Review ~ Another Heartbeat in the House by Kate Beaufoy

Transworld
2015

An old house full of memories is the focus for this dual time narrative which is set in the 1930s and the 1840s and combines the stories of Edie Chadwick and Eliza Drury. Two women who are living a hundred years apart and yet, the story of a house, shrouded in mystery, binds them irrevocably together.

The story is nicely divided with a clear delineation of who is speaking and the time in which the chapter is set. There is a distinct difference between the time frames and both of these young women are adept at telling their story, although, if I'm honest, I did rather prefer Eliza's story in the 1840s,  as Edie's talking dog,  Milo, did irritate me a little, and yet, I know he was the necessary focus for Edie's internal dialogue about the mystery she was uncovering.

I read the book quickly, immersing myself in the cultural aspects of rural Ireland with Eliza and her love affair with the married, Jameson St Leger, which was romantic and sweet, and yet somehow, I felt lacking real passion. I'm also not terribly convinced that Eliza's rather unorthodox relationship with William Makepeace Thackeray was realistic enough but it added a literary interest, particularly in light of Eliza's passion for writing. I enjoyed learning about Eliza's life story and felt that her feisty personality came across well. Edie, on the other hand, I felt was rather bland and found myself drifting through her chapters in the hope of getting back to Eliza's story.

Overall , it was light easy read for a summer afternoon in the garden but lacked a certain oomph which I'm afraid, for me,  makes it a bit underwhelming.

My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld for my copy of Another Heartbeat in the House 

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