A
PLACE OF SECRETS
BY
RACHEL HORE
THE
BLURB:-
Can
dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a
recurring nightmare: running through a dark forest crying for her
mother. Now her six year old niece, Summer, is having the same
dream, and Jude is frightened for her.
A
successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the
death of her husband. When she is asked to value a collection of
scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham,
a lonely 18th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance
to escape London, for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew
up.
As
Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening
links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with
Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the woods from which
Wickham and his daughter, Esther, once viewed the night sky? With
the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in
the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk forests. Dare she leave
behind the sadness in her own life, and learn to love again?
THE
REALITY:-
Some
books get read then put straight into the charity shop bag. And some
get put on the shelf, if there's space, then shifted to the charity
shop when something better needs to fill that space. And some get to
stay forever- this novel certainly fits into the latter section.
What
a great read! Slipping from the modern day to Georgian times
(through Esther's diary) this book packs a punch of a tale. It's
another of those stories that makes me wish I'd thought of all the
ideas (and this book contains plenty of those!) first.
I've
always had a thing for astronomy, and have made a point of visiting
planetariums in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Whilst
my teenage friends were more into astrology, I tended to prefer to
immerse myself in Peter Davidson's stargazing programmes (kind of
Patrick Moore for the less erudite!) which were on late on a Sunday
evening. The finer points have been thoroughly researched and
brought to life. Add to that the fairytale dimension of a
Rapunzel-esque folly tower and strange dreams that connect both Jude
and Summer to the past and you have a recipe for a magical story. I also like the fact that this book is set in Norfolk, where I grew up, and includes areas I know.
I
have read Rachel Hore before, and she seems to often add a human element by having a character who's getting over some kind of
romantic break, and going through a personal metamorphosis, which
adds a great dimension of sadness and new beginnings that the reader
can connect to emotionally.
You'll
love this book, with all its unexpected twists and turns: it is
something really special!
