The Vanishing Of Audrey Wilde
Goodreads Description
Four sisters. One summer. A lifetime of secrets. When fifteen-year-old Margot and her three sisters arrive at Applecote Manor in June 1959, they expect a quiet English country summer. Instead, they find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years before. As the sisters become divided by new tensions when two handsome neighbors drop by, Margot finds herself drawn into the life Audrey left behind. When the summer takes a deadly turn, the girls must unite behind an unthinkable choice or find themselves torn apart forever. Fifty years later, Jesse is desperate to move her family out of their London home, where signs of her widower husband’s previous wife are around every corner. Gorgeous Applecote Manor, nestled in the English countryside, seems the perfect solution. But Jesse finds herself increasingly isolated in their new sprawling home, at odds with her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, and haunted by the strange rumors that surround the manor.
My Review
The author who brought us "Black Rabbit Hall" is back with this, her next novel. Black Rabbit Hall was one of my favourite reads of last year, and it made it onto my top 10 list of 2016. Although a very different novel from what I normally read, I loved that book. For obvious reasons then, I couldn't wait to start this one.
Within 30 pages of this book, I knew that I was in for another treat. This author is the real deal and a class act. Her writing is so atmospheric, and sometimes even slightly poetic, that as the reader you are instantly drawn into the story, into the lives of the characters, you are living in the house that they live in, and dealing with their highs and lows. Now, normally I'm not a massive fan of poetic writing, but there's something about the books written by this author that I just love.
Please do not expect a rollicking, roller coaster of a ride, do not expect vicious pace and rapidly turning pages, but you can expect wonderful writing and a good story to match. I found that, like Black Rabbit Hall, this book got off to a slow start. Like I mentioned, this author spends a lot of time and a fair amount of effort in creating a scene, in describing it and in getting the characters just right. And that's probably why the beginning of her novels tend to be slow. But let me tell you, by the time you are 80 pages in, you know exactly who is who in the zoo, who you like, and who you aren't so keen on. But it's important to note also that the pace never really increases, not until the very end. So you must be prepared for that.
As a slight criticism, and really, this is very slight and it's my very personal opinion, I'm never mad about the constant use of similes and metaphors. I find that it can be a bit distracting. And this author uses a lot of them, tons in fact. For some reason though, they didn't bother me as much in this book as in some others that I've read, probably because her similes and metaphors are often so spot on, and so descriptive that I didn't mind. But yes, I did notice how many of them there were. In a perfect world, I would have preferred less of them, but that's just me.
This book uses dual timelines, and uses them very effectively. I was totally entranced by both stories, and both families. I loved the story line and getting to know the four young sisters in 1959, and I was equally intrigued by Jessie and her new family, who have just moved into Appelcote Manor in the current day.
So, how did I decide on my 4 star rating for this book? Well, let me just say that the writing was wonderful, and as mentioned, absolute quality. I think it deserves 5 stars. But, unfortunately, the story was really slow and the story itself (the plot) probably average. I would award 3 stars to that aspect of the book. Thus, I decided on 4 stars for this book.
If you don't mind slow reads, character driven stories, dual timelines, including some historical fiction, then please give this one a go. You'll be rewarded with quality writing and a great read.
My Rating: * * * *
Publication Date: August 2017 (South Africa)
Genre: Mystery / Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcopy
Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Eve Chase and Penguin Random House SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.
