Wakefield Hall

by Francesca Stanfill

Asked to pen the posthumous biography of Shakespearean actress Joanna Eakins, reporter Elisabeth Rowan sets up house at Wakefield Hall, Joanna's estate in the Berkshires

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, New York, Gothic, Romance

401 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 1993

About the author

Francesca Stanfill was born in Oxford, England, and grew up in New York City and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Yale University, where her studies included the History of Art and medieval history.
Her articles have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times Magazine, New York, and Vanity Fair. Her lifelong fascination with the twelfth century and its legendary queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, propelled her to write The Falcon's Eyes, her third novel. She lives in New York.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised this book does not have more reviews! I picked up a copy from a local library sale and ended up really liking the story. In summary, an up-and-coming journalist is asked to write a biography on Joanna Eakins, a famed stage actress who tragically died early in her 50s, after years of mental and physical decline. Her story is one of romance, heartbreak, friendship, betrayal, twists, and turns. Of course, the same experiences unfold for the protagonist.

The writing is very sophisticated, and the main characters have so much dimension. The (what I would call) "players in the game" that the narrator meets throughout her investigation have their own complex perspectives of Joanna and their own motivations to share, or withhold, information.

Stanfill has a talent for describing interpersonal relationships and the social games that people play, especially the games of the New York elite. I also appreciated her knowledge of Shakespeare, art, and architecture, as well as her vivid descriptions of scenery, particularly of interiors and what they reveal about people. On the other hand, I agree with reviewer Judy Mann that the writing sometimes came off haughty, and it was frustrating to have so many French phrases thrown in without any attempt at translation.

4 Stars - This one surprisingly pulled me in and was finished in a few days. I'm giving it an official 5 stars just because I think the average rating is unfairly low.

[Judy Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really surprised me.What surprised me is that I read it from beginning to end. I cannot figure out why. The big contradiction here is that the author rails against the New York Intellectual and then she practically drowns us in pretentious Shakespearian quotes and (this really got me-) she keeps dropping these very French expressions into her story and doesn't even try to translate them. So what the hell is she writing them for. I think I just figured it out. The author is trying very hard to be a New York intellectual.
And I find that tiring. I find it stupid and base. And frankly - very shallow
Yet like I said I read the whole book.
As to the plot- no I didn't find the end predictable at all.
What I found really ridiculous is this; Here she has written 400 pages of very elaborate pomp and circumstance- with all the arty European references you could possibly stomach and yet in the last chapter she reduces this whole story to Chick lit.That's right . She finds her Man and all is well with the world.
The thing of it is until the end I really liked this book. I just wish the author would've stayed out of it.
Then it would've been a good book.
JM

[Harisa- EsquiredToRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good prose. The story was just meh.

[Carol Hennion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elisabeth Rowan has always admired the former actress, Joanna Eakins, whom she briefly met once. Now Joanna is dead and Elisabeth has been asked to write her biography. The story reads vaguely like a gothic romance, with lots of suspense and surprises thrown in. At the time of her death, Joanna was married to David Cassel, a wealthy man quite a bit older than Joanna, but their marriage seemed to be in name only. David's American home, Wakefield Hall, was patterned after an English estate, and Joanna had remodeled it to make it even more English (she was enthralled by a manor house in England called Thistleton). Also, Joanna had an adult stepdaughter, Rosalind, whose father had passed away, and who was very close to David. In the story almost nothing is as it seems. I enjoyed the book and never guessed some of the surprises that were in store.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took forever to wade through this book. The overuse of French language without translation or explanation was aggravating. None of the characters were likable. The story plodded along without ever really giving me a good reason to keep reading.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first modern Gothics I read, and it still holds up well. A sympathetic protagonist, a challenging mystery, and enough romantic touches to drive the story forward.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Well-written suspense novel - I didn't even read ahead to solve the mystery.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about a biographer who digs into the life of a deceased stage actress, discovering all kinds of interesting secrets along the way. Enjoyable if you know your theater and Shakespeare references. It was an interesting character study and very detailed with the settings. However, it was lacking in suspense, for a better word. The ending was predictable.

[Krista · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up trying to finish after several attempts. It just couldn't hold my attention. It wasn't bad per se, just boring. Which was disappointing as it seemed like my kind of book.

[Patrick Bättig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biographin von berühmter Schauspielerin erkennt, dass Sie deren Tochter ist.