Set in an eerie house, on the wild Cornish coastline, this Gothic thriller weaves back and forth between interwoven stories set 40 years apart. Wonderfully written and deftly populated, this wild landscape was the perfect setting for such a dark and harrowing tale. Laura Purcell's tale of consumption, the supernatural, superstition, and insanity was so richly written that I was totally immersed in the story from the outset. It left me wondering if fairies exist, or if it all really was just a gin, laudanum and claustrophobia induced madness. The fear and paranoia that wove through the tale was so well blended with the myths and folklore of Cornwall's past, that, just like the characters themselves, it was difficult to pick through to determine truth from fable. The two main characters, Hester Why, running away from her guilt, and Louise Pinecroft, trapped in her grief and terrible memories, both become victims of Morvoren House's dark and turbulent existence, linked to the folklore and magic of a more superstitious age. Menacingly written, with a strong historical thread of the realities of Victorian life, this is another great read from the pen of Laura Purcell.
Laura Purcell's tale of consumption, the supernatural, superstition, and insanity was so richly written that I was totally immersed in the story from the outset. It left me wondering if fairies exist, or if it all really was just a gin, laudanum and claustrophobia induced madness. The fear and paranoia that wove through the tale was so well blended with the myths and folklore of Cornwall's past, that, just like the characters themselves, it was difficult to pick through to determine truth from fable.
The two main characters, Hester Why, running away from her guilt, and Louise Pinecroft, trapped in her grief and terrible memories, both become victims of Morvoren House's dark and turbulent existence, linked to the folklore and magic of a more superstitious age.
Menacingly written, with a strong historical thread of the realities of Victorian life, this is another great read from the pen of Laura Purcell.