concept of trust seems impossible. Their stories are both tragic, with Lacey’s story being both tragic and appalling.
The novel is not a mystery novel, yet the reader realizes early on that there is a mystery contained within it. Not a murder mystery, but one of curiosity as to what really happened in Lacey’s early life. That might sound dull to some, but nothing could be further from the truth. The pages almost turned themselves. The pace of the narrative was faultless. “Lacey’s house” was one of those novels that made me as a reader grateful for having had the opportunity to read it. I loved both characters equally and felt bereft when the last page was turned.
Thanks to Legend Press via NetGalley for allowing me to read this special debut novel.
March 1, 2014
I absolutely loved this beautiful little book by Joanne Graham. I requested it on a bit of a whim from Legend Press on NetGalley, because I have really enjoyed several other of their titles, and because a story of female friendship in the south of England appealed to me.
I hoped I might enjoy this debut novel, but I had no idea it would be one of my favorite books I've read thus far this year.
Lacey's House tells the story of Rachel, a young woman who has recently miscarried, and who lives an isolated life, with memories of a tragic childhood. After she loses her baby, she decides to move somewhere new, to run away from her demons, and try to make a fresh start.
Rachel buys a cottage in a small village in Devon. Shortly after moving in, she meets her closest neighbor, an old woman named Lacey. Lacey is the town "witch," someone who has always been a little different, and who has therefore been the victim of children's pranks, and who is treated with contempt by most of her neighbors. Lacey also has a sad past, with multiple secrets that haunt her.
When Lacey and Rachel meet, the two women, although different in age, and with very different life experiences, sense a kinship in one another. The friendship that develops between them will heal and change them both in ways they could never have imagined.
Lacey's House is a gentle novel; the author dedicated it to her grandmother and her children, and the story conveys a sense of love in the value it places on female friendships.
But despite the fact that the novel, for the most part, chronicles seemingly ordinary events, it is unexpectedly moving and powerful.
And the story is strongest in its final chapters, which literally brought a lump to my throat and made me cry. Lacey's House ends with lyrical writing, and leaves the reader with a sense of joy. It is a novel about grief, about healing, about friendship, and about the value of every human being, no matter how invisible they may appear to the world at large.
I am so glad that Joanne Graham wrote Lacey's House, and hope she continues to share her gift of storytelling in the future.
Oh, and as a brief addendum, after reading Lacey's House, I have been obsessively Googling Devon with hopes of visiting there soon.
I hoped I might enjoy this debut novel, but I had no idea it would be one of my favorite books I've read thus far this year.
Lacey's House tells the story of Rachel, a young woman who has recently miscarried, and who lives an isolated life, with memories of a tragic childhood. After she loses her baby, she decides to move somewhere new, to run away from her demons, and try to make a fresh start.
Rachel buys a cottage in a small village in Devon. Shortly after moving in, she meets her closest neighbor, an old woman named Lacey. Lacey is the town "witch," someone who has always been a little different, and who has therefore been the victim of children's pranks, and who is treated with contempt by most of her neighbors. Lacey also has a sad past, with multiple secrets that haunt her.
When Lacey and Rachel meet, the two women, although different in age, and with very different life experiences, sense a kinship in one another. The friendship that develops between them will heal and change them both in ways they could never have imagined.
Lacey's House is a gentle novel; the author dedicated it to her grandmother and her children, and the story conveys a sense of love in the value it places on female friendships.
But despite the fact that the novel, for the most part, chronicles seemingly ordinary events, it is unexpectedly moving and powerful.
And the story is strongest in its final chapters, which literally brought a lump to my throat and made me cry. Lacey's House ends with lyrical writing, and leaves the reader with a sense of joy. It is a novel about grief, about healing, about friendship, and about the value of every human being, no matter how invisible they may appear to the world at large.
I am so glad that Joanne Graham wrote Lacey's House, and hope she continues to share her gift of storytelling in the future.
Oh, and as a brief addendum, after reading Lacey's House, I have been obsessively Googling Devon with hopes of visiting there soon.
June 29, 2014
Mystery. Intrigue. The past. The agony. The anticipation. This book was one of those suspenseful books that comes along just when you need to read a book that catches you by surprise. I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did. I thought the beginning was rather slow and through about 20% of the book I was just reading just to see why the book was a winner of an award. Then everything changed for me. This book picked up and what a great read it turned into. I loved Rachel's and Lacey's story, the house that haunted them and the friendship they made. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good mystery with a bit of feel good along the way
June 28, 2013
Written for Fire & Ice
Another strong and emotional read that will pull you through the gamete of emotions. This one was a little hard for me to read because of the strong subject matter, in the sense that it took me a little longer then some books. This was not a fast read but it was a very good read. I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a well written novel that has depth to it. This is a story that is going to stick with you for a long time after you have read it.
Another strong and emotional read that will pull you through the gamete of emotions. This one was a little hard for me to read because of the strong subject matter, in the sense that it took me a little longer then some books. This was not a fast read but it was a very good read. I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a well written novel that has depth to it. This is a story that is going to stick with you for a long time after you have read it.
December 31, 2014
I am so glad I read this..I wasn't sure it would be interesting enough for me but I couldn't put it down & read the whole book in 2 days. The relationship between Rachel & Lacey is the main theme. Both have suffered losses throughout their lives & it is this that seems to draw them together. This book really shows that real life's everyday dramas can be far worse than fiction. Of course the book is fiction; but some of the things that happened to Lacey really did happen only a few decades ago & it's shocking, but they did,
Read this book, I am still thinking about it now!
Read this book, I am still thinking about it now!
January 17, 2015
I loved this book. Written from the point of view of 2 women who come together both needing to find some kind of peace in their lives. The harshness of Lacey's life is slowly drawn out and you begin to realise that parts of her life she has conjured up in order to protect herself from the real truth. Rachel running away from her own trauma of losing a child is drawn to Lacey and the 2 of them strike up a true friendship. The end of the book is a real tear jerker and I found myself in bed weeping buckets!!!
March 15, 2014
I received this as an early read from NetGalley. This was one of those genre-less books that I love to stumble across. :-) It's not chick-lit, but it would certainly appeal to chicks (it did to this one) and while it's not romance, it certainly holds a certain romance within it. I enjoyed the window into the two main character's lives and the mental images the author was able to create throughout the book. It has some rather stark and brutal themes woven in, but so does real life.
May 18, 2015
Well 4.5.
This book was different. The main male figure was deceased. Lacey is an elderly spinster living alone with her memories when Rachel arrives renting the cottage next door. They become unlikely friends and their past unravels, sometimes to the reader, sometimes to each other. Although I guessed some of the main twists it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. Would quite like a sequel!
This book was different. The main male figure was deceased. Lacey is an elderly spinster living alone with her memories when Rachel arrives renting the cottage next door. They become unlikely friends and their past unravels, sometimes to the reader, sometimes to each other. Although I guessed some of the main twists it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. Would quite like a sequel!
December 21, 2014
I actually put this down after the first couple of pâtés and went on to something else. Luckily I tried again and got drawn into the story and the characters. A brilliant first novel. It made me cry!
September 7, 2015
I never thought I'd give a book five*, but I feel this book really deserves it as it was a page turner. It is a cleverly written book with plenty of twists and turns along the way (which is what I like).
I also found it heartwarming as it was heartbreaking.
I highly recommend this book.
I also found it heartwarming as it was heartbreaking.
I highly recommend this book.
February 4, 2017
I loved this book , when I first started in I thought that it might be a bit depressing but once I got into it, it was far from that
It is rich story about loss, ill treatment but most importantly friendship
It is rich story about loss, ill treatment but most importantly friendship
May 20, 2014
What a fab book, brill story with sadness and happiness, look forward to reading her next novel, fab first book
November 6, 2014
Wow. lovely well written, characters develop as their individual stories unfold. excellent debut novel.
April 25, 2015
An emotional, heart-wrenching story about two women who become friends, an older woman and a younger woman, both of whom have sad pasts. A beautifully written story with likeable characters
August 11, 2015
Poignant, BRILLIANT & definitely a winner in all respects! Will read again & again with love. Thank you Joanne!
August 24, 2024
Well. I need some time to come back to reality. This book, beautifully makes me cry with the ending. At first, I assumed this would be a mystery thriller, but it's not, instead, it is a novel that serves both pain and joy. I am in love with the word choice. It's just incredibly gorgeous.
I am thankful that Rachel decided to move to Devon and get closer to Lacey. I cannot imagine how lonely Lacey's life must be with all the misery in her life. I cannot believe that she is able to get through it and keep a smile on her face despite those painful events.
This book is a must-read, I believe, knowing that a debut novel would be this good. I'll surely recommend it to some friends.
I also love this quote:
Perhaps sometimes it is easier to imagine a life without flaws, without difficulty than to accept a desperate reality you are powerless to change.
I am thankful that Rachel decided to move to Devon and get closer to Lacey. I cannot imagine how lonely Lacey's life must be with all the misery in her life. I cannot believe that she is able to get through it and keep a smile on her face despite those painful events.
This book is a must-read, I believe, knowing that a debut novel would be this good. I'll surely recommend it to some friends.
I also love this quote:
Perhaps sometimes it is easier to imagine a life without flaws, without difficulty than to accept a desperate reality you are powerless to change.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2020
Totally and unashamedly loved this story. Two women generations apart find an affinity leading to a brief but deeply meaningful relationship. My heart hurt so much for these women and the past traumas that affected their lives. Beautifully told and so endearing, the story captures your heart and you realise the good in people who are strangers versus the cruel brutality in others who were supposedly family? No gratuitous sex. No excessive bad language - other than in my head re the odiously savage Mr C, - simply a darned good read!
May 4, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It was the story of two damaged women, Lacey and Rachel. Their friendship evolves gradually and the author depicts both as sympathetic, if troubled, characters. The big reveal was not what I had expected but I didn’t feel disappointed nonetheless. The kind of book which stays with you.
August 8, 2021
Wow💔 this has got to be one of my favourite books i have ever read. the story was amazing. i never wanted to put the book down. the friendship between two people a generation and more apart was so lovely to see, it shows that age is just a number and you can see that portrayed in the book. it’s so beautifully written too. just a gorgeous book.
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