Bren (Breninithaca) reviewed on 11/22/2008 + 377 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This book was fantastic, especially for a debut novel. If you liked The Thirteenth Tale or Dauphne de Maurier's novels, you should like this book. Despite the fact that it takes place mostly between 1914 and 1924, there are a lot of elements of the early Victorian Gothic style. The story is told in flashbacks from 1999 which allows the author to really work with showing how much England changed during the 20th century. The story follows a lady's maid and the family she works for, especially the sisters she is assigned to serve. Some of what you find out late in the book, you kind of expect - but the twist in the very last 3 pages of the book comes as a shock, and leaves you with something of a sense of betrayal as the narrator releases her great secret only at the very end, and it is based fully on what had seemed a minor misunderstanding early in the book. It's not a happy ending or even a happy book in general, but it is a very satisfying story. The author does a good job of tying up any loose ends which is often not the case in Gothic-type novels.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details