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lisaeirene's review against another edition
3.0
I'd round up and give it 3.5 stars. It was a good book but slow. Nothing really happened for the first half. It was very atmospheric and dark, somewhat interesting, but it didn't really get good until the last half of the book. I definitely enjoyed the 1910 storyline of Beatrice and Theo and Cameron more than the present day storyline.
erica_lynn_huberty's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this split-time novel (i.e. Kate Morton style). My personal experience with this was rather mind bending as I was simultaneously listening on audible while at night reading Sarah Moss’ incredible Night Waking: the two books so similar and yet so different (Outer Hebrides location, past-and-present history/conflict, horrid English colonial repercussions, found bones on site). Interesting to experience two completely different treatments of virtually the same premise. (This novel was the more Rosemund Pilcher/romantic take, while Moss is all Hilary Mantel/Ian McEwan.)
anna_may's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this up to about the first third of the book when I became supremely bored. The plot slowed way down, Hetty our main protagonist had the personality of a wet flannel, and the romances were badly written. There was a scene which i assume was meant to come across passionate but to me it read like a rape.
There was too much sexism and not enough correction of it on the page, which made me uncomfortable. Comments like one man threatened to beat his wife if she carried on with her suffragette work during a happy little picnic and no one batted an eye.
The only saving grace for it was the setting in the Outer Hebrides and the descriptions of the beautiful landscape.
Trigger warnings for sexism, threat of domestic violence, animal cruelty, several animal deaths on the page, loss of a loved one, elitism and miscarriages.
There was too much sexism and not enough correction of it on the page, which made me uncomfortable. Comments like one man threatened to beat his wife if she carried on with her suffragette work during a happy little picnic and no one batted an eye.
The only saving grace for it was the setting in the Outer Hebrides and the descriptions of the beautiful landscape.
Trigger warnings for sexism, threat of domestic violence, animal cruelty, several animal deaths on the page, loss of a loved one, elitism and miscarriages.
marilynsaul's review against another edition
5.0
I started re-reading this because I had not left a comment after I'd read it in 2018. I'm remembering it now, but I think I'll wait a couple more years before re-reading, as it's looking very familiar. In short, it's a Daphne du Maurier-type book, great ambience, inherited crumbling country estate, wonderful island folks who have been involved with the estate for generations, potential love interest....great gothic love story unfolding. Definitely will re-read, but not today :-)
owenglasgow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Miscarriage
chloelangan's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
corriecorriecorrie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not my favorite book, not the worst. I think I would’ve liked it better if it had only been about the 1910 timeline and didn’t include the 2010 timeline. The 2010 characters didn’t add as much to the story, and a synopsis of the 1910 story is really all you need for this one.
susanlawson's review against another edition
4.0
A story set in the Outer Hebrides with two main characters living a century apart and focussing on Muirlan House, the estate of artist, Theo Blake and the mystery uncovered when a body is found beneath the floorboards of the crumbling mansion. The themes of class and social inequality in the past are explored and endure to the present day.