|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
I have just finished reading what I believe is the best novel that the team known as Charles Todd has ever written. This is story isnıt a part of the Ian Rutledge series, but a stand alone. Although the action occurs during WWI, after the battle of the Somme, the war is a only a minor character. Francesca Hatton, obviously named after her grandfather Francis Hatton, had been a volunteer with the Red Cross in London. When her grandfather suffered a stroke she came home to be with him. As the story begins he has just passed away and she is listening to the reading of the will. Francesca had been the only girl among six cousins raised by their grandfather after both of his sons and daughters-in-law were killed in tragic accidents. The five boys were children of the oldest son and she is the daughter of the younger son, Edward. All five boys were killed fighting in the trenches. As a female she had never expected to be heir to his estate. Everyone in the Exe valley adored Francis Hatton, including his grandchildren; all who knew him would have sworn he was the most honest man in the county. After the will is read his granddaughtet learns that most of what she thought she knew about him and her family history was apparently created out of whole cloth. Not only that, the day of the funeral wounded war veteran Richard Leighton appears looking for information about his long missing mother; he is convinced Mr. Hatton had known her fate. A very old stone artifactmaybe predating Stonehenge and called the murder stone lies at the end of the garden; this stone major character in this novel. Many legends surround the history of the Murder Stone. As children she and her cousins played many war games there, very often with Francesca being burned at the stake as St. Joan of Arc. In the midst of her mourning for the loss of her entire family, and while overseeing what turned out to be a very large estate, she must cope with Richard Leighton and the others who came out of the woodwork hoping to claim the elder Hattonıs wealth. Needless to say, without losing the love and respect for her grandfather, she is overwhelmed with fear, pain and a feeling of betrayal. I enjoy the writing style of the Todds and this book is an excellent example of their ability to tell a story. The action moves right along and the reader is just as puzzled as Francescawho is telling her the truth and who is lying. The reader is gradually given some knowledge about events that she will never be revealed to the protagonist, however, as action continues the difference truth and fiction remains ambiguous. The authorıs skill in characterization is excellent; I alwlays come away from a novel by Charles Todd feeling I have made new friends, folk whose lives Iıd like to share. The ending is pretty surprising and fascinating, but when it comes time to tie up the loose ends in the epilogue the result is predictable. Since very few current readers would be old enough to remember the First World War we cannot be sure of their accuracy in portraying the era, but they sure appear to do a great job. The authors are obviously very aware of the need for research since at the end, in an authorıs note, Todd reassures history buffs that literary license was used regarding British train routes.
Reviewed by Martha Hopkins, October 2003
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
