The Quickening

Rhiannon Ward

2020 • 336 pages

Ratings4

Average rating3

'If you like gothic mystery, buckle up! This atmospheric read has it all' Woman magazine 'An historical novel dripping with menace' Shari Lapena, author of The End of Her *********** England, 1925. Louisa Drew lost her husband in the First World War and her six-year-old twin sons in the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. Newly re-married and seven months pregnant, Louisa is asked by her employer to travel to Clewer Hall in Sussex where she is to photograph the contents of the house for auction. She learns Clewer Hall was host to an infamous séance in 1896, and that the lady of the house has asked those who gathered back then to come together once more to recreate the evening. When a mysterious child appears on the grounds, Louisa finds herself compelled to investigate and becomes embroiled in the strange happenings of the house. Gradually, she unravels the long-held secrets of the inhabitants and what really happened thirty years before... and discovers her own fate is entwined with that of Clewer Hall's. For fans of The Silent Companions, The Little Stranger and The Familiars, an exquisitely crafted and compelling mystery that invites the reader in to the crumbling Clewer Hall to help unlock its secrets. ********** 'Utterly brilliant... full of secrets and deliciously creepy' Lisa Hall, author of The Perfect Couple 'A spooky treat, which had me turning the pages faster and faster' Cass Green, author of In a Cottage in a Wood

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Amalia Gkavea

“Although we'd left the overhanging shrubbery behind us, theday was still dark, and I saw, as in the photo, part of the house was in shadow. I looked up to see what was throwing its shade onto the Hall but saw only the watery sun hanging low in the sky, straining to lighten the day. I could see nothing which would explain the outline darkening the eastern wing which cast such a gloomy pall.”

Exciting, is it not? Not!
No need to bore your soul with a synopsis. The blurb is there. But I can tell you that, for me, this was a failure. And then some.

Endless, pointless discussions over photos, pregnancy, and maids. I got it the first time, repetition doesn't help.

The dialogue was wooden, and there were numerous grammatical mistakes. “Her” instead of “here” many, many times. “Wer” instead of “were”, the editor must loath the letter “e”...The questions were oddly formed, as if they were too “American” for lack of a better definition, and it bothered me.

Louisa “winced” and “frowned” too many times...Lily “flinched”, everyone's faces are “flushed”. Louisa's self-pity over her second husband was exhausting.

The fact that the heroine learns facts while eavesdropping is lazy and naive.

Loaded with every cliche imaginable.

A character utters the “come thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of Hell”. And Louisa doesn't recognize the quote. So much for her endless education. Leave Macbeth alone, dear “writer”.

The inclusion of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a gimmick and a presumptuous choice on the part of the writer.If you don't have the chops to meddle with an actual literary legend, leave him/her alone. Honestly!

And in the end, I was tired.I was exhausted and I didn't care. To mention this drivel next to The Silent Companions and The Familiars is pathetic.

Many thanks to Orion Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.