Fyneshade: A Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of 2023

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Wikipedia. (2015c, August 23). Kings Cliffe Railway Station. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Cliffe_railway_station The setting and story were very immersive and it ‘s all very visual. Brilliant in some ways, but not so much in others. Visual yes but visceral too. There were moments when I felt a bit ill to be honest. Always with the notion that something weird was just around the corner! Nothing in this house was what I thought and no one was who they seemed.

Marta experiences the house as a ‘maze of stone'; the house exudes an unusually hushed, and suffocating atmosphere. Everywhere are crows, hawks, hares ( the hare was believed to have mystical links with the female cycle and with the moon that ruled her. Mamy of the animals mentioned are referring to magic, the moon, or the supernatural). A story of a young lady Marta who after the death of her Grandmere is sent away to become a governess and ladies’ companion at the residence of Sir William Pritchard. Once Martha arrives it becomes apparent that not all has History of Parliament Online. (1982). Kirkham, George 1 (by 1479-1528), of Warmington, Northants. (S. T. Bindoff, Editor) Retrieved November 2016, from http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1509-1558/member/kirkham-george-i-1479-1528And I’m glad to report that not only did it live up to my expectations, it actually surpassed them! The lush, mysteriously suspenseful descriptions were to die for and really wouldn’t be out of place in a Brontë novel. Perfect for readers of Laura Purcell, Jessie Burton and Stacey Halls, Fyneshade is a dark and twisted gothic novel unlike any you've read before... Many would find much to fear in Fyneshade's dark and crumbling corridors, its unseen master and silent servants. But not I. For they have far more to fear from me... The story is linked to the famous story The Turn Of The Screw and I think if you like that tale then this will most certainly be for you. There are also those Jane Eyre vibes to it with the house hiding secrets and a master of a grand house being hidden away.

And yet I loved her. She has no redeeming features, save for one – the fact that she’s utterly oblivious of her vulnerability. She’s doomed to fail by the conventions of the Gothic novel in which she exists – or is she? When she meets her ten-year-old charge, Marta is surprised at Grace’s appearance (she has encountered the moonface features before) and that she is virtually non-verbal. She’s meant to teach this girl French, to transform her into a lady? Marta, it turns out, is not what the housekeeper, Mrs Gurney expected either: young and attractive is a concern. Ross, D. (1996). Adulterine Castles. Retrieved November 2016, from Britain Express: http://www.britainexpress.com/History/articles.htm?article=14 I loved Marta and was scared of her at the same time. She is a woman ahead of her time in many ways as she does all she can to improve her lot in life. Very Jane Eyre. However, she uses none of the finess of Jane and more of the unpredictable actions of Bertha to get what she wants. You do not want to be in this gothic mansion in real life! Questions, questions. Could Marta, rather than being a beautiful, alluring, bewitching and unique woman, really be a little brown mouse of a governess trying to glamorise her postings? Or is she the woman she tells us she is, a powerful, gifted woman who is the victim of an even more powerful man? Was she ever real? Is she actually a ghost?The stables to the south west of the house still stand [Fig. 12]. “They are of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and occupy three sides of a yard. The main entrance is through a round arch in the north arm, and is surmounted by a cupola. Above the arch is the date 1848” (BHO, 1984f).

Marta was one of the least likable MCs I’ve ever read. But that was the point. She was calculating and ruthless and I kept wondering until the very end who was the real villain of this story. There were moments when I caught myself rooting for her (I feel low-key guilty about it) but generally she was not a character you want to relate to. Marta is offered a governess position at Fyneshade following the death of her beloved Grandmere, who was believed to be a witch by the locals. Having been read her future by her Grandmere, and having been taught her secrets, she believes this is her destiny. Arriving with her Grandmere’s box of herbs and potions, she is introduced to her charge. Grace is unlike most children her age and Marta is instantly repulsed. She does not make a good governess and manipulates Grace, as well as the staff, to her own ends.The denouement was filmic, spectacular and OTT Gothic. Then came the ‘real’ ending, and the questions I should have been asking myself from the start finally started making themselves heard. Most importantly, the one that I should have asked from the beginning. If Marta isn’t a witch, who – or what – is she? Henry James fans will also love the literary nod to his most influential supernatural tale, The Turn of The Screw-I don’t want to spoil the surprise on that front so I’ll leave things there, but trust me the payoff is definitely worth it!