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Story Keeper
Audrey Hart is on the Isle of Skye to collect the folk and fairy tales of the people and communities around her. It is 1857 and the Highland Clearances have left devastation and poverty and a community riven by fear. The crofters are suspicious and hostile to a stranger claiming they no longer know their fireside stories.Then Audrey discovers the body of a young girl washed up on the beach and the crofters reveal that it is only a matter of weeks since another girl disappeared. They believe the girls are the victims of the restless spirits who take the form of birds.Initially Audrey is sure the girls are being abducted but as events accumulate she begins to wonder if something else is at work. Something which may be linked to the death of her own mother many years before.
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First published July 26, 2018
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About the author
Anna Mazzola
9 books383 followersAnna Mazzola is a writer of historical and Gothic fiction.
Her bestselling third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in Paris in 1750, is a Sunday Times Historical Fiction pick for 2022
Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award. Her fourth novel, The House of Whispers, is a ghost story set in Fascist Italy and will be published in April 2023.
Anna also writes legal thrillers under the name Anna Sharpe, the first of which will be published in 2024.
When not writing or tutoring, Anna is a human rights and criminal justice solicitor, working with victims of crime. She lives in South London, with her husband, their two children, a snake and a cat.
She loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch on Goodreads or on social media.
annamazzola.com
Her bestselling third novel, The Clockwork Girl, set in Paris in 1750, is a Sunday Times Historical Fiction pick for 2022
Her debut novel, The Unseeing, won an Edgar Allan Poe award. Her fourth novel, The House of Whispers, is a ghost story set in Fascist Italy and will be published in April 2023.
Anna also writes legal thrillers under the name Anna Sharpe, the first of which will be published in 2024.
When not writing or tutoring, Anna is a human rights and criminal justice solicitor, working with victims of crime. She lives in South London, with her husband, their two children, a snake and a cat.
She loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch on Goodreads or on social media.
annamazzola.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
July 14, 2018
Firstly I have to say just how much I was taken with the beautiful cover of "The Story Keeper", it gave me chills just thinking what mystery and intrigue could lie beneath it and couldn't wait to start reading.
"The Story Keeper" is billed as a 'sizzling, period novel of folk tales, disappearances and injustice set on the Isle of Skye' and it was exactly that. I was amazed at how the atmospheric setting and creepy, intriguing start to the story drew me in so fast and from then on in the pages turned themselves to reveal such a beautiful tale, woven with creativity and imagination. With sinister undertones and at times quite scary scenarios involving the local folklore stories, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It was truly spell binding and unlike any thriller I've ever read before and certainly a one I could easily read again and again and never tire of.
I love historical books set in Scotland and knowing the locations mentioned in the story made me feel so at home. The author has done a fantastic job in describing the many different crofters lives and their plight after the Highland Clearances and their constant poverty. It's obvious a lot of research has been carried out for this story and the author has turned this into a truly engaging and well crafted story.
There were some quite unsuspecting twists to the conclusion which rapturously held my attention and which were a perfect end to the intriguing story and very fitting.
I haven't read Anna Mazzola's previous book "The Unseeing" but I am now very keen to read it and without doubt would certainly read more in the future by this new author to me too.
All in all, one fabulously written and imaginative tale that I highly recommend to historical thriller readers young and old, if you love something different then you must read this, you won't be disappointed!
5 stars
"The Story Keeper" is billed as a 'sizzling, period novel of folk tales, disappearances and injustice set on the Isle of Skye' and it was exactly that. I was amazed at how the atmospheric setting and creepy, intriguing start to the story drew me in so fast and from then on in the pages turned themselves to reveal such a beautiful tale, woven with creativity and imagination. With sinister undertones and at times quite scary scenarios involving the local folklore stories, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It was truly spell binding and unlike any thriller I've ever read before and certainly a one I could easily read again and again and never tire of.
I love historical books set in Scotland and knowing the locations mentioned in the story made me feel so at home. The author has done a fantastic job in describing the many different crofters lives and their plight after the Highland Clearances and their constant poverty. It's obvious a lot of research has been carried out for this story and the author has turned this into a truly engaging and well crafted story.
There were some quite unsuspecting twists to the conclusion which rapturously held my attention and which were a perfect end to the intriguing story and very fitting.
I haven't read Anna Mazzola's previous book "The Unseeing" but I am now very keen to read it and without doubt would certainly read more in the future by this new author to me too.
All in all, one fabulously written and imaginative tale that I highly recommend to historical thriller readers young and old, if you love something different then you must read this, you won't be disappointed!
5 stars
July 26, 2018
"The Story Keeper" is beautifully written, engaging, atmospheric and haunting. Just pure joy to read. I started reading and didn't put it down till I finished. I absolutely loved it!
Anna Mazzola wrote a stunning and unique novel. Set on and around the Isle of Skye, "The Story Keeper" is steeped in folklore, superstition, dark and brooding landscape and flawed human nature. Loss and deep grief, madness, abuse and social unfairness. Mazzola took all those ingredients and wove a beautiful and enticing story.
If books with gothic atmosphere, rich in folklore and mystery are your thing, read that book, please. Highly recommended!
Anna Mazzola wrote a stunning and unique novel. Set on and around the Isle of Skye, "The Story Keeper" is steeped in folklore, superstition, dark and brooding landscape and flawed human nature. Loss and deep grief, madness, abuse and social unfairness. Mazzola took all those ingredients and wove a beautiful and enticing story.
If books with gothic atmosphere, rich in folklore and mystery are your thing, read that book, please. Highly recommended!
July 14, 2018
I’ve had this book sat on my bedside for a little while. It was sent to me from the publishers one day as a surprise.
I may not have chosen to read this if I hadn’t been sent it and then I wouldn’t have experienced such a wonderfully written piece of work.
Just goes to show, sometimes we need to explore books more.
Well, I do, certainly
Now that it’s near the release date I read it.
It’s based historically around Scotland, Skye. Which I remember going often when growing up around Scotland on family holidays. Great place for folklore, myths and fae.
Not all fairies are like our children’s fairytale stories and this one certainly is not.
Audrey has left her family and hometown in seeking anadvert of employment to someone who wants to keep the culture of folklore alive.
It’s not about false stories, legends and dragons but culture. The art of passing on numerous stories from generation to generation.
Audrey meets the criteria that the employer is looking for and uses up all her money to travel to her interview.
She needs to stay the night.
The thriller/mystery bit in this plot is awesome.
I really couldn’t put this book down today.
I’ve been unwell so was told to lay down, chill and relax. I didn’t need telling twice.
It’s a page turner for sure and a surprisingly great read.
Like I say, I may have passed this by so I’m indebted to the publishers for my gift.
I may not have chosen to read this if I hadn’t been sent it and then I wouldn’t have experienced such a wonderfully written piece of work.
Just goes to show, sometimes we need to explore books more.
Well, I do, certainly
Now that it’s near the release date I read it.
It’s based historically around Scotland, Skye. Which I remember going often when growing up around Scotland on family holidays. Great place for folklore, myths and fae.
Not all fairies are like our children’s fairytale stories and this one certainly is not.
Audrey has left her family and hometown in seeking anadvert of employment to someone who wants to keep the culture of folklore alive.
It’s not about false stories, legends and dragons but culture. The art of passing on numerous stories from generation to generation.
Audrey meets the criteria that the employer is looking for and uses up all her money to travel to her interview.
She needs to stay the night.
The thriller/mystery bit in this plot is awesome.
I really couldn’t put this book down today.
I’ve been unwell so was told to lay down, chill and relax. I didn’t need telling twice.
It’s a page turner for sure and a surprisingly great read.
Like I say, I may have passed this by so I’m indebted to the publishers for my gift.
January 15, 2019
A spellbindingly atmospheric tale full of magic and mystery!
A beautifully told historical story that will transport you to 19th century Scotland... this story had a bit of a creepy gothic vibe, chocked full of mysticism and folklore.... Scotland is a country with a rich history that definitely shown through in this book... I loved all the lores, myths, and superstitions...
Audrey is in need of work, so she heads to the Isle of Skye to record this small closed community’s folklore and traditions... while there she discovers that there are some young girls that have gone missing and when one of them turns up dead Audrey is determined to find out what is really happening... is there some truth behind the stories of the fae and fairies, or is there something more sinister at work?
Audrey was a likable character with a lot of strength and heart... I found her to be very brave not only did she travel to this isolated location on her own, but she also stood up for these missing girls that she didn’t even know... The story had so much atmosphere I could feel the cold of this Scottish isle, Damp and chilly with the fog rolling in! This was a well told well researched story that I was lucky enough to have the privilege of reading...
An enchanting historical fiction book with an engaging mystery and a generous sprinkling of magic! Absolutely recommend!
*** Big thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book ***
A beautifully told historical story that will transport you to 19th century Scotland... this story had a bit of a creepy gothic vibe, chocked full of mysticism and folklore.... Scotland is a country with a rich history that definitely shown through in this book... I loved all the lores, myths, and superstitions...
Audrey is in need of work, so she heads to the Isle of Skye to record this small closed community’s folklore and traditions... while there she discovers that there are some young girls that have gone missing and when one of them turns up dead Audrey is determined to find out what is really happening... is there some truth behind the stories of the fae and fairies, or is there something more sinister at work?
Audrey was a likable character with a lot of strength and heart... I found her to be very brave not only did she travel to this isolated location on her own, but she also stood up for these missing girls that she didn’t even know... The story had so much atmosphere I could feel the cold of this Scottish isle, Damp and chilly with the fog rolling in! This was a well told well researched story that I was lucky enough to have the privilege of reading...
An enchanting historical fiction book with an engaging mystery and a generous sprinkling of magic! Absolutely recommend!
*** Big thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book ***
July 25, 2018
I am all too aware of how powerful a location or setting in a book can be which is partly why I chose to read this. I frequently visit both the Inner (Skye) and Outer (Harris & Lewis) Hebrides and love the sparseness of the landscape, the people, and the beautiful beaches that could easily pass as those from an exotic tropical island. I was drawn to this not just because I know the Island extremely well but also due to the fact that I knew that some of the descriptions of the area should be magical and wanted Mazzola to transport me back there. I was lured in by the promise of stories namely myths and legends of which I am a huge fan. Put those together and you have a near perfect book for me. And I haven't even mentioned the murder mystery aspect of it yet!
It's 1857 and Audrey Hart has travelled to the Isle of Skye to collect the folktales of the crofting community. Not long after arriving from London she discovers the body of a young girl that has been washed up on the beach and the crofters then inform her that the girl had not been the first to go missing. They believed that the "Sluaigh" had taken them but Audrey struggles to go along with that and decides to investigate for herself. Who could be responsible for such dastardly crimes on the tiny island? Could there be any link to what happened to Audrey's mother many years before?
It is evident from "The Story Keeper" that folklore can both unite and divide. When Audrey first arrives on Skye the crofters and the wider community were wary of her fuelled by the fear and paranoia that the stories created in them. However, once they begin to trust and open up to her things go from strength-to-strength. This is a meticulously researched tale that certainly comes across as authentic and magestic. Mazzola's prose is magnificent and brings the scenery to life. I loved that there were many layers to this novel and it could be said to have the characteristics of a few different genres. The characterisation was excellent, I especially appreciated the strong female lead in Audrey. She is an independent woman who has no qualms about moving from her "hometown" of London to the Western Isles, something I can't imagine a lot of women doing in the 19th century.
All in all, this was as amazing as I thought it would be and, as I predicted, the scenic descriptions were my favourite part. I know that the next time I am over there for a holiday I will be asking about the folklore of the island and will also be on the lookout for a book where all of the different tales are compiled. I could've done with Audrey's collection to mull over! I have no hesitation in recommending this beautiful book to everyone but I can imagine it particularly appealing to those who like historical fiction, folklore, myths and legends, and a mystery with a strong sense of time and place.
Many thanks to Headline/Tinder Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
It's 1857 and Audrey Hart has travelled to the Isle of Skye to collect the folktales of the crofting community. Not long after arriving from London she discovers the body of a young girl that has been washed up on the beach and the crofters then inform her that the girl had not been the first to go missing. They believed that the "Sluaigh" had taken them but Audrey struggles to go along with that and decides to investigate for herself. Who could be responsible for such dastardly crimes on the tiny island? Could there be any link to what happened to Audrey's mother many years before?
It is evident from "The Story Keeper" that folklore can both unite and divide. When Audrey first arrives on Skye the crofters and the wider community were wary of her fuelled by the fear and paranoia that the stories created in them. However, once they begin to trust and open up to her things go from strength-to-strength. This is a meticulously researched tale that certainly comes across as authentic and magestic. Mazzola's prose is magnificent and brings the scenery to life. I loved that there were many layers to this novel and it could be said to have the characteristics of a few different genres. The characterisation was excellent, I especially appreciated the strong female lead in Audrey. She is an independent woman who has no qualms about moving from her "hometown" of London to the Western Isles, something I can't imagine a lot of women doing in the 19th century.
All in all, this was as amazing as I thought it would be and, as I predicted, the scenic descriptions were my favourite part. I know that the next time I am over there for a holiday I will be asking about the folklore of the island and will also be on the lookout for a book where all of the different tales are compiled. I could've done with Audrey's collection to mull over! I have no hesitation in recommending this beautiful book to everyone but I can imagine it particularly appealing to those who like historical fiction, folklore, myths and legends, and a mystery with a strong sense of time and place.
Many thanks to Headline/Tinder Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
August 6, 2018
The Story Keeper has all the ingredients for an atmospheric read: a mysterious house (Lanerly Hall) partly shut up and furnished with cabinets full of ghoulish looking objects and curios; a family in which there are secrets and things that can’t be spoken of; a sinister factor/land agent; the puzzle of why Audrey’s employer, Miss Buchanan, is confined to the house; and villagers fearful that evil stalks their communities. It’s all set against the backdrop of the wind and waves that pound the shores of the island. ‘A dank mist had settled over the island and the sea was steel-grey, angry.’
The remote and windswept location creates an atmosphere where stories of fairies, ‘the little people’, and changelings seem credible. The privation experienced by the islanders, the legacy of clearances and the decline of crafting as a viable livelihood, mean that not only are the stories Audrey is tasked with collecting coming to an end but a way of life as well.
I really enjoyed the sense of mystery and claustrophobia the author creates as Audrey’s fears seem in danger of being realised. ‘No matter how much she tried to remain rational, she could feel things closing in, growing nearer. The day after tomorrow, Samhein would begin, the festival that marked the beginning of the dark months. It was the luminal time, the people said, the time when the boundary between this world and the other-world could more easily be crossed.’ Spooky, eh?
Who can Audrey trust when those in positions of authority refuse to believe her, perhaps for their own reasons? I found myself compelled to keep reading in order to find out the resolution of the mystery of the missing girls and will happily admit the author sent me in the wrong direction when it came to identifying the culprit.
The Story Keeper is sure to delight historical fiction fans who enjoy an intriguing mystery, an interesting period setting and an atmospheric location.
The remote and windswept location creates an atmosphere where stories of fairies, ‘the little people’, and changelings seem credible. The privation experienced by the islanders, the legacy of clearances and the decline of crafting as a viable livelihood, mean that not only are the stories Audrey is tasked with collecting coming to an end but a way of life as well.
I really enjoyed the sense of mystery and claustrophobia the author creates as Audrey’s fears seem in danger of being realised. ‘No matter how much she tried to remain rational, she could feel things closing in, growing nearer. The day after tomorrow, Samhein would begin, the festival that marked the beginning of the dark months. It was the luminal time, the people said, the time when the boundary between this world and the other-world could more easily be crossed.’ Spooky, eh?
Who can Audrey trust when those in positions of authority refuse to believe her, perhaps for their own reasons? I found myself compelled to keep reading in order to find out the resolution of the mystery of the missing girls and will happily admit the author sent me in the wrong direction when it came to identifying the culprit.
The Story Keeper is sure to delight historical fiction fans who enjoy an intriguing mystery, an interesting period setting and an atmospheric location.
August 3, 2018
I really enjoyed Anna Mazzola’s previous novel, “The Unseeing,” and was happy to receive a review copy of her latest book.
Audrey Hart is a young woman who has come to Skye to be interviewed for the position of assistant to Miss Buchanan, a folklorist. Audrey grew up with the stories and myths her mother told her. Now her mother is dead and she feels uncomfortable, since her father re-married and moved to London. Now she has virtually run away, after an event in an orphanage, where her father had volunteered her services as a teacher. Gradually, we learn what happened and why Audrey, who felt so powerless, and is all alone in the world, needs this position and to make her own way.
Although Audrey is expected to go and learn the folk tales from the locals, that is easier said than done. Most of them are loath to speak and this is a novel full of atmosphere, suspicion and myths. As Audrey begins to discover more about the people around her, she find that she may not be as hidden as she thought she was. Also, she discovers that women can be powerless, no matter where they live and that she needs to stand up and deal with injustice, fear, superstition and earn the trust of the locals.
This is an atmospheric and well written, historical mystery. I enjoyed the setting – Skye is virtually a character in the novel – and the characters. I look forward to reading more by Mazzola, who is fast becoming an author whose new novels I need to read.
Audrey Hart is a young woman who has come to Skye to be interviewed for the position of assistant to Miss Buchanan, a folklorist. Audrey grew up with the stories and myths her mother told her. Now her mother is dead and she feels uncomfortable, since her father re-married and moved to London. Now she has virtually run away, after an event in an orphanage, where her father had volunteered her services as a teacher. Gradually, we learn what happened and why Audrey, who felt so powerless, and is all alone in the world, needs this position and to make her own way.
Although Audrey is expected to go and learn the folk tales from the locals, that is easier said than done. Most of them are loath to speak and this is a novel full of atmosphere, suspicion and myths. As Audrey begins to discover more about the people around her, she find that she may not be as hidden as she thought she was. Also, she discovers that women can be powerless, no matter where they live and that she needs to stand up and deal with injustice, fear, superstition and earn the trust of the locals.
This is an atmospheric and well written, historical mystery. I enjoyed the setting – Skye is virtually a character in the novel – and the characters. I look forward to reading more by Mazzola, who is fast becoming an author whose new novels I need to read.
June 21, 2018
Wonderful. Evil Fairies, legends, mystery and beautifully written. Review nearer publication.
May 2, 2025
Audrey flees a scandal in London to take up a job as a folklorist on the Isle of Skye with the mysterious Mrs Buchanan. Her job, to collect stories, songs & legends from the local crofters before they are forgotten and lost forever. What she discovers, however, is something much more sinister, something very very real.
I flew through this in 2 and half days and it's quite possibly my favourite book of the year so far. Wonderfully creepy & atmospheric, the prose is exquisite and ending just about perfect. Warmed my cockles it did, warmed my cockles.
I flew through this in 2 and half days and it's quite possibly my favourite book of the year so far. Wonderfully creepy & atmospheric, the prose is exquisite and ending just about perfect. Warmed my cockles it did, warmed my cockles.
August 23, 2018
‘The Unseeing’ is fiction, spun around historical fact, set in the 19th century.
When Audrey Hart reads an advertisement for a collector of folk tales on the Isle of Skye she can’t help feeling that it was meant for her.
She had a difficult relationship with her father and her step-mother; she was in an awkward situation at the orphanage where she had been volunteering. Her mother, who had a particular interest in folklore, had disappeared, had been presumed to have had an accident, while out walking on Skye many years earlier.
It was hardly surprising that Audrey felt the pull of the distant island that she had visited as a very small child.
She won the job, but when she arrived on the island and met her new employer, Miss Buchanan, she came to realise that her work would be rather more difficult than she had expected. The Highland Clearances had forced many crofters to leave Skye, and and the few who remained were adamant that they would not repeat the old stories to her.
That might have been because Audrey was an outsider from England; it might have been because they were obedient to the wishes of their minister, who was stern and strict and who preached fire and brimstone; but Audrey was sure that there were other, more sinister, reasons. The islanders seemed to be fearful of the consequences of having the tales that they could tell written down.
Then Audrey finds the body of a girl who had been missing washed up on the beach, when she learns that she is not the first girl who went missing on the island, she begins to realise that something is very wrong on the isle of Skye and in all probability that was what made the islanders fearful.
Her instinct was to act and to ask questions, but she didn’t know who she could trust, she didn’t know where she was safe, and she began to wonder if her new job was turning into a terrible trap …
Audrey drew me into the story. I liked her, I empathised with her situation, and as the story progressed I came to share her hopes and fears and understand what she wanted to do and what she wanted to find out. I didn’t always agree – and there were times when I worried about her and feared for her – but I did understand.
I appreciated that she was bright, she was curious, but there was only so much that she could do; because she was a woman of her time.
There were mysteries in Audrey’s past, and as the story moved forward I would learn why she had been so anxious to leave her her father’s and stepmother’s home, why she things had gone wrong at the orphanage, and even what had happened to her mother, all those years ago.
The story was well constructed, the pace was well judged, and once Audrey had drawn me there was a great deal to hold me there. Her world lived and breathed. I could hear the sea as she did, I shivered in the damp misty weather alongside her, and I I knew exactly how she felt as she ventured into new houses and across harsh and unfamiliar countryside.
I appreciated the understanding of the history of the island and the way of life of the islanders; the writing was lovely and the descriptive prose, the pictures that the author painted, were wonderful.
I was disappointed that the end was a little too dramatic; but it held my attention because very final revelation came at the end of the book, it took me by surprise, and that the resolution of the story was satisfying.
I appreciated that this second novel sits well alongside its predecessor; and that it has exactly the right mix of things in common and things that make it different and distinctive. That said, I do think that the stronger colours of that first book suited Anna Mazzola rather better than the more muted tones of this one.
I found much to love though, and I am very interested to find out what the third novel will hold.
When Audrey Hart reads an advertisement for a collector of folk tales on the Isle of Skye she can’t help feeling that it was meant for her.
She had a difficult relationship with her father and her step-mother; she was in an awkward situation at the orphanage where she had been volunteering. Her mother, who had a particular interest in folklore, had disappeared, had been presumed to have had an accident, while out walking on Skye many years earlier.
It was hardly surprising that Audrey felt the pull of the distant island that she had visited as a very small child.
She won the job, but when she arrived on the island and met her new employer, Miss Buchanan, she came to realise that her work would be rather more difficult than she had expected. The Highland Clearances had forced many crofters to leave Skye, and and the few who remained were adamant that they would not repeat the old stories to her.
That might have been because Audrey was an outsider from England; it might have been because they were obedient to the wishes of their minister, who was stern and strict and who preached fire and brimstone; but Audrey was sure that there were other, more sinister, reasons. The islanders seemed to be fearful of the consequences of having the tales that they could tell written down.
Then Audrey finds the body of a girl who had been missing washed up on the beach, when she learns that she is not the first girl who went missing on the island, she begins to realise that something is very wrong on the isle of Skye and in all probability that was what made the islanders fearful.
Her instinct was to act and to ask questions, but she didn’t know who she could trust, she didn’t know where she was safe, and she began to wonder if her new job was turning into a terrible trap …
Audrey drew me into the story. I liked her, I empathised with her situation, and as the story progressed I came to share her hopes and fears and understand what she wanted to do and what she wanted to find out. I didn’t always agree – and there were times when I worried about her and feared for her – but I did understand.
I appreciated that she was bright, she was curious, but there was only so much that she could do; because she was a woman of her time.
There were mysteries in Audrey’s past, and as the story moved forward I would learn why she had been so anxious to leave her her father’s and stepmother’s home, why she things had gone wrong at the orphanage, and even what had happened to her mother, all those years ago.
The story was well constructed, the pace was well judged, and once Audrey had drawn me there was a great deal to hold me there. Her world lived and breathed. I could hear the sea as she did, I shivered in the damp misty weather alongside her, and I I knew exactly how she felt as she ventured into new houses and across harsh and unfamiliar countryside.
I appreciated the understanding of the history of the island and the way of life of the islanders; the writing was lovely and the descriptive prose, the pictures that the author painted, were wonderful.
I was disappointed that the end was a little too dramatic; but it held my attention because very final revelation came at the end of the book, it took me by surprise, and that the resolution of the story was satisfying.
I appreciated that this second novel sits well alongside its predecessor; and that it has exactly the right mix of things in common and things that make it different and distinctive. That said, I do think that the stronger colours of that first book suited Anna Mazzola rather better than the more muted tones of this one.
I found much to love though, and I am very interested to find out what the third novel will hold.
August 8, 2018
This book proved to be sheer reading PERFECTION for me, beautifully written and descriptive it enchanted me from the very start to the wonderful end.
I loved the setting on the isle of Skye, the historical details following the Highland clearances, the wealth of richly painted characters and the themes of folklore, fairy stories and myth. With the main character of Audrey, a determined young woman whom I could admire and empathise with.
I loved the setting on the isle of Skye, the historical details following the Highland clearances, the wealth of richly painted characters and the themes of folklore, fairy stories and myth. With the main character of Audrey, a determined young woman whom I could admire and empathise with.
January 23, 2019
Do you know what makes fiction all the more chilling? When it’s inspired by true events, a real case of young adults vanishing in the East End of London in the 1880s! Mazzola used this case as inspiration, relocated it to the Isle of Skye, and even weaved in a fairy tale of her own.
“Every group of people have their own stories that they create to make sense of their world. Therefore, in folk stories, in fairy tales, we see the reflection of humankind: its strength, flaws, hopes, fears. They tell us what it takes to survive.”
Yes, yes, a million times yes to that quote! Written so perfectly, it explains why children and adults love fairy tales, why folklore is so important, the messages within, let the stories never be forgotten. Hearing snippets of folktales throughout this novel was brilliant, especially the mention of the selkies legend, which is one of my favourites. Not only is The Story Keeper a great title, but the overall premise of this novel is great. It’s so atmospheric, gothic, mysterious and haunting that you can forgive it the relatively slow pacing, because the atmosphere is so strong and all encompassing. The remote landscape, the rich descriptive narration, eerie in places with dark undertones, oh yes, this is one hell of an immersive read. If you enjoy dark fairy tales, and slow burning mysteries, you need to read this one!
The tension, and mystery, slowly build over the course of this novel, you start to suspect everyone! The secretive nature of the people, and their belief in spirits is keeping everyone tight-lipped. Fairies, changelings, girls drowned in the river – but where does the folklore end and murder begin!? Even more interesting than the mystery, for me, was the events surrounding Audrey’s mother’s death; it was fantastic, and the conclusion drawn here blew me away, brilliant plotting by Mazzola.
On this Scottish island, we see the divide between class, the attitudes towards mental illness, and what is and isn’t becoming of a woman, and this creates an almost oppressive atmosphere, which gives this novel its darker edge. But, more than that, it’s what makes you invested in the plot, what makes you care about what is happening to these women, and what makes you root for Audrey.
Overall, The Story Keeper is a slow burner, dark in nature, highly atmospheric, wonderfully written, and the reason I have ordered Mazzola’s previous novel, The Unseeing.
*My thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this title*
“Every group of people have their own stories that they create to make sense of their world. Therefore, in folk stories, in fairy tales, we see the reflection of humankind: its strength, flaws, hopes, fears. They tell us what it takes to survive.”
Yes, yes, a million times yes to that quote! Written so perfectly, it explains why children and adults love fairy tales, why folklore is so important, the messages within, let the stories never be forgotten. Hearing snippets of folktales throughout this novel was brilliant, especially the mention of the selkies legend, which is one of my favourites. Not only is The Story Keeper a great title, but the overall premise of this novel is great. It’s so atmospheric, gothic, mysterious and haunting that you can forgive it the relatively slow pacing, because the atmosphere is so strong and all encompassing. The remote landscape, the rich descriptive narration, eerie in places with dark undertones, oh yes, this is one hell of an immersive read. If you enjoy dark fairy tales, and slow burning mysteries, you need to read this one!
The tension, and mystery, slowly build over the course of this novel, you start to suspect everyone! The secretive nature of the people, and their belief in spirits is keeping everyone tight-lipped. Fairies, changelings, girls drowned in the river – but where does the folklore end and murder begin!? Even more interesting than the mystery, for me, was the events surrounding Audrey’s mother’s death; it was fantastic, and the conclusion drawn here blew me away, brilliant plotting by Mazzola.
On this Scottish island, we see the divide between class, the attitudes towards mental illness, and what is and isn’t becoming of a woman, and this creates an almost oppressive atmosphere, which gives this novel its darker edge. But, more than that, it’s what makes you invested in the plot, what makes you care about what is happening to these women, and what makes you root for Audrey.
Overall, The Story Keeper is a slow burner, dark in nature, highly atmospheric, wonderfully written, and the reason I have ordered Mazzola’s previous novel, The Unseeing.
*My thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this title*
January 19, 2019
An often times eerie, spine tingling, suspenseful read that kept me engaged till I reached the end. Based on the haunting true events of the West Ham Vanishings in the 1880's where several children disappeared one in particular was Eliza Carter, who claimed to have been taken by fairies and later disappeared again never to be found. Recommended.
July 27, 2018
You can't really go wrong with a lone island,a family with secrets and some folklore can you... well you can,but luckily this didn't.
Set in 1800's sometimes,it was a good mix of those who believed in magic,mystery and fairies, and the Drs and priests that fought against it.
Audrey Hart is our lone heroine,and really quite forward and modern thinking for her age... she goes out there and collects stories....whilst getting herself slap bang in middle of one.
There's always a side of me that rolls my eyes when things are tied up too neatly,or one too many cliches is in force,and that happened here I'm afraid.... it was all too neat finding the fate of Audreys mother tied in.
However,I try not to let it ruin a very good story.
Set in 1800's sometimes,it was a good mix of those who believed in magic,mystery and fairies, and the Drs and priests that fought against it.
Audrey Hart is our lone heroine,and really quite forward and modern thinking for her age... she goes out there and collects stories....whilst getting herself slap bang in middle of one.
There's always a side of me that rolls my eyes when things are tied up too neatly,or one too many cliches is in force,and that happened here I'm afraid.... it was all too neat finding the fate of Audreys mother tied in.
However,I try not to let it ruin a very good story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2018
BookTrail the locations in the novel
Changelings, fairy folk, communities scared by the Highland clearances, talk of dark deeds and missing girls....there's a lot going on on the Isle of Skye. Well there was in 1857 where this dark and foreboding tale is set.
Anna Mazzola has woven a rich tapestry of folklore, legend and setting to create a tale of intrigue and dark, gothic mystery. Stunningly rich in detail and shrouded in ethereal mist. The Isle of Skye has never looked so mysterious.
Brilliant. Loved it.
January 18, 2019
Audrey Hart has left her family in London for the Isle of Skye to interview for the job of assisting a folklorist, Miss Buchanan. Having burned her bridges in London she is keen to get the job, she has nowhere else to go and also she is seeking answers to her mother’s death on the island, some years before. Her mother was also a collector of folk tales and Audrey feels a natural affinity to the Island and to the subject of folklore and myths.
The islanders are a closed community and are not willing to give up their stories so easily. Many are scared of repercussions as some regard the telling of folk stories to be on a par with witchcraft and to be dangerous. The Buchanan family, as local landowners, are not trusted for various reasons and Audrey finds it difficult to engage with the island folk and to get them to trust her.
When young girls go missing, some folk are insistent that evil spirits are responsible however Audrey is not so sure. Superstition can be so dangerous and the cruelty and paranoia shown by some of the villagers was quite disturbing.
The Story Keeper is a haunting and atmospheric tale. Set in 1857 on the Isle of Skye, the wintry conditions and the remoteness of the landscape are vividly brought to the page by the descriptive prose. It was so easy to be drawn into the story, the lines between legend and reality become blurred and at times I became as concerned as Audrey in trying to work out what was happening.
Some of the myths and legends mentioned were fascinating, albeit at times rather horrific in their description. The living conditions of some of the crofters were beyond basic and some of the islanders had been subject to brutal treatment by the Master of the Buchanan family in being forced to leave their homes. The fact that anyone managed to survive was miraculous.
Audrey’s backstory which is gradually revealed, was not a happy one however for her time, she was an independent and resilient character, resisting attempts by her stepmother to marry her off to just anyone. The fact that she was unmarried at nearly 25 meant that she was considered to be almost an ‘old maid’. How times have changed! At times she seemed rather naïve for someone in her mid twenties, but I was on her side all the way, hoping that she would find the answers she was seeking.
This was an excellent read which I very much enjoyed. It has a slow pace with a sinister undertone throughout however it’s the myriad of characters that drive the story forward; the different threads of the mystery of the missing girls, the unanswered questions over the death of Audrey’s mother, the legends and fairy tales kept my interest all the way through – there were certainly some surprises in store for me – and a conclusion that I wasn’t expecting.
The islanders are a closed community and are not willing to give up their stories so easily. Many are scared of repercussions as some regard the telling of folk stories to be on a par with witchcraft and to be dangerous. The Buchanan family, as local landowners, are not trusted for various reasons and Audrey finds it difficult to engage with the island folk and to get them to trust her.
When young girls go missing, some folk are insistent that evil spirits are responsible however Audrey is not so sure. Superstition can be so dangerous and the cruelty and paranoia shown by some of the villagers was quite disturbing.
The Story Keeper is a haunting and atmospheric tale. Set in 1857 on the Isle of Skye, the wintry conditions and the remoteness of the landscape are vividly brought to the page by the descriptive prose. It was so easy to be drawn into the story, the lines between legend and reality become blurred and at times I became as concerned as Audrey in trying to work out what was happening.
Some of the myths and legends mentioned were fascinating, albeit at times rather horrific in their description. The living conditions of some of the crofters were beyond basic and some of the islanders had been subject to brutal treatment by the Master of the Buchanan family in being forced to leave their homes. The fact that anyone managed to survive was miraculous.
Audrey’s backstory which is gradually revealed, was not a happy one however for her time, she was an independent and resilient character, resisting attempts by her stepmother to marry her off to just anyone. The fact that she was unmarried at nearly 25 meant that she was considered to be almost an ‘old maid’. How times have changed! At times she seemed rather naïve for someone in her mid twenties, but I was on her side all the way, hoping that she would find the answers she was seeking.
This was an excellent read which I very much enjoyed. It has a slow pace with a sinister undertone throughout however it’s the myriad of characters that drive the story forward; the different threads of the mystery of the missing girls, the unanswered questions over the death of Audrey’s mother, the legends and fairy tales kept my interest all the way through – there were certainly some surprises in store for me – and a conclusion that I wasn’t expecting.
July 26, 2018
http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2018/0...
24 year old Audrey, leaving London and its problems behind her, travels to Skye alone to be interviewed for Miss Buchanan’s assistant to help her in her quest to collect folk stories. Audrey is emotionally invested in both the place and the folk stories as both are connected to her late mother. Socially inept and finding small talk difficult, she’s become rootless since her mother’s death and needs to find her tribe. But is that on Skye?
From the beginning there is a foreboding, a sense of doom and a ‘heavy’ atmosphere as Audrey journeys by boat to Skye … which continues throughout the story, almost becoming a character in its own right. I loved the isolation and the harshness of the climate around the Buchanan Estate and villages and thought Anna Mazzola used this to full effect. I fell under its spell.
I felt as if I were viewing everything that happened through a veil – or a Neptunian lens – not knowing whether I could trust my own judgements. However it was obvious that the abuse of power (and even acceptance in 1857) had a part to play in more than one instance. I was suspicious of a couple of characters but not for one moment did I think one character in particular was so out of touch with reality. Once we know for sure, when all is revealed in both London and in Skye, I felt stripped raw.
The final twist was a shock! I really didn’t see that coming. I’m good at picking up clues but not this time. Very well hidden 🙂
The Story Collector is a story of intrigue, suspicions and lies. The pace is perfect for the underlying themes, the time and place. There’s plenty of tension in this Gothic novel and if you like the original, dark, fairy tales then you’ll want to be adding this one to your wishlist.
24 year old Audrey, leaving London and its problems behind her, travels to Skye alone to be interviewed for Miss Buchanan’s assistant to help her in her quest to collect folk stories. Audrey is emotionally invested in both the place and the folk stories as both are connected to her late mother. Socially inept and finding small talk difficult, she’s become rootless since her mother’s death and needs to find her tribe. But is that on Skye?
From the beginning there is a foreboding, a sense of doom and a ‘heavy’ atmosphere as Audrey journeys by boat to Skye … which continues throughout the story, almost becoming a character in its own right. I loved the isolation and the harshness of the climate around the Buchanan Estate and villages and thought Anna Mazzola used this to full effect. I fell under its spell.
I felt as if I were viewing everything that happened through a veil – or a Neptunian lens – not knowing whether I could trust my own judgements. However it was obvious that the abuse of power (and even acceptance in 1857) had a part to play in more than one instance. I was suspicious of a couple of characters but not for one moment did I think one character in particular was so out of touch with reality. Once we know for sure, when all is revealed in both London and in Skye, I felt stripped raw.
The final twist was a shock! I really didn’t see that coming. I’m good at picking up clues but not this time. Very well hidden 🙂
The Story Collector is a story of intrigue, suspicions and lies. The pace is perfect for the underlying themes, the time and place. There’s plenty of tension in this Gothic novel and if you like the original, dark, fairy tales then you’ll want to be adding this one to your wishlist.
April 8, 2018
Folklore is a way of passing on the stories of a people and their culture. It is also a way of passing on mythology and fairy-tales to the next generations. Folklore fuels fear, paranoia and mistrust, but it can also be conducive to bonding, feeling safe and a sense of community, especially on an isolated island.
Audrey has taken a job on the remote island of Skye in order to connect with her past and escape from the present. She has been employed to collect the stories of the islanders, the tales of the fae folk. The stories that can compel people to set fire to young girls or bury babies alive, in order to keep the fae happy.
They aren’t the cute tiny magical beings of fairy tales changed to be more kid friendly, they are the creatures of nightmares and shadows of daymares. This is what the islanders believe, and also the reason every single possible crime and odd event is automatically blamed on the fae.
When young girls start going missing and one of them turns up dead the rumours are clear, the fae have reason to be displeased and are taking the girls. Audrey thinks there is a more human element to the situation, but is distracted and blocked at every turn of her attempt to gain clarity. It isn’t long before the fae start to show her the error of her ways.
I really enjoyed the way the author hid a crime story in the middle of this tale of folklore, magic and paranoia. Mazzola hits the nail on the head when it comes to the seclusion of the population and the almost hermit-like behaviour of the majority of the population. She doesn’t neglect the reasons for the hunger, despair and cruelty, which drives many of them into an early grave or on to supposedly greener pastures.
Mazzola gives the reader a combination of an old school classic vibe with a contemporary feel to it. A sort of Jane Eyre meets Christie, and a wee gothic atmosphere mixed in to boot.
*I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.*
Audrey has taken a job on the remote island of Skye in order to connect with her past and escape from the present. She has been employed to collect the stories of the islanders, the tales of the fae folk. The stories that can compel people to set fire to young girls or bury babies alive, in order to keep the fae happy.
They aren’t the cute tiny magical beings of fairy tales changed to be more kid friendly, they are the creatures of nightmares and shadows of daymares. This is what the islanders believe, and also the reason every single possible crime and odd event is automatically blamed on the fae.
When young girls start going missing and one of them turns up dead the rumours are clear, the fae have reason to be displeased and are taking the girls. Audrey thinks there is a more human element to the situation, but is distracted and blocked at every turn of her attempt to gain clarity. It isn’t long before the fae start to show her the error of her ways.
I really enjoyed the way the author hid a crime story in the middle of this tale of folklore, magic and paranoia. Mazzola hits the nail on the head when it comes to the seclusion of the population and the almost hermit-like behaviour of the majority of the population. She doesn’t neglect the reasons for the hunger, despair and cruelty, which drives many of them into an early grave or on to supposedly greener pastures.
Mazzola gives the reader a combination of an old school classic vibe with a contemporary feel to it. A sort of Jane Eyre meets Christie, and a wee gothic atmosphere mixed in to boot.
*I received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.*
August 1, 2018
I really enjoyed this venture into gothic suspense - it's dark, atmospheric and engaging!
The writing is excellent, despite the era there are strong females in lead roles, the setting and descriptions are captivating and the mystery and intrigue keep you turning the pages. I loved the obvious historical research that had been done to retell the impact of the highland clearances, the abject poverty suffered and the folklores told and believed in by the people of Skye.
Rife with tension, suspicion and lies - both in Skye and in Audrey's back story. What started off as an intriguing slow burner quickly gathered pace and I was blindsided by the dramatic conclusion.
Highly recommended 4 - 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read The Story Keeper - this review is, as always my honest opinion and thoughts about the book.
The writing is excellent, despite the era there are strong females in lead roles, the setting and descriptions are captivating and the mystery and intrigue keep you turning the pages. I loved the obvious historical research that had been done to retell the impact of the highland clearances, the abject poverty suffered and the folklores told and believed in by the people of Skye.
Rife with tension, suspicion and lies - both in Skye and in Audrey's back story. What started off as an intriguing slow burner quickly gathered pace and I was blindsided by the dramatic conclusion.
Highly recommended 4 - 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read The Story Keeper - this review is, as always my honest opinion and thoughts about the book.
September 14, 2022
'The Story Keeper' has a very Gothic opening that seemed to me to be channelling the spirit of Wilkie Collins: a dark and stormy night, a woman travelling alone from London to a small village on a remote island arriving to be greeted only by a taciturn servant. The big house - the only big house for miles - seen for the first time at night - is cold and not welcoming. There's an air of quiet menace, the suggestion of something dark but not spoken of.
At that point, I thought I knew where this was going - a Victorian ghost story modernised by having a lone woman as the main character and made more distinctive by being set on the Isle of Skye. The opening was well written and I was happy to settle down and wait for the ghostly disruptions to start.
But that wasn't where the book went. This isn't a Wilkie Collins pastiche. It's more complicated than that. 'The Story Keeper' fashions its story by weaving together grim social history, island folklore, bleak landscapes, corrupt men and vulnerable women into a tale about young girls disappearing and discovering who or what is taking them.
It draws heavily on the history of Skye, displaying the social evils of the day: the extreme poverty of the islanders, made worse by mass evictions as part of the clearances; the callous indifference of landlords who see their tenants as barely human; the extinction of a culture that was seen as primitive, superstitious and in conflict with Christianity.
It uses well-told local folk stories to move the plot forward in surprising ways and to show that, for the local people, the folk stories are not pretty fairytales but warnings or fears confronted and contained. They are attempts at agency and a way of trying to become reconciled with their fate.
Two things turn 'The Story Keeper' into a thrilling, emotionally engaging story, rather than didactic historical fiction: the mystery of the missing girls and the strength of the women trying to find out what happened to them
The mystery of the missing girls is not just a puzzle, it's a threat and a struggle. The mechanics of the mystery work well. It kept me guessing about what was going on without actively misleading me. and the gothic elements are not just decoration, they're an embodiment of the mindset that drives all the wrong-doing. From the beginning, there is a strong sense of threat, of abuse protected by secrets that soon starts to feel like a palpable evil, linked to the creatures in the folk tales.
There are three strong women at the heart of the story. They are all different in age, social position and motivation but they are all women who've taken damage and who expect little but refuse to just curl up and give in.
As a mystery, 'The Story Keeper' is entertaining but I think its power comes from what it has to say about stories themselves.
It's a book of competing stories and clashing cultures. It tells of a world in which the powerful render the weak invisible either through self-serving entitled disregard or by a conscious effort to silence or erase them. The rich powerful white men in the book tell themselves one story about how the world works - they speak of economically rational choices, of replacing superstition with something more civilised and Christian and of facing the reality of necessary change. The crofters, who have been through famine and sickness and eviction and whose young face the choice of starvation or emigration, and who have no control over their own lives, tell another - they speak of fate and curses and malevolent spirits and what must be done or not done to appease them. The two sets of stories are told in two different languages. The worlds they describe barely overlap.
Behind the rich versus poor story is a more subtle one. One that is mostly told only in enforced silence or public denial. It's the story of how men abuse women; of how corrupt men prey on vulnerable women and other men either look away or drown out complaints.
The ending was more hopeful than I had expected and might be seen as too neat but, after everything everyone, including the reader, had been put through, I was glad to see it.
At that point, I thought I knew where this was going - a Victorian ghost story modernised by having a lone woman as the main character and made more distinctive by being set on the Isle of Skye. The opening was well written and I was happy to settle down and wait for the ghostly disruptions to start.
But that wasn't where the book went. This isn't a Wilkie Collins pastiche. It's more complicated than that. 'The Story Keeper' fashions its story by weaving together grim social history, island folklore, bleak landscapes, corrupt men and vulnerable women into a tale about young girls disappearing and discovering who or what is taking them.
It draws heavily on the history of Skye, displaying the social evils of the day: the extreme poverty of the islanders, made worse by mass evictions as part of the clearances; the callous indifference of landlords who see their tenants as barely human; the extinction of a culture that was seen as primitive, superstitious and in conflict with Christianity.
It uses well-told local folk stories to move the plot forward in surprising ways and to show that, for the local people, the folk stories are not pretty fairytales but warnings or fears confronted and contained. They are attempts at agency and a way of trying to become reconciled with their fate.
Two things turn 'The Story Keeper' into a thrilling, emotionally engaging story, rather than didactic historical fiction: the mystery of the missing girls and the strength of the women trying to find out what happened to them
The mystery of the missing girls is not just a puzzle, it's a threat and a struggle. The mechanics of the mystery work well. It kept me guessing about what was going on without actively misleading me. and the gothic elements are not just decoration, they're an embodiment of the mindset that drives all the wrong-doing. From the beginning, there is a strong sense of threat, of abuse protected by secrets that soon starts to feel like a palpable evil, linked to the creatures in the folk tales.
There are three strong women at the heart of the story. They are all different in age, social position and motivation but they are all women who've taken damage and who expect little but refuse to just curl up and give in.
As a mystery, 'The Story Keeper' is entertaining but I think its power comes from what it has to say about stories themselves.
It's a book of competing stories and clashing cultures. It tells of a world in which the powerful render the weak invisible either through self-serving entitled disregard or by a conscious effort to silence or erase them. The rich powerful white men in the book tell themselves one story about how the world works - they speak of economically rational choices, of replacing superstition with something more civilised and Christian and of facing the reality of necessary change. The crofters, who have been through famine and sickness and eviction and whose young face the choice of starvation or emigration, and who have no control over their own lives, tell another - they speak of fate and curses and malevolent spirits and what must be done or not done to appease them. The two sets of stories are told in two different languages. The worlds they describe barely overlap.
Behind the rich versus poor story is a more subtle one. One that is mostly told only in enforced silence or public denial. It's the story of how men abuse women; of how corrupt men prey on vulnerable women and other men either look away or drown out complaints.
The ending was more hopeful than I had expected and might be seen as too neat but, after everything everyone, including the reader, had been put through, I was glad to see it.
July 23, 2018
‘First the land was taken.
Then the stories.
Then the girls.’
The Story Keeper is the second novel from Anna Mazzola, following on from the success of her debut The Unseeing. Described as a ‘sizzling, period novel’, The Story Keeper will be published by Tinder Press on 26th July.
I read The Story Keeper while on my holidays recently and I can honestly say my head was stuck in the pages until the I read the very last word. A brooding and atmospheric novel folks!
Anna Mazzola has written a fascinating story that completely intrigued me and kept me turning those pages well into the wee small hours. I love a book that encourages me to do my own research into a topic of significant historical relevance. In the case of The Story Keeper, it was the reference to The Highland Clearances and the horrors that were inflicted on folk as they were evicted from their homes and forced into emigration to faraway lands, never to see home again.. The Isle of Skye was decimated during this time, leaving the remaining folk suspicious of strangers and hostile toward any who were not one of their own.
The Story Keeper is based on the Isle of Skye following the clearances. It’s 1857 and Audrey Hart has left her life in London behind to take up a position as assistant to Miss Buchanan, a local member of the gentry with a passion for folklore. Following the cruel eviction of many of the local residents, and their subsequent departure from the island, Miss Buchanan fears that the old stories and superstitions will be lost forever. Over the years she has gathered many stories but an injury in her youth has incapacitated her as her condition has degenerated with the passing of time. Now housebound, she advertised for help and decided that Audrey’s application for the position was the most suitable. Audrey is looking to escape her life in London and makes the long, lonely and, at times, inhospitable journey to the Isle of Skye. Anna Mazzola’s opening description of Audrey’s arrival sets out the scene for the reader as the desolation is palpable off the pages.
The layers of the story are excellently revealed as we gradually form an idea of what is happening on the island. Audrey carries her own secret close to her chest and, as she fears for her own safety, she soon realises that she is not the only one with a secret to keep.
As Audrey settles into life on the island, a darkness seems to permeate through the pages. Audrey is conscious of a very disconcerting atmosphere in the Buchanan household, and in the surrounding countryside, but it is only on the discovery of the body of a young girl washed up on the beach that raises many questions for Audrey. Is this the work of something otherworldly as the locals would have her believe or are there some other sinister forces at play.
Audrey’s love of the old ways and it’s secrets was inspired by her mother, an avid collector of anecdotal evidence, who kept notes of the whispered legends and myths associated with the fairies and the spirits, both good and evil. Audrey’s mother had a tragic passing on the Isle of Skye, and with the tales of young girls going missing in recent years from the island, Audrey’s suspicions are raised. What really did happen to her mother? Why, if the locals are to be believed, are girls vanishing from the island again?
The Story Keeper is the perfect sinister read, with the atmospheric content so fabulously depicted. There is a constant feeling of menace and mystery which really makes for a very addictive read. I had heard so much about Anna Mazzola’s writing in the last while, with incredible reviews of her debut The Unseeing all over social media and beyond, that I had huge expectations for The Story Keeper. There is always that fear that with these high expectations there will be the inevitable disappointment, but certainly not here.
The Story Keeper is reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier and Alfred Hitchcock combined, giving it the potential to be an incredible movie, with the same darkness and unsettled feelings that accompany a Hitchcock classic. I really enjoyed this book!!
Ominous. Chilling. Mysterious.
Then the stories.
Then the girls.’
The Story Keeper is the second novel from Anna Mazzola, following on from the success of her debut The Unseeing. Described as a ‘sizzling, period novel’, The Story Keeper will be published by Tinder Press on 26th July.
I read The Story Keeper while on my holidays recently and I can honestly say my head was stuck in the pages until the I read the very last word. A brooding and atmospheric novel folks!
Anna Mazzola has written a fascinating story that completely intrigued me and kept me turning those pages well into the wee small hours. I love a book that encourages me to do my own research into a topic of significant historical relevance. In the case of The Story Keeper, it was the reference to The Highland Clearances and the horrors that were inflicted on folk as they were evicted from their homes and forced into emigration to faraway lands, never to see home again.. The Isle of Skye was decimated during this time, leaving the remaining folk suspicious of strangers and hostile toward any who were not one of their own.
The Story Keeper is based on the Isle of Skye following the clearances. It’s 1857 and Audrey Hart has left her life in London behind to take up a position as assistant to Miss Buchanan, a local member of the gentry with a passion for folklore. Following the cruel eviction of many of the local residents, and their subsequent departure from the island, Miss Buchanan fears that the old stories and superstitions will be lost forever. Over the years she has gathered many stories but an injury in her youth has incapacitated her as her condition has degenerated with the passing of time. Now housebound, she advertised for help and decided that Audrey’s application for the position was the most suitable. Audrey is looking to escape her life in London and makes the long, lonely and, at times, inhospitable journey to the Isle of Skye. Anna Mazzola’s opening description of Audrey’s arrival sets out the scene for the reader as the desolation is palpable off the pages.
The layers of the story are excellently revealed as we gradually form an idea of what is happening on the island. Audrey carries her own secret close to her chest and, as she fears for her own safety, she soon realises that she is not the only one with a secret to keep.
As Audrey settles into life on the island, a darkness seems to permeate through the pages. Audrey is conscious of a very disconcerting atmosphere in the Buchanan household, and in the surrounding countryside, but it is only on the discovery of the body of a young girl washed up on the beach that raises many questions for Audrey. Is this the work of something otherworldly as the locals would have her believe or are there some other sinister forces at play.
Audrey’s love of the old ways and it’s secrets was inspired by her mother, an avid collector of anecdotal evidence, who kept notes of the whispered legends and myths associated with the fairies and the spirits, both good and evil. Audrey’s mother had a tragic passing on the Isle of Skye, and with the tales of young girls going missing in recent years from the island, Audrey’s suspicions are raised. What really did happen to her mother? Why, if the locals are to be believed, are girls vanishing from the island again?
The Story Keeper is the perfect sinister read, with the atmospheric content so fabulously depicted. There is a constant feeling of menace and mystery which really makes for a very addictive read. I had heard so much about Anna Mazzola’s writing in the last while, with incredible reviews of her debut The Unseeing all over social media and beyond, that I had huge expectations for The Story Keeper. There is always that fear that with these high expectations there will be the inevitable disappointment, but certainly not here.
The Story Keeper is reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier and Alfred Hitchcock combined, giving it the potential to be an incredible movie, with the same darkness and unsettled feelings that accompany a Hitchcock classic. I really enjoyed this book!!
Ominous. Chilling. Mysterious.
March 20, 2018
Sluagh, boobrie, Cailleach, selkies, sprites, brownies, fairies, each-uisge, changeling - whether or not you are familiar with these terms, The Story Keeper is a must read historical fiction for any folklore enthusiast who are interested in Scottish Highlands myths, legends and folklore. Set in 1857, Audrey Hart, a Londoner, accepted a job offer to collect folklore stories for Miss Buchanan, a lady folklorist, at the Isle of Skye. During her stay there, Audrey found a body of young girl washed ashore, and later discovered that there were other girls who went missing without a trace. The local believes that they were victims of Sluagh but Audrey thinks otherwise. Could there be something else more sinister going on?
The premise of the story is intriguing as it was inspired by a true historical event, The West Ham Vanishings in the 1880s. But the author brought us into her part of the world, giving us the version of her story which I find is truly creative and engaging. Compared to her debut novel, The Unseeing, the story this time is somewhat of a slow burn, gradually becoming more interesting as layers of mysteries are unfold. Yes, The Story Keeper is a multilayered mystery novel and this makes it much more interesting.
Mazzola's storytelling talent is exhibited through the beautiful prose and her atmospheric writing which I enjoyed immensely. Her descriptions of the places and scenery were incredible and set the right mood and background for this story. The flow of the story is smooth rendering it such a delightful read. She is one talented writer!
Characters are quite well developed and were carefully delineated throughout the story. I appreciate this as it builds a deeper connection with the characters. It leaves you wanting to know more about them as they grow on you. I personally find Audrey's character is endearing. She is a strong-willed woman yet kind and compassionate too. I also enjoyed other supporting characters, especially Mairi. She is likeable and naive!
In a nutshell, The Story Keeper is a beautifully written and a well-researched book that will leave you wanting more. A haunting read that will lingers in your mind and makes you wonder of how sometimes our lives choices are shaped by our beliefs even if they do not make sense to the rest of the world.
My favourite quote:- "Every group of people have their own stories that they create to make sense of their world. Therefore, in folk stories, in fairy tales, we see the reflection of humankind: its strength, flaws, hopes, fears. They tell us what it takes to survive."
***Sincere gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author or any third party.***
The premise of the story is intriguing as it was inspired by a true historical event, The West Ham Vanishings in the 1880s. But the author brought us into her part of the world, giving us the version of her story which I find is truly creative and engaging. Compared to her debut novel, The Unseeing, the story this time is somewhat of a slow burn, gradually becoming more interesting as layers of mysteries are unfold. Yes, The Story Keeper is a multilayered mystery novel and this makes it much more interesting.
Mazzola's storytelling talent is exhibited through the beautiful prose and her atmospheric writing which I enjoyed immensely. Her descriptions of the places and scenery were incredible and set the right mood and background for this story. The flow of the story is smooth rendering it such a delightful read. She is one talented writer!
Characters are quite well developed and were carefully delineated throughout the story. I appreciate this as it builds a deeper connection with the characters. It leaves you wanting to know more about them as they grow on you. I personally find Audrey's character is endearing. She is a strong-willed woman yet kind and compassionate too. I also enjoyed other supporting characters, especially Mairi. She is likeable and naive!
In a nutshell, The Story Keeper is a beautifully written and a well-researched book that will leave you wanting more. A haunting read that will lingers in your mind and makes you wonder of how sometimes our lives choices are shaped by our beliefs even if they do not make sense to the rest of the world.
My favourite quote:- "Every group of people have their own stories that they create to make sense of their world. Therefore, in folk stories, in fairy tales, we see the reflection of humankind: its strength, flaws, hopes, fears. They tell us what it takes to survive."
***Sincere gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author or any third party.***
March 25, 2018
I have been desperate to read The Story Keeper after I fell in love with her debut, The Unseeing, and I was not disappointed.
In The Story Keeper, Mazzola uses folk tales, the myths and legends of an island’s history, the art of story telling and the rituals that bring people together to create a fascinating and intriguing story. From the very opening the atmosphere is deliciously mysterious, with a palpable sense of foreboding which is completely captivating.
I am now decided that Mazzola is definitely one of my favourite writers. The Story Keeper seems to absorb the strongest elements of Hitchcock, Du Maurier, Charlotte Bronte and S K Tremayne to create a novel which entertains, fascinates and draws the reader in an unputdownble historical thriller, full of mystery, unsettling imagery and a gripping plot. A 5* read and a contender for one of my books of the year.
Full review to follow nearer publication day
In The Story Keeper, Mazzola uses folk tales, the myths and legends of an island’s history, the art of story telling and the rituals that bring people together to create a fascinating and intriguing story. From the very opening the atmosphere is deliciously mysterious, with a palpable sense of foreboding which is completely captivating.
I am now decided that Mazzola is definitely one of my favourite writers. The Story Keeper seems to absorb the strongest elements of Hitchcock, Du Maurier, Charlotte Bronte and S K Tremayne to create a novel which entertains, fascinates and draws the reader in an unputdownble historical thriller, full of mystery, unsettling imagery and a gripping plot. A 5* read and a contender for one of my books of the year.
Full review to follow nearer publication day
February 10, 2019
Many will be drawn to this by the setting of the Isle of Skye, as I was. The story takes place in the early 19th century and concerns Audrey Hart who relocates from London to a village just north of Broadford to record tales of folklore from the Hebrides. As she settles into island life a young woman and friend of hers goes missing, providing an element of mystery to the story which it badly needs. As wonderful as the setting is, the book is short on action, and may appeal to those who like their mysteries ‘cosy’, though that may seem the wrong word in the bleak Scottish island winter. The most memorable passages concern the island itself; the ferry boat over from Kyleakin (which I am old enough to remember, before the bridge), trips to Trotternish and Sligachan, places I know well myself. The quoted folklore doesn’t hold the interest, and the mystery element is weak indeed.
May 7, 2018
Thanks Headline and netgalley for this ARC.
Anna Mazzola gives us a true gothic thriller with The Story Keeper. I felt the creepy crawlies up my arms and down my spine a few times while reading this novel. Loved learning about the folk tales tradition also.
Anna Mazzola gives us a true gothic thriller with The Story Keeper. I felt the creepy crawlies up my arms and down my spine a few times while reading this novel. Loved learning about the folk tales tradition also.
October 31, 2018
Such a beautifully written and atmospheric Gothic novel set on Skye during the 19th century. This is a place of folklore and myth - some of which are as brutal and cruel as the harsh conditions facing many of the island's poor. Such an engrossing read. review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
July 20, 2018
An enthralling mix of history, mystery, thriller and folklore that I adored and now has me itching to read more folklore tales!
I loved The Unseeing from this author, so have been eager to read her latest and once more I've been captivated by the setting, the characters and the unsettling feeling throughout as the tale of missing girls unfolds on the Isle of Skye.
Set in 1857, Audrey is not ready for a life of conforming. An unhappy home life due to her father and stepmother, she is eager to get away so is happy to escape to Skye to fill the vacancy advertised as a collector of folktales for Miss Buchanan. Her mother used to collect stories too, so Audrey has grown up around the dark local tales and wishes to help collate more. She is initially met with resistance from a lot of the locals as they are scared to share the stories as they've been brought up to believe that there'll be trouble if stories of the fairy folk are shared. This ties in with the mystery disappearances of young girls, and when Audrey discovers the body of one girl washed up on the shoreline it is only natural that the locals fear more trouble is coming their way.
There's a great range of characters in this book - Audrey is a troubled young woman but eager to get on in life and not settle for life as a wife as expected in those days. She is desperately missing her mother and wants to know more about the way she died too and while she is back in the area she also finds out more about her. Miss Buchanan is another great character! A very imposing woman who is virtually housebound due to an accident, but still has an inquisitive mind and great hold over the locals. Her nephew Alec has been assisting her with the folklore tales but is keen to be a writer and story collector in his own right so is often distracted by his own endeavours.
I also loved the way the story of Bainne is dotted throughout this book. A story from the folklore world, it gives a real insight into the fairy life and a sense of how much power the stories had over the local communities who often ran their way of life according to superstition. And with the times they were living in being so tough it was easy to see why they put so much faith in these dark stories - as one character said 'it's better to be terrified than miserable' .
I really enjoyed the slow build of this story. With various threads running throughout there was always something going on, a new story to be told, a new mystery to be investigated and combined with the bleak setting it really made this an unsettling and atmospheric read. Whenever Audrey got close to uncovering a truth there was always something put in her way to make her start questioning her own sanity, and as a reader you were never quite sure who to trust as so many seemed keen on keeping Audrey away from their way of life.
Highly recommended for those who love their tales dark and disturbing!!
I loved The Unseeing from this author, so have been eager to read her latest and once more I've been captivated by the setting, the characters and the unsettling feeling throughout as the tale of missing girls unfolds on the Isle of Skye.
Set in 1857, Audrey is not ready for a life of conforming. An unhappy home life due to her father and stepmother, she is eager to get away so is happy to escape to Skye to fill the vacancy advertised as a collector of folktales for Miss Buchanan. Her mother used to collect stories too, so Audrey has grown up around the dark local tales and wishes to help collate more. She is initially met with resistance from a lot of the locals as they are scared to share the stories as they've been brought up to believe that there'll be trouble if stories of the fairy folk are shared. This ties in with the mystery disappearances of young girls, and when Audrey discovers the body of one girl washed up on the shoreline it is only natural that the locals fear more trouble is coming their way.
There's a great range of characters in this book - Audrey is a troubled young woman but eager to get on in life and not settle for life as a wife as expected in those days. She is desperately missing her mother and wants to know more about the way she died too and while she is back in the area she also finds out more about her. Miss Buchanan is another great character! A very imposing woman who is virtually housebound due to an accident, but still has an inquisitive mind and great hold over the locals. Her nephew Alec has been assisting her with the folklore tales but is keen to be a writer and story collector in his own right so is often distracted by his own endeavours.
I also loved the way the story of Bainne is dotted throughout this book. A story from the folklore world, it gives a real insight into the fairy life and a sense of how much power the stories had over the local communities who often ran their way of life according to superstition. And with the times they were living in being so tough it was easy to see why they put so much faith in these dark stories - as one character said 'it's better to be terrified than miserable' .
I really enjoyed the slow build of this story. With various threads running throughout there was always something going on, a new story to be told, a new mystery to be investigated and combined with the bleak setting it really made this an unsettling and atmospheric read. Whenever Audrey got close to uncovering a truth there was always something put in her way to make her start questioning her own sanity, and as a reader you were never quite sure who to trust as so many seemed keen on keeping Audrey away from their way of life.
Highly recommended for those who love their tales dark and disturbing!!
July 26, 2018
I loved The Story Keeper as much as I loved Anna Mazzola's first book, The Unseeing. The Story Keeper is beautifully written weaving a mystery around Scottish folklore on the Isle of Skye in 1857.
When Audrey Hart runs away from her London home she wants to find out the truth about her mother's death when Audrey was a small child and they lived on Skye. Now she accepts a job working for a folklorist but when a young girl's body is washed ashore and other girls go missing Audrey suspects foul play is being covered up under the guise of the Slaugh spiriting the girls away. The islanders superstition holds back both Audrey's work in writing down the stories that have been passed down the generations as well as discovering who is behind the mystery of the disappearing girls.
Anna Mazzola takes the reader into the landscape so well while her main character is a strong willed young woman we want to see succeed in her endeavour of justice for the girls as well as learning what happened to her mother.
The Story Keeper will certainly be one of my books of the year. I highly recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review the book.
When Audrey Hart runs away from her London home she wants to find out the truth about her mother's death when Audrey was a small child and they lived on Skye. Now she accepts a job working for a folklorist but when a young girl's body is washed ashore and other girls go missing Audrey suspects foul play is being covered up under the guise of the Slaugh spiriting the girls away. The islanders superstition holds back both Audrey's work in writing down the stories that have been passed down the generations as well as discovering who is behind the mystery of the disappearing girls.
Anna Mazzola takes the reader into the landscape so well while her main character is a strong willed young woman we want to see succeed in her endeavour of justice for the girls as well as learning what happened to her mother.
The Story Keeper will certainly be one of my books of the year. I highly recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review the book.
December 17, 2019
Where do I even start with this? This book is all over the place, not in a good way though. It starts as quite a bland, prosaic tale of Audrey, a 24 year old woman who's run away from a father and step-mother she can't live with anymore and has fled to Skye to research folk tales. That's not a bad setup, I like stories about folk tales, about cold and remote island communities, I'm not averse to historical fiction and the book does begin setting up a mystery, which will always help drag a story along.
However, it's all just done badly. Well, not even badly, just with no spark, no interest, no imagination, there's almost nothing here. The folk tales are few and far between and either pointlessly short or told in bits and pieces. Audrey is pretty unlikeable as a character, which is explained (spoiler alert she's being poisoned) but I don't care, I just want her to stop droning on about what's real and what's not. There's a central mystery about disappearing girls (spoiler alert it's not that mysterious, there's only two people who might conceivably be responsible and, spoiler alert, it was both of them) and there's some doubt about whether the fairies took them. I wish they had.
The backdrop of the Highland Clearances is never really delved into in any kind of meaningful way, it's just largely there as a reason for the locals of Skye to not talk to Audrey. Now this helps delay the central mystery of the book but it really gets in the way. Audrey is dull and if nobody talks to her then all we get is the inner musings of her toadstool addled brain for a solid half the book or more.
The end, when it finally comes, ties everything up so neatly I actually laughed, the telegram from her step-mother was utterly hilarious. It just underlined the lack of any complexity to this book, which isn't always necessary for a book to be good but would have been extremely welcome here. The blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality just doesn't really work well when the main heft of the book is so prosaic.
However, it's all just done badly. Well, not even badly, just with no spark, no interest, no imagination, there's almost nothing here. The folk tales are few and far between and either pointlessly short or told in bits and pieces. Audrey is pretty unlikeable as a character, which is explained (spoiler alert she's being poisoned) but I don't care, I just want her to stop droning on about what's real and what's not. There's a central mystery about disappearing girls (spoiler alert it's not that mysterious, there's only two people who might conceivably be responsible and, spoiler alert, it was both of them) and there's some doubt about whether the fairies took them. I wish they had.
The backdrop of the Highland Clearances is never really delved into in any kind of meaningful way, it's just largely there as a reason for the locals of Skye to not talk to Audrey. Now this helps delay the central mystery of the book but it really gets in the way. Audrey is dull and if nobody talks to her then all we get is the inner musings of her toadstool addled brain for a solid half the book or more.
The end, when it finally comes, ties everything up so neatly I actually laughed, the telegram from her step-mother was utterly hilarious. It just underlined the lack of any complexity to this book, which isn't always necessary for a book to be good but would have been extremely welcome here. The blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality just doesn't really work well when the main heft of the book is so prosaic.
July 20, 2018
What a fabulous book! This is a great eerie mystery set on the Isle of Skye in 1857, an island idevastated at that time by the Highland Clearances. It’s a world full of superstition and fairy stories. Audrey Hart jumps at the chance to travel to Skye, the place where she used to holiday with her mother, when she is invited there to collect folk tales. However, it’s not long before a body of a young girl is found washed up on the beach and then Audrey discovers that another girl went missing a short while previously. She starts to wonder if these occurrences could be linked to her mother’s death.
This is a beautifully written, imaginative and atmospheric story with an overtone of menace throughout. The crofters’ fascinating folk tales just add so much to the feeling of doom and uneasiness. I can quite understand how they would think that the tales would make sense of a world which must have appeared so bleak sometimes. The descriptions of Skye are so very vivid and dramatic, such a fantastic, moody setting! Plenty of twists and turns in this intriguing and well paced mystery, too, with a cast of complex and interesting characters.
The Story Keeper is very much a page turner. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it! Can you tell? 😁
This is a beautifully written, imaginative and atmospheric story with an overtone of menace throughout. The crofters’ fascinating folk tales just add so much to the feeling of doom and uneasiness. I can quite understand how they would think that the tales would make sense of a world which must have appeared so bleak sometimes. The descriptions of Skye are so very vivid and dramatic, such a fantastic, moody setting! Plenty of twists and turns in this intriguing and well paced mystery, too, with a cast of complex and interesting characters.
The Story Keeper is very much a page turner. I couldn’t put it down. I loved it! Can you tell? 😁
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