The Puzzle Wood

by Rosie Andrews, Olivia Vinall (narrator), Raven Books (publisher)

Bloomsbury presents The Puzzle Wood by Rosie Andrews, read by Olivia Vinall.

'Arresting... [a] tale of madness, murder, disputed inheritances and hints of the supernatural' Sunday Times

'Delicious ... dark ... sinister' Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of number one bestseller, Pandora
'Thrilling' Emilia Hart, author of Sunday Times bestseller Weyward
'Stunning' Lianne Dillsworth, author of Theatre of Marvels
'Marvellous' Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings

Deep in the woods, something is stirring…

When Miss Catherine Symonds arrives to take up a position as governess at remote Locksley Abbey in the foothills of the Black Mountains, where England bleeds into Wales, she is apprehensive.

It is not the echoing, near empty house with its skeleton staff that frightens her, nor the ancient woods that surround the Abbey or even the dogs that the owner, Sir Rowland, encourages to stalk the grounds, baying for blood. It is Catherine herself who fears her reference and very identity are fraudulent. She is travelling in disguise to investigate the fate of the last governess at the house, who took her own life out in the woods. For that governess was Catherine’s own sister, but until now she had believed Emily had died many years before, when they were just children…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Gothic, Fiction, Mystery, Historical, Historical Mystery, Crime

Audible Audio

First published May 9, 2024

Reviews

[Zsu · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I’ve read Andrews’ debut novel The Leviathan last year and after reading the premise I immediately requested Puzzle Wood. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations.

Firstly it takes about 20-30% of the book to get you engaged and I pushed through mostly because this was an ARC and I like to give them a good go even if I decide to DNF. I did finish this book but at some parts the dialogue / monologue was so boring I found myself skipping large sections of it even early on. I appreciated Andrews’ attempt to bring local mythology into the storyline but she executed it in such a dry way that it felt like reading a textbook.

The book was a strange mixture of interesting ‘who dunnit’ as Catherine tries to find out about her sister’s death but there was a subplot of ‘Chartists’ (miners who rebelled against the government in Newport) and we almost had a dual POV of country doctor Arthur who looks after the local mining population around the local area. The two storylines link up (kind of) at the end but reading Arthur’s POV and backstory was again, not very interesting when you just want to know what happened to Catherine’s sister.

Another thing I noticed was, early on the transition between Catherine / Arthur remembering a memory or even an event that happened earlier in the day was poorly executed. I had a number of moments reading the book where I had to reread paragraphs as suddenly the guests were entering the dining room again when we already had a large section of them eating dinner earlier … for it to be Catherine remembering how they entered the dining room an hour ago? This happened a few times and was so confusing to read, just chopping and changing between the present and a recent memory but not making it clear for the reader.

Overall it was an okay read, I didn’t enjoy it as much as her debut and my 2* rating is due to the book’s inability to keep me intrigued throughout. The ending had some good twists but at that point I was happy I was done with it.

(Note for ARC readers / the publisher - Another reviewer mentioned this but the Kindle PDF given out as an ARC is horribly formatted. I get this with ARC a lot so I’m used to it but this was another level. There were too many spelling mistakes to count, names of people or places not being capitalised and odd numbers and hyphens breaking up the text. This felt like it got no editing and was a rough draft as a result. Not a pleasant reading experience)

I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

_________________
This was meh

RTC

[Willow Heath]

While it doesn't reach the lofty heights of its author's debut novel—a book that provided such an enthralling reading experience due to the way it leaned into camp theatricality with its language and events—The Puzzle Wood remains a well-plotted and well-constructed gothic novel that places the iconic governess character at the heart of everything.

My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/essential-got...

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book rather disjointed and somewhat lacking in the anticipated gothic vibe. The main character Catherine was not compelling in any way. The most interesting parts were actually about the miners. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

[Fae k · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently started reading "The Puzzle Wood" by Rosie Andrews with high hopes because it had an interesting cover, a good summary, and an appealing title. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would, so I gave it two stars.

When I first heard about historical fiction, I was drawn in by the idea of a teacher going on a mysterious trip to Locksley Abbey in the Black Mountains. A mood of tension and expectation was made by the accounts of the creepy house and its few staff, the old woods nearby, and the scary dogs. But the story quickly lost its appeal as I tried to make sense of a confused background that didn't fit in with the main plot.

In a historical fiction setting, the present-day plot had some draw, but the complicated connection to the main character's sister's strange death in the woods confused me. Trying to combine stories, memories, and killings didn't work out well, and I had a hard time seeing how the past was connected to what was happening.

There were a few surprising turns that really sparked the story, even though Andrews' writing style is usually slow. These shocks piqued my interest for a moment and gave me a hint that things might get worse in the story. However, these exciting parts were not enough to save the reading experience as a whole.

When I think about Andrews's other work, I feel the same way: I was slowly drawn into the story, with a few moments of interest here and there. Unfortunately, "The Puzzle Wood" doesn't have the interesting parts that would make it a great book.

[Rachel Gaffney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and for a long stretch was thinking it would be getting 4 stars. I’d read reviews saying the plot was quite convoluted but I actually quite enjoyed the many layers until there were one too many plot twists on the final section.

[Annelies - In Another Era · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catherine Symonds learns that her younger sister Emily committed suicide in the woods behind Locksley Abby where she worked as a nanny for Sir Rowland. But Catherine thought her sister dead for years. So she decides to apply under a false name to become the next nanny. Once she gets near Locksley, she hears rumours of dangers in the ‘Puzzle wood’. Arthur Sidstone also returns home to his grandfather, who is a doctor, and Sir Rowland asks him to intercede with the miners who are experiencing difficulties.

The puzzle wood is Rosie Andrews’ second book after her debut The leviathan. I quite enjoyed that novel, even with the paranormal aspects. The puzzle word sounded more like a gothic novel with a mysterious murder, rumours of ghosts in the forest and the lady of the house hiding herself at the attic.

But the book is rather chaotic. You don’t really get a connection with Catherine searching for the truth around her sister. And it all takes a very long time. Meanwhile, Arthur is also telling his story. He also has a past (that was told rather messy) and then there’s the storyline around the miners. The book lacks focus and it all moves very slowly. Until the last 20%, then everything moves forward. But the ending couldn’t convince me.

I still don’t get what happened to Emily and Catherine in their childhood, and the motivations of both the adults at that time and two girls afterwards when they are grownups. So I found this a difficult book to read and of her two novels I certainly prefer The Leviathan. I don’t know if I will pick up another book by Andrews.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dutch review:

Catherine verneemt dat haar jongere zuster Emily zelfmoord heeft gepleegd in het bos achter Locksley Abby waar ze als Nanny werkte voor Sir Rowland. Maar Catherine dacht dat haar zus al jaren dood was. Dus meldt ze zich onder een valse naam aan om de volgende nanny te worden. Eens ze in de buurt van Locksley komt, hoort ze geruchten over gevaren in het 'Puzzle wood'. Ook Arthur komt weer thuis bij zijn grootvader, die dokter is, en Sir Rowland vraagt hem om de bemiddelden bij de mijners die moeilijkheden ondervinden.

The puzzle wood is het tweede boek van Rosie Andrews na haar debuut 'The leviathan'. Dat boek vond ik wel best ook, zelf met de paranormale aspecten. The puzzle woord klonk meer als een gothic boek met een geheimzinnige moord, geruchten over geesten in het woud en de vrouw des huizes die zich opsluit op zolder en niet omkijkt naar haar dochter.

Maar het boek is nogal chaotisch. Je krijgt niet echt een band met Catherine die naar de waarheid rond haar zus op zoek is. En het duurt heel lang voor daar vaart in komt. Ondertussen vertelt ook Arthur zijn verhaal. Hij heeft ook een verleden en dan is er de verhaallijn rond de mijners. Er zit geen focus in het boek en gaat allemaal heel traag. Tot de laatste 20%, dan gaat alles vooruit aan een razende vaart met de ene onthulling na de andere. Maar er zijn veel losse eindjes.

Ik vond dit dus een moeilijk boek om te lezen en dan vond ik The Leviathan toch veel beter. Ik weet niet of ik een volgende boek van Andrews opneem.

Bedankt aan Netgalley en de uitgever voor een exemplaar van dit boek in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening.

[Seonaid · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that doesn't know what to do with itself.

Set in South Wales across the 1830s-1852, the book propounds to be a gothic novel, starting off quite well with a series of letters which sets both the scene and the gothic tone. But then we swing into the Newport uprising of the 1830s, and the story of Arthur, a doctor who treats the miners, and his grandfather, who is in a stand off with the landowner about the Puzzle Wood, wherein dwells (allegedly) a strong and ancient power. And so, we bounce back and forward between two types of story, with a crime to be solved and a bit of queerness thrown in because why not, at the end of which I was still unclear about the purpose of the strong and ancient power, and had given up caring for any of the main characters.

With no real tension, some very silly character and plot developments, and a failure to really dig deep into the pagan past of the woods, the book fell pretty flat. Not as flat as Conrad under the giant helmet in The Castle of Otranto, but not far off.

[coveting.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep in the woods, something is stirring. Are you willing to learn what hides within and beneath the woods?

A beguiling mystery, a mystical tale of the forest and gothic horror undertones will have readers guessing to the very last page. Intriguing secrets and complex characters added to the depth and complexity of the novel while purple prose gave life the forest and the horrors within.

[Haley Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great gothic mystery. Extremely dark and creepy at times.

[Rob McMinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you expect from a title like The Puzzle Wood? It seems to have come from a list of randomly generated titles: stick a pin in it. My overall impression was, not much puzzle, not much wood. Perhaps I was hoping for a Mythago Wood type mystical landscape; there is a bit of that, but it is buried deep. What it mostly feels like is a long-lost Daphne du Maurier novel.
We’re in coal mining country: Wales. The novel starts with correspondence concerning the death of a governess. The narrative proper begins with Catherine Symonds, the governess’s sister, en route to take up the position of governess in the same household. She’s hoping to uncover the truth about her sister Emily’s death. This opening scene is reminiscent of Jonathan Harker on his way to Castle Dracula: that vague sense of being conducted towards some kind of threat. An uncommunicative coachman, something in the woods. It’s tropes all the way down.
Meanwhile, a young doctor with secrets of his own is working (on his grandfather’s behalf) with landowner Sir Rowland in hopes of persuading him not to develop his land. Trying to curry favour, he agrees to investigate the operation of the local coal mine.
For me, this second plot thread was an awkward fit. On the one hand, we have a 19th century-set gothic novel: a big old house with a locked up wing, an unearthly child, unexplained death. On the other, the brutal mine overseer, pit ponies, and… Chartists?
Of course, the plot wheels turn and things fit together, kind of, but here’s the thing. It all felt too much like an early draft to me, with some polishing still required. The ARC itself said something to the effect of not being fully formatted. I did find it quite challenging to read, because the PDF I downloaded to my kindle did have rough formatting throughout. For example, there were arbitrary line breaks for page after page where you would read to the end of a line, then two words floating on their own, or two and a half words then another full line, then two words, and so on. Worse still, there were missing capital letters throughout, and every page or so a string something like — 0 - — 1 —, sometimes all together, but quite often — 0 mixed - — up 1 — within a sentence, or coinciding with one of those random line breaks. The best solution I could come up with in the end was to turn the kindle horizontally and then adjust the font size until those random line breaks more or less faded into the background.
All of which was a shame, because beyond all those distractions, this was quite an entertaining gothic horror, albeit something of a pastiche. It even finishes with “A Note on the Type”, which is my favourite book feature of all, and the shame of it is, the font in question was lost in the transfer to the e-reader, so that served as a final disappointment.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

[Carol Keogh (Goodfellow) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant about reading this based on the few reviews I read. However, I determined that I would form my own opinion. I am so glad I did.
Not being familiar with Ms Andrews' former books, I wanted to read with an open mind. I start by saying that the blurb does not adequately prepare the reader for the story, and this may be the reason for poor reviews.
The wood is the key location for the story, and the Mine and Abbey are closely intertwined. Catherine arrives undercover posing as a governess in order to discover how her sister came to have died while at the Abbey. Critically, Catherine has very hazy recollections of her teenage years and how her sister Emily disappeared from her life.
The other key character is Arthur, the grandson of the local doctor who has returned from overseas to settle back in the area. He has his own memories to face, which prove more hard to hide in this familiar place.
Overall, this story requires patience and active reading. The plot is winding and complex but so rewarding. I finished it within days as the story was so absorbing. Ms. Andrews writes with great skill and huge empathy for her characters, and I encourage anyone interested in historical fiction/slightly gothic to invest in The Puzzle Wood. It is a very satisfying read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

[Wendy(Wendyreadsbooks) Robey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and atmospheric, this story pulls you into the mystery as deep as the woods that surround Bridwell itself.
No one is being completely honest and all seem cloaked know the darkness that inhibits the house and the woods. Something is not right at the core of the family but how does it link together and what is happening in the trees?
This is one unsettling story and as we learn more about the characters, more questions arise.
An enjoyable and twisty gothic read.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

D.N.F. at one third of the way through.
I tried to read this again and this time I actually loved it. Quite a dark gothic story and as enjoyable as The Leviathan, which I also loved.

[Anschen Conradie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#ThePuzzleWood – Rosie Andrews
#RavenBooks

An environment of fear.
The subtle threat of a supernatural presence.
An intrusion of the past upon the present.
A flawed protagonist.
These are some of the characteristics of a so-called Gothic thriller. Novels such as “Jane Eyre” (Charlotte Brontë, 1847) and “The turn of the screw” (Henry James, 1898) ensured the recognition of the genre, and the popularity thereof continues in the present.

Catherine Symonds successfully applies for the position of governess to a young girl, Georgina Bridewell, residing with her father, Sir Rowland, her indisposed mother, Lady Anne, and a skeleton staff in Locksley Abbey, a ramshackle residence in remote and ancient woods. Her younger sister, Emily, was her predecessor, but allegedly took her own life whilst employed by the Bridewells.

The environment is one of fear: “There are legends about the wood… you don’t want to get lost in there.” (19) and “There’s evil in this house.” (22), with subtle hints of a supernatural element: “He talks of spirits moving in the wood, of floating lights that should not be there, of things that were dead.” (199)

Catherine does not merely display the predisposition to deceive by arriving under false pretences, she is also a classic example of a flawed protagonist in that she suffers from partial amnesia. She can recall that Emily disappeared at some time during their childhood, but the details are foggy, at best: “Her memories remained fractured things, glints on cut glass that rose up in the seconds before sleep, then faded into darkness.” (21)

Tension is created and maintained by more than just the surroundings, the unreliability of the protagonist is balanced by the inclusion of correspondence preceding her arrival, as well as her own fractured flashbacks to events of 1839, several years before the main setting of the novel in 1852.

Interesting trivia: Puzzlewood is very much a real place, located on a 14-acre site in Gloucestershire, England. Apart from being the inspiration for this novel, rumour has it that it was also a driving force in the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Uitdieperdsebek

[Tim Rideout · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are living through a golden age of new Gothic fiction, as the literature of terror helps us engage with past, present and future.

Rosie Andrews is one of the brightest new stars in this Gothic firmament, writing historical fiction that haunts and enchants the reader.

The author’s latest novel, THE PUZZLE WOOD, exemplifies these qualities. Miss Catherine Symmonds’ arrival at Locksley Abbey to take up her post as governess represents an intrusion into a place of darkness, mystery and beguiling myth. The Abbey is located at the epicentre of liminal Gothic spaces, as the wood is juxtaposed with the mine, on a porous boundary between England and Wales.

As her investigations into the death of the last governess, her sister Emily, proceed, we are drawn into a miasma of danger and corruption. This is Gothic fiction in the best Radcliffean tradition, atmospheric, ambiguous and utterly irresistible. A compelling mystery, beautifully written.

[Lynsey (To read or not to read… definitely read!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of two halves...

This Gothic story starts with a mystery in mid 1800s. Miss Catherine Symonds’s sister has died unexpectedly. With her husband’s help they write to the solicitor to find out what information they can regarding her death, but answers are unsatisfying.

When Catherine’s husband dies, she takes up as a position as a governess at Locksley Abbey, where her sister was the previous governess. She has hidden her identity as she hopes to discover what has happened.

Once she arrives at Locksley Abbey, surrounded by ancient woods, she at once feels uneasy. This is an unusual household run by a skeleton staff. Her charge, Georgie and her Father, Sir Rowland are equally strange.

The first have of this book is a glorious Gothic mystery, with more questions then answers and was heading for a 4 star rating. For me, however, this lost something halfway through. The story fell more into the realms of mystical, which would have been fine, but became convoluted and overly long. I will be honest and say that I loved the first half but couldn’t wait for the second half to finish. It was just too long winded to unravel events and bring the story to a conclusion.

That being said, I really enjoyed Rosie Andrews’s style of writing: “Something stirred in the arteries of the mountain, something she had always known was here, beneath the wood, since that long ago night”. Rosie has a lovely way of expressing herself. I will look to read her first novel and any subsequent books she might write. I enjoyed the twist at the end and one thing this story wasn’t, was predictable.

Recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5. Took a while to get going; the story didn't really engage me for the first 80% and after that the ending felt rushed and unconvincing. I loved the atmosphere and setting of the book and the dual pov made it a bit more interesting. However, as a whole I struggled to vibe with it and I finished it not really understanding what had actually happened.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosie Andrews’ debut novel, The Leviathan, left me with mixed, but generally positive, feelings – I loved the setting and atmosphere, but was less interested in the fantasy/horror elements that began to dominate in the second half. I was curious to see whether her new novel, The Puzzle Wood, would be more to my taste.

The novel begins in 1852 with the recently widowed Catherine Symonds applying for the position of governess at Locksley Abbey in Herefordshire. Catherine doesn’t really need the work – her husband was a wealthy man – but she has another reason for her application: her sister, Emily, was the previous governess at Locksley Abbey and has been found dead in the woods nearby, believed to have taken her own life. Catherine is not satisfied with this explanation and in order to investigate her sister’s death, she needs to find a way to insert herself into the household without anyone guessing her connection with Emily.

Once at Locksley Abbey, Catherine meets her new employer, Sir Rowland, and her young charge, his daughter Georgie. The more she learns about the family and their history, the more she becomes convinced that there’s more to her sister’s death than has so far been revealed. Meanwhile, there’s another newcomer – Arthur Sidstone, a doctor who has recently returned to the area after working abroad. Arthur’s grandfather, who is interested in the history of the forests surrounding Locksley, has grown concerned by reports that Sir Rowland is planning to sell off the land for development. Arthur has come to ask him to reconsider, but ends up becoming much more closely involved in the affairs of Locksley Abbey than he had bargained for.

Set in the Black Mountains of Herefordshire close to the England-Wales border, on a remote estate surrounded by ancient woods steeped in folklore, with a plot incorporating family secrets and mysterious deaths, The Puzzle Wood promised to be a great, atmospheric Gothic novel. However, it didn’t have as much atmosphere as I expected and the Puzzle Wood itself played a surprisingly small part in the story. Instead, a lot of time is spent on another storyline revolving around the productivity of the mine on Sir Rowland’s land and the working conditions of the miners employed there, as well as Arthur Sidstone’s backstory and his involvement with the Chartist movement. I found these two threads quite interesting but they didn’t really blend together very well with Catherine’s story. The spooky/supernatural elements grow stronger towards the end, although certainly not as strong as in The Leviathan and I think readers who pick up this book hoping for something similar could be disappointed.

I seem to have read a few other novels recently with similar plots involving young women working as governesses or servants in lonely Victorian mansions. Maybe if I hadn’t read so many of this kind of book I would have found The Puzzle Wood more captivating as I do like Rosie Andrews’ writing. I’m not sure if I’ll try more of her books, but depending on the setting and subject I could be tempted.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book caught my eye as I thought it looked quite beautiful!

It was honestly a bit hard going at times, and it took me a while to get into, but the story itself was good once I settled into it.

I enjoyed the supernatural vibes and the general characterisation.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4.5

[Chris George · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough read, but somehow I couldn’t buy into the characters. Well constructed but lacking any real magic.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thriller with any twists and turns.Set in a backdrop of 18th century mining country, the author paints a vivid picture of the harshness of life against the privilege enjoyed by the gentry. Added to some mystic legends, murder and treachery are the order of the day. Great story for a winters night.

[Lesley Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different book for me. I loved both the mystery and the mysterious in the plot and narrative. The setting in time was really believable and the narrative was full of wonderful description and language of the period. The mysteries were many and I liked the use of letters at the start and end of the novel. All in all, I enjoyed this as it was a complete departure for me - and my imagination could be let loose!

[Liz C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting twists and turns along the way. A fairly good gothic type mystery.

[Nerys Mellor · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up as I really loved the ending.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. from the beginning, right through to the excellent ending.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
A dark, gothic mystery that is compelling. I did anticipate the result, but that didn't take away from how much I enjoyed this book overall.

[julia ｡･:*˚:✧｡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was boring for like 50% of it but the latter half really saved it for me. Loved it. Overall it's not gonna be my favourite of all time but I had a good time with this!

[Suzanne Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

some good twists to the plot.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked the Pan parts drawn out a bit more! Maybe more like 3.5 stars