Seeking Sanctuary

by Frances Fyfield

When Theo Calvert was driven out of the family home by his wife's cloying piety he had determined that his daughters would follow him, but in the face of the law, the girls' health and his wife's intransigence, he failed. But, if he lost the battle for their souls in life, he would make amends in death, craftily shaping his will to benefit them so long as they did not follow their mother's example. His daughters felt they had lost either way, especially Anna. She had promiscuously turned her back on her mother's teachings, but watched in horror as her sister Therese followed those same lessons and naively accepted the faith which Anna was certain had ruined their lives. In her rebellion against such blind belief she at first doesn't notice the worm in their midst when the convent where Therese has settled employs a new gardener. And when she does wake up to the danger she realises she may have left it too late to save their legacy and their lives.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery

Paperback

First published July 29, 2003

About the author

Aka Frances Hegarty.

Frances Fyfield is a criminal lawyer, who lives in London and in Deal, by the sea which is her passion. She has won several awards, including the CWA Silver Dagger.

She grew up in rural Derbyshire, but spent most of her adult life in London, with long intervals in Norfolk and Deal, all inspiring places. She was educated mostly in convent schools; then studied English at Newcastle University and went on to qualify as a solicitor, working for what is now the Crown Prosecution Service, thus learning a bit about murder at second hand. She also worked for the Metropolitan Police.

Years later, writing became her real vocation. She also writes short stories for magazines and radio and is occasionally a contributor to Radio 4, (Front Row, Quote Unquote, Night Waves,) and presenter of Tales from the Stave.

Reviews

[Rachael Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The characters were really well done, especially Anna and the priest, and the whole story was done really sensitively I thought. Rather than being anti religion I thought Anna was someone struggling with G-d and her faith - very flawed and someone who is ignorant and led a sheltered life, but she does grow throughout the book.

My only criticism would be that the ending was a bit too open and there were a few too many loose ends left open, also we weren't really given that much insight as to why the villain turned out as he did apart from the mother's point of view. Maybe thinking a child is going to turn out to be evil makes him evil - that would seem to be the message. Also, I would like to have had some closure with Anna and Ravi's relationship - I shipped them and would like to have known what happened.

However it's another excellent book from Frances Fyfield and I really adore her writing style. I like the way that she brings back a way of life that was not very long ago (everyone smoking, at the very start of the rise of computers etc) and is gone now even though it was only in the 90s. Really enjoyable.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to remember the title of this book and just found it out. Two sisters, young women orphaned at an early age by a mother who was also a religious zealot, are threatened by an angelic appearing gardener in this odd little novel. Much of the action takes place in convent, where one sister serves as a novice. The other sister, equally confused by the larger world but committed to becoming more than a spectator, is much more skeptical than her novice sister and trusts no one (in addition to rejecting the religious faith of her sister and mother). Life goes on oddly but contentedly until a young man, immediately beloved by almost everyone who meets him, begins destroying the nuns and the convent a bit at a time.

This book was truly creepy, and I almost never say that about any book. The mood is dark, and the character of the skeptical sister is really endearing. I understand the author is much better known in the UK, but she deserves a following here.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well developed characters, an obviously clear understanding of the evil dispersed by a corrupt mind, and the consequences of frustrating, all-to-common bystander somnolence. Clearly an author studied in antisocial behaviour.
Lovely little snippets of truisms scattered throughout. “No sane person can be a match for somebody insane…No one can match that kind of will power. Especially not when it wears the armour of angels and the great shield of righteousness”.
The last chapter’s twist was weak - it didn’t need to be added to the greater plot because the substantial content was definitely enough for this to claim itself a ‘good read’.

[Alison Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna and Therese had a difficult childhood as their mother was a religious fanatic, who succeeded in driving away their father. Now she is dead and Therese has joined the local convent (full of very elderly nuns) as a novice, while Anna has escaped to lead a relatively normal life, although she is still close to the convent and Therese. Then the convent employs a new, handsome young gardener and, although most of the nuns adore him, Anna is suspicious. An overwhelming sense of threatening evil permeates the book, and the suspense is maintained up to the end. This is chilling and gripping.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me it was unusual writing, for what could be described as a thriller. It's slow and takes its time to develop situation and characters. It was frustrating at first but I was determined to persevere and it was worth it.
It's a matter of evil deeds arising from banal rather than from extraordinary situations. It has a strong Catholic flavour, from a writer who obviously knows it from the inside, which is used to very good effect in this psychological thriller.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a Frances Fyfield book for some years, after first reading a number of her novels a long time ago. She has an amazing talent for weaving a tale, an uncanny skill for revealing characters and their nuances. A fabulous read.

[SillySuzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very strange and mystifying story that leaves a lot unclear. Not exactly positive about religion and everything concerning churches and convents. Rich in atmosphere, I give you that, but the protagonists never really came alive for me. The plot is contrived with an unexpected, badly worked out and totally implausible twist at the end. The writing style left a lot to be desired as well. Long, complicated sentences that I had to read two or three times before they started to make any sense to me. Not recommended at all. Waste of time.

[Shirls · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strange, confusing read.
Even the ending left me thinking, "What????"
I was skipping tracts of description towards the end, plus Anna's musings, so I may have missed a few things....

who was Frances/Jack's father,
why did Theo come back at the end (totally unrealistic)
what was the point of his crazy will?
And why did Jack start killing the nuns??

I presume he was going to kill Theresa and Anna to get his hands on Theo's house.

[Tiina · Rating 1 out of 5]

None of the characters were at all likeable. It took far too long for anyone to catch on to who was bad and who wasn't. The dialogue was boring. I'm sorry, but this one just was not for me.

Interestingly, it seems that I'd read this book already, about 20 years ago. I've no idea what I thought of it then, but today, I really did not like it. This will definitely go to my donate bin now.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of two sisters, a lunatic mother and a desperate father. The Roman Catholic Church plays an integral part in the story, complete with nuns, a kindly priest and a nunnery. Modern religion appears to be fading into oblivion and this story outlines why that may be so. 3.5 stars

[Helen the Bassist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sort of wish this had been a dual timeline book as I would have loved to have been a 'fly on the wall' during the sisters' childhood. Reasonably predictable but some good character development. Ideal for a Sunday sofa surf.

[Madge · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5

[Josie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could have been interesting if it hadn't been so deathly boring. Francis was shiveringly evil at times, but then at other times he was simply ridiculous. I also guessed his ~*secret identity*~ very early on, so that wasn't a surprise. Neither was Anna's mystery caller (although I protest at how that was even POSSIBLE when it's illegal to fake your death etc -- where did he get a body from, for goodness' sake? And his will at the beginning, what the hell, how immature can you get). The more we learnt about the nuns and the priest, the more I wanted to like them for being so three-dimensional, but at the same time I felt mild revulsion. I can't even explain why! I felt distaste towards all the characters in the books, when usually I find flaws redeeming. Maybe it was simply that there was nothing overwhelmingly positive about them.

The only thing I found even vaguely interesting was the fact that the girls' mother had kept them sick for several years when they were growing up. Again, I guessed it was her, and I wanted to know how she'd done it, but the explanation felt like such a cop-out. "Oh, she gave us bad foods and herbal remedies... It's easy to keep someone ill once they're already sick. :)" Of course it is.

[Lisa Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can tell Fyfield practiced law when you read this. It is compelling with two twins: one a nun and the other anything but. Of course, there are the usual struggles with God and with the devil (a young man in this case). Good book. Dark and suspenseful. And different than anything I've read. I don't like all of Fyfield's stuff, but this one is great.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear. Third disappointing book in a row, and the more so because Frances Fyfield rarely disappoints.
But the characters in this, the convent setting, took the story downhill all the way from the excellent opening and it was hard for me to sustain any interest.
The writing was, of course, as good as ever, which is why I did finish it.

[Graeme Mcgrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

France's Fyfield must be the best writer of psychological thrillers around. Not her best but still way ahead of most others. Great plot, fascinating characters and subtle, complex intelligent writing.

[Deborah J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Fyfield's sense of place - one of the things usually so intriguing in her work - isn't apparent in this book and none of the characters comes to life. And the "twist" is too unsubtle.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am giving up at a third of the way through. It is a crime novel and the crime still hasn't happened and I am not interested enough to wait for it.

[Sharron · Rating 4 out of 5]

yes, her books are seriously creepy and her characters even more so, but wow, can she ever write.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A not so very mysterious mystery. It wasn't bad, but all the story twists (such as there were) were quite easy to guess and the characters weren't fleshed out very well.

[Roy McDine · Rating 2 out of 5]

drivel......

[Virginia · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first I thought I was going to like this book; however, as it wound its way slowly to the end it became quite lame and I had to push myself to finish it.

[Clémence · Rating 4 out of 5]

La couverture et le titre sont bizarrement choisis. C'est une réflexion sur la foi et les secrets de famille, pas une histoire d'horreur.

[Gillian]

I had forgotten how lovely Frances Fyfield's works are. I enjoy her writing so much.