The Lady of Chantry Glades

by Sarah Farrant

Gabriel Howard, a young schoolmistress, is forced by circumstances to escort a pupil, Imogen Aspley, to her home at Chantry Glades for the summer vacation.

She is intrigued by the unexpected sumptuousness of the house, the fact that Imogen’s father, a widower, Sir Roger Aspley leads the life of a recluse, and amazed when Imogen, although only sixteen, assumes command of the household.

When Gabriel is invited to remain as guest she accepts, and gradually she begins to learn of the strange events that have caused Sir Roger to be known locally as the Monster of Chantry Glades.

Genres: Gothic

192 pages, Hardcover

First published July 27, 1972

Reviews

[Sharon Bollen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This can best be described as a vintage Victorian Gothic, at one time my local library shelves were full of them so reading this was a bit of a blast from the past. A simple story; a young schoolmistress accompanies a young charge home for the holidays to said charges ancestral home where she meets her mysterious, scarred father and .... you can probably guess the rest.
This does pale in comparison to the best of the genre but it is a perfectly adequate, undemanding read for all that.

[Nattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed other books by Sarah Farrant, but this one didn't do it for me. It wasn't really a gothic, and only the last couple of chapters were suspenseful. If I had been looking for typical historical fiction it might have done, but I wanted excitement.