The Chandelier Ballroom

by Lord

1929. On receipt of an unexpected inheritance, small-time crook Horace Butterfield splashes the cash on a large house in rural Essex, and sets about turning it into his dream home. Buying an enormous antique chandelier in order to enhance his brand-new ballroom, he is intrigued by the dealer s story behind its provenance: a young woman who lost all her money in the Wall Street Crash and was forsaken by her lover is said to have hanged herself from it. For the next five years, Horace enjoys telling the story at every party he hosts.
But tragedy is set to strike. Horace s marriage collapses when he embarks on an ill-advised affair with a pretty young fortune-hunter: an affair which is destined to lead to murder and suicide.
Over the next two decades, tragedy, violence and heartbreak befall all who move into Crossway Lodge from bright-eyed young newly-weds Mabel and James to hardened soldiers billeted there during WWII. Is the house really cursed and who is the mysterious, shadowy young woman seen lurking in the ballroom?"

Genres: British Literature

256 pages, Library Binding

First published October 20, 2011

Reviews

[Lorna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful and repetative, clearly aimed for those with no powers of recall

[Ruth Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it on the whole, although it was quite repetitive and could have benefited from some editing.

[Wendy Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, well told story, centring around the history of a house and its occupants. The book begins at the turn of the 20th century with an aspiring East End crook purchasing the chandelier to impress his new neighbours and ends in the 1950s. Historical events are recounted with confidence while the characters and story spring to life from the page as Elizabeth Lord works her story telling magic.

This author's previous works are numerous and show her skill in writing family sagas but this book stands alone as a cracking work of fiction, enjoyable to all. I hope the author will publish a sequel and bring the story up to the present day.

There were a few editing issues, some repetition and spelling but none of it detracted from the story so I have no hesitation in awarding it my 5* rating - I loved the story, would recommend it and will read it again.

[Carolyn Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

eerie