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The Shadow Hour
Nineteen twenty-two. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own.
Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?
Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?
528 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2016
45 people are currently reading
2416 people want to read
About the author
Kate Riordan
13 books575 followersKate Riordan is a writer and journalist from England. Her first job was as an editorial assistant at the Guardian newspaper, followed by a stint as deputy editor for the lifestyle section of London bible, Time Out magazine.
After becoming a freelancer, she left London behind and moved to the beautiful Cotswolds in order to write her first novel, 'Birdcage Walk'. Her second novel, a haunting dual narrative story set in the 1930s and 1890s will be published by Penguin in January 2015 as 'The Girl in the Photograph'. In February, HarperCollins will publish the same book as 'Fiercombe Manor' in the US and Canada. She is now at work on her third novel, another dual narrative story full of intrigue and secrets, but this time set in the 1870s and 1920s, and about the lives of two very different governesses.
After becoming a freelancer, she left London behind and moved to the beautiful Cotswolds in order to write her first novel, 'Birdcage Walk'. Her second novel, a haunting dual narrative story set in the 1930s and 1890s will be published by Penguin in January 2015 as 'The Girl in the Photograph'. In February, HarperCollins will publish the same book as 'Fiercombe Manor' in the US and Canada. She is now at work on her third novel, another dual narrative story full of intrigue and secrets, but this time set in the 1870s and 1920s, and about the lives of two very different governesses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
April 14, 2016
The year is 1922 and Grace has been hired to be a little boy's governess in the crumbling Fenix House. She is following in her grandmother's footsteps who was governess there years ago. Grace has heard stories since she was little about the house, but she realized when she arrives at Fenix House that her grandmother's stories perhaps not are all true. Why did her grandmother that she should work at the house and what really happened all the years ago when her grandmother worked a summer at Fenix House?
I read The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan last year and liked the book and I knew that I wanted to read this one when I saw that this one also had to a story about two women in different eras, one in 1878 and one in 1922. In 1878, we meet Harriet who has lost her father and has to work as a governess since she because her father's business crashed. Around 40 years later her granddaughter Grace also takes the job as a governess. Both women have what her grandmother calls “glimmers”; vague visions of the future. Grace realized quite soon that everything her grandmother told her is not entirely true. For instance, the room she gets is not the one that her grandmother described for her, but it's the room that every governess has slept in. And, that is just a little thing, the more she learns the more she realizes that her grandmother has told her quite a lot of embellished stories while the truth seems to be that the summer all those years ago is a much darker story.
There was a moment around 60-70% into the book when I felt a bit frustrated with the fact that there were 200 pages left of the book. I did enjoy the story, but I felt that a 500+ pages book need to have a story that keeps the interest up all the time and right at that moment I felt that too much of the time was spent on less interesting events and I wanted to know what really happened in 1878. Fortunately, the story picked up the pace and I was rewarded with a really good ending.
I enjoyed most of the book, I did, however, feel that the "romance" in 1878 was a bit predictable. But Harriet's past with the wife in the house made the story really good. The book was a bit darker that I expected. I thought it would just be a granddaughter discovering that her grandmother had a different past than she had been told since she was little. Which, in a way is true, but still the story turned out different from what had I expected, which I liked.
I liked both storylines. Sometimes a storyline is weaker than the other, but in this book both are interesting to read. I also think that this book is better than The Girl in the Photograph. The story is more interesting and I loved they way Riordan decided to end the book.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!
Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede
I read The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan last year and liked the book and I knew that I wanted to read this one when I saw that this one also had to a story about two women in different eras, one in 1878 and one in 1922. In 1878, we meet Harriet who has lost her father and has to work as a governess since she because her father's business crashed. Around 40 years later her granddaughter Grace also takes the job as a governess. Both women have what her grandmother calls “glimmers”; vague visions of the future. Grace realized quite soon that everything her grandmother told her is not entirely true. For instance, the room she gets is not the one that her grandmother described for her, but it's the room that every governess has slept in. And, that is just a little thing, the more she learns the more she realizes that her grandmother has told her quite a lot of embellished stories while the truth seems to be that the summer all those years ago is a much darker story.
There was a moment around 60-70% into the book when I felt a bit frustrated with the fact that there were 200 pages left of the book. I did enjoy the story, but I felt that a 500+ pages book need to have a story that keeps the interest up all the time and right at that moment I felt that too much of the time was spent on less interesting events and I wanted to know what really happened in 1878. Fortunately, the story picked up the pace and I was rewarded with a really good ending.
I enjoyed most of the book, I did, however, feel that the "romance" in 1878 was a bit predictable. But Harriet's past with the wife in the house made the story really good. The book was a bit darker that I expected. I thought it would just be a granddaughter discovering that her grandmother had a different past than she had been told since she was little. Which, in a way is true, but still the story turned out different from what had I expected, which I liked.
I liked both storylines. Sometimes a storyline is weaker than the other, but in this book both are interesting to read. I also think that this book is better than The Girl in the Photograph. The story is more interesting and I loved they way Riordan decided to end the book.
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!
Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede
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February 12, 2017I guess I can't say I "read" it because I skip-read almost all book, but I will still mark it as "not-finished". So, DNF could is still raining on me.
I think it's more family drama than creepy suspense Gothic tale that I expected and wanted to read. Wanted to have some fun with Rebecca and Jane Eyre, but got this "Oh, the stairs are creaking, there must be millions of ghosts in here!" idea all over the place. Sometimes old house, it just old house, ladies O_O.
Also, disliked how two timelines were intertwined - sometimes it felt that different characters were describing the same just few decades apart. And I think Grandmother's chapters were way more well written. Some main characters lacked personality. It's a quite slow book, and I might have skipped something REALLY important, but for me it seems just OK.
I think it's more family drama than creepy suspense Gothic tale that I expected and wanted to read. Wanted to have some fun with Rebecca and Jane Eyre, but got this "Oh, the stairs are creaking, there must be millions of ghosts in here!" idea all over the place. Sometimes old house, it just old house, ladies O_O.
Also, disliked how two timelines were intertwined - sometimes it felt that different characters were describing the same just few decades apart. And I think Grandmother's chapters were way more well written. Some main characters lacked personality. It's a quite slow book, and I might have skipped something REALLY important, but for me it seems just OK.
February 29, 2016
(3.5) A clever dual-timeline novel with a pleasing Gothic flavor. In 1922 Grace Fairford takes up a governess position at Fenix House near Cheltenham, the very place where her grandmother, Harriet Jenner, worked in 1878. The home is now noticeably dilapidated, but Grace gradually realizes many of the same people, both masters and servants, are still there.
Every few chapters the perspective shifts from Grace (first person) to Harriet (third person). The novel is full of coincidences and the sense of history repeating itself. Is life fated, or are there moments when tiny decisions might change things? Another central theme is the lies and myths perpetuated within families: Grace has to have her eyes open to notice the ways in which her grandmother might be trying to airbrush the true story of what happened during her one abbreviated summer at Fenix House.
I appreciated how Riordan weaves in the suffrage movement and links both storylines to a train crash in 1910. Her writing is capable, sometimes clichéd, but the echoes of Jane Eyre (a copy of which actually passes between master and governess at one point) and The Turn of the Screw make this a delicious guilty-pleasure read. Cutting it by 100 pages would have created a tighter story, however. If you’re weary of novels with dual timeframes, this is probably not one for you, but I’d recommend it to fans of Martine Bailey and Kate Mosse.
I was delighted to win a free copy through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Every few chapters the perspective shifts from Grace (first person) to Harriet (third person). The novel is full of coincidences and the sense of history repeating itself. Is life fated, or are there moments when tiny decisions might change things? Another central theme is the lies and myths perpetuated within families: Grace has to have her eyes open to notice the ways in which her grandmother might be trying to airbrush the true story of what happened during her one abbreviated summer at Fenix House.
I appreciated how Riordan weaves in the suffrage movement and links both storylines to a train crash in 1910. Her writing is capable, sometimes clichéd, but the echoes of Jane Eyre (a copy of which actually passes between master and governess at one point) and The Turn of the Screw make this a delicious guilty-pleasure read. Cutting it by 100 pages would have created a tighter story, however. If you’re weary of novels with dual timeframes, this is probably not one for you, but I’d recommend it to fans of Martine Bailey and Kate Mosse.
I was delighted to win a free copy through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
February 20, 2017
2.5
I was so prepared to give this a 3.5+ until I read the ending.
That epilogue was the most pointless thing I have ever read at the end of a book.
Despite the book being pretty long (in comparison to those I usually read anyway) I wanted more. I wanted to know if Grace told David and the others what her grandmother had told her about their relations. I wanted to know about Essie. I wanted to know about Lucas. But no, it just ended. We got all this information at the end and that was it. Nothing was expanded on!
It really frustrates me when a book does that.
I was so prepared to give this a 3.5+ until I read the ending.
That epilogue was the most pointless thing I have ever read at the end of a book.
Despite the book being pretty long (in comparison to those I usually read anyway) I wanted more. I wanted to know if Grace told David and the others what her grandmother had told her about their relations. I wanted to know about Essie. I wanted to know about Lucas. But no, it just ended. We got all this information at the end and that was it. Nothing was expanded on!
It really frustrates me when a book does that.
March 3, 2016
My full review is up on my blog here...
http://aggiesbooks.blogspot.co.uk/201...
http://aggiesbooks.blogspot.co.uk/201...
September 21, 2019
1878 and Fenix House is a beautiful Manor situated high on a hill surrounded by glorious gardens and with a lovely view of the land that surrounds her, and Harriet Jenner is governess to the children that live there.
Servants are kept busy with their many tasks including attending to the many demands of the mistress of the house Louisa Dauncey. Robert Pembridge owner of the manor and husband to Louisa is a kind and gentle man with a generous heart. A good man he stands tall and is fair with his servants, patient with his children, yet his broad shoulders carry the dispair of not being able to obtain the one thing he truly desires and that is to be with the one woman that he loves, the governess Harriet Jenner. He must endure the burden of a loveless marriage.
Make no mistake for Harriet loves Robert, the air surrounding them is filled with love, tension and want, however an incident, misunderstood by her employer sets in motion a sequence of events that will lead them further apart from one another.
1922 Grace Fairford, Harriet's grandaughter is employed as governess at Fenix House by David, who is Robert Pembridges grandson to care for his son Lucas.
The house sadly neglected over time still houses one last maid from Harriet's time there. It is also still home to Robert Pembridge, much older now but his memory of Harriet has not faded.
This beautiful atmospheric story full of love, heartache and longing will reveal secrets from the past and fill you with such emotion you never want to say goodbye to this lovely family and to Fenix House.
Servants are kept busy with their many tasks including attending to the many demands of the mistress of the house Louisa Dauncey. Robert Pembridge owner of the manor and husband to Louisa is a kind and gentle man with a generous heart. A good man he stands tall and is fair with his servants, patient with his children, yet his broad shoulders carry the dispair of not being able to obtain the one thing he truly desires and that is to be with the one woman that he loves, the governess Harriet Jenner. He must endure the burden of a loveless marriage.
Make no mistake for Harriet loves Robert, the air surrounding them is filled with love, tension and want, however an incident, misunderstood by her employer sets in motion a sequence of events that will lead them further apart from one another.
1922 Grace Fairford, Harriet's grandaughter is employed as governess at Fenix House by David, who is Robert Pembridges grandson to care for his son Lucas.
The house sadly neglected over time still houses one last maid from Harriet's time there. It is also still home to Robert Pembridge, much older now but his memory of Harriet has not faded.
This beautiful atmospheric story full of love, heartache and longing will reveal secrets from the past and fill you with such emotion you never want to say goodbye to this lovely family and to Fenix House.
March 9, 2016
This is a book that offers a lovely escape into the past.
It twists together the stories of two governesses, grandmother Harriet and grand-daughter Grace, whose lives are entangled with the family whose children they will both teach.
Grace was brought up by her grandmother after her parents died in a train crash. She loved listening to her grandmother’s stories of the days when she was governess at Fenix House; she spoke of the house and how life was lived there; of her charges, Helen and Victoria; and of their brother Bertie, who joined them when he was home from school.
When Grace saw an advertisement for a governess at Fenix House, not long after the end of the Great War, she she knew that she had to apply for the position, hoping to see the wonderful house and family that had been described to her so very vividly.
She secured the position, but she found that the house and the family were in decline, and that her position was going to be rather more difficult than that of her grandmother, half a century earlier. And she found that her grandmother hadn’t told her everything, and that sometimes her stories had been quite unlike her real life.
That was why Harriet started to write long letters to her granddaughter, telling the real story of why she went to Fenix House, and of the dramatic events that unfolded when she was there.
Grace was finding things out for herself too, and she was finding that her own story was echoing her grandmother’s ….
The two stories – one in the third person and one in the first person – were beautifully told. The house lived and breathed; a lovely cast of characters captured my attention and my imagination; the atmosphere, the mystery and intrigue, were pitch perfect; the gothic overtones were so very well done.
I appreciated that the two stories were close enough in time that many of the characters appeared in both, at very different stages in life, that they were both set in the past, and that they were brought together in a way that sets this book apart from other stories that move between different periods.
There are significant echoes of older stories – nicely acknowledged by the author.
The best way I can explain it is to say imagine that those books – family sagas, tales of governesses, big house stories, tales of the supernatural – were vintage china. And that Kate Riordan has thrown that china up into the air and made mosaics from the fragments.
What she made can’t be as lovely as the things that made it, but it has a beauty of its own, and she has brought something of her own to her creation.
She maybe threw a few too many things into the air. The supernatural elements of the story – a touch of second sight – didn’t quite work, and the story could have worked just as well without it. And there were rather too many contrivances needed to bring the story together.
That doesn’t spoil the book as a whole. It was very cleverly plotted; I was captivated from the first page to the last; and I loved that there was a revelation on the very last page that made me think about certain parts of the story, and about how very entangled the histories of family of the governesses and the family of the big house were, all over again.
That’s why I say lovely, just not quite perfect.
It twists together the stories of two governesses, grandmother Harriet and grand-daughter Grace, whose lives are entangled with the family whose children they will both teach.
Grace was brought up by her grandmother after her parents died in a train crash. She loved listening to her grandmother’s stories of the days when she was governess at Fenix House; she spoke of the house and how life was lived there; of her charges, Helen and Victoria; and of their brother Bertie, who joined them when he was home from school.
When Grace saw an advertisement for a governess at Fenix House, not long after the end of the Great War, she she knew that she had to apply for the position, hoping to see the wonderful house and family that had been described to her so very vividly.
She secured the position, but she found that the house and the family were in decline, and that her position was going to be rather more difficult than that of her grandmother, half a century earlier. And she found that her grandmother hadn’t told her everything, and that sometimes her stories had been quite unlike her real life.
That was why Harriet started to write long letters to her granddaughter, telling the real story of why she went to Fenix House, and of the dramatic events that unfolded when she was there.
Grace was finding things out for herself too, and she was finding that her own story was echoing her grandmother’s ….
The two stories – one in the third person and one in the first person – were beautifully told. The house lived and breathed; a lovely cast of characters captured my attention and my imagination; the atmosphere, the mystery and intrigue, were pitch perfect; the gothic overtones were so very well done.
I appreciated that the two stories were close enough in time that many of the characters appeared in both, at very different stages in life, that they were both set in the past, and that they were brought together in a way that sets this book apart from other stories that move between different periods.
There are significant echoes of older stories – nicely acknowledged by the author.
The best way I can explain it is to say imagine that those books – family sagas, tales of governesses, big house stories, tales of the supernatural – were vintage china. And that Kate Riordan has thrown that china up into the air and made mosaics from the fragments.
What she made can’t be as lovely as the things that made it, but it has a beauty of its own, and she has brought something of her own to her creation.
She maybe threw a few too many things into the air. The supernatural elements of the story – a touch of second sight – didn’t quite work, and the story could have worked just as well without it. And there were rather too many contrivances needed to bring the story together.
That doesn’t spoil the book as a whole. It was very cleverly plotted; I was captivated from the first page to the last; and I loved that there was a revelation on the very last page that made me think about certain parts of the story, and about how very entangled the histories of family of the governesses and the family of the big house were, all over again.
That’s why I say lovely, just not quite perfect.
February 24, 2016
The Shadow Hour is another beautifully told story from Kate Riordan. Historical fiction told through a dual time-slip narrative. I loved young Grace as the mysteries and intrigue unfold at Fenix House where she uncovers family secrets following in her Grandmothers footsteps as governess to the family’s children. Another fine novel from the author and a one I am happy to recommend to readers.
It seems that destiny has brought twenty two year old Grace to the doors of Fenix House. Born at the turn of the nineteenth century she is now to become governess at the house, like her grandmother Harriet Jenner some fifty years earlier. Grace finds a house that has been somewhat neglected and it doesn’t quite match up to the expectations from the stories she has been told in her youth by Harriet. But she is curious to find out more about the past and there are secrets hiding in the shadows which will change things forever.
Kate Riordan makes the location and settings for her story, through such wonderfully vivid descriptions, as important and as endearing as her characters. The reader gets to almost experience Fenix House for themselves and this sense of place adds atmosphere and realism. As things are gradually revealed and the storyline develops it becomes addictive and hard to put down. The dual narrative is tremendously effective and I enjoyed discovering the events as they unfolded from the perspective of both Harriet and Grace.
If you read and enjoyed the author’s previous book The Girl in the Photograph, then this will certainly appeal to you. If not then I would encourage you to try this book as it is a delightfully worthwhile read, especially for lovers of a mystery and historical fiction. (ARC Received)
February 10, 2017
I was really looking forward to reading this book and am pleased to say I really enjoyed it! The Shadow Hours is the story of Harriet's and then her granddaughter Grace's time as governess at Fenix House.
Alternating between two time periods this novel rattles along at a great pace with the intrigue and events coming at regular period which makes you want to keep reading long into the night. It was also an easy book to put down and pick up which was great for a busy mum who only gets to read at night or snatched periods during the day. The character development throughout the book was great and I loved the variety of characters described in the book. I really got involved in their stories cheering them on and wanting them to get their just deserts respectively. I once even snorted in derision whilst reading about Louisa, the mistress of the house, much to my husband's amusement! I particularly liked the main female characters in the book Harriet, Grace and Agnes who all seemed strong, confident woman and all grew up throughout the book going from innocent girls to woman. The only reason its not five stars for me is because I wasn't too sure about the ending. To me it was a little flat after so much build up, I wanted it to be a little more dramatic. This was the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely be reading more of her books. The comparrison to Kate Morton, one of my favourite authors, is accurate and well deserved. In some cases I felt she surpassed Kate Morton as I felt the atmosphere and intrigue she created was better. I will also be recommending this book to many friends and family who I know will enjoy it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this change to review this advanced copy.
Alternating between two time periods this novel rattles along at a great pace with the intrigue and events coming at regular period which makes you want to keep reading long into the night. It was also an easy book to put down and pick up which was great for a busy mum who only gets to read at night or snatched periods during the day. The character development throughout the book was great and I loved the variety of characters described in the book. I really got involved in their stories cheering them on and wanting them to get their just deserts respectively. I once even snorted in derision whilst reading about Louisa, the mistress of the house, much to my husband's amusement! I particularly liked the main female characters in the book Harriet, Grace and Agnes who all seemed strong, confident woman and all grew up throughout the book going from innocent girls to woman. The only reason its not five stars for me is because I wasn't too sure about the ending. To me it was a little flat after so much build up, I wanted it to be a little more dramatic. This was the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely be reading more of her books. The comparrison to Kate Morton, one of my favourite authors, is accurate and well deserved. In some cases I felt she surpassed Kate Morton as I felt the atmosphere and intrigue she created was better. I will also be recommending this book to many friends and family who I know will enjoy it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this change to review this advanced copy.
February 26, 2016
I really enjoyed this historical drama which is told in two timelines with Fenix House near Cheltenham at its centre. In 1922 Grace joins the household as Governess to Lukas, the son of David Pemberton. What the Pembertons do not know is that fifty years earlier, Grace’s grandmother Harriet was also Governess for a short while there, albeit a time that had a huge impact on the family and Harriet herself. The read unfolds from both perspectives to reveal a story of fated romances, drama, intrigue and long hidden secrets with a little dash of the supernatural. I really liked the characters – especially Grace, who I just couldn’t help developing a soft spot for. There were times when the story felt a little slow and I kept wondering if I was getting bogged down with unnecessary “events” but at the end of the read, all those little things that had been slightly niggling me suddenly all came together and made sense. I thought the writing really suited the times the story was set in – it felt very natural and all the dialogue seemed realistic for those times as well. I wasn’t too sure about the ending. There is a shocker of a twist, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was maybe a twist too far. In addition, I could have just done with one last chapter just to round a couple of things off nicely. Having said that, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read and is highly recommended. I hope I haven’t sounded too negative because on the whole I really liked this book. I received an advance review copy from the publishers via Netgalley for review purposes.
December 27, 2015
I loved The Girl in the Photograph so I was really looking forward to reading this latest book.
I thought this was a wonderful book, Kate Riordan has a style of writing that is a pleasure to read, descriptive but not boring, and with jumps backwards and forwards between two time periods which I enjoy. The sort of book that captures you instantly and lets you get lost in its pages, perfect for curling up with on those miserable cold days.
The shadow Hour is an excellent novel from this very talented author, a compelling and beautifully written family mystery which I recommend to all my book reading friends.
I thought this was a wonderful book, Kate Riordan has a style of writing that is a pleasure to read, descriptive but not boring, and with jumps backwards and forwards between two time periods which I enjoy. The sort of book that captures you instantly and lets you get lost in its pages, perfect for curling up with on those miserable cold days.
The shadow Hour is an excellent novel from this very talented author, a compelling and beautifully written family mystery which I recommend to all my book reading friends.
November 21, 2015
This reminded me very much of a Kate Morton novel, with a tale split between two timelines, one in 1878 and one in 1922. In 1878, Harriet goes to work as a governess at Fenix House, charged with looking after the 2 daughters of the house. In 1922, her granddaughter Grace goes to the same house to work as a governess, and finds the place much changed from her grandma's stories. She also soon discovers that her grandma lied about quite a few things. This is a gripping, gothic tale with lots of references to Jane Eyre. It was very easy to read and very enjoyable. My only criticism would be that it all tied together a little too neatly at the end - sometimes I think authors like to tie things together too much, when it's not really necessary.
July 28, 2017
I'm not going to lie but it took my quite a while to get into due to the fact it was a confusing book. I loved how it kept flicking back to the past and present but at the same time it was difficult to keep track . I can't really do a full review about this book , even though i completed it and end up enjoying it , it's still a difficult book to further explain.
November 5, 2016
I wanted to like this. I loved the cover. It’s a Gothic mystery, which I normally enjoy, but somehow this one was a struggle. Not sure whether it was too long (it is 500+ pages and probably could do with some further editing), or whether I was comparing it unfavourably with The Distant Hours by Kate Morton which it was similar to in some respects, or whether it was just wrong book/wrong time, but it just wasn’t doing it for me. It was eye-rollingly predictable at times, however it did improve a little toward the end, and there were still some surprises.
It's a good reminder not to judge a book by its cover!
It's a good reminder not to judge a book by its cover!
April 8, 2021
The last third is worthy of five stars, but I’m going to stick with my original four stars. It needed more tension earlier on for it to be otherwise.
June 19, 2017
The shadow hour by Kate Riordon.
Two generations of women, and one house that holds the terrible secrets of their pasts 1922. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own. Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. What a difference from Grace and her grandmother. Even though it was the same house? Captivating. 5*. Netgalley and penguin books UK Michael Joseph.
Two generations of women, and one house that holds the terrible secrets of their pasts 1922. Grace has been sent to the stately and crumbling Fenix House to follow in her grandmother's footsteps as a governess. But when she meets the house's inhabitants, people who she had only previously heard of in stories, the cracks in her grandmother's tale begin to show. Secrets appear to live in the house's very walls and everybody is resolutely protecting their own. Why has she been sent here? Why did her grandmother leave after just one summer? And as the past collides with the present, can Grace unravel these secrets and discover who her grandmother, and who she, really is?
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. What a difference from Grace and her grandmother. Even though it was the same house? Captivating. 5*. Netgalley and penguin books UK Michael Joseph.
October 25, 2016
Review originally posted on Wonderfully Bookish.
I haven’t read a book like The Shadow Hour for years. It was reminiscent of books like Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki and After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell in the sense that the whole story is told with switching perspectives spanning several decades. It is split into two different perspectives: Harriet in the 1870s, and Harriet’s granddaughter Grace in the 1920s.
In the 1870s Harriet goes to work at Fenix House as a governess to two children. Since her granddaughter Grace was born, Harriet has told her hundreds of romanticised stories of her time at Fenix house. Fifty years later, a position opens up yet again at the house for a new governess and at the recommendation of her grandmother, Grace takes the job. While she lives there she discovers truths about her grandmother that she was never told – things that change the way she views herself and the many generations before her.
The switching perspectives were so effective in telling the story. Sometimes I find that switching perspectives can be used as a bit of a gimmick and there really isn’t any point. However, The Shadow Hour wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t more the story being told from both characters’ point of view. In Grace’s time a character might mention something her grandmother did, and then we get to see that event happen from Harriet’s point of view.
I loved the element of dark mystery that the book had. It was great at keeping the mystery hidden until the reveal. I guessed a couple of things that happened but nothing happened exactly in the way that I had imagined, so even if I was correct, I was still shocked to find out the truths right at the end of the book. (And when I saw right at the end, I mean that the WHOLE truth comes out about everything almost in the very last chapter. It’s tense.)
One thing I also loved was the characterisations. It was clear to me almost instantly who I’d like and who I wouldn’t, and I was usually right. When Grace became the governess at Fenix House, she was in charge of a young boy called Lucas who quickly became one of my favourite characters. I also really liked Bertie, one of Harriet’s charges in the 1870s and who is still living at the house fifty years later. The relationship between both women and the boys felt so special, especially the one between Grace and Lucas. Lucas has many problems and rarely leaves his room. He is short-tempered and frail due to lack of human interaction and sunlight. Despite this, Grace lures him out of his shell. His character and his story arc reminded me a lot of Colin from The Secret Garden.
I really enjoyed The Shadow Hour – I can’t find any faults with it. The story was perfect, the mystery was intriguing throughout, and the characters were wonderfully written. As soon as I finished reading it I went and bought another one of Kate Riordan’s novels, which I can’t wait to read!
I haven’t read a book like The Shadow Hour for years. It was reminiscent of books like Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki and After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell in the sense that the whole story is told with switching perspectives spanning several decades. It is split into two different perspectives: Harriet in the 1870s, and Harriet’s granddaughter Grace in the 1920s.
In the 1870s Harriet goes to work at Fenix House as a governess to two children. Since her granddaughter Grace was born, Harriet has told her hundreds of romanticised stories of her time at Fenix house. Fifty years later, a position opens up yet again at the house for a new governess and at the recommendation of her grandmother, Grace takes the job. While she lives there she discovers truths about her grandmother that she was never told – things that change the way she views herself and the many generations before her.
The switching perspectives were so effective in telling the story. Sometimes I find that switching perspectives can be used as a bit of a gimmick and there really isn’t any point. However, The Shadow Hour wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t more the story being told from both characters’ point of view. In Grace’s time a character might mention something her grandmother did, and then we get to see that event happen from Harriet’s point of view.
I loved the element of dark mystery that the book had. It was great at keeping the mystery hidden until the reveal. I guessed a couple of things that happened but nothing happened exactly in the way that I had imagined, so even if I was correct, I was still shocked to find out the truths right at the end of the book. (And when I saw right at the end, I mean that the WHOLE truth comes out about everything almost in the very last chapter. It’s tense.)
One thing I also loved was the characterisations. It was clear to me almost instantly who I’d like and who I wouldn’t, and I was usually right. When Grace became the governess at Fenix House, she was in charge of a young boy called Lucas who quickly became one of my favourite characters. I also really liked Bertie, one of Harriet’s charges in the 1870s and who is still living at the house fifty years later. The relationship between both women and the boys felt so special, especially the one between Grace and Lucas. Lucas has many problems and rarely leaves his room. He is short-tempered and frail due to lack of human interaction and sunlight. Despite this, Grace lures him out of his shell. His character and his story arc reminded me a lot of Colin from The Secret Garden.
I really enjoyed The Shadow Hour – I can’t find any faults with it. The story was perfect, the mystery was intriguing throughout, and the characters were wonderfully written. As soon as I finished reading it I went and bought another one of Kate Riordan’s novels, which I can’t wait to read!
February 23, 2016
The plot of this novel instantly appealed to me - I'm a sucker for a crumbling ancestral home full of secrets. The governess theme invariably draws comparisons with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre - a novel which is actually referenced a number of times throughout the course of the book - but Fenix House hides far more than a mad wife in the attic.
Dual narrative plots don't always work for me, but this one drew me right in and it's tricky to say whose narrative I preferred - just as I was getting into Grace's story it would switch to Harriet's. The first and third person narrations make it easy to determine whose story we are in, and looking back on it there are so many subtle hints interwoven in the plot that come into play in the final chapters. The whole thing is very cleverly plotted and put together. The novel progresses slowly as we are essentially drip-fed information and begin to piece together what's happened - then all of a sudden it picks up the pace to the point where I couldn't put it down! Thanks to the dual narrative we are a few steps ahead of Grace in figuring out what happened to Harriet, and I had a couple of theories as to how both narratives might end - neither of which were accurate.
Kate's writing style and attention to detail made for an absorbing and atmospheric read. I found I could easily picture the house and grounds as if I were looking at photographs of it! By the end I was sad to leave Fenix House (a character in itself) and its inhabitants, and although all of the loose ends of the past were neatly tied up, I was left with questions as to the future of all of the characters - particularly Grace, David and Agnes (as it seemed that the family were on the brink of discovering her secret). My favourite character though has to be dear Bertie, who never had anything but the best of intentions in everything he did - oddly enough both the younger and older incarnations of his character reminded me of an eager puppy/dog.
5/5 stars: I've not read any of Kate Riordan's previous work, but I enjoyed this one so much that I have already started reading her previous novel The Girl in the Photograph, and am loving that so far too.
Also posted here: http://lilmissvixreads.blogspot.co.uk...
Dual narrative plots don't always work for me, but this one drew me right in and it's tricky to say whose narrative I preferred - just as I was getting into Grace's story it would switch to Harriet's. The first and third person narrations make it easy to determine whose story we are in, and looking back on it there are so many subtle hints interwoven in the plot that come into play in the final chapters. The whole thing is very cleverly plotted and put together. The novel progresses slowly as we are essentially drip-fed information and begin to piece together what's happened - then all of a sudden it picks up the pace to the point where I couldn't put it down! Thanks to the dual narrative we are a few steps ahead of Grace in figuring out what happened to Harriet, and I had a couple of theories as to how both narratives might end - neither of which were accurate.
Kate's writing style and attention to detail made for an absorbing and atmospheric read. I found I could easily picture the house and grounds as if I were looking at photographs of it! By the end I was sad to leave Fenix House (a character in itself) and its inhabitants, and although all of the loose ends of the past were neatly tied up, I was left with questions as to the future of all of the characters - particularly Grace, David and Agnes (as it seemed that the family were on the brink of discovering her secret). My favourite character though has to be dear Bertie, who never had anything but the best of intentions in everything he did - oddly enough both the younger and older incarnations of his character reminded me of an eager puppy/dog.
5/5 stars: I've not read any of Kate Riordan's previous work, but I enjoyed this one so much that I have already started reading her previous novel The Girl in the Photograph, and am loving that so far too.
Also posted here: http://lilmissvixreads.blogspot.co.uk...
April 23, 2016
The Shadow Hour works to highlight how I should step outside of my comfort zone more often.
I enjoy a good historical fiction, yet I do not go out of my way to pick up such books. I’m more likely to pick up a crime thriller or a fantasy read. If a friend or relative offers me a historical fiction to read, I will go through with it – but they’re not the kinds of books I actively seek out in bookstores. The Shadow Hour came into my possession through winning a Goodreads giveaway. My friend had entered it, and upon having a quick look I thought it seemed okay. I wasn’t crazy about the idea, yet it seemed like something worth entering. After all, I wasn’t expecting to win. Upon winning, I was pleased… yet I’ll admit to pushing it down my to-read list. I decided to read my other winnings first, along with some books I was really fangirling about.
Upon starting it, however, I was hooked.
I really wasn’t expecting to get into the story as much as I did. From the get-go, I wanted to know more. Told in altering viewpoints, we have two wonderfully interwoven stories unravelling before us. Both stories are fully fleshed out, filled with wonderful characters and unique storylines. Mysteries are buried atop mysteries, the details slowly being pealed apart. I honestly couldn’t decide whose story I found more interesting – both pulled me in much deeper than I ever anticipated.
The suspense throughout is wonderful. Each time a revelation is about to be made the viewpoint changes, shifting you in time and story. Oh, you will get hints of what is going on, yet you’re constantly wanting to find out more. You’ll be annoyed, wanting the details, only to start bouncing in your seat as you recall the other details you were waiting to find out about mere chapters earlier. Honestly, the way in which we receive our answers in this book is better than the way in which I have been given answers in some of my crime thriller reads.
It was most surprising.
Overall, I’m so glad I won this one. It was so much better than I ever imagined it would be, and it’s certainly ensured I read more historical fiction books (although, this one really has set the bar extremely high).
I enjoy a good historical fiction, yet I do not go out of my way to pick up such books. I’m more likely to pick up a crime thriller or a fantasy read. If a friend or relative offers me a historical fiction to read, I will go through with it – but they’re not the kinds of books I actively seek out in bookstores. The Shadow Hour came into my possession through winning a Goodreads giveaway. My friend had entered it, and upon having a quick look I thought it seemed okay. I wasn’t crazy about the idea, yet it seemed like something worth entering. After all, I wasn’t expecting to win. Upon winning, I was pleased… yet I’ll admit to pushing it down my to-read list. I decided to read my other winnings first, along with some books I was really fangirling about.
Upon starting it, however, I was hooked.
I really wasn’t expecting to get into the story as much as I did. From the get-go, I wanted to know more. Told in altering viewpoints, we have two wonderfully interwoven stories unravelling before us. Both stories are fully fleshed out, filled with wonderful characters and unique storylines. Mysteries are buried atop mysteries, the details slowly being pealed apart. I honestly couldn’t decide whose story I found more interesting – both pulled me in much deeper than I ever anticipated.
The suspense throughout is wonderful. Each time a revelation is about to be made the viewpoint changes, shifting you in time and story. Oh, you will get hints of what is going on, yet you’re constantly wanting to find out more. You’ll be annoyed, wanting the details, only to start bouncing in your seat as you recall the other details you were waiting to find out about mere chapters earlier. Honestly, the way in which we receive our answers in this book is better than the way in which I have been given answers in some of my crime thriller reads.
It was most surprising.
Overall, I’m so glad I won this one. It was so much better than I ever imagined it would be, and it’s certainly ensured I read more historical fiction books (although, this one really has set the bar extremely high).
November 28, 2015
A wonderfully atmospheric, split time span story. Lots of well paced, cleverly woven intrigue and full bodied characterisation creates a well rounded, satisfying read. Reminded me very much of Kate Moreton' s style of writing. Would highly recommend.
June 23, 2017
Governesses, you say? Mysterious houses and sullen employers? Where do I sign up?! That was basically my thought process when I saw The Shadow Hour. Ever since reading Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey, I have a Bronte-inspired love for novels about governesses. They are the perfect vehicles for authors to explore family relations, class difference and bring in some supernatural or mysterious tones. However, not every novel strikes that perfect balance. So while I happily delved into The Shadow Hour, I finished it slightly confused. Thanks to Penguin - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Shadow Hour is told through two different timelines. On the one hand there is Grace, a young woman living in 1922, who is sent to Fenix House as a governess by the gentle order of her grandmother, Harriet, who was once a governess there herself. Harriet's tale, set 50 years prior, forms the second timeline. Grace was raised on stories of Fenix house, making her new residence and employers strangely familiar and yet uncanny as well. As the novel moves between Grace and Harriet's timelines, more and more is revealed about Fenix House, its inhabitants and how Grace and Harriet belong there. Riordan manages to make Harriet and Grace feel quite different, despite being in almost exactly the same situation. Although Harriet's tale is, for a long time, the more interesting one, it is Grace's desire to finally found out what happened at Fenix House that the reader most identifies with. At times Riordan purposefully leaves the reader in the dark, while at other times filling the reader in while leaving Grace in the dark. It creates a nice balance that keeps the novel engaging.
Riordan's writing is at times beautifully visual. She brings Fenix House and its inhabitants to life with stunning descriptions of the house, its gardens, the costumes and the atmosphere. Luscious in Harriet's time, the decay of the house in Grace's time feels much more real. Rioridan manages to infuse her governess tale with a lot of different elements, bringing in some mysterious and some supernatural tones. This consistently, and thankfully, shakes up the narrative. As history repeats itself in Grace's story, Riordan mostly manages to make the same events still feel interesting. With how the story is set up, however, it is almost inevitable that at times it feels a bit repetitive. Although these are all minor gripes, it means that the end of the novel felt a little bit unsatisfactory. While Riordan ties all the different stories together into a nice bow, it seems too easy of an ending. I'd have likes for her to have spent a little bit more time describing how the characters go on.
Once I got into The Shadow Hour I very much enjoyed it. Governesses will always hold a special place in my heart and I'll remember The Shadow Hour fondly. It touches upon some of the best staples of the genre, even if it doesn't always hit all the notes. I'd recommend this to fans Gothic literature and Women's Fiction.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2...
The Shadow Hour is told through two different timelines. On the one hand there is Grace, a young woman living in 1922, who is sent to Fenix House as a governess by the gentle order of her grandmother, Harriet, who was once a governess there herself. Harriet's tale, set 50 years prior, forms the second timeline. Grace was raised on stories of Fenix house, making her new residence and employers strangely familiar and yet uncanny as well. As the novel moves between Grace and Harriet's timelines, more and more is revealed about Fenix House, its inhabitants and how Grace and Harriet belong there. Riordan manages to make Harriet and Grace feel quite different, despite being in almost exactly the same situation. Although Harriet's tale is, for a long time, the more interesting one, it is Grace's desire to finally found out what happened at Fenix House that the reader most identifies with. At times Riordan purposefully leaves the reader in the dark, while at other times filling the reader in while leaving Grace in the dark. It creates a nice balance that keeps the novel engaging.
Riordan's writing is at times beautifully visual. She brings Fenix House and its inhabitants to life with stunning descriptions of the house, its gardens, the costumes and the atmosphere. Luscious in Harriet's time, the decay of the house in Grace's time feels much more real. Rioridan manages to infuse her governess tale with a lot of different elements, bringing in some mysterious and some supernatural tones. This consistently, and thankfully, shakes up the narrative. As history repeats itself in Grace's story, Riordan mostly manages to make the same events still feel interesting. With how the story is set up, however, it is almost inevitable that at times it feels a bit repetitive. Although these are all minor gripes, it means that the end of the novel felt a little bit unsatisfactory. While Riordan ties all the different stories together into a nice bow, it seems too easy of an ending. I'd have likes for her to have spent a little bit more time describing how the characters go on.
Once I got into The Shadow Hour I very much enjoyed it. Governesses will always hold a special place in my heart and I'll remember The Shadow Hour fondly. It touches upon some of the best staples of the genre, even if it doesn't always hit all the notes. I'd recommend this to fans Gothic literature and Women's Fiction.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2...
January 1, 2018
Absorbed this book through an audio file. Through a very confusing and long-dragged beginning it ended up to be better and better. In the end I was absolutely intrigued and couldn't stop listening to it. With an end that made tears leak out of my eyes it was an absolute success for the beginning of my 2018 reading year.
July 15, 2019
Predictable and boring, also it took far too long to get to the forgone conclusion which was the end. I kept hoping something exciting was going to happen so I kept turning each page but alas nothing. Very disappointing read so don’t bother
October 23, 2017
Found the quite boring. Was a hard push to finish.
August 25, 2018
I would've given this 4 stars as the plot moves along nicely, the characters are fairly interesting, but then you get to the end and it just falls apart. No conclusion, Riordan sets particular plots in motion and then does nothing with them. One of the worst endings I've read.
October 31, 2024
A re read for me. It moved along but there were no surprises. I actually found the main characters a bit annoying.
June 18, 2025
A very slow burn but still a really enjoyable read
April 18, 2019
A stunning 5* read.
I only give a 5* review to a book that has me in it's grip from beginning to end, and this one certainly ticked all of the boxes.
A dual timeline (1878 and 1922) and set mainly in an old house in the country.
Grace applies for the position of Governess, and it is not until she is there that the links with her grandmother's past , gradually fall into place.
Full of wonderful characters, mystery and intrigue, lies and secrets.
So well written and researched by Kate Riordan; I loved it.
I only give a 5* review to a book that has me in it's grip from beginning to end, and this one certainly ticked all of the boxes.
A dual timeline (1878 and 1922) and set mainly in an old house in the country.
Grace applies for the position of Governess, and it is not until she is there that the links with her grandmother's past , gradually fall into place.
Full of wonderful characters, mystery and intrigue, lies and secrets.
So well written and researched by Kate Riordan; I loved it.
October 4, 2016
The year is 1922 when Grace Fairford leaves the comfort of the home she has known in Bristol with her grandmother, to begin her life as a governess at Fenix House. It is a place she knows well, having grown up on stories of her own grandmother's time there in 1878, also as a governess. Yet the Fenix House that awaits Grace is a far cry from the immaculately kept estate of her grandmother's stories, sadly fallen into a state of neglect and disarray. There are other anomalies too though, facts that do not match what Grace has always been led to believe, such that she can but start to question exactly what did happen in her grandmother's time there, and whether her grandmother had some ulterior motive in sending her to follow in her footsteps.
This is rich and atmospheric dual time frame novel, which draws its readers in from its very prologue, 'Not all stories should be regarded as beginnings, middles and ends... Some like this one, are formed like a circle, with something terrible and secret at the core, and everything else radiating out, ripples from a raindrop on water.' Riordan lulls her readers under a spell with her gothic descriptions and intrigue; and more than once was I reminded of classics such as Jane Eyre, which even actually features in the book, as if Riordan was paying a tribute almost. Whilst it is clear that she has certainly drawn inspiration from other works of literature, Riordan nevertheless commands a sense of ownership of her material, stamping it very much as her own.
A slow-burning tale, Riordan teases her readers with layers of secrets which are slowly unravelled, maintaining a sense of suspense and foreboding throughout. Her characters, particularly Grace and her grandmother Harriet are well drawn and sympathetic to the reader; young Bertie was rather like a faithful and excitable puppy, Robert a kind and gentle, albeit burdened soul, the young and cherubic Victoria a little minx!
I had correctly solved all the mysteries by about two-thirds of the way in, however,the book was so well-written in my opinion that I didn't mind this. I wasn't too sure about the 'glimmers'; I liked the supernatural element that they brought to the book, however, I felt that Riordan perhaps drew on them too heavily as the book went on. Also I felt at times that she almost tried to incorporate too much into the story, for example in describing the past history between Harriet and the Daunceys, Louisa in particular, so fully, Riordan had been setting the stage in a way for Harriet to plot some manner of revenge; however, this never really came to anything, the story that actually plays out could have been told without this additional layer that merely seems to over-complicate matters. In the same way the final twist at the end (though I had already guessed it) seemed again an extra unnecessary complexity that only served to make the story more implausible with all these coincidences and entanglements between the families.
Overall an enjoyable read that is stylishly told, with plenty of mystery and intrigue as well as a dash of romance.
This is rich and atmospheric dual time frame novel, which draws its readers in from its very prologue, 'Not all stories should be regarded as beginnings, middles and ends... Some like this one, are formed like a circle, with something terrible and secret at the core, and everything else radiating out, ripples from a raindrop on water.' Riordan lulls her readers under a spell with her gothic descriptions and intrigue; and more than once was I reminded of classics such as Jane Eyre, which even actually features in the book, as if Riordan was paying a tribute almost. Whilst it is clear that she has certainly drawn inspiration from other works of literature, Riordan nevertheless commands a sense of ownership of her material, stamping it very much as her own.
A slow-burning tale, Riordan teases her readers with layers of secrets which are slowly unravelled, maintaining a sense of suspense and foreboding throughout. Her characters, particularly Grace and her grandmother Harriet are well drawn and sympathetic to the reader; young Bertie was rather like a faithful and excitable puppy, Robert a kind and gentle, albeit burdened soul, the young and cherubic Victoria a little minx!
I had correctly solved all the mysteries by about two-thirds of the way in, however,the book was so well-written in my opinion that I didn't mind this. I wasn't too sure about the 'glimmers'; I liked the supernatural element that they brought to the book, however, I felt that Riordan perhaps drew on them too heavily as the book went on. Also I felt at times that she almost tried to incorporate too much into the story, for example in describing the past history between Harriet and the Daunceys, Louisa in particular, so fully, Riordan had been setting the stage in a way for Harriet to plot some manner of revenge; however, this never really came to anything, the story that actually plays out could have been told without this additional layer that merely seems to over-complicate matters. In the same way the final twist at the end (though I had already guessed it) seemed again an extra unnecessary complexity that only served to make the story more implausible with all these coincidences and entanglements between the families.
Overall an enjoyable read that is stylishly told, with plenty of mystery and intrigue as well as a dash of romance.
May 11, 2022
'In fact, our minds hold no master key of memory. What we are really remembering when we dredge up something from the past is what we recalled the last time we thought about it. And so on and so on: a little more reality lost and a little more imagination creeping in until, a dozen recollections down the line, we would stake our lives on the fact that we chose a red dress that day, not the blue we actually wore. And, perhaps, that a time in our lives was easy and content when the truth was much more complicated.'
'...she couldn't help thinking of her own room and solitude with longing. She had come to understand since her Father's death that loneliness was not just the preserve of those by themselves. It could be felt even more keenly in the company of others...'
'Of course, he didn't have to say anything at all- Harriet understood him perfectly. Their affinity was undeniable and, while his compliments thrilled her, it wasn't what was said during their brief meetings that generally signified. It was the nuance and subtlety that hid between the lines they spoke. It was the way the air tightened and hummed and the sun outside the window intensified, making everything it lit seem richer and finer.'
'It seemed so very unlike her that I simply couldn't imagine how it had happened. But there you are. People, even those closest to us, are impossible to know entirely. We only ever see a series of acceptable surfaces.'
'She had to believe that it was in some way fated, and anything repeated often enough eventually convinced, didn't it?'
'...she couldn't help thinking of her own room and solitude with longing. She had come to understand since her Father's death that loneliness was not just the preserve of those by themselves. It could be felt even more keenly in the company of others...'
'Of course, he didn't have to say anything at all- Harriet understood him perfectly. Their affinity was undeniable and, while his compliments thrilled her, it wasn't what was said during their brief meetings that generally signified. It was the nuance and subtlety that hid between the lines they spoke. It was the way the air tightened and hummed and the sun outside the window intensified, making everything it lit seem richer and finer.'
'It seemed so very unlike her that I simply couldn't imagine how it had happened. But there you are. People, even those closest to us, are impossible to know entirely. We only ever see a series of acceptable surfaces.'
'She had to believe that it was in some way fated, and anything repeated often enough eventually convinced, didn't it?'
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