The Parentations

by Kate Mayfield

Eighteenth-century London – the lives of the sisters Fitzgerald, Constance and Verity, become entwined with the nearby Fowler household, charged with providing safe harbour to a mysterious baby from far away. Camden, London, 2015, December 17 th – the lives of the sisters Fitzgerald, Constance and Verity, are consumed by the wait for this boy, who may or may not be dead. There is no way of knowing. Deep within the savage beauty of Iceland, a hidden pool grants those who drink from it endless life. For those that have, their secret must remain held close for two hundred years, but time is slipping away, and malign forces are gathering. And for those who have sipped from the pool, they discover all too quickly that immortality is no gift, because in the absence of death, true darkness emerges.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, Ebooks

496 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2018

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Mayfield has written a magical piece of historical fiction that moves back and forth in time, whilst providing psychological insights of her characters through their behaviours and decisions when endowed with the gift of immortality and how they change when this quality is removed. In many ways, the themes here echo those of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin which I read recently. Amidst the wild and spectacular landscape of Iceland lies a hidden water pool that confers immortality to those who drink from it. Stefan is the first to benefit, advised on how to handle the gift, and this includes the need to hide from those that would hunt them down. It turns out immortality is a real can of worms, all it does is remove death, all other problems experienced in life are extended and exacerbated with the potential to create never ending suffering. A pregnant Elizabet makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect her baby by sending it to her entrancingly beautiful sister, Clovis Fowler, in London.

The unlikeable but clever Clovis is a ruthless and greedy woman who has no compunction in exploiting those around her and focuses on those who will benefit her such as the well intentioned wealthy sisters, Fitzgerald, Verity and Constance who live nearby. Clovis is bright enough to discern how the process of immortality works and how she can make it work for her. Altruistic behaviour is juxtaposed with that driven purely by self interest. This is a thought provoking read set amidst the fantastical whilst characters are followed through the centuries to the present becoming acquainted with the darkness that emerges with what appears to be the highly desirable element of immortality. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.

[Richard (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iceland 1783 - Stefán, a land owning magistrate, is travelling home through a volcanic, glacier strewn landscape. He stumbles on a strange, translucent pool that contains an elixir of eternal life. The consequences of this miraculous find will reverberate through the centuries.
The Parentations by Kate Mayfield is a strange and magical book. A gothic tour de force that follows the fortunes of a ‘special’ child and a group of characters, protectors and villains, as they grapple with immortality.
Although much of the book is atmospherically grounded in mid 1800s London, a Dickensian world of smugglers, apothecaries, rat infested prisons and the filthy, teeming life of the river Thames, there are also sections set in Iceland and London at various other historical points leading up to the present day.
A large part of the story concerns the dignified and eccentric sisters Constance and Verity (it’s easy to become attached to these two!) and a ramshackle family of crooks and innocents led by Clovis, a wonderful Cruella de Vil-esque character ...... flaming hair, ice cold beauty and cruel heart.
The Parentations is a debut novel and Kate Mayfield writes well, she evokes atmosphere and place brilliantly and has created a really original premise.
I finished reading this book a week ago and the images are still fresh and vivid in my mind. Much recommended.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In June 1783 new giant fissures around the Icelandic volcano Laki opened up, spewing out billions of tons of lava and vast clouds of poisonous gases over period of eight months. The resulting contaminated soil led to famine, killing half the livestock and a quarter of the people on the island. During the eruption Stefan, travelling to reach home through the cloud of ash and smoke descending over Iceland, is relieved to find a waterfall with a small still pool hidden behind it from which he slakes his thirst. But this is no ordinary pool and all who drink there will have their lives changed forever.

Nearly 50 years later, a child is born to two travelers who have drunk at the pool, the first time this has happened. Stefan takes them into the community he has built to protect others who have drunk the magical water. However, a gang of men from Denmark have been watching the village, wanting to find its secrets so in order to keep the child, Rafe, safe from abduction by these men, he is sent to London to his mother's sister, Clovis Fowler and her husband Finn. Although an Icelandic beauty, Clovis is an evil, manipulative woman who cares for no one but herself so Rafe finds little love in her household. However, when Clovis and her household end up in jail, Rafe is taken in by his godmothers, two widowed sisters, Constance and Verity Fitzgerald who love him as their own, until some years later he is ripped away from when Clovis is released from jail and they must then spend decades trying to find him again.

Spanning nearly three centuries, The Parentations explores the gift and curse of immortality from Victorian London to the modern day and the effects and changes it has on her characters. Parts of the book have a dark and gothic feel to them, particularly the prison where the Fowlers are incarcerated, as well as the orphanage where Clovis finds a girl to be their maid and the tunnels used by Finn in his smuggling and thieving operations. Through it all Clovis is the evil mastermind who rules the weaker members of her household and their nefarious dealings through the ages and they must learn to plot against her to overcome her power. Quite a saga of a novel, this was a very enjoyable historical read with the unusual element of immortality used to follow the changes in families and society over time.

With thanks to Netgalley and One World Publications for a copy of the book to read

[Marchpane]

DNF. There's nothing wrong with this book, I just didn't do enough due diligence. It's far too witchy-woo for my taste.

[Eric Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something so pleasurable about getting fully immersed in a big epic novel and Kate Mayfield's new “The Parentations” had me wrapped up in its story for days. It skilfully delves into fascinating pockets of history while building a story about the tense relationship between a group of characters who have gained a kind of immortality. While there is a fantasy element to the story of a life-sustaining liquid drawn from the tectonic cracks of Iceland's lunar-like landscape, the novel is also infused with dark gothic overtones involving a pair of reclusive wealthy sisters whose lives have been beset by tragedy, a manipulative woman who learns the art of hypnotism & mesmerism and a red-haired artistic boy subjected to torturous experiments. But other sections of the book have a Dickensian feel with a superstitious girl named Willa taken from a gloomy orphanage and a depiction of the notoriously brutal Millbank prison in London. As the story progresses over the centuries it also shows London's transformations through seasons, wars, a fluctuating economy and redevelopments. All this is wrapped in an overarching tale about a boy's heartrending separation from his mother to keep him safe and protect an ancient secret for evading death.

Read my full review of The Parentations by Kate Mayfield on LonesomeReader

[lucky little cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was tremendous fun. Three & a half stars rounded on down, and I'll tell you why.


How to train your ermine

It's a page-turner. We've got Icelandic immortals living in London for centuries as they try to shield the one child of their group from Fugitive-style vigilantes on his trail. Author Mayfield is on a sure footing whenever describing family conversations, quietly heroic kindnesses, and historical details, especially in village and riverside scenes. I don't think I'll ever forget the almost-too-vivid moment when the Fitzgerald girls lose their mother.

But the novel is hampered by Mayfield's reliance on stereotypes and weak, arbitrary plotting. The main cast is oddly reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel: a pair of patrician, elderly do-gooder spinster types; one neurotic Irish serving girl; one Chinese youth won as a servant in a bet; and two hen-pecked husbands who act as henchmen to the most heartless, power-grabbing harpy since Cruella de Ville.

keywords: just like Tuck Everlasting but w/ a better ending; who was that top-hatted ninja? sorry, was that your knitting? yes, both our husbands and both our sons drowned while skating in the park one afternoon, you wanna make something of it? must the powerful mature woman always be a bitch? must the gay character always be exotic and get blackmailed? if you're going to live forever, you might as well sell antiques, or perhaps your own centuries-old vintage outfits

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I love this story but I'm loathe to give any details because it is a controversial story that needs to be absorbed without prejudice...that sounds more mysterious than I intend but I'm just trying to say that if you go in blind and with an open mind you will get more out of it.

There...clear as mud! Perhaps you will know what I mean when you've read it...(or not haha)

Couple of pointers so you can get a bit of an idea of whether the book is going to be for you or not:-
It is a family drama (of sorts) and a slow burner
It is set in Victorian times as well as more modern times
It is beautifully written and atmospheric (both locations/time periods)
It is set in London and Iceland

I highly recommend this to story lovers everywhere!

[Holly Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m just devastated that this is over.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart, this was so good. This would make for an amazing TV adaptation!!

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much! I felt completely immersed in this world and invested in the characters. It was so believable. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but that was probably because I wanted more. One of my favourites of 2018.

[Karen Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who wants to live forever? If you answered yes, then you may want to change your mind after reading this highly original historical novel that follows a number of characters, over a wide span of years, set in London and Iceland and their experiences with the impact that immortality brings their way.

I did find this book started quite slowly, so don't let that put you off, as you soon become captivated by the characters, none more so than by Constance and Verity, who are sisters, and the mystery baby who comes into their lives with very little known of why he has arrived and for how long they will have him under their roof.

The story starts in Iceland in 1783 with the eruption of a volcano, which opens up a green pool from which Stefan drinks from before knowing the consequences of his action. He is then the keeper of this knowledge to help those who also drink from it understand what lies ahead for them.

I loved the originality of this story, alongside the development of the characters over the centuries and all they encounter. There is always a slightly unsettling undertone to the whole story and you can understand the pressure that those affected by immortality end up facing.

It's a beautifully written book, so inventive and a fascinating study of family dynamics that never fails to satisfy your curiosity and one I highly recommend!

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I unexpectedly really liked the idea behind this story - a group of immortals living in Iceland/London. I mostly enjoyed the authorial voice and I also loved the glimpses into London evolving through the centuries. It all seemed to be really well researched.
I did however really struggle with all the things that did not get explained well enough in my eyes. The evil Danish family that has such a huge influence on everyones lives and without them there really wouldn't be much story to be told remains completely pale and lifeless. What is their motivation? Who are they, why and how do they do what they do and why are they so dangerous? I never figured it out and that left me very unsatisfied.
I also found the character development lacking. Yes they developed from their very stereotypical start, but what lead them to behave and change the way they did stayed completely in the dark for me.

Overall this was very much a love/hate book for me. I am still not really sure what to make of it.

[Rene Hooft · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Favorite so far this year!
A perfectly paced historical/speculative fiction with a touch of magic.
Jumping between time lines from the 1700’s to current day, we look at what immortality may really be like and what the consequences may be.
With life like drawn characters, we follow multiple families through their two hundred year life span in London and Ice Land. With two hopeful sisters anticipating a reunion with their long lost boy, a manipulative evil women with the power to hypnotise, a baby boy born into immortality unaware of the dangers around him, loyal servants and an apothecary stuck somewhere in the middle. We see life in Victorian London through seasons, wars, destruction, redevelopments and in prisons. All the way to current day with electricity, phones and air travel.
What would it really be like to live forever? Kate Mayfield tells us in this beautiful yet eerie gothic story of love, loss, grief, greed and hope.

[Karina Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a wonderful blend of historical fiction and the fantastical? Well, look no further. Enter: The Parentations by Kate Mayfield. This epic novel spans the centuries, from Iceland in the 1700s to modern day London, we follow the sisters Fitzgerald and the Fowler family as their lives intertwine, sharing a deadly secret. A pool hidden deep in Iceland’s volcanic landscape grants those who drink from it eternal life – as long as they take the right dose. Gifted with sips of this magical elixir, our main characters must constantly adapt over the years, enduring the changing cultures and laws of London and the heartbreak near-immortality brings.

‘Immortality is no gift. In the absence of death, true darkness emerges…’

Kate Mayfield writes beautifully and masterfully captures a huge range of emotions as her characters navigate the years. Naturally there is loss, which no matter how much you prepare for it still hits hard, but there is also mystery, suspense and, occasionally, joy. The passing of decades allows Mayfield to tackle big themes and how the culture of specific periods shape the way each individual lives their life without compromising the pace of the plot.

I want to avoid spoilers so I won’t go into too many details, there is great joy to be had discovering them as you read, but her exploration of power is particularly captivating. One of our protagonists, Clovis, commands it and through her villainous actions we learn how it can twist the soul and spread misery. She is super fascinating. Selfish, arrogant and controlling, the way Clovis manipulates the members of her ‘family’ and the Fitzgerald sisters is shocking yet it is clear to see why the characters are unable to fight back. While some adhere to the historic boundaries of gender, sexuality and masculinity, Clovis lets nothing hold her back and it’s her inhibition and refusal to play by the rules that allows her to flourish – albeit with devastating consequences. Yet I just couldn’t get enough of her. She is magnificently terrifying. To be honest, all of the characters are well developed and enjoy similar amounts of page time. Which is hard to do with a large cast and not slow down the pace, however Mayfield achieves it easily.

The mystery and suspense elements of the story built up as the decades pass and you wonder how the characters will get any closure. The time jumps are expertly crafted and the atmosphere fairly sizzled off the page – I found myself gripping this beautiful hardback on the edge of my seat. The writing is as evocative as it is tense and I was ready for an unpredictable horrifying event that would culminate in either Clovis’ ultimate control or demise, or a grand victory for the wronged characters that would leave me cheering. In short, I was primed for an explosive finale.

Sadly, this was not to be and the ending was a little anti-climactic for me. My main difficulty with it was the volume of unanswered questions. Now if The Parentations was the beginning of a series, or if the ending had been an intentional cliffhanger of some sort, I could understand the almost abrupt ending. However, I don’t think either statement is applicable and the remaining questions left me feeling frustrated. A few of the ‘mysteries’ (eg. the identity of Benedikt) were predictable yet none of my frustrations diminished my overall enjoyment of the novel and I still highly recommend this for historical fiction lovers. This is a great exploration of love, loss, heartbreak and power and leaves you with a lot to think about – just don’t expect all the answers.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5) Sisters Constance and Verity Fitzgerald have been alive for over 200 years. A green pool in Iceland, first discovered in 1783, gives them “extended mortality” so long as they take the occasional two-week nap and only swallow two drops of the liquid at a time. In London in 2015, they eat a hearty stew by candlelight and wait for their boy to come. Then they try the churchyard: dead or alive, they are desperate to have him back. Meanwhile, Clovis Fowler is concealing extra phials of the elixir from her husband, their son and the maid. What’s going on here? We go back to Iceland in 1783 to see how the magic pool was first found, and then hop across to 1783 London to meet the sisters as children.

I read the first 67 pages, continued skimming to page 260, and then gave up. At well past the one-third point, the novel still hasn’t established basic connections. A book of nearly 500 pages has to hook the reader in sooner and more securely, not lull them with wordiness (case in point: on the first page of the first chapter, the adjective “macilent” – I looked it up and it means thin or lean, either of which would have been a far preferable word to use).

I could see faint echoes here of so many great books – Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, A Discovery of Witches, Slade House, The Essex Serpent; works by Hannah Kent and Diane Setterfield, maybe even Matt Haig? I liked Mayfield’s memoir, The Undertaker’s Daughter, and had hoped for improvement with this debut novel. As it is, The Parentations has an interesting premise and lineage, but doesn’t deliver. Try any of the literary fantasy novels listed above instead.

Favorite lines:

“His rage foments a decision. He will either take his place in the mounds of the dead, or he will find a good reason to stay alive.”

“Francis and Averil Lawless have impressed upon their daughters the concept of the consequences of a single moment, and there is no better teacher than the river’s majesty and its demand for respect for its waters, which can easily bring violence and ruin as well as wealth and peace.”

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful mix of historical fiction and fantasy. A beautiful tale of how far mothers are willing to go to protect their kids. And how consequences always come for people who abuse others.

It’s mesmerizing, heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

TW for suicide, accidental drowning, grief, deaths, murder, attempted kidnapping, gore, physical abuse, infertility, sexual abuse.

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Parentations has received the same treatment as The Wicked Cometh - pretty cover, lots of accolades - and unfortunately it suffers from similar problems. The story, which concerns an Icelandic spring whose waters convey eternal life, and the attempt to protect a child from evil Danes who would kill him in their efforts to discover the secrets of immortality, is a good one, reminiscent of a grownup Tuck Everlasting. But it is, first of all, too long. This is not a structural problem, but a question of paragraphs having been allowed to remain in the manuscript that are not pulling their weight, or indeed any weight. Despite being over 400 pages, I read it in two days, because so much of it is not actually advancing anything that it can be skimmed. Secondly, and perhaps in part because of its length, there are some odd gaps in logic and characterisation. We learn nothing about the Danish family that is supposedly so evil: they are straw man villains, and although the book spends time in nearly every major character's head, we never see through their eyes or even get a particularly strong sense of their motivation. Equally opaque is the novel's real villain, Clovis Fowler, who descends swiftly into oversexed femme-fatality and never recovers. (We're meant to believe that she's a perfectly poised and flawless criminal mind, but some of the decisions that she makes seem wasteful and gratuitous, neither one of which bespeaks true ice-cool evil.) Is it a page-turner? Absolutely. Is it, as its publisher has said in the Bookseller, some of the most extraordinary literary prose encountered in a thirty-year career? If so, that publisher hasn't been reading widely enough.

[Jos M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long. I liked some of the descriptions. Has the vocab and immersive quality of a book that's saying some deep deep stuff, but doesn't seem to be any deep stuff to say. In essence, we follow a family who have been made immortal as their circumstances change over the years -- in the background there's a different dispute that see spill into the main frame occasionally -- all I really took from that is people from Iceland are MAGICAL, which I found vaguely racist. I suppose Bjork seems to have some magical powers.

Anyway, I liked the aspect of charting the changes in Clovis over 300 years, but we're never shown that her innate character is other than being innately cruel and domineering, and while that might be ok in a more structurally hierarchical time, it isn't now. I personally don't know about that -- often media with an immortality storyline can have people change really drastically by virtue of the inherent callousness-inducing quality of watching all one's friends die. Here Clovis was always drawn to power and to control, the years don't really matter. Willa I suppose, develops some sense of self-respect and autonomy, but it's rather rushed at the end. In any case, Clovis is really always the leader of the family unit, and I found this an odd choice if Mayfield is trying to say something about the modern world shaking off old power structures. If so, why is she a beautiful woman who likes having sex the worst one? I suppose that's it though, I don't know that there is any meaningful subtext here. Just a kind of vaguely Essex Serpent-lite atmosphere. Which I enjoyed!

[Lady R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one goes straight into my all-time favourites list & a top read of what has already been a brilliant 2018.

I can’t really do it justice right now - I have left a piece of my heart behind in the book.

My absolutely perfect idea of a big epic read.
5+ amazing stars ⭐️ JUST READ IT!!

[Kali Napier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I persisted with this one. The first few chapters were a bit choppy and I wondered where it was going, but once I got into 19th C England, it sucked me in and I was driven to read until the end. A little bit Fingersmith, a little bit sci-fi. Loved it.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the cover design when I spied this at the library and knew I would borrow it even before reading the blurb – which simply says “what would you do if you were immortal?” (and by the end of the book I was considering this question in a different light). But the cover: it’s a beautiful design, and an intriguing title (defined towards the end of the books as “something done or said in honour of the dead” oooh), and the commendation, “Epic. Gothic. Magic.” sealed the deal. I don’t much like fantasy, I always say (and I need to STOP saying it) – but I do quite like gothic. So I trundled home with this book, and stuck it on the pile (fairly near the top, because it was too tempting).

“I don’t much like fantasy”. Huh, well good thing this is fantasy doing a very very good impression of being historical fiction. And I am a SUCKER for historical fiction. But it is a fantasy, first and foremost: the plot follows a miscellany of characters who have either drunk from a magical Icelandic spring, or been affected by someone who has, and BAM they are now immortal. So, there’s the fantasy element. There’s also power struggles, family feuds, a touch of politics, and (for a book about immortals) a few deaths here and there.

The story covers four centuries, and is set in Iceland and London: this book is so rich in historical details, it’s almost a fault. I know that others found it distracting and at times unnecessarily elaborate – there’s setting the scene, and then there’s gratuitously mentioning any interesting information you happen to have researched. Kate Mayfield walks a fine line with this one, and I grant you that at times it does veer into the territory of giving irrelevant details. But perhaps as a history fan, I’m not a great judge, because I found a lot of it fascinating: clothing, scents, sounds, even light – all described in visceral detail. Everything was accurately named, described, and thoroughly researched. Observing the evolution of the city and inhabitants of London (even the immortal ones) over the centuries was really fascinating in its own right.

Side note: with a bit of work on the plot, this could make an ace TV series, rife with historical details and a touch of the supernatural.

Side-side note: this thought came to me because I just found out The Luminaries aka one of my favourite books of ALL TIME and a MASTERPIECE is to be made into a BBC drama series and I’ve been hiding under a rock apparently because this is ooooold news.

Anyway back to The Parentations. My three complaints (and despite these, I easily rated it 4 stars) are:

1. The dialogue – and some of the prose – was more telling than showing; it often felt like the characters were putting on a show for the reader, rather than the reader glimpsing a moment of their (long loooong) lives. To me, it just felt stilted at times.

2. Character development – maybe not the easiest thing to grasp in immortal characters? – was a little lacking. I felt some characters’ motivations weren’t the clearest. I don’t know, I struggled with character development usually.

3. The ending – or rather, the moment of conflict, the climax – well, it was hardly a climax; the point that the novel – and these characters (who have, remember, been at odds for 200? 300? years) – has been building to was just… flat, disappointing, meh. Maybe I skimmed it too quickly in my haste *shrug* I wanted something really physical and rough, some death (immortality makes violent death so much more satisfying). I didn’t feel some of the characters got what they deserved, eheh.

OK, so my list of complaints seems to far outweigh the single positive (other than the superficial) that I’ve listed. So here are a few more: it’s compelling – the chapters are the perfect length and as the pace picks up they come thick and fast. The timeline is well-plotted. The characters – varied and fairly interesting, if a little random – are memorable enough (though they’ve been compared to those of an Agatha Christie novel…).

And the idea. I know I said I don’t much like fantasy (and that's probably why I was so struck by this) but I understand why people dedicate their reading to the genre (unfortunately, some of us are committed to historical fiction ;) ). You’ve got immortals, a secret Icelandic spring, a liquid with magical properties, a laboratory, blackmail, control issues, adoption and abduction, and secrets upon secrets. By the end, I was almost wondering if anyone in my life had an unnaturally long lifespan – and, back to the question on the blurb: what would I do if I was immortal, and more importantly, how would I behave?

[Δημήτριος Καραγιάννης · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite elaborately built, this is a story about human vice and virtue. I could not overlook how, often, the narrative grew repetitive and stale, hence the three stars. It definitely is a good try at a long novel, but is a far cry away from something unique or unexpected.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5) Despite struggling with the first 100 or so pages (no idea what was going on) I became so engrossed in the story and didn't want it to end. Because I enjoyed it so much I could forgive the excessively descriptive prose in the beginning and I thought Clovis was wonderfully vile.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Mayfield is pure storytelling at it’s best. There’s adventure, mystery, flights of fancy, funny moments and it’s got a cleverly structured plot.

The book revolves around a pool of water discovered in Iceland in the mid 1700’s. Once this water is consumed, the person gains immortality. Although few people discover this there is a small community of immortal Icelanders, eventually one of the women is pregnant, which means that the baby will be automatically born as an immortal being.

This sparks off the interest of a Danish terrorist group and their aim is to kidnap the baby. Fearing the worst, the mother manages to smuggle the baby to London and her unsavory sister, Clovis rears the child and she discovers that his sweat can make other people immortal s well. Clovis being the stereotypical baddie plans to exploit this.

From there the story becomes complicated. There’s a pair of cross dressing sisters, a pharmacist, a Chinese puppet maker, a servant with low self esteem, more Danish terrorists, the most bizarre hanging ever and a farcical suicide attempt. Mayfield just layers on the weirdness.

Do not get me wrong, The Parentations is not a strange book for the sake of it. Mayfield grounds the book in a lot of reality so when the strange things happen, they are organic. Essentially the main message is about the effects of immortality on people. Some take it for granted while others try to profit from it.

The Parentations is a fun book. It is clearly a romp and you are taken along for the ride but there’s complexity as well. The book spans three centuries and the majority of the events in the beginning are not in chronological order so it is up to the reader to piece everything together using the clues in the early chapter. Once everything makes sense then the story is a highly enjoyable adventure.



With the Parentations Mayfield has written a novel that is perfect. Excellent storytelling, characters who stay with you and some clever plot twists. To believe that this debut novel is so accomplished is proof that Mayfield is a force to be reckoned with. I am eagerly awaiting the next work of fiction that will emerge from this highly creative mind.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever read a book that has a plot problem that you can drive a truck through but you just don't care because it's so darn good anyway? That's The Parentations, a book most people haven't heard of and haven't read and it's a terrible shame, because it's a delight. The cover and the title are less than optimal. The only reason I had this book shipped to me and read it was because of a strong recommendation from some book blogger or another (can't figure out who now!). Had I been looking in a bookstore and come across this title, I'd never have taken a chance on it, because (I'm sorry to say) covers influence me.

The novel covers the long lives of a set of people in Iceland and London, England from the late 18th century to the present day and the tensions set forth by their accidental immortality brought about by drinking from a hidden spring in Iceland. The historical detail is richly wrought, and I felt like I was experiencing the different time periods with these folks as they traverse the decades and eventually, centuries. The pathos of Rafe's, Constance, and Verity's story lines is quite compelling, and Jonesy -- darling Jonesy! -- how I wanted to snatch him into the present day, where he could live his best life and find love out in the open. Clovis, who is a villainess for the ages, won't soon fade from my memory. The plot problem is that Elisabet was completely capable of protecting Rafe herself in England, and not only watches from a remove, but allows him to be tortured for over a century and a half by Clovis as she watches and protects him from the mysterious Falk family, at a distance. It doesn't make a lick of sense, but I still love the book anyway. If you haven't read the book but read my spoiler, it won't make any sense. This isn't intended for the eyes of anyone but fellow readers of the book, because I don't have time to explain it further to the non-reader. If you can get your hands on this book and you enjoy offbeat historical fantasy, give yourself the treat of reading it.

[Art]

I dont know how to rate this. 100 pages in and I thought this was the kind of book I struggle with, one with a deep great mystery I am ITCHING to know but it's soft and sad and ends with no real closure. I kept reading and wondering what was happening in this book. The next day I finished and I feel like it had to be that way. The slow draw of time where nothing seems to happen and all of a sudden you look up and things are very different. After all that time, suddenly I felt the rush that maybe everything was going to work out. And then the sudden fear on the next page that no, it couldn't possibly be a happy ending, I am being taunted, as Constance and Verity were.
At times I feel like the changes of the characters were a little distant, to be fair not many characters changed at all. The ins and outs of the characters changes over time felt like waves lapping on a bank disguising a changing tide, which I think served to strengthen the strange feeling this book has.
It is difficult to write 3rd person limited narrator and have characters be the correct amount of perceptive without it feeling like you are making them perceptive for your plot. A lot of information starts as gut urges, or random but persistent worries that turn true. I'm not sure sure if I'm being overly picky saying that in the first third especially I wondered if these were real judgements true to character and not plot convenience.
I liked the ending, and I mostly liked the way it came together. I felt the reveal of Benidikt was well done, but rather a convenient twist and I wish there were more chapters dedicated to Elisabet. I don't think it would have cheapened the reader experience to know what she had been doing while still wondering if the others in London would ever find out or be able to carry out their plans.
I also wanted a little more from Clovis' sentencing but this is more likely to have cheapened the experience?

I initially struggled with the amount of visual detail in the book, some scenes described like a perfectly framed shot from a film, but this may just be personal preference and my frame of mind while reading. At least if it is ever made into a movie (it won't be) by a reader who gets it (ha) the cinematography will be laid out for them.

I recommend this book, but I don't know how or why or who to. Not nearly as dark a view of immortality as the blurb suggests.

[VG · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The Parentations’ follows a cast of characters, tangled in the same web after achieving a state of immortality, and their journey and relationships over a couple of centuries, culminating at the present time.

It took me a while to take to this story - the use of time jumps at the beginning were unnecessarily cryptic and transparently served to avoid giving any information away, rather than subtly adding to the mystery and hooking me in, but once I had reached the 100 page mark, I settled more into the flow (especially after a couple of convenient info dumps, which I am not a fan of, but in this case seemed to be the trigger for kicking off the plot proper.) At almost 500 pages in total, I had also hoped to connect with the characters more than I did; the shadowy ‘villains’ never felt in any way a real threat, and the real antagonist was too one-dimensional; I was confused with the willingness of other key characters to just accept what they were told by her, when there were multiple opportunities to uncover various deceits.

This is also a very wordy book. I love beautiful writing, but when it is too flowery, or uses unnecessary synonyms, it can feel jarring and pull me out of the story. The writing in this book was on the edge of that. There were times when words were spoken by characters (especially children) who were highly unlikely to have used such language, but at other points, particularly when building a vivid picture of locations, it was more successful.

These issues probably make it seem like I did not enjoy this book. That is not the case - I did feel invested in the story and I was keen to see how the plot would be resolved at the end. Personally, I would have preferred more world-building and a closer look at how immortality works in this setting (it becomes clear that the whole immortality part was almost irrelevant to the story; it is more a journey through the lives of the characters and their relationships with each other, conveniently extended and amplified by their long life spans), but still a generally engaging read and light page-turner.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Parentations mixes speculative and historical fiction to explore immortality, Icelandic lore and 18th century London.

The characters of this story didn't choose to become immortal. They were exposed to a source of water whose properties were altered after a volcano eruption in Iceland. The story begins with Stefan, in Iceland, in the late 18th century. Stefan is the first in this cast to have found and drunk from this water source. He is the only one approached by a mysterious individual who instructs him on how to deal with this new found immortality. Stefan will guide all the others who happen on the source.

The first instruction is that once immortal, people have to hide because they are being hunted down. When Elizabet becomes pregnant, hiding becomes even more of a priority for the child's safety. The group decides to send the baby to be raised in London by Elizabet's sister, Clovis, a woman entirely driven by greed. It is at this point that the story begins to expand over 200 years, into a chase and a mystery.

Clovis quickly becomes central to this story. She is such an interesting character because she is so detestable. Highly intelligent, she is the first one who twigs how she's become immortal, & what advantages this could bring her.

Throughout, Mayfield focuses on behaviours and how they shift once mortality is removed. We make life decisions based on our mortality, trying to achieve certain goals before 'a certain age', in acknowledgement of our human life cycle. But what if death was no longer part of the equation of our lives? How would we behave?

Living forever means that death has been removed, but not sorrow, pain, danger, and definitely not jealousy, control, greed. The thought of being stuck with a bully forever is grueling.

Mayfield bounces selfishness off of selflessness here to comment on what's at stakes when life has no end.

I always think of immortality as an absence (the absence of death), and as an overwhelming presence - the sheer quantity of life. Here life is no longer counted in years but in centuries.

The Parentations is told in chapters that alternate between past and present, between Iceland and London. I enjoyed the shuffle, it kept me interested in the story and gave drive to the mystery side of this novel.

The most developed part in the Parentations is the 1800s. Once in the 20th century, the story rolls through the decades, with a short stop during WWs and ends in 2015 London. It's clear from the details and the historical references that Mayfield's interest is the 18th to 19th century.

The only part I disliked was the character's reactions to the two WWs, I found it overly romantic & patriotic, and it didn't sit well with the character's bubble. But it didn't spoil anything.

My favourite part was how Clovis behaved in an 18th century jail. She was fearless.

Thank you to OneWorld Publications for the proof of this novel.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing book with a magical theme, it is very different to anything I have read previously.

A mother must make the ultimate sacrifice for her child to protect him and is forced to rely on her manipulative and greedy sister, Clovis Fowler and her ready made family, to secure his safety. Clovis is a fascinating femme fatale who has only her own best interests at heart. She ruthlessly exploits her husband, her young maid and her servant boy to achieve her own desires, and forms acquaintances only with those people she stands to gain something from. She encourages a friendship with the sisters Constance and Verity because they are rich, and the apothecary Owen Moffatt and his wife.
It is the sisters who are the other main characters in this book, and they are richly drawn, benevolent women, who despite life's hardships unfailing give love and support to all those they meet.

I did find the first few chapters of the book a little hard to follow, as events jumped around quite a lot, but once the story started to unfold and I had familiarised myself with the characters, I found the plot engaging and intriguing. The ending, whilst a little rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the book, gave a wonderful resolution.

I would very much like to read further books from this author and would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for the arc in return for an honest review.

[David Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely epic in scope, this story starts in 1783 and comes right up to the present day. It is a tale that starts in Iceland with a source of immortality and a community that has grown around it. Outsiders sometimes become involved either inadvertantly or deliberately, as in the case of a baby born to the community who has to be hidden away from them, in London. To make matters worse, there is a group of people hunting the immortals. The family who adopt the baby are made up of a megalomaniac woman, her thief husband and two weak-willed servants. Two sisters with a tragic back story are also involved and they provide a source of empathy for the reader.

The premise is not especially original sounding but there are some nice touches to the plot that gives it an individuality, making it an exciting and surprisingly convincing read. It maintains the pace well thoroughout and is genuinely thrilling.

However, it is not flawless. Some of the characters do seem a little two dimensional and there are a couple of plot holes - or at least so it seemed to me. The time line is uneven giveing it a rushes feel to the second half. But, given the rollercoaster nature of the story, these are easy to forgive and it is a thoroughly enjoyable romp.