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After Alice Fell
Until she discovers the truth of her sister’s death, no one will rest in peace.
New Hampshire, 1865. Marion Abbott is summoned to Brawders House asylum to collect the body of her sister, Alice. She’d been found dead after falling four stories from a steep-pitched roof. Officially: an accident. Confidentially: suicide. But Marion believes a third option: murder.
Returning to her family home to stay with her brother and his second wife, the recently widowed Marion is expected to quiet her feelings of guilt and grief—to let go of the dead and embrace the living. But that’s not easy in this house full of haunting memories.
Just when the search for the truth seems hopeless, a stranger approaches Marion with chilling words: I saw her fall.
Now Marion is more determined than ever to find out what happened that night at Brawders, and why. With no one she can trust, Marion may risk her own life to uncover the secrets buried with Alice in the family plot.
New Hampshire, 1865. Marion Abbott is summoned to Brawders House asylum to collect the body of her sister, Alice. She’d been found dead after falling four stories from a steep-pitched roof. Officially: an accident. Confidentially: suicide. But Marion believes a third option: murder.
Returning to her family home to stay with her brother and his second wife, the recently widowed Marion is expected to quiet her feelings of guilt and grief—to let go of the dead and embrace the living. But that’s not easy in this house full of haunting memories.
Just when the search for the truth seems hopeless, a stranger approaches Marion with chilling words: I saw her fall.
Now Marion is more determined than ever to find out what happened that night at Brawders, and why. With no one she can trust, Marion may risk her own life to uncover the secrets buried with Alice in the family plot.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2021
8762 people are currently reading
18216 people want to read
About the author
Kim Taylor Blakemore
10 books571 followersKim writes historical novels that feature fierce, audacious, and often dangerous women. She writes about the thieves and servants, murderesses and mediums, grifters and frauds - the women with darker stories, tangled lies and hidden motives.
She is the author of the historical thrillers THE DECEPTION, Silver Falchion Award winner AFTER ALICE FELL, THE COMPANION, and the historical novels BOWERY GIRL, and CISSY FUNK, a WILLA Award winner for Best Young Adult novel. She also writes historical fiction featuring wild-willed women of the West under the pen name K.T. Blakemore.
She is a developmental editor, and founder of Novelitics, which provides workshops and community to writers in the United States and Canada.
She lives with her family and passel of rescue cats and dogs in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the rain, is afraid of scary movies, and thinks the best meal consists of a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
She is the author of the historical thrillers THE DECEPTION, Silver Falchion Award winner AFTER ALICE FELL, THE COMPANION, and the historical novels BOWERY GIRL, and CISSY FUNK, a WILLA Award winner for Best Young Adult novel. She also writes historical fiction featuring wild-willed women of the West under the pen name K.T. Blakemore.
She is a developmental editor, and founder of Novelitics, which provides workshops and community to writers in the United States and Canada.
She lives with her family and passel of rescue cats and dogs in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the rain, is afraid of scary movies, and thinks the best meal consists of a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 852 reviews
February 18, 2021
Slogging Through
"After Alice Fell" was just okay for me. It is the about a Civil War period woman who thinks her sister was murdered.
It was a great concept. However, the execution of the story was slow. I almost quit a few times.
Feelings of guilt run throughout this book.
Do I recommend? Only if there are no other books available. Otherwise, pass.
"After Alice Fell" was just okay for me. It is the about a Civil War period woman who thinks her sister was murdered.
It was a great concept. However, the execution of the story was slow. I almost quit a few times.
Feelings of guilt run throughout this book.
Do I recommend? Only if there are no other books available. Otherwise, pass.
September 9, 2021
If your name is Alice, you don’t have much hope in a few places, it seems. First— someone is chunking you down a hole or somewhere. Second — you are probably going to be committed or at least end up hanging out with strange, odd, imaginary, and/ or crazy people. Third— you will probably see things no one else does. Four— The reality is; you know more than you should and tons of baddies are after you.
Unfortunately all of those things happen here. Poor girl. So, I guess Alice was the right name for her. Yikes!
Her older sister Marion and her husband take care of the very special and talented Alice, ( who may have schizophrenia or maybe some form of autism) until they volunteer for war efforts. Then they leave her with their brother and his family, until they return.
To make a long story short, the brother commits Alice saying she is dangerous. Alice dies at the asylum from plummeting from the roof 4 stories down. Marion returns upon receiving word. She is also reeling from learning her husband was killed in war. She has to find out what happened to Alice. Things don’t add up.
How was she able to get up there? Why would a witness say she didn’t jump but was pushed? Where is her trunk? Where are her journals? Alice was a gifted artist.
What is her brother hiding ? His brother has a new wife and how the last one died is a bit uncertain.
It’s a puzzle and a mystery and it is a slow burn but I loved it. It got kinda hair raising every now and then.
To get to the end of this puzzle and see how it works out; it was well worth it to me.
Unfortunately all of those things happen here. Poor girl. So, I guess Alice was the right name for her. Yikes!
Her older sister Marion and her husband take care of the very special and talented Alice, ( who may have schizophrenia or maybe some form of autism) until they volunteer for war efforts. Then they leave her with their brother and his family, until they return.
To make a long story short, the brother commits Alice saying she is dangerous. Alice dies at the asylum from plummeting from the roof 4 stories down. Marion returns upon receiving word. She is also reeling from learning her husband was killed in war. She has to find out what happened to Alice. Things don’t add up.
How was she able to get up there? Why would a witness say she didn’t jump but was pushed? Where is her trunk? Where are her journals? Alice was a gifted artist.
What is her brother hiding ? His brother has a new wife and how the last one died is a bit uncertain.
It’s a puzzle and a mystery and it is a slow burn but I loved it. It got kinda hair raising every now and then.
To get to the end of this puzzle and see how it works out; it was well worth it to me.
July 28, 2021
I love the cover, and I love historical fiction - especially books set in the Civil War era - so this one should have checked all the boxes for me. It just didn't.
The first issue I have is that this book is touted as a thriller, and it's not at all. It is much more of a historical drama with an element of mystery. I wouldn't have minded any of that though, had the plot been compelling. It was not.
The book begins with Marion picking up the body of her sister, Alice, from a local asylum. Marion, a war-time nurse, did not know that their brother had Alice committed to an asylum; but when she returns home post-war and moves back in with her brother and his wife and nephew, she finds out that Alice is no longer living at home and has died at the asylum. She immediately begins to question the circumstances of Alice’s death. The doctors at the asylum assure her it was suicide and the rest of her family seems certain it was as well, but Marion doesn't believe it and will go to great lengths to prove Alice's death was not suicide, even if it exposes dark family truths.
First of all, this is the SLOWEST moving plot ever. The asylum setting is definitely the most interesting, but it is just a blip at the beginning. The first half of the book is mainly Marion lamenting the fact that she wasn’t there for Alice and how things would have been different it she had been, yatta yatta. The family dynamic with her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, is just odd and creepy - there isn't a likeable character in the bunch. Honestly, by the time the pace finally picked it and the mystery started to unravel, I didn't care one bit what had really happened to Alice, or whether Marion ever found out what happened.
Overall, this is a relatively short book, but it felt much longer, as I found myself miring through it waiting (and waiting and waiting), for action that never really came. 2 stars.
The first issue I have is that this book is touted as a thriller, and it's not at all. It is much more of a historical drama with an element of mystery. I wouldn't have minded any of that though, had the plot been compelling. It was not.
The book begins with Marion picking up the body of her sister, Alice, from a local asylum. Marion, a war-time nurse, did not know that their brother had Alice committed to an asylum; but when she returns home post-war and moves back in with her brother and his wife and nephew, she finds out that Alice is no longer living at home and has died at the asylum. She immediately begins to question the circumstances of Alice’s death. The doctors at the asylum assure her it was suicide and the rest of her family seems certain it was as well, but Marion doesn't believe it and will go to great lengths to prove Alice's death was not suicide, even if it exposes dark family truths.
First of all, this is the SLOWEST moving plot ever. The asylum setting is definitely the most interesting, but it is just a blip at the beginning. The first half of the book is mainly Marion lamenting the fact that she wasn’t there for Alice and how things would have been different it she had been, yatta yatta. The family dynamic with her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, is just odd and creepy - there isn't a likeable character in the bunch. Honestly, by the time the pace finally picked it and the mystery started to unravel, I didn't care one bit what had really happened to Alice, or whether Marion ever found out what happened.
Overall, this is a relatively short book, but it felt much longer, as I found myself miring through it waiting (and waiting and waiting), for action that never really came. 2 stars.
February 5, 2021
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
Alas, this book did not grab me as I had hoped. I was anticipating more of a historical thriller. What I read, was more of a historical snooze that ambled through the plot, only really delivering in the final quarter – but when I had lost most of my attention to plot development.
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
Alas, this book did not grab me as I had hoped. I was anticipating more of a historical thriller. What I read, was more of a historical snooze that ambled through the plot, only really delivering in the final quarter – but when I had lost most of my attention to plot development.
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
January 10, 2021
What’s so impressive and beautifully unique about Kim Taylor Blakemore’s writing is its lens. Her signature attention to sensory detail is so sharp and specific that I want to call her out as a writer that’s created an entirely new point-of-view category. More than merely first-person, her novels are close first-person, and her latest, After Alice Fell, is a riveting achievement.
It’s the story of Marion, a Civil War nurse recently returned from the horrific daily witness of blood, maiming and death. Marion is only just returned home when she’s called upon to identify the body of her sister, Alice, who has died, mysteriously fallen from an asylum rooftop. The accident doesn’t make sense to Marion who grew up taking care of her creative, sensitive, off-balanced sister and so understood her skewed perspective of the world. So begins Marion’s dogged search for the truth behind her sister’s death. This singular purpose drives mounting suspense; the sharp focus brought to every creak and wallpaper tear and godawful sticky humid air pulls the reader in close. Guilt and secrets and betrayal hamper and hang up Marion as she inevitably creates enemies. The author serves up setback after setback for Marion, forcing me to keep the pages turning in the hope she’d make it. She does, and the journey feels personal. I loved the historical backdrop of the post-Civil War. The setting was a terrific canvas for Blakemore to show her historical fiction research chops in which her details enhance, but never get in the way, of an excellent story. (I received a free copy of this book from the author with no obligation to post a review.)
It’s the story of Marion, a Civil War nurse recently returned from the horrific daily witness of blood, maiming and death. Marion is only just returned home when she’s called upon to identify the body of her sister, Alice, who has died, mysteriously fallen from an asylum rooftop. The accident doesn’t make sense to Marion who grew up taking care of her creative, sensitive, off-balanced sister and so understood her skewed perspective of the world. So begins Marion’s dogged search for the truth behind her sister’s death. This singular purpose drives mounting suspense; the sharp focus brought to every creak and wallpaper tear and godawful sticky humid air pulls the reader in close. Guilt and secrets and betrayal hamper and hang up Marion as she inevitably creates enemies. The author serves up setback after setback for Marion, forcing me to keep the pages turning in the hope she’d make it. She does, and the journey feels personal. I loved the historical backdrop of the post-Civil War. The setting was a terrific canvas for Blakemore to show her historical fiction research chops in which her details enhance, but never get in the way, of an excellent story. (I received a free copy of this book from the author with no obligation to post a review.)
February 15, 2021
This was a good book; not great, not bad. I wouldn’t rush out to recommend it to everyone but then if someone asked me about it and said they were thinking of reading it I would encourage them to do so.
The writing is lovely, the whole book is set back in the 1860’s ish, an old fashioned world with old fashioned writing and dialogue to go with it. Things move so incredibly slowly it was frustrating at times, but then this is not a time of googling and cars and mobile phones etc, it was a quieter, slower pace and so the writing seemed appropriate, however this does make for a rather slow story. We begin with Alice having fallen off a roof (or did she?) but then nothing very much happens until the second half of the book.
This was predominantly a tale of mystery, not just why or how Alice died, but also why was she so ‘odd’ in the first place and what was going on at the Asylum. Thankfully as the story rolled on so it became clear to us piece by piece what had happened previously to bring us to this point.
So yes it was a bit slow but also quite enchanting with some endearing characters, and some great not so endearing characters too. I think they were all well written and believable.
A really nice book, well written so I enjoyed the storytelling regardless of the lack of pace to it, slow but intriguing I think is a fair description, and with quite a satisfactory ending to round it off. Hard to get excited about so a 3.5*/5 for me I think, 3 seems a little harsh but is not quite up there for a 4.
The writing is lovely, the whole book is set back in the 1860’s ish, an old fashioned world with old fashioned writing and dialogue to go with it. Things move so incredibly slowly it was frustrating at times, but then this is not a time of googling and cars and mobile phones etc, it was a quieter, slower pace and so the writing seemed appropriate, however this does make for a rather slow story. We begin with Alice having fallen off a roof (or did she?) but then nothing very much happens until the second half of the book.
This was predominantly a tale of mystery, not just why or how Alice died, but also why was she so ‘odd’ in the first place and what was going on at the Asylum. Thankfully as the story rolled on so it became clear to us piece by piece what had happened previously to bring us to this point.
So yes it was a bit slow but also quite enchanting with some endearing characters, and some great not so endearing characters too. I think they were all well written and believable.
A really nice book, well written so I enjoyed the storytelling regardless of the lack of pace to it, slow but intriguing I think is a fair description, and with quite a satisfactory ending to round it off. Hard to get excited about so a 3.5*/5 for me I think, 3 seems a little harsh but is not quite up there for a 4.
February 10, 2021
I could not get into this book. There was so much description, and it just made it a hard read. I know every detail of the wallpaper that the narrator's brother's wife put up, but very little to understand why her sister Alice was confined to an asylum. Just hinted references. I understand not wanting to do an info dump, but a bit more focus ont he story and less description would have made this a better book for me.
November 12, 2020
After Alice Fell is the story of two sisters: one who goes to nurse the sick in the Civil War, the other to an asylum for the insane shortly thereafter. When Marion, the nurse, returns from the horrors of the war, she finds she must face another tragedy: the death of her unusual, if beloved, sister Alice. While the asylum doctor rules the tragedy an accident, there is a strong indication of suicide—Alice fell from the asylum’s roof. What was Alice doing there? And who at the asylum is responsible? From the beginning pages, Marion is after the truth. She doesn’t believe her sister took her life. She believes someone else did. She must also grapple with her own guilt for leaving her sister when Alice needed her most.
In her unending quest for the truth, Marion learns that the asylum’s head doctor, her sister-in-law, not even her brother—want to drudge up the truth. They want to bury it along with Alice, for it will only reveal Alice’s increasing derangement and embarrass the family further. Marion is having none of it and works relentlessly to find the culprit. Once she is admitted by a sympathetic staff member to the asylum’s protected top floor and finds secrets there, and uncovers clues Alice left behind for Marion to discover, the pace quickens at breakneck speed that kept me turning pages-- even as I was peeking through my fingers as I read!
I devoured this darkly vivid tale of death, deceit, and betrayal. Kim Taylor Blakemore weaves clues like a master, but the real genius of the story is where she uses her great powers of misdirection to keep the reader caught up in the suspense. Nothing is what it seems. Just when you think things can’t get any worse (or dangerous) for Marion, Blakemore ratchets everything up a notch as the stakes get higher and higher. Not to be missed—a crazy ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the startling, terrifying end.
Thanks to the author and Lake Union for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
In her unending quest for the truth, Marion learns that the asylum’s head doctor, her sister-in-law, not even her brother—want to drudge up the truth. They want to bury it along with Alice, for it will only reveal Alice’s increasing derangement and embarrass the family further. Marion is having none of it and works relentlessly to find the culprit. Once she is admitted by a sympathetic staff member to the asylum’s protected top floor and finds secrets there, and uncovers clues Alice left behind for Marion to discover, the pace quickens at breakneck speed that kept me turning pages-- even as I was peeking through my fingers as I read!
I devoured this darkly vivid tale of death, deceit, and betrayal. Kim Taylor Blakemore weaves clues like a master, but the real genius of the story is where she uses her great powers of misdirection to keep the reader caught up in the suspense. Nothing is what it seems. Just when you think things can’t get any worse (or dangerous) for Marion, Blakemore ratchets everything up a notch as the stakes get higher and higher. Not to be missed—a crazy ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the startling, terrifying end.
Thanks to the author and Lake Union for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2021
Choppy writing. It was not really a historical novel as described except for the post-Civil War setting. Hint to the author: if you are going to name a character Saoirse, for heaven's sake give your reader a pronunciation guide! Better still, give the character a name that is phonetic.
This was a free Prime read from Amazon. Worth every penny. Sigh.
This was a free Prime read from Amazon. Worth every penny. Sigh.
February 19, 2021
I was really excited to read 'After Alice Fell' but unfortunately it did not grip me.
I quit a couple days in and came back to it, I almost completely quit but wanted to persevere and see the whole book through.
The concept of this book is good, however the story being told was too slow for my liking. I just didn't gel with it.
I quit a couple days in and came back to it, I almost completely quit but wanted to persevere and see the whole book through.
The concept of this book is good, however the story being told was too slow for my liking. I just didn't gel with it.
March 7, 2021
I'm not sure why I stayed with this book. I'm not even sure why I read past the first present tense sentence (I loathe present tense novels). But I did stick with it, even though I knew it was going to be excruciating from probably the 15-20% mark. Maybe because I had actually downloaded it from Kindle First Reads (a choice I rarely bother to make since the books are rarely worth the effort) and I was determined to finish. Sort of a literary train wreck I couldn't look away from. Or maybe I just kept reading so I could write a fully informed negative review. (If I can help even one person avoid this book, it will have been worth it.)
There is an interesting story here, hidden under the author's ponderous, turgid, enervating prose (See, I can log on to thesaurus.com too. More about that authorial tendency later). But it is bogged down in too much description, too much atmosphere building, too many pointless scenes. Ultimately, I didn't care about the characters. I didn't care what happened to Alice. After the destruction she sows in her wake (how many people lose their jobs and even their lives through trying to help her?) I didn't care about Marion either. I just wanted it to end.
Mostly this book was excruciating because it is just Too. Many. Words. And many of them used with no understanding of gradations of meaning. Just because "traipse" comes up in your thesaurus list for "walk," doesn't mean it makes any sense in a sentence about someone sneaking into a house:
So many examples of this:
Sadly, I could list so many more:
There is an interesting story here, hidden under the author's ponderous, turgid, enervating prose (See, I can log on to thesaurus.com too. More about that authorial tendency later). But it is bogged down in too much description, too much atmosphere building, too many pointless scenes. Ultimately, I didn't care about the characters. I didn't care what happened to Alice. After the destruction she sows in her wake (how many people lose their jobs and even their lives through trying to help her?) I didn't care about Marion either. I just wanted it to end.
Mostly this book was excruciating because it is just Too. Many. Words. And many of them used with no understanding of gradations of meaning. Just because "traipse" comes up in your thesaurus list for "walk," doesn't mean it makes any sense in a sentence about someone sneaking into a house:
My slippers are quiet on the parquet, too loud when I hit a loose square. I traipse the hall, peek into Lionel's office.(Dictionary definition of traipse: to walk from one place to another, often feeling tired or bored).
So many examples of this:
Saoirse has made molasses bread, still warm and aromatic. Lionel stole a slice before clambering down the stairs to join Elias and Amos by the boathouse.(Dictionary definition of clamber: to climb up, across, or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands and the feet) Makes you wonder what kind of stairs they had on the front of their house. But my personal favorite was from a witness statement made to a constable:
I heard a commotion in the barn and could not stop Mrs. Abbot from leaving. She perseverated earlier upon the grievances she believed were committed at Brawders House.(Dictionary definition of perseverate: [PSYCHOLOGY] repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased) So many things wrong with this. Number one, no one in the history of mankind has ever made a statement to a law enforcement officer using the word "perseverate" (a psychologist's report, maybe, but an ordinary citizen, no) Second, not only does this word come to us from psychology, a subject the average woman in 1865 America probably knew little about, but the word didn't even exist until the early 20th century. Maybe the author should have clicked away from thesaurus.com every once in a while to check dictionary.com.
Sadly, I could list so many more:
I kneel, press my ear to the soil, close my eyes, and pray for a susurration of words. Seriously?I get that the author is trying to give the story depth, build atmosphere, make it seem real, etc., but it doesn't work. It is just too much extraneous information slowing the novel down to a glacial pace and making the reader (this one, anyway) indifferent to the story and the characters. I'd say the author needs to hire a good editor, but in the acknowledgements at the end she thanks her editor, copy editor and proof reader. (Not one of whom objected to "I can't determine where she's at" apparently) Maybe she just needs better editors. But whether she finds them or not, I won't know about it. This is a one and done for me. And I am so done with Kindle First Reads too.
Cathy's silence make me light-headed and nauseous. You mean nauseated
He skirts a look around the room. This is not English.
Cathy's voice bounces off the trees and stone; I can't determine where she's at. Oh dear...
October 20, 2020
Good Evening, My Fellow Book Dragons! I have combined Mystery Monday and Time Travel Thursday due to all the internet and computer issues I had last week. I do appreciate your hanging in there because this week is a fantastic tale! Please remember to look for italicized words so you don’t miss any clues for our Halloween Treat!
Tonight’s Gem is by a well beloved Dragon Feeder here, Kim Taylor Blakemore! She has fed us the delicious Gem “The Companion”, tonight we are given a delicate Gem of Seafoam and Frost, it looks like something a hard breath might whither. But it is indeed strong and will withstand a storm.
This is “After Alice Fell”. This is the story of Marion Abbott who moved back to her brother’s home shortly after the American Civil War. A Union Army Nurse and now, a War Widow, Marion has only her husband’s pension to live on. She and her brother are summoned to Brawders House Asylum on a hot summer day.
Their youngest sister has been committed there by Marion’s brother while Marion was away. Alice, beautiful, delicate Alice of the strawberry curls and porcelain skin. Alice, of the queer nature and voices only she can here. Alice, whom only before this Gem could have been conjured by Poe, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, himself would have done justice to sweet Alice.
Yes, my Dearest Book Dragons.. this is American Gothic at it’s absolute best! A Civil War Era Insane Asylum described to Tee. The sprawling New Hampshire home of her brother Lionel and his second wife, Cathy. Cathy who has done over the house his first wife Lydia had put so much time into. Cathy who tries to raise Lionel’s small son, but seems one minute to be a doting mother and the next a borderline abuser. Lionel, so hale and thick with cash from the armaments he made for the war, now up to his knees in stock and nowhere to sell them. And then there is Marion.
Marion is made of tougher stuff as my old Nan used to call women like her. She has backbone, she is smart, she is crafty in her own right. She loves and she hates but she does all in truth. If anyone can figure out if Alice committed suicide in her haze filled delirium or if she was murdered, surely our Marion can do it!
Kim Taylor Blakemore is a National Treasure. She is our Modern Queen of American Gothic! I wait for her books to be forged in whatever old house she lives in somewhere near Sleepy Hollow. Oh yes, and don’t give me that gobbledygook about her living in Oregon, anyone who writes Gothic like this has got to be living in an old Manse with seven gables near the sea with 6 cats and a cavernous cellar!
Don’t believe me? You can win an Audio Copy of her last book: The Companion while waiting for this one to come out in March of 2021! How you ask? By signing up for her Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/gixqib You can preorder “After Alice Fell” for only $4.99 from Amazon now!
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,
Drakon T. Longwitten
Tonight’s Gem is by a well beloved Dragon Feeder here, Kim Taylor Blakemore! She has fed us the delicious Gem “The Companion”, tonight we are given a delicate Gem of Seafoam and Frost, it looks like something a hard breath might whither. But it is indeed strong and will withstand a storm.
This is “After Alice Fell”. This is the story of Marion Abbott who moved back to her brother’s home shortly after the American Civil War. A Union Army Nurse and now, a War Widow, Marion has only her husband’s pension to live on. She and her brother are summoned to Brawders House Asylum on a hot summer day.
Their youngest sister has been committed there by Marion’s brother while Marion was away. Alice, beautiful, delicate Alice of the strawberry curls and porcelain skin. Alice, of the queer nature and voices only she can here. Alice, whom only before this Gem could have been conjured by Poe, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, himself would have done justice to sweet Alice.
Yes, my Dearest Book Dragons.. this is American Gothic at it’s absolute best! A Civil War Era Insane Asylum described to Tee. The sprawling New Hampshire home of her brother Lionel and his second wife, Cathy. Cathy who has done over the house his first wife Lydia had put so much time into. Cathy who tries to raise Lionel’s small son, but seems one minute to be a doting mother and the next a borderline abuser. Lionel, so hale and thick with cash from the armaments he made for the war, now up to his knees in stock and nowhere to sell them. And then there is Marion.
Marion is made of tougher stuff as my old Nan used to call women like her. She has backbone, she is smart, she is crafty in her own right. She loves and she hates but she does all in truth. If anyone can figure out if Alice committed suicide in her haze filled delirium or if she was murdered, surely our Marion can do it!
Kim Taylor Blakemore is a National Treasure. She is our Modern Queen of American Gothic! I wait for her books to be forged in whatever old house she lives in somewhere near Sleepy Hollow. Oh yes, and don’t give me that gobbledygook about her living in Oregon, anyone who writes Gothic like this has got to be living in an old Manse with seven gables near the sea with 6 cats and a cavernous cellar!
Don’t believe me? You can win an Audio Copy of her last book: The Companion while waiting for this one to come out in March of 2021! How you ask? By signing up for her Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/gixqib You can preorder “After Alice Fell” for only $4.99 from Amazon now!
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon,
Drakon T. Longwitten
September 21, 2021
Man, being a female back then was no picnic at the park. Watch what you do or say or behave! It's like walking on egg shells. Step out of line or be different, off you go to the asylum! I felt sad for Alice and mad at her siblings! All my guesses on who done it and why were wrong. Great story had be thinking till the end. I was glad I was able to start this on Sunday and read it in one siting!
February 7, 2021
Wanted better end
Good pacing overall, but I felt the ending was rushed and confusing. I looked back to see if I'd missed a chapter. Several other loose ends weren't tied up. A bit unsatisfying. The basic premise and story were good.
Good pacing overall, but I felt the ending was rushed and confusing. I looked back to see if I'd missed a chapter. Several other loose ends weren't tied up. A bit unsatisfying. The basic premise and story were good.
April 11, 2021
I love this book! Superbly crafted, Kim Taylor Blakemore’s After Alice Fell is an enthralling story of absolving guilt and seeking the truth. It’s a captivating historical thriller that kept me turning the pages way into the night.
October 11, 2021
A very strange and twisted novel but I enjoyed it. Somehow it is always the closest in the family, who keep the secrets and the facade of normality. The story reminded me of Russian classics.
Want to read
September 29, 2021Available on Kindle Unlimited right now.
January 28, 2022
3.5, rounded up.
This was a mixed bag. The vivid splashes of technicolor violence vs hum-drum everyday dullness, the isolated setting, the smothered characters with their various oddities, & the tensions arising from those characters interacting in that setting were all very well done, as was the exploration of the line between genuine mental illness vs awkward-yet-astute perception others don’t want to deal with. At its best, the book was reminiscent of Shirley Jackson for those same reasons—a rare compliment, as few authors are blessed with a talent for writing unbalanced, sideways plots that still hang together as coherent exercises in storytelling.
That said, at times Marion’s shift between thought/action & memory/current time was a bit too confusing. The characters also tended to react (or overreact, or underreact) in ways to confound logic—probably intended to demonstrate their unbalanced personalities, but instead causing the reader to double-take. Given the setting, Blakemore’s implication seems to be mass PTSD on the part of everyone who survived, & I’m on board with exploring such an unsettled aura via illogical snaps of logic…but only to a certain extent. When you need to immediately reread to assure yourself that yes, Character X really jumped to [conclusion] given [provocation], something hasn’t translated properly. Readers can & should question the sanity of characters, but they shouldn’t have to wonder if they’re simply confused from skipping a page or misreading dialogue.
Anyway. I enjoyed it, but it still felt a little undercooked & weirdly paced.
This was a mixed bag. The vivid splashes of technicolor violence vs hum-drum everyday dullness, the isolated setting, the smothered characters with their various oddities, & the tensions arising from those characters interacting in that setting were all very well done, as was the exploration of the line between genuine mental illness vs awkward-yet-astute perception others don’t want to deal with. At its best, the book was reminiscent of Shirley Jackson for those same reasons—a rare compliment, as few authors are blessed with a talent for writing unbalanced, sideways plots that still hang together as coherent exercises in storytelling.
That said, at times Marion’s shift between thought/action & memory/current time was a bit too confusing. The characters also tended to react (or overreact, or underreact) in ways to confound logic—probably intended to demonstrate their unbalanced personalities, but instead causing the reader to double-take. Given the setting, Blakemore’s implication seems to be mass PTSD on the part of everyone who survived, & I’m on board with exploring such an unsettled aura via illogical snaps of logic…but only to a certain extent. When you need to immediately reread to assure yourself that yes, Character X really jumped to [conclusion] given [provocation], something hasn’t translated properly. Readers can & should question the sanity of characters, but they shouldn’t have to wonder if they’re simply confused from skipping a page or misreading dialogue.
Anyway. I enjoyed it, but it still felt a little undercooked & weirdly paced.
February 15, 2021
At times confusing but, I enjoyed the book. Twists and turns keeping you on your toes, just when you fall into Marions' logic you start to question. Who is infirm? Is the Snow family teetering on the edge of sanity?
May 26, 2021
Went in with pretty low expectations for this historical Civil War era thriller, and came out pleasantly surprised. The author did a fantastic job of researching the time period, and ably handles all details of dress, household items, healthcare, and even language usage (e.g. the word “succor” makes plenty of appearances). Highly impressive! Better still, the author created interesting characters and a suspenseful, tangled storyline. This would be a fun read for someone who likes modern thrillers but is getting bored with the usual settings and tropes.
I listened to it in part on Audible, and would give the narration 4 stars as well. The narrator did well, but mispronounced some words. For instance, she pronounced “wind” rhyming with “pinned” when it was clearly “wind” rhyming with “bind” from the context. I’m sure narrating is very challenging but I wanted to point out that there were some problems with it. Other than that, a well-read read! (See what I did there?)
I listened to it in part on Audible, and would give the narration 4 stars as well. The narrator did well, but mispronounced some words. For instance, she pronounced “wind” rhyming with “pinned” when it was clearly “wind” rhyming with “bind” from the context. I’m sure narrating is very challenging but I wanted to point out that there were some problems with it. Other than that, a well-read read! (See what I did there?)
November 28, 2020
I received a complimentary ARC copy of After Alice Fell, A Novel by Kim Taylor Blakemore from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in order to read and give an honest review.
"...exquisitely written, atmospheric and rife with edge of your seat suspense that kept me captivated... "
Author, Kim Taylor Blakemore gives us a beautifully written, suspenseful, American gothic tale brimming with family drama, secrets and lies. Set in 1865, Post Civil War New Hampshire, former army nurse and newly widowed Marion Abbott is forced to move in with her newly remarried brother, Lionel and his second wife, Cathy into their old family home filled with memories. Cathy who was best friends with Lionel's first wife Lydia is trying to establish herself as matriarch of her new family and tries hard to create a home for Marion.
While Marion was working during the war Lionel in her absence was forced to put their mute and disturbed sister Alice in the Brawders House Asylum after he catches Alice hanging his son out of the top floor window by his ankles. When Lionel and Marion are summoned to the Asylum on scorching summer day, they learn that a despondent Alice has jumped to her death from the roof.
Upon preparing for Alice's funeral Marion cannot bear the condition her sister's body is in; bruises and evidence of restraints do not sit right with Marion. Reeling from guilt and haunted by memories, Marion struggles to believe that her sister committed suicide. Marion's thoughts are justified when she is contacted by a witness to the incident who paints a vastly different picture that the one her family had been given.
Marion is convinced more than ever that Alice's death was not of her own doing. Driven by sisterly love and overwhelming regret Marion is determined to get to the bottom of what happened even if it puts her in danger of a similar fate.
I have been a fan of Kim Taylor Blakemore since I read and reviewed her novel the "The Companion" and true to form she has not disappointed with "After Alice Fell". Both books have been exquisitely written, atmospheric and rife with edge of your seat suspense that kept me captivated to the very last page.
"...exquisitely written, atmospheric and rife with edge of your seat suspense that kept me captivated... "
Author, Kim Taylor Blakemore gives us a beautifully written, suspenseful, American gothic tale brimming with family drama, secrets and lies. Set in 1865, Post Civil War New Hampshire, former army nurse and newly widowed Marion Abbott is forced to move in with her newly remarried brother, Lionel and his second wife, Cathy into their old family home filled with memories. Cathy who was best friends with Lionel's first wife Lydia is trying to establish herself as matriarch of her new family and tries hard to create a home for Marion.
While Marion was working during the war Lionel in her absence was forced to put their mute and disturbed sister Alice in the Brawders House Asylum after he catches Alice hanging his son out of the top floor window by his ankles. When Lionel and Marion are summoned to the Asylum on scorching summer day, they learn that a despondent Alice has jumped to her death from the roof.
Upon preparing for Alice's funeral Marion cannot bear the condition her sister's body is in; bruises and evidence of restraints do not sit right with Marion. Reeling from guilt and haunted by memories, Marion struggles to believe that her sister committed suicide. Marion's thoughts are justified when she is contacted by a witness to the incident who paints a vastly different picture that the one her family had been given.
Marion is convinced more than ever that Alice's death was not of her own doing. Driven by sisterly love and overwhelming regret Marion is determined to get to the bottom of what happened even if it puts her in danger of a similar fate.
I have been a fan of Kim Taylor Blakemore since I read and reviewed her novel the "The Companion" and true to form she has not disappointed with "After Alice Fell". Both books have been exquisitely written, atmospheric and rife with edge of your seat suspense that kept me captivated to the very last page.
March 31, 2021
Gritty, immersive, and haunting!
After Alice Fell is a sinister, historical thriller set in New Hampshire during 1865 that takes you into the life of Marion Abbott, a young woman determined to discover what really happened to her sister Alice at Brawders House, the local asylum, and prove once and for all that her sister didn’t commit suicide but was actually murdered.
The writing is atmospheric and eerie. The characters are tormented, insistent, and resourceful. And the plot is a taut, twisty, evocative tale rife with desperation, manipulation, abuse, familial dynamics, deviance, greed, jealousy, and murder.
Overall, After Alice Fell is a dark, engrossing, well-written tale by Kim Taylor Blakemore that does a wonderful job of highlighting the struggles and hardships of life at the end of the civil war, and reminds us of some of the unimaginable, horrific practices deemed appropriate treatments at that time for those considered to be mentally defective.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
After Alice Fell is a sinister, historical thriller set in New Hampshire during 1865 that takes you into the life of Marion Abbott, a young woman determined to discover what really happened to her sister Alice at Brawders House, the local asylum, and prove once and for all that her sister didn’t commit suicide but was actually murdered.
The writing is atmospheric and eerie. The characters are tormented, insistent, and resourceful. And the plot is a taut, twisty, evocative tale rife with desperation, manipulation, abuse, familial dynamics, deviance, greed, jealousy, and murder.
Overall, After Alice Fell is a dark, engrossing, well-written tale by Kim Taylor Blakemore that does a wonderful job of highlighting the struggles and hardships of life at the end of the civil war, and reminds us of some of the unimaginable, horrific practices deemed appropriate treatments at that time for those considered to be mentally defective.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2021
Rounding up from 2.5 stars
Marion Abbot returns from her stint as a nurse during the Civil War to learn her sister has died in an asylum. Not believing that her sister killed herself, Marion sets out to discover the truth. The author did a believable job of the conflicted emotions Marion experienced in caring for her mentally challenged sister, Alice, and set a nice gothic atmosphere. However the writing style was abrupt and the story moved slowly. Marion’s lack of logic – never knowing when to keep her mouth and constantly tipping her hand to suspects – was frustrating. And despite being correct in some of her assumptions, she often barreled forward with absolutely no signs of evidence. Predictable elements and many loose threads in the conclusion left me unsatisfied.
Marion Abbot returns from her stint as a nurse during the Civil War to learn her sister has died in an asylum. Not believing that her sister killed herself, Marion sets out to discover the truth. The author did a believable job of the conflicted emotions Marion experienced in caring for her mentally challenged sister, Alice, and set a nice gothic atmosphere. However the writing style was abrupt and the story moved slowly. Marion’s lack of logic – never knowing when to keep her mouth and constantly tipping her hand to suspects – was frustrating. And despite being correct in some of her assumptions, she often barreled forward with absolutely no signs of evidence. Predictable elements and many loose threads in the conclusion left me unsatisfied.
August 1, 2021
Set in post civil war this was a taut and atmospheric story, sometimes settling into bleakness. “Alice” is one of the biggest characters in the book, and Alice struggled with mental health during a time in history that people were scorned just for a whisper of its presence in their family. Alice is also dead, the book opening with Marion going to pick up her body at the asylum. Marion, the main protagonist, is recently widowed and returns to the family home, not knowing where or how she’ll fit back into the world - in the greater sense of culture, and in the smaller world of her family , the close knit society of a smaller town, and her brother’s new wife and child. The author creates a lot of building tensions and some great twists. 3.5 stars
September 26, 2023
This book dragged, almost DNF several times. Didn't care for the characters or the writing. Other people enjoyed this book. It's just not for me.
April 1, 2022
Very Shirley Jackson in style, this could easily be Netflix’s new gothic adaptation.
Eerie, well written and atmospheric, i don’t understand the negative response it’s received… 4 stars ⭐️
Eerie, well written and atmospheric, i don’t understand the negative response it’s received… 4 stars ⭐️
March 12, 2021
After Alice Fell
By Kim Taylor Blakemore
I love a gothic historical fiction mystery suspense read, and this one is set during the mid 1860’s during the Civil War. This was an atmospheric read about the mysterious death of Marion’s sister Alice from an asylum in New Hampshire. Could this be an accident, a suicide, or worse yet a murder? Marion is a Civil War nurse and there is nothing I love to read ore than nurses in my books. Anyhow, Marion is called in to identify her sister’s body and something seems very amiss.
The writing was incredibly detailed that pulled me into the time frame during the Civil War. The sights, sounds, and smells of the era was clearly described that this really brought the story to life.
Blakemore is simply outstanding with writing this incredibly suspenseful tale giving the character a distinct and unique voice. Highly recommend this beautifully written novel.
By Kim Taylor Blakemore
I love a gothic historical fiction mystery suspense read, and this one is set during the mid 1860’s during the Civil War. This was an atmospheric read about the mysterious death of Marion’s sister Alice from an asylum in New Hampshire. Could this be an accident, a suicide, or worse yet a murder? Marion is a Civil War nurse and there is nothing I love to read ore than nurses in my books. Anyhow, Marion is called in to identify her sister’s body and something seems very amiss.
The writing was incredibly detailed that pulled me into the time frame during the Civil War. The sights, sounds, and smells of the era was clearly described that this really brought the story to life.
Blakemore is simply outstanding with writing this incredibly suspenseful tale giving the character a distinct and unique voice. Highly recommend this beautifully written novel.
March 30, 2021
I was beyond thrilled to receive and review a copy of AFTER ALICE FELL. The Author is an amazing writer and also the Author of THE COMPANION. If you like historical reads with a gripping mystery than this one you can’t miss. With its thrilling twists and turns you’re left guessing with every page turn.
May 23, 2021
I guess you either love this book or the opposite. I absolutely loved it. Right from the start, something is off with the family besides the obvious of Alice’s questionable death. When the story really gets going, I stayed up late until I finished it. Loved the ending!!!
March 7, 2021
What a book! I am smitten. I know it's early days yet, but here we have a strong contender for my favourite books of 2021-list.
The less you know about the plot going in, the better, so I won't talk about it beyond the barest facts: Marion comes back from serving as a nurse during the civil war to discover that her sister Alice has died in a lunatic asylum, apparently of suicide. But Marion can't believe that, and thus the story commences.
The way Blakemore weaves the sultry heat of a Georgian summer with the slow unravelling of the events, the sense of narrowness and confinement of being a woman in the mid-19th century, the way she was limited by her parents, even her brother, by her neighbours' opinions, her friends' prejudices to even her very clothes, the small spaces she was granted to occupy and the little trust people put in her voice creates a dense net of oppressive unease that grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the last page has been turned, and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. Add to that the beauty of the prose, and I was sold.
This book evokes a similar vein of eerie gothic mystery as Michelle Paver's Wakenhyrst, so if you enjoyed that one, I very much recommend picking this one up as well.
I've seen people call this book slow or boring, and the prose is in parts slow moving, focusing on small details, but to me that wove beautifully into the slowly developing sense of unease and the almost syrup-like atmosphere that seemed to want to prevent Marion from finding out the truth. So your mileage may vary, but I absolutely loved it and will definitely be picking up more by Blakemore.
I kindly received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but all opinions expressed herein are my own.
The less you know about the plot going in, the better, so I won't talk about it beyond the barest facts: Marion comes back from serving as a nurse during the civil war to discover that her sister Alice has died in a lunatic asylum, apparently of suicide. But Marion can't believe that, and thus the story commences.
The way Blakemore weaves the sultry heat of a Georgian summer with the slow unravelling of the events, the sense of narrowness and confinement of being a woman in the mid-19th century, the way she was limited by her parents, even her brother, by her neighbours' opinions, her friends' prejudices to even her very clothes, the small spaces she was granted to occupy and the little trust people put in her voice creates a dense net of oppressive unease that grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the last page has been turned, and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. Add to that the beauty of the prose, and I was sold.
This book evokes a similar vein of eerie gothic mystery as Michelle Paver's Wakenhyrst, so if you enjoyed that one, I very much recommend picking this one up as well.
I've seen people call this book slow or boring, and the prose is in parts slow moving, focusing on small details, but to me that wove beautifully into the slowly developing sense of unease and the almost syrup-like atmosphere that seemed to want to prevent Marion from finding out the truth. So your mileage may vary, but I absolutely loved it and will definitely be picking up more by Blakemore.
I kindly received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but all opinions expressed herein are my own.
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