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Sign up todayThe Secrets of Hartwood Hall
A Novel
Narrator
Olivia Vinall
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Length
9 hours 53 minutes
Language
English
A gripping and atmospheric debut that is at once a chilling gothic mystery and a love letter to Victorian fiction.
Nobody ever goes to Hartwood Hall. Folks say it’s cursed…
It’s 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, attempts to escape the shadows of her past by taking a position as governess to an only child, Louis, at an isolated country house in the west of England.
But Margaret soon starts to feel that something isn’t quite right. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants, and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs. Eversham, Louis’s widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village.
Lonely and unsure whom to trust, Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But as Margaret’s history threatens to catch up with her, it isn’t long before she learns the truth behind the secrets of Hartwood Hall.
Katie Lumsden read Jane Eyre at the age of thirteen and has loved Victorian literature ever since. Her YouTube channel, Books and Things, has more than 27,000 subscribers, and she lives in London and works as an editor. The Secrets of Hartwood Hall has been shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown Award.
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Audiobook details
Author:
Katie Lumsden
Narrator:
Olivia Vinall
ISBN:
9780593671429
Length:
9 hours 53 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication date:
February 28, 2023
Edition:
Unabridged
Libro.fm rank:
#27,497 Overall
Genre rank:
#2,584 in Historical Fiction
Reviews
A SheReads Favorite Historical Gothic Mystery"Who doesn’t love a cursed manor house in the remote English countryside, especially one with an entire abandoned wing? I’m looking forward to diving into this modern gothic that also promises some Lady Chatterly’s Lover action (there is a handsome gardener!)."
—CrimeReads
"[A] captivating debut. . . . Assured prose propels this well-crafted tale of family, friendship, and the cost of personal freedom. Fans of the great Victorian novels, in particular Jane Eyre, will have fun."
—Publishers Weekly
“Debut author Lumsden masterfully creates a believable atmosphere of the age, where science and logic are served side by side with the supernatural in everyday life.”
—Booklist
“In her atmospheric debut, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, Katie Lumsden enthralls us with a quintessential manor-home mystery. Fans of gothic literature will savor the peculiar characters, the abandoned corridors, the deceptions and twists behind every door... Ultimately a story about women and the haunting secrets they keep, Lumsden's debut reminds us never to trust first appearances. A mesmerizing debut!”
—Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary
“The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is exactly the book you want on a cold, stormy night when the wind is sneaking in the cracks. A thoroughly impressive debut with fantastically timed surprises throughout.”
—Lyndsay Faye, author of The King of Inifinite Space and Jane Steele
“I loved this fresh take on the gothic genre. Vivid, haunting, surprising.”
—Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars
"A full-blooded Gothic mystery with bite, great characterization and heaps of atmosphere. What a debut."
—Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters
“This book delivers HUGE Jane Eyre vibes, gothic and mysterious Victoriana. I LOVED it.”
—Sophie Irwin, author of A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting
"Incredibly rich prose in this absorbing, deeply atmospheric story of governess, Margaret Lennox. A brilliant love letter to classic Victorian fiction and a standout debut."
—Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author
"The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is an easy book to read. It is fun to dive into the details of life in 1852."
—Mystery and Suspense Magazine
"We have all the classic ingredients for a gothic and romantic mystery.... Full marks for the narrative drive and absorbing plot...a very capable and entertaining debut."
—Historical Novel Society Expand reviews
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