Burnt Norton

by Caroline Sandon

1731: When his youngest son is killed in a tragic accident, Sir William Keyt, master of Norton House, buries himself in his fortune. He builds a second vast mansion on his grounds, squandering money he does not have on luxury his family does not want.

Keyt has long been blind to the desires of others. His eldest son has fallen in love with their young maidservant, Molly Johnson, a ray of light in a household dimmed by tragedy. Keyt wants Molly for himself and, driven mad with lust and jealousy, he will do anything to have her...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It was also a quick read as I completed it in a day on holiday - very satisfying. Although loosely based on the family history of the house Burnt Norton in the 18th century, Caroline Sandon has spun further details and complexities into the story to create a gripping and thought-provoking narrative that moves at a decent pace. In fact I couldn't put it down. There's a great twist at the end too. A competent debut and would recommend.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dire! The writing was really bad and the story-line (based on part of a true story) was ridiculous.

[Phrynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not really impressed with this book despite good reviews. It felt rushed and lacked depth. I love England and the Cotswolds but felt very little of it came through in the descriptions in this book. The characters also lacked real depth and were frequently overly dramatic and stereoptyped. William and Dorothy were frankly unbelievable and became almost comical in their total nastiness. It was a pity because there was a good story there and I really wish the author had enlarged on the time warp aspect of the story. I kept waiting for more but it never happened.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've had this book for far too long, I was a bit dubious about it. But it has a good premise the title is based on a TS Eliot poem about a place that he stayed at. The author is also from that place. It's also based on a true story from 1700 England but it's hard to know if the main incident is true or just a plot device to explain the madness and eventual burning down of this country house.
But I draw a line these days at someone falling in love with their rapist. With the recent American Election results it even more on the nose than ever. Nope, just nope.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this one up as it’s set in my county.
It’s badly written and the plot, based on real events, is dreary. Luckily, I only wasted 50p on it.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an easy, fast read that started off well enough, until one character was raped, shamed for it, and then fell in love with her rapist. After that it immediately fell to a one star rating for me.

Even though she was meant to be the villain, the only character I liked was Dorothy as she was at least interesting compared to everyone else. Whilst she was jealous and made terrible decisions, I felt bad for her and was rooting for her to finally be happy.

This could have been a 2/3 star read if it wasn't for the poorly handled rape storyline.

[David James Woodfield]

Evocative in places. Not always easy to understand the actions characters take. The character of Molly I think is the most consistent. The economic & social constraints she has to live under I think are well portrayed.
The book portrays a time when faith was a key part of daily life and while prayers for repentance etc are referred to, no focus is given to the characters engagement with scripture or experience of church services. This is typical, though, as few modern writers have much insight into this world.

[Aurelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book having just come back from the Cotswolds. Moves along very quickly. I look forward to Caroline Sandon's next book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt a bit "thin" - it covered a lot of ground but in a somewhat condensed way. I felt it should have been much longer!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Caroline's first novel, it is a great read. Well written, colourful characters and it is easy to imagine them living at Burnt Norton. I really enjoyed it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burnt Norton was not on any of my reading lists. Caroline Sandon/Montague was not an author I was aware of previously, unfortunately. The hardcover copy I borrowed belongs to the cottage we are currently staying in, in Aston Sub-edge (Gloucestershire). It was recommended to me by the owner of the cottage and given that it is set right here I was too intrigued not to give it a go.
I’m so glad I did as it is a gem of a read!
The book is based on the true story of the Keyt (pronounced Kite) family who lived at the house from the early 1700s. I love reading about how people lived during these times. Especially well-off people! Despite the obvious societal differences between then and now, a lot was very much the same. Families still faced tragedies and grief. People still fell in love, or lust, with those they shouldn’t. Secrets were kept. Husbands were unfaithful and often got away with awful crimes just because of who they were. Sons and daughters weren’t always able to marry who they loved due to the lady/man not being of acceptable standing within society. People made decisions through jealousy and selfishness, sometimes with devastating consequences, mental illness was often unrecognised and untreated…. Families could be just as complicated then as now. The Keyt family are a perfect example. I found them utterly fascinating!
I love the fact that the author now lives at the house herself. What a beautiful place to reside. Surrounded by so much history. It must be amazing!
This story is so full of emotion. Love, lust, loss, greed, jealousy, acceptance, and hope.
My heart broke for Molly. She was my favourite character, I think. I can’t even begin to imagine how she coped with all she went through.
I really liked Elizabeth too.
Such a beautifully written story. One which I think will stay with me for a long time to come.
I very much recommend.

http://chataboutbooks.blog/2023/02/01...

[tinalouisereadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

1731, young Molly Johnson goes to Norton to work as a lady's maid. Sir William Keyt soon desires Molly. Thomas eldest son of William also has fallen for Molly. Tragedy is soon to follow.

This book may not be the best written and at times seemed very childlike but had a captivating story. Based on some true events it held my interest. For me the story reminded me of the Catherine Cookson books I read as a teenager.

The authors husband is ancestor of Sir Dudley Ryder who bought the estate after the fire. I like to read books based on real events and for the author to have a link to the story for me gets the thumbs up.

The book was easy to read perhaps at times sugary and maybe flawed. However the book was not taxing and made a nice change from dead bodies, police procedures and angry cops.

I enjoyed the story and loved the idea of true events. I can easily recommend this book to anybody who likes to journey into the past.

[Jenny Hardesty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real rating would be a 3.5 and I’m being generous because the story is based on truth, which we know can be stranger than fiction. My critique of the style is that the author seemed to be reaching for a “Wuthering Heights” haunting quality that was not achieved at all. Writing for a 21st century audience makes that goal quite difficult I imagine, but the prose simply wasn’t there. The inner thoughts didn’t support the characters’ actions on many occasions. This might have been helpful in making the reader sympathetic to some of the bizarre behaviors described. Julian Fellowes is quoted on the cover recommending the book by saying ‘A powerful story, beautifully told,’ that and the fact that I was visiting the area where it took place made me buy the book. It’ll be donated to my local library.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels like the author tried to squeeze as much as the historical fact into the book as she could, and it didn't translate well - it felt rushed, and plot points were being fired into the arena out of nowhere. A smaller focus would have been better.

[Teresa D · Rating 2 out of 5]

It did not flow

[Magpie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible

[Gill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Managed to finish but this author's writing is tedious.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing true historical tale with merit that sadly is not done justice. While the foundations of a decent novel are there, character development and generally good writing is simply lacking. Reads as if it is a first draft with gaping plot holes and unexplained tangents that lead to nowhere. Luckily it was easy to read and one could just imagine all the parts the author left out.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a competition, as being a historical fiction, it is not normally the genre I would go for. In the end I did enjoy it as it was not difficult to read and there were not reams of unnecessary detail and description; it did focus on the characters and their relationships. A pleasant read

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book as the premise for the story was interesting and had so much potential. However, the character development was just not well done. Most of the characters in the book felt very flat to me and their actions forced and, quite frankly, at time utterly unbelievable. I finished the work but felt very dissatisfied with the way the story was developed.

[Andrea Woodcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quickly became absorbed in this story; I really enjoyed the style of writing and the characters' relationships and development. I became very frustrated with a character, which I always feel is a sign of good writing, and I could picture the character and her wrongdoings. Great story of family dynamics, love, betrayal and desparate measures.

[Emma Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, I couldn't put it down, felt very sorry for Molly.