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Tainted Tree
When Addie Russell arrives in the UK from Boston, a failed relationship behind her, she's eager to embark on something new. She's inherited a house in Surrey and hopes to find out about her English family. Addie was adopted at birth, when her mother died, and she knows very little about her mother, who was travelling around the US. Apart from that, there are the grandparents, who wanted nothing to do with her, and the father, about whom she knows nothing at all. Soon, Addie will discover the family secrets, and will also meet more than one man. But will she find true love - and will the family be all that she hoped for?... an engaging narrative voice ... I was immediately drawn into the story. Donna Condon, editor, Piatkus BooksThe atmosphere is skilfully built, humming with suspense ... evocative images and well-chosen vocabulary ... a page-turner. Adrienne Dines, author... likeable people ... excellent family dialogue, which races along most satisfyingly. Historical Novel Association ReviewSet in Guildford and the West Country in 1991, Addie's research takes her back through three generations to the First World War. A bit of history, mystery and romance in one package.Lynne, Ilford, have just returned from holiday where I read your book. I must say that I really enjoyed it, and in parts I could not put it down.Barbara, Haslemere, find Tainted Tree very interesting and readable. The way you developed the plot is very good, the reader can't put it down. I nearly missed my stop on the train last Monday. I have read your other two books , but find this one the best. You were absolutely right to celebrate the launch in style - the book deserves it.Susan, Pirbright, read - I really enjoyed it - genuinely interesting, compulsive reading and so relevant to what is happening today. Well done - look forward to the next one.Joyce, Clacton-on-Sea, a short note to let you know how much I enjoyed Tainted Tree - in fact I couldn’t put it down - it was a really interesting saga, beautifully written (a real ‘tear-jerker’ at times!) and I loved the characters, especially Addie. Thank you for a ‘good read’, Jackie.Elizabeth, Illinois, finished Tainted Tree and LOVED IT! I want you to know how much I enjoyed the book - I picked it up and kept reading through, stopping only for meals and the occasional bathroom break. I wanted to read while eating lunch, too, but my hubby took offence, so I set it down long enough to gobble up my salad.
378 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2008
About the author
Jacquelynn Luben
25 books9 followersJacquelynn Luben lives in England, in the house which she and her husband built, in a pretty village in rural Surrey, which she describes in her autobiography, The Fruit of the Tree. Her son and daughter have now fled the nest. She is the author of two non-fiction books, many short stories, articles, poetry and two novels and a children's book, published 2017.
She has written for various magazines, and also gives occasional talks to Surrey groups on self-publishing and publicity. Her story, Damaged Goods, was broadcast on Radio Southern Counties and is now, despite being extremely short, a popular ebook, published by www.untreedreads.com, who have published a number of her stories on line. Many of her other short stories have met with success - at the Guildford Book Festival, locally - and at competitions throughout the UK.
Jacquelynn’s first longer work of fiction, A Bottle of Plonk was published in the UK by Goldenford Publishers, and is now available as an e-book, as is her novel, Tainted Tree. This was placed second in the Winchester Writers' Conference novel competition, 2007, prior to publication by Goldenford Publishers, and was featured in Family Tree Magazine in December 2009.
For her degree in 2002, she wrote a dissertation on 'Harry Potter and other children's books', and subsequently brought out What Grandpa did next, for children of around 4 - 6. This is beautifully illustrated by Silvia Cabello. Jacquelynn is currently working on a sequel to her third novel, Innocent Bystanders - a crime story, which has received excellent reviews.
She was invited to give readings of her books in Germany, in June 2009, and has also given talks in libraries and to reading groups and writers' groups in Surrey.
She has written for various magazines, and also gives occasional talks to Surrey groups on self-publishing and publicity. Her story, Damaged Goods, was broadcast on Radio Southern Counties and is now, despite being extremely short, a popular ebook, published by www.untreedreads.com, who have published a number of her stories on line. Many of her other short stories have met with success - at the Guildford Book Festival, locally - and at competitions throughout the UK.
Jacquelynn’s first longer work of fiction, A Bottle of Plonk was published in the UK by Goldenford Publishers, and is now available as an e-book, as is her novel, Tainted Tree. This was placed second in the Winchester Writers' Conference novel competition, 2007, prior to publication by Goldenford Publishers, and was featured in Family Tree Magazine in December 2009.
For her degree in 2002, she wrote a dissertation on 'Harry Potter and other children's books', and subsequently brought out What Grandpa did next, for children of around 4 - 6. This is beautifully illustrated by Silvia Cabello. Jacquelynn is currently working on a sequel to her third novel, Innocent Bystanders - a crime story, which has received excellent reviews.
She was invited to give readings of her books in Germany, in June 2009, and has also given talks in libraries and to reading groups and writers' groups in Surrey.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 19, 2015
Definitely a 5 star novel in my opinion! I am always on the look-out for good stories with a genealogy theme, and this story of an adopted American girl in search of her roots in England was quite moving - I actually shed a few tears at the end! Written in a clear, very readable style, I can recommend it to my all friends.
October 3, 2014
Mystery to the end
I love family tree mysteries. this writer gives out hints one at a time and you don't know how it will end until the very end. 5 stars
I love family tree mysteries. this writer gives out hints one at a time and you don't know how it will end until the very end. 5 stars
August 30, 2012
I have previously only read a couple of Jacquie's short stories so I thought it was time I tackled something longer. This is a story of an American girl, adopted from birth after the death of her English mother. Addie finds she has inherited property and money from someone described as her mother's godfather. She comes to England to see the place, possibly to put it up for sale, and to find out more about the mystery of her family background.
Jacquelynn Luben is a classy writer. Her work is always clear, logical and uncluttered. Here she patiently displays for us the history of a family through 4 generations as discovered by Addie. Addie finds help from her benefactor's lawyer and his family. This is no dry genealogical tome, however. The author has the ability to descibe and evoke emotion so that we are drawn into the details of the story and we want, we need, to find out more. There is a sad family story which unfolds here and there's scope for the old discussion about nature or nurture as we see how the women's lives reflect one another down the years. Addie is a strong character though and her determination comes through. I enjoyed this book very much indeed.
Jacquelynn Luben is a classy writer. Her work is always clear, logical and uncluttered. Here she patiently displays for us the history of a family through 4 generations as discovered by Addie. Addie finds help from her benefactor's lawyer and his family. This is no dry genealogical tome, however. The author has the ability to descibe and evoke emotion so that we are drawn into the details of the story and we want, we need, to find out more. There is a sad family story which unfolds here and there's scope for the old discussion about nature or nurture as we see how the women's lives reflect one another down the years. Addie is a strong character though and her determination comes through. I enjoyed this book very much indeed.
August 6, 2016
This is a very enjoyable book, with a good mixture of light and shade.
It is essentially the story of American Addie's search for her English roots.
Along the way it explores changing attitudes to pre-marital sex and illegitimacy, without ever becoming a polemic. Some of the things Addie discovers about her family are quite horrific and made me burn with anger at the injustice suffered by women in the past. This is revealed by Addie gradually uncovering the story from documents, letters and witnesses, so you share her modern reaction to it in a completely empathic way.
Jacquelynn Luben has obviously done her research into geneological records and where information can be found. Addie is lucky to find quite so many people who knew her mother and grandmother, but this is still believable and helps bring a human touch to what could have been rather dry research.
It includes a nice bit of romance, but is much more than a standard boy meets girl, they have some problems, but get together in the end. It is overall a very good read.
It is essentially the story of American Addie's search for her English roots.
Along the way it explores changing attitudes to pre-marital sex and illegitimacy, without ever becoming a polemic. Some of the things Addie discovers about her family are quite horrific and made me burn with anger at the injustice suffered by women in the past. This is revealed by Addie gradually uncovering the story from documents, letters and witnesses, so you share her modern reaction to it in a completely empathic way.
Jacquelynn Luben has obviously done her research into geneological records and where information can be found. Addie is lucky to find quite so many people who knew her mother and grandmother, but this is still believable and helps bring a human touch to what could have been rather dry research.
It includes a nice bit of romance, but is much more than a standard boy meets girl, they have some problems, but get together in the end. It is overall a very good read.
September 19, 2011
An excellent read!! Addie was adopted and although very happy with her adopted parents, is still very curious about her natural family and yearns to know more. Inheriting a house in England gives her this opportunity. She is inclined to rush into things, both with her research and with people she meets, finding the British reserve rather hard to take at times.
Usually I read several books at a time , but having started The Tainted Tree I did not want any distractions and read it straight through. It is one of those books that has me torn with wanting to read on and on and yet not wanting the book to end.
Very well written and obviously well researched.
Usually I read several books at a time , but having started The Tainted Tree I did not want any distractions and read it straight through. It is one of those books that has me torn with wanting to read on and on and yet not wanting the book to end.
Very well written and obviously well researched.
June 13, 2021
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. At first I thought I might find it a little dated compared to the other more recently published genealogical mysteries I usually read, but the personal stories of the characters drew me in and kept me reading chapter after chapter as I became wrapped up in their lives. It was refreshing to have all of the genealogy research in the book done the “old fashioned” way without the aid of computers and the internet (though I don’t think I’d cope - lol). At the end of the book, I really wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next.
April 27, 2012
Adopted Addie comes to England to trace her family after inheriting a house in Guildford. As I have been tracing my family enjoyed the contrasts of searching now and them. Was very envious of the ease in which her story unravelled. Interesting though and I couldn't put it down! Read in a day.
August 11, 2016
Brava! Great ending and I enjoyed the mystery without any murders. The diary entries were overly long, but a wonderful story about finding family and facing very difficult situations in their pasts.
March 9, 2014
Really quite good for the genealogical mystery genre and I like the way the author presented the changes in moral standards and the devastating affects of secrecy on families.
November 1, 2013
read this a while back and loved it
May 11, 2021
American Addie Russell was adopted at birth after her single mother died. Always happy with her adoptive parents in Boston, USA, advertising copywriter Addie starts to ask questions when she inherits a house from a stranger in England. ‘Tainted Tree’ by Jacquelynn Luben is an adoption mystery combined with romance, threading together genealogical search and US/English differences with the joy and abandonment of teenage love.
Addie arrives in England at the house she has inherited. Glad to cross the Atlantic and escape her job and the boss which whom she had an affair, she is determined to find out more about her birth mother Adrienne and perhaps identify her birth father. But the local lawyer handling the estate is cold and stand-offish, sending mixed signals that Addie doesn’t understand. Undeterred, she does her own research and traces her maternal grandparents but is shocked that they rejected her when she was born. Why did they hate her so?
The action moves back and forth between Addie’s new house in Surrey and the West Country, where her mother grew up. Although this story has a fair amount of romance, both in the modern story and that of Adrienne, it also has a dark streak of abuse and violence. There are some wonderful minor characters, Ada became a favourite. Luben is good at creating atmosphere and darker, threatening personalities.
I did want to see more of Adrienne’s viewpoint directly, rather than simply reading about Addie reading Adrienne’s diary entries. Her teenage love affair in the Sixties rang true and Luben populates the story with well-drawn supporting characters, particularly the three Amerys and the Graingers.
There were times in the first third when I felt bogged down with information overload and I got a couple of the historical characters muddled up, but as the middle section took off it started to become clearer. The action scenes really move things along though the pace does vary as Addie spends a fair amount of time reviewing what she knows and doesn’t know. Luben carefully handles a complex story, allowing Addie to discover contradictions and dead ends, unhelpful personalities and unexpected curve balls.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...
Addie arrives in England at the house she has inherited. Glad to cross the Atlantic and escape her job and the boss which whom she had an affair, she is determined to find out more about her birth mother Adrienne and perhaps identify her birth father. But the local lawyer handling the estate is cold and stand-offish, sending mixed signals that Addie doesn’t understand. Undeterred, she does her own research and traces her maternal grandparents but is shocked that they rejected her when she was born. Why did they hate her so?
The action moves back and forth between Addie’s new house in Surrey and the West Country, where her mother grew up. Although this story has a fair amount of romance, both in the modern story and that of Adrienne, it also has a dark streak of abuse and violence. There are some wonderful minor characters, Ada became a favourite. Luben is good at creating atmosphere and darker, threatening personalities.
I did want to see more of Adrienne’s viewpoint directly, rather than simply reading about Addie reading Adrienne’s diary entries. Her teenage love affair in the Sixties rang true and Luben populates the story with well-drawn supporting characters, particularly the three Amerys and the Graingers.
There were times in the first third when I felt bogged down with information overload and I got a couple of the historical characters muddled up, but as the middle section took off it started to become clearer. The action scenes really move things along though the pace does vary as Addie spends a fair amount of time reviewing what she knows and doesn’t know. Luben carefully handles a complex story, allowing Addie to discover contradictions and dead ends, unhelpful personalities and unexpected curve balls.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...
April 26, 2020
This novel about an adopted child’s search for the truth about her birth mother kept me gripped from beginning to end. Unlike some books about family history, we are not presented with huge gobbets of information all in one go; instead, Addie uncovers the truth gradually, while at the same time trying to navigate her way through new friendships and relationships in a country that is new to her. A very enjoyable read.
December 20, 2011
I am prejudiced against the genres called “family saga” and “romance”, yet I enjoyed “Tainted Tree”. From the first few chapters I felt that I was in the hands of an able and intelligent writer. The rhythmical sentence structure is wholly appropriate to the main theme of the book, the steady unfolding of Addie’s family history. A less accomplished author might well have produced a mechanical, tedious story, but Jacquelynn Luben knows how to introduce intrigue, tension and false leads into the plot and so kept my interest.
The fascination of research into one’s own family tree comes mainly from the fact that we have been born of these ancestors, which poses problems for maintaining momentum in a work of fiction such as this. But another compelling feature of this kind of research is the detective work it involves, and the details of the lives of characters it reveals. Luben exploits the appeal of detection with great skill, guiding us through such annoying complications as particular first names recurring through the generations, changes of surnames and false certification.
As part of her research, Addie reads Adrienne’s diary. I found the diary convincing. I have not met Jacquelynn Luben but I saw on her website that she took her degree in 2002, so I do not know how she managed to conjure up the life of a university student in the early 1960s. However, throughout the book she has references to significant world events, and always exactly the kind of things which lodged in people’s consciousness at the time. This gave a sense of time passing, and hence a realistic historical grounding to the narrative.
Merely recounting a search would not be sufficient to ensure an absorbing novel; for that, intelligent characterisation is needed. Luben has created complicated individuals who can be relied upon to show the kind of inconsistencies and subtleties we find in life. Many of the relationships in the story are appropriately and realistically fraught as she deals with important and serious issues.
I was often able to feel apprehensive for Addie, How one can feel apprehensive for a fictional character I do not know (it feels like a category mistake) and it is not particularly helpful simply to say that we suspend our disbelief, but, however that may be, there were many moments when I experienced a kind of imaginative concern for her. That is an achievement on the part of the author.
It adds to the interest of the story that Addie is an American who has come to research her family in Britain. Whether or not Luben has got into the consciousness of a young woman from that part of the States I am not qualified to say, but her use of American vocabulary was sufficient to give me confidence that Addie is American.
Jacquelynn Luben was able through her skilled writing to overcome my prejudices. Therefore I am giving this book five stars.
The fascination of research into one’s own family tree comes mainly from the fact that we have been born of these ancestors, which poses problems for maintaining momentum in a work of fiction such as this. But another compelling feature of this kind of research is the detective work it involves, and the details of the lives of characters it reveals. Luben exploits the appeal of detection with great skill, guiding us through such annoying complications as particular first names recurring through the generations, changes of surnames and false certification.
As part of her research, Addie reads Adrienne’s diary. I found the diary convincing. I have not met Jacquelynn Luben but I saw on her website that she took her degree in 2002, so I do not know how she managed to conjure up the life of a university student in the early 1960s. However, throughout the book she has references to significant world events, and always exactly the kind of things which lodged in people’s consciousness at the time. This gave a sense of time passing, and hence a realistic historical grounding to the narrative.
Merely recounting a search would not be sufficient to ensure an absorbing novel; for that, intelligent characterisation is needed. Luben has created complicated individuals who can be relied upon to show the kind of inconsistencies and subtleties we find in life. Many of the relationships in the story are appropriately and realistically fraught as she deals with important and serious issues.
I was often able to feel apprehensive for Addie, How one can feel apprehensive for a fictional character I do not know (it feels like a category mistake) and it is not particularly helpful simply to say that we suspend our disbelief, but, however that may be, there were many moments when I experienced a kind of imaginative concern for her. That is an achievement on the part of the author.
It adds to the interest of the story that Addie is an American who has come to research her family in Britain. Whether or not Luben has got into the consciousness of a young woman from that part of the States I am not qualified to say, but her use of American vocabulary was sufficient to give me confidence that Addie is American.
Jacquelynn Luben was able through her skilled writing to overcome my prejudices. Therefore I am giving this book five stars.
February 15, 2011
I came across this book purely by chance and am so glad that I did. I was looking on Google to see what books were set in Guildford and noticed that this one was and available from a local publisher. It appealed to my genealogical mind, so I ordered it and it arrived on Monday just in time for a business trip. I devoured the book during my 6 hours traveling yesterday.
Addie inherits a lovely house in Guildford from someone she does not know,but she understand that the deceased has links were her mother, who died in childbirth with Addie, In America. The people that Addie's mother was living with write to advise the would be grandparents of the death of their daughter to find that they do not want to accept responsibility for the child,and after a period of time, Addie is adopted by the couple. Addie has a happy and loved childhood, but finds that she has questions of her heritage and wants to "know" her deceased Mother, and she has no idea who her father is.....Inheriting the house is a catalyst for discovering the answers.
The link is the Addie's mother was god daughter to James, and it is his house that she has inherited. Addie sets out on a journey of discovery, and as with most genealogical type searches Addie soon finds that she has more questions than answers, and that she has to live with the decisions that her ancestors made.
The author has done obvious research into genealogical searches and mentions the huge references of birth,marriage and death records at St Catherine's House, of course they are not longer available in the serch room by that has occured since the book was published earlier in the year, and the reference to it in the book reminded me of days lifting those heavy books and battling for space with other researchers. Also the use of the surname of Daborn a very Surrey name!
Addie does meet living relatives, including her great grandmother, who she discovers was illegitimate and has spent the majority of her life in a hospital simply for having a child out of wedlock. There are tears of joy as the elderly lady realises that the young woman standing with her is not simply a stranger from the social but a relative, a descendant of the daughter she had been told had died. I could almost feel Ada's pain and anguish.
The genealogical search is just like a jigsaw, gathering the facts and placing what you know into the mix to build the picture, and that was done as we read of Addie's search.
Quite simply I loved this book, not just for the subject matter, but the way the story unfolds and evolves. I was there, within the pages.
Addie inherits a lovely house in Guildford from someone she does not know,but she understand that the deceased has links were her mother, who died in childbirth with Addie, In America. The people that Addie's mother was living with write to advise the would be grandparents of the death of their daughter to find that they do not want to accept responsibility for the child,and after a period of time, Addie is adopted by the couple. Addie has a happy and loved childhood, but finds that she has questions of her heritage and wants to "know" her deceased Mother, and she has no idea who her father is.....Inheriting the house is a catalyst for discovering the answers.
The link is the Addie's mother was god daughter to James, and it is his house that she has inherited. Addie sets out on a journey of discovery, and as with most genealogical type searches Addie soon finds that she has more questions than answers, and that she has to live with the decisions that her ancestors made.
The author has done obvious research into genealogical searches and mentions the huge references of birth,marriage and death records at St Catherine's House, of course they are not longer available in the serch room by that has occured since the book was published earlier in the year, and the reference to it in the book reminded me of days lifting those heavy books and battling for space with other researchers. Also the use of the surname of Daborn a very Surrey name!
Addie does meet living relatives, including her great grandmother, who she discovers was illegitimate and has spent the majority of her life in a hospital simply for having a child out of wedlock. There are tears of joy as the elderly lady realises that the young woman standing with her is not simply a stranger from the social but a relative, a descendant of the daughter she had been told had died. I could almost feel Ada's pain and anguish.
The genealogical search is just like a jigsaw, gathering the facts and placing what you know into the mix to build the picture, and that was done as we read of Addie's search.
Quite simply I loved this book, not just for the subject matter, but the way the story unfolds and evolves. I was there, within the pages.
January 20, 2012
What a beautiful story the author, Jacquelynn Luben has written, that takes the reader on an emotive journey through her main character Addie. Addie is an American young woman born to an English mother who dies during childbirth. She is raised by her loving, adoptive American parents. An inheritance bequeathed her brings her to the UK and here starts her genealogical journey to find out her ancestry and whether she has any traceable relatives still living. The story is set back in the 1990's and the time difference is mostly noticed by the ever changing use and mention of that era's latest technology as in word processors. It progresses through letters, diaries, personal contacts and supported by new but supportive friends, Addie finds information of her family. At times this is shocking, painfully upsetting to absolute heart rending & so emotional it reduced me to tears on several occasions. The author intelligently weaves little known, shameful facts of UK law and morality left over from the Victorian Era; as for example, Ada's incarceration for life, with her subsequent institutionalisation into a Mental Hospital in the first half of the twentieth century; for no more than becoming pregnant outside of marriage where the Mental Health Acts of the time needed little more in evidence of a teenage girls moral laxity, where committed, deprived of freedom, a life including a normal sexual life, as well as most tragically deprived of her baby. These events happened to countless young women & girls, so families could save face, which was only eradicated in the late 1970's & 80's, where these middle aged and elderly women were repatriated back into society with lifetime supervision as support. We had one such unknown member in our family & I thank the author for telling their stories as part of the fictitional Addie's family search. Addie also learns of horror and abuse from her family ancestry as well as experiencing relationships with men where the author shows how difficult, yet important it is for a women to listen to her instincts & try make the right choice; as Addie finds it can be a close call between safety and rape. Does Addie have her happy ever after, her family traced, her father, siblings, a lover? For that you need to read for yourself this multi faceted story that this author has so carefully created. I recommend this story in it's entirety, which is well written, with a very good standard of English and I have no hesitation in giving it 5 stars. Just keep a tissue or two to hand!
December 20, 2013
My preferred genre is Historical Fiction and I've been reading a lot about the French Revolution. A fairly depressing era, I might add. So somehow, in an effort to find something a little lighter for a while, I started reading Genealogical Histories. I thought these would be interesting as I have been working on my own genealogy for the past ten years. This is probably the fifth Genealogical History that I read, and possibly the last.
This is one of those improbable genealogy conundrums where all the loose ends get tied up neatly in the end. And just to move it along, there is a current day romance involved too.
As I read, I kept thinking that this was written for "young adults". The sex involved told me it wasn't but the writing style told me it was.
The main character, Addie, describes herself as "always thinking of others first", or something to that effect, but I found her to be selfish and self centered.
The book moves along predictably as does the ending. Very disappointing!
This is one of those improbable genealogy conundrums where all the loose ends get tied up neatly in the end. And just to move it along, there is a current day romance involved too.
As I read, I kept thinking that this was written for "young adults". The sex involved told me it wasn't but the writing style told me it was.
The main character, Addie, describes herself as "always thinking of others first", or something to that effect, but I found her to be selfish and self centered.
The book moves along predictably as does the ending. Very disappointing!
June 29, 2016
Beautifully written genealogical story
The author immediately caught my attention. The story kept me greatly interested and turning pages quickly.
A baby born and adopted in America sets off to find her English family. The story takes us back and forth from the present as Addie searches for her family to the past over generations to piece together her family tree.
I enjoyed the touch of romance, but mostly the genealogy research and piecing together of the tree. It was interesting to see the changes in her family tree as she unlocked secrets in the lives of her ancestors.
The author immediately caught my attention. The story kept me greatly interested and turning pages quickly.
A baby born and adopted in America sets off to find her English family. The story takes us back and forth from the present as Addie searches for her family to the past over generations to piece together her family tree.
I enjoyed the touch of romance, but mostly the genealogy research and piecing together of the tree. It was interesting to see the changes in her family tree as she unlocked secrets in the lives of her ancestors.
November 25, 2011
JacqTainted Tree is everything one would expect from this wonderfully readable writer. American Addie has arrived in England to take possession of the house that she has mysteriously inherited. Her story is sometimes heartbreaking sometimes full of hope, passion and suspense, always compelling. The novel is well researched, absorbing and wise. Give yourself plenty of time to read this as once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down. A highly recommended read.
January 11, 2022
A great genealogical mystery that’s thoroughly researched and totally attention-holding. Addie was adopted in America but has now inherited a property in England, and comes over to meet the solicitors to take possession of the property, and gets a lot more than she bargained for.
Completely fascinating and absorbing, there are so many interesting characters in this story that I couldn’t put it down. Really highly recommended.
Completely fascinating and absorbing, there are so many interesting characters in this story that I couldn’t put it down. Really highly recommended.
July 16, 2016
The story started slowly, but I found myself engrossed and rushing to the conclusion at the end. A good combination of the people story and seat of the pants genealogy, where she just followed from one thread of information to the next. Includes a bit of history, and some English geography as well.
July 21, 2016
Not a great book, but held my interest
I really enjoyed it until close to the end; then it got a little long and the heroine got a little whiny. I did enjoy the genealogical aspect of the novel.
I really enjoyed it until close to the end; then it got a little long and the heroine got a little whiny. I did enjoy the genealogical aspect of the novel.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews