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| Harper Collins 30 July 2015 |
Meeting up again with Devil and
Eliza Wix, from The Illusionists is a real treat, although to be honest you
don't need to have read this one, before starting Daughter of the House,
but, as with any sequel, it's nice, but not essential, to know what's gone
on before.
The story opens in 1910, and
focuses on Zenobia, the eponymous Daughter of the House, known to family and
friends as Nancy. She is endowed with a rare gift of being able to see visions,
small snippets of the past or the future, which Nancy refers to as 'The
Uncanny'. When her unusual skill is
spotted by a talented medium, Nancy sees a way to lift her family from their
impoverished state and uses her gift to ensure the stability of the family's
down at heel theatre, the Palmyra, which featured so prominently in The
Illusionists.
The story captures perfectly the momentous changes that were occurring during the early part of the twentieth
century. The Great War had changed the status quo, and women were determined to
have their voices heard, and Nancy is no exception. Struggling against the
constraints of society, Nancy is determined to be independent but her unique
gift acts as both a challenge and a curse
The story draws you in from the beginning with
an array of characters that are both exhilarating and exasperating in equal
measure. Nancy's character is particularly well done and, I think, typifies
what life was like for a generation of young people, and young women in
particular, who were striving to build a world away from the terrors of the
First World War. The gay young things of the roaring twenties, and flirty
thirties, come alive in so many ways, from the gin infused gaiety of country
house parties, to the lively strength of the suffragist movement. And yet, in
contrast is the unbearable collective sadness caused by the death of
so many young men during the war, and of the desperate lengths that people went
to in order to make contact with their loved ones beyond the grave.
All these strands combine to make this a
memorable story and one that stays with you long after the last page is turned.
Rosie Thomas talks about The Daughter of the House here
My thanks to Harper Collins for my review copy of this book.
~***~
A great review Josie. I have The Illusionists on my TBR pile, and also have my eye on this one!
ReplyDeleteThanks Essex Reader ! I hope you get to read The Illusionists soon - great stories , both of them.
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