I had a curious sense of being watched.
June 1914 and a young woman - Clara Waterfield - is summoned to a large stone house in Gloucestershire. Her task: to fill a greenhouse with exotic plants from Kew Gardens, to create a private paradise for the owner of Shadowbrook. Yet, on arrival, Clara hears rumours: something is wrong with this quiet, wisteria-covered house. Its gardens are filled with foxgloves, hydrangea and roses; it has lily-ponds, a croquet lawn - and the marvellous new glasshouse awaits her. But the house itself feels unloved. Its rooms are shuttered, or empty. The owner is mostly absent; the housekeeper and maids seem afraid. And soon, Clara understands their fear: for something - or someone - is walking through the house at night. In the height of summer, she finds herself drawn deeper into Shadowbrook's dark interior - and into the secrets that violently haunt this house. Nothing - not even the men who claim they wish to help her - is quite what it seems.
Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier, this is a wonderful, atmospheric Gothic page-turner.
A deeply absorbing, unputdownable ghost story that's also a love story; for readers who love Sarah Waters's The Little Stranger; Frances Hodges Burnett's The Secret Garden; Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace; Jane Harris's The Observations.
My Thoughts:
House of Glass is the perfect book to read at this time of year, when the nights are drawing in and fires start to crackle in the grate. There was very much a gothic feel to this story that drew me in and wrapped me up in the atmosphere.
Beautifully written, House of Glass was an utter joy to read. The descriptions were just jumping off of the page and bringing the whole thing to life. Clara is the narrator and a young woman with Brittle Bone disease who makes the move to Gloucestershire to work in the greenhouse of Shadowbrook.
Clara discovers that all may not be as it seems at Shadowbrook, there are strange goings on and noises at night. The ghostly elements to the story were excellent. Clara seemed a little naive but I found her intriguing nonetheless. She was a superb character.
The sense of mystery surrounding this whole story was palpable and the writing and descriptions were totally sublime. I was hooked into this story of a different time and place and that didn't let up until the final page turned.
A great many topics were covered here with skill and excellent writing.
I really recommend this one for the dark, drawn in nights.
About the Author:
Susan Fletcher was born in 1979 in Birmingham. She is the author of the bestselling 'Eve Green' winner of the Whitbread First Novel Award, 'Oystercatchers' and 'Witch Light'.
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