I am thrilled to be on the blog tour today for Snow Sisters by Carol Lovekin!
Book Blurb…
Two sisters, their grandmother’s old house and Angharad… the girl who cannot leave.
Meredith discovers a dusty sewing box in a disused attic. Once open the box releases the ghost of Angharad, a Victorian child-woman with a horrific secret she must share. Angharad slowly reveals her story to Meredith who fails to convince her more pragmatic sister of the visitations, until Verity sees Angharad for herself on the eve of an unseasonal April snowstorm.
Forced by her flighty mother to abandon Gull House for London, Meredith struggles to settle, still haunted by Angharad and her little red flannel hearts. This time, Verity is not sure she will be able to save her
My review…
I think this will probably be on the short side for one of my reviews as I’m absolutely convinced that any words I use to convey the beauty of this book won’t match those used by author Carol Lovekin and the gently flowing fluidity of her beautifully crafted narrative. I just wanted to cry with the sheer joy at how perfectly the poetic prose brought this story to life giving it an ethereal quality that enveloped me from the very first page.
This ghostly story unfolds over three timelines; the present with Verity returning to Gull House after a series of family deaths, Verity and Meredith living there in the late 1970s with their flighty mother Allegra and then there is the voice from the past of their “ghost” Angharad as she tells her traumatic tale to those who can finally listen. I loved all of the women’s voices here but I especially loved the relationship between the two sisters. As a mother myself I was shocked at the differing attitudes Allegra had towards her two daughters. Showing such blatant favouritism towards one child could have divided the sisters but no matter what happened, the girls remained united…….until one day Allegra drops a bombshell that will send them all scurrying back to London.
I tend not to read any books with a supernatural theme but Snow Sisters was so much more than I ever could have expected. It cast a magical spell over me so that I was completely overtaken by the lives of all the women here and the mysteries surrounding them. I noticed that the male characters remained nameless throughout (apart from Idris whom we never actually meet) which gave them an shadowy creepiness, keeping the female characters vividly at the forefront of our concern.
This is an atmospheric and hauntingly evocative novel that stirred my soul more than I thought possible. A stunningly beautiful and touching storyline that I delighted in whilst reading and felt thoroughly bereft of once finished. Highly recommended.
Snow Sisters is available to purchase now from Amazon UK. I received my review copy from the publisher Honno Press.
Definitely adding this one!
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It’s such a magical book!
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The reviews for this one are amazing, including yours, Jo. It sounds like a lovely read.
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It is! I do normally shy away from “ghostly” reads but this is women’s fiction at its best!
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