"Gothic page-turner" is a most apt description of this wonderful novel.

It's a beautifully described and obviously well-researched story (something I really appreciate!) which has twists and turns aplenty which kept me hooked to the end.

Yes, there are echoes of everything from Jane Eyre to modern-day works by the likes of Sarah Waters, but that's no bad thing!

I've read Corrag and Let Me Tell You About a Man I Know by Susan Fletcher and I love her beautiful descriptive writing. House of Glass does not disappoint.

It's an intriguing story about a young woman, Clara with brittle bone disease who has led a sheltered life. After the death of her mother, she finds comfort in the glass house at Kew Gardens, learning about the exotic plants. She gets a job creating a tropical garden in the newly built glass house of a country house. On arrival, she finds mysterious events unravelling around her and looks to find out what is happening - the rumours being that the house is haunted by its previous owner Veronique Pettigrew. The current owner is also mysterious - curiously absent on her arrival, disinterested in the wonderful garden Clara is creating, and the voluble housekeeper seems to be covering up a torment.

The descriptions of the hot summer of 1914 are beautifully done. The depiction of the atmosphere and setting is effortlessly intertwined with the plot. We are not just reading pages of description - the mysterious noises late at night are heart-racingly in contrast with the heat and lethargy of the following day.

A wonderful written mystery with a heroine with a disability but a back bone stronger than any man in that village. Perfectly written twists and turns and ending that I was definitely not expecting. Great read !.

I do enjoy a good historical novel, and especially one that has an element of a haunted house or something supernatural. I enjoyed it – the setting was really nice, with the immense and elaborate gardens at the house taking centre stage for most of it. I liked the switch from mystery of the house to the much more serious start of WWI and its impact on her surroundings near the end.

Clara is a refreshing protagonist, born with a congenital problem (osteogenesis imperfecta) and it was very interesting to see how that impacted both her childhood and the effect it still has on her life – and most importantly how it has shaped her personality and manners. I don’t know if it is an accurate representation of the disease but from the acknowledgements it does seem like there has been some research done. It was a bit frustrating how at least three men in her acquaintance are attracted to her – not that her difference in appearance due to the condition is supposed to make her ugly, but it does get a bit tiresome after a while – surely these people much have differing tastes?

The mystery was engaging and I enjoyed that for most of the story it was unclear if this was actually a supernatural story or not. I had expected a bit more suspense than the drama that we ended up getting. All in all an easy style that kept me coming back to read.

I was expecting a ghost story, but this is so much more. A mesmerising tale of loss, prejudice, belief and love. All of Susan Fletcher's books are brilliant, but this is my favourite yet.

I loved Susan Fletcher’s Corrag, a novel about the Glencoe Massacre of 1692, but for some reason have never read any of her other books until now. That has clearly been a mistake because House of Glass is another impressive novel. Although it is a very different type of story from Corrag, there are still some similarities, such as the beautiful writing and the interesting, unusual protagonist.

The novel is set in 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War. Our narrator is Clara Waterfield, a young woman who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, better known as brittle bone disease. Because of her condition, Clara has led a very sheltered life, kept indoors where she is less likely to fall and injure herself. She has made the best of her situation, using books to educate herself on the people and places she is never likely to see, but still she longs to go out into the world and have the experiences that other people take for granted. When she is twenty years old, Clara loses her mother to cancer and, left alone in their London home with her well-meaning but over-protective stepfather, she takes her first tentative steps towards taking control of her own life.

Venturing as far as Kew Gardens, Clara discovers a love of plants and returns day after day to learn everything the head gardener can teach her about botany. Her new skills lead to her being summoned to Shadowbrook, a large estate in Gloucestershire, where the owner, Mr Fox, is looking for an expert to help fill his new glasshouse with plants from Kew. Almost as soon as Clara arrives at Shadowbrook, however, she becomes aware that something is wrong. Why do the housekeeper and the maids seem so afraid? Could the house really be haunted by the ghost of a former occupant, Veronique Pettigrew? And is the mysterious Mr Fox ever going to make an appearance?

House of Glass seems at first to be a typical Gothic ghost story. It certainly has all the elements of one: a neglected mansion with secrets hidden behind closed doors; unexplained noises in the night; servants who hint at trouble in the house’s past; and various other eerie occurrences which may or may not have a rational explanation. There are definite shades of classic novels such as Jane Eyre and Rebecca or, to give a more recent comparison, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Throughout the first half of the book the sense of mystery builds as we try to work out what is really happening at Shadowbrook and Clara is as much in the dark as we are. Because of the way her life has been until now, her contact with other people has been very limited which means, as well as trying to solve the mysteries of Shadowbrook, she also has a lot to learn about social relationships and human nature. As she moves around the house and its grounds, asking questions and making observations, she not only makes some discoveries about Mr Fox and the Pettigrews, but she grows in confidence as a person too. I didn’t always like Clara quite as much as I felt I should have done, but I admired her for her strength and resilience.

In the second half of the book, everything changes; some revelations are made which send the story in a different and slightly unexpected direction and although some of my questions – and Clara’s – were answered, I wasn’t entirely convinced by these new plot developments. I wasn’t disappointed, exactly, but I did feel that I was reading a different type of story than it had seemed to be at first.

Now I need to go back and read some of the other Susan Fletcher books I seem to have missed out on over the last few years.

You are taken by the hand by Clara Waterfield and guided through her childhood in early 20th century London, confined to her room due to brittle bone disease. She is educated by her mother and by her many books. By the end of her adolescence, her body, although disfigured, improves to the point that she can venture out to Kew Gardens and become an expert in glasshouse plants. Plants that her mother would have known as she grew up in India. Through Mr Forbes, the head gardener at Kew, she is offered a commission to set up a large greenhouse at Shadowlands, a country estate and she travels there - her first journey out of London. The estate, recently bought by the elusive Mister Fox is baffling: Although the house is still in quite a dilapidated state, the gardens are beautifully cared for and the newly-built greenhouse is state-of-the-art. But something is not right in this house and nobody wants to talk about it or about its previous owners.
I guess the name “Clara” could be a allusion to the housebound character Clara in Johanna Spyri’s “Heidi”. Other symbols, like setting up and living in a glasshouse when your body is a building of glass, are beautifully turned. Clara is a prickly character and yet a beguiling narrator. The mix of gothic tale complete with “things that go bump in the night”, the gossip of the previous owners’ debauched scandalous lives and plenty of nicely fleshed-out and ethereal characters makes this story a very fine read indeed.

An outstanding novel once again from this author. The richly poetic language flows effortlessly, sweeping us into this highly atmospheric storyline, which is narrated so beautifully by the wondefully real main character, Clara.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK for review copy in exchange for honest review.

I felt like I was there in this novel. So real does the writing make you see, feel, and empathize with the heroine in this unearthly story.

House of Glass is a beautifully written novel. It is very atmospheric and almost gothic in its storytelling.

Clara Waterfield is an extraordinary young woman who has suffered much throughout her life. Yet despite her ailments and the tragedy she has suffered she is fiercely independent. She is a highly opinionated young woman, who does not suffer fools gladly.

When she is finally able to leave the house and enjoy the outdoors, she begins work at Kew Gardens. It is there that she is “discovered” by the mysterious Mr. Fox who wishes Clara to move to Gloucestershire and tend his new glass house.

When Clara arrives Mr. Fox is not there to meet her, something she finds immediately odd. And that’s not all, his driver is rude, his housekeeper a chatterbox who doesn’t let you get a word in...

In fact, there is something off about the whole house as far as Clara is concerned. She just doesn’t know what. Yet despite her misgivings, she decides to stay. She wants to work on the glass house, as she has found herself a purpose in life.

Clara doesn't believe in souls, ghouls or ghosts, she is a very practical person, but the other inhabitants of Shadowbrook house are convinced that their house is haunted, and that they know who it's haunted by.

This is the perfect book for snuggling up with at this time of year, as you untie the complicated threads that the author has woven.

I had such high hopes for this one. It does some things well. A main character that has a disability and is different and she stayed clear of the “this girl has a disability so she must be sweet and lovely” trope which I was grateful for but apart from that this book just did not quite know what it wanted to be. All over the place.

A house is meant to be a place of safety and intimacy. The haunted house is a powerful symbol of horror precisely because it shows us a haven of domesticity upturned by an intruder, and a supernatural one at that. It is hardly surprising that from being just one of many Gothic tropes, the haunted house eventually became the basis of a rich supernatural sub-genre.

House of Glass is a historical novel within this tradition. It is set just before the outbreak of the First World War and features a sprawling mansion – Shadowbrooks – marked by dark, old rumours about its previous owners, the evil and hated Pettigrew family. The last Pettigrew to inhabit Shadowbrook was the sensual, decadent and possibly mad Veronique - her ghost still walks its corridors and the pages of this book. So far, so familiar. Indeed, this novel shares many elements with other books within the (sub-)genre. It has been compared to Du Maurier’s Rebecca but I would say that its mixture of Gothic thrills, historical novel and social commentary is closer in spirit to Sarah Water’s The Little Stranger. What makes House of Glass particularly original is its protagonist and narrator, Clara Waterfield. Conceived out of wedlock in India, and born in England where her mother Charlotte is dispatched to avoid a scandal, Clara suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta or “brittle bones disease”, a condition which causes fractures at the least pressure or impact. As a result, Clara lives a secluded London childhood, fiercely protected by her parents. The premature death of her mother thrusts Clara into adulthood. Notwithstanding her syndrome, her walking cane and ungainly gait, Clara ventures out into the world. The gardens at Kew become her refuge and she finds herself turning into an amateur botanist – “amateur” in the best sense of the word, that of a lover of knowledge. This earns her the respect, friendship and support of Forbes, the foreman of the glasshouses. It also leads to an unexpected invitation. One day, Clara is summoned to Gloucestershire by the new owner of Shadowbrooks, to oversee the installation of exotic plants from Kew in a new greenhouse in the mansion’s gardens. It is here that the ghost story proper begins. For Clara finds herself surrounded by mystery and secrets, by things that go bump in the night and malevolent attacks by an unseen visitor. The housekeeper and maids cower in fear of the ghost of Veronique Pettigrew, a woman seemingly so evil that a mere mention of her name is enough to unleash poltergeist activity. Clara is sceptical but her rationalist approach is put under severe test. That summer will mark her coming to age, as she questions long-held certainties and beliefs.

At one level, House of Glass is enjoyable as a good old piece of storytelling. But there is so much more to it. What struck me at first is the blend of realism and the supernatural. Shadowbrooks and its gardens are inspired by the real-life Hidcote Manor Gardens (a National Trust property in Gloucestershire) and they are lovingly and minutely described. At the same time, Fletcher uses small details (closed, dust-filled rooms; peeling paint; a blood-stained billiard table) to evoke an atmosphere of fear and dread. The scene has already been set for the nocturnal visitations which considerably ratchet up the tension.

The novel also manages to take an established form and inject it with a strong dose of feminism. Clara’s condition becomes a symbol of female rebellion and resistance, her physical imperfections as transgressive as her assertiveness and inquisitiveness. There is a parallel between the “cripple” Clara and the uniquely beautiful Veronique, both of them strong women trying to hold their own in a patriarchal society. Clara ruefully notes that despite the fact that the male Pettigrews were violent and criminal, it was Veronique and her ‘sex orgies’ which gripped the attention of the sleepy village where she lived and which marked her forever as an epitome of immorality. This leads to another theme which is central to the novel, namely that of truth and falsehood, and how accounts can be manipulated to propagate the worldview favoured by their narrator.

My only reservation when reading the novel was that there are a number of narrative gear-changes late in the book. Engrossing as it is, the plot moves forward at a leisurely pace until about three-quarters in, when a raft of unexpected revelations propel the tale forward and lead us closer to the “sensation novel”. In the final chapters then, there is yet another shift, as the work ends with a meditation on war. The more I think about it, however, the more I tend to feel that my initial doubts were unfounded – the different facets of House of Glass ultimately add up to a convincing whole, held together by Fletcher’s lyrical and elegiac writing style. For this is also a story about the passing of an era, and what are ghosts if not remnants, in one way or another, of a half-remembered past?

House of Glass is award-winning, historical fiction writer Susan Fletcher's first foray into the Gothic novel scene and creates a wonderful atmosphere and feelings of claustrophobia. Set in the run-up to the First World War, we meet Clara Waterfield, our narrator for the journey. Although Clara isn't really that likeable you can relate to most of her behaviour and thoughts. I found that in some parts of the story the revelations were very drawn out and as a result, everything became quite disjointed. Then there were other parts where the unfurling of the surprises came out of nowhere with absolutely no warning or clues. This made the whole book feel like a very stop-start affair and led to me placing it down several times.

Don't get me wrong, the author has the talent to create a dark and unsettling story, but there were too many little annoyances that really had an impact on the way it held together. Shadowbrook, the setting for the story, is beautifully described and vividly imagined, and the air of mystery that surrounds the property was intriguing. The balance between Clara's medical condition, causing her to have brittle bones, and her strong, fearless personality was expertly done, and I appreciated that she had some fight left in her despite her condition.

Many thanks to Virago for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

An good read but a little slow. I like historical fiction and the plot of this book sounded really good. It did not live totally up to expectations for me. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me an ARC copy of this book. I was later contacted by Kimberley Nyamhondera suggesting I take part in the blog tour for the launch of the book, and as I knew the author I immediately agreed.
I had read and reviewed another one of Susan Fletcher’s books (Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew, you can read my review here) a couple of years ago and loved it. When I checked my review, to remind myself what I had thought about it in more detail, I realised I could use almost word by word the same title for my review, although the subject of the novel is quite different. “A beautiful, contemplative, and touching novel.” Yes, this definitely applies to House of Glass as well. This time the story is set in the UK right before the breaking of the First World War, and in fact, there are rumours spreading about its likelihood already when the novel starts. It is a fascinating time, and the life of the protagonist, Clara Waterfield, is deeply affected by the historical period she has to live in, from her birth in very late Victorian times, to what would be a very changed world after the Great War, with the social upheaval, the rapid spread of industrialization, the changing role of women, and the all-too-brief peace.
Clara, who tells the story in the first person, is a great creation, who becomes dearer and dearer to us as we read the book. This is not a novel about a protagonist who is fully-formed, recognisable and unchanging, and runs across the pages from one action scene to the next hardly pausing to take a breather. Clara reflects upon her past (although she is very young, she has suffered greatly, but not lived much), her condition (she suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, brittle bones, and that meant that she was kept indoors and not exposed to the risks and dangers of the outside world, the London streets in her case throughout her childhood), her family, and life experiences or her lack of them. No matter what she looks like, her short stature, her difficulty walking, her limitations in physical activity, this is a determined woman, make no mistake. She has learned most of what she knows through books (non-fiction mostly, although she enjoyed the Indian tales her mother used to read her), she has experienced not only pain, but other kinds of loses, and there are secrets and mysteries surrounding her, but despite all that, she is all practical and logical when we meet her. Her lack of exposure to the real world makes her a fascinating narrator, one who looks at everything with the eyes of a new-born or an alien suddenly landed in our society, who might have theoretical knowledge but knows nothing of how things truly work, while her personality, determined and stubborn, and her enquiring nature make her perfect to probe into the mystery at the heart of Shadowbrook.
Readers might not find Clara particularly warm and engaging to begin with (despite the sympathy they might feel for her suffering, something she would hate), as she dispenses with the niceties of the period, is headstrong and can be seen as rude and unsympathetic. At some point, I wondered if there might have been more to her peculiar personality than the way she was brought up (she can be obsessive with the things she likes, as proven by her continuous visits to Kew Gardens once she discovers them, and her lack of understanding of social mores and her difficulty in reading people’s motivations and feelings seemed extreme), but she quickly adapts to the new environment, she thrives on change and challenges, she shows a great, if somewhat twisted, sense of humour at times, and she evolves and grows into her own self during the novel, so please, readers, stick with the book even if you don’t connect with her straightaway or find her weird and annoying at times. It will be worth your while.
Her point of view might be peculiar, but Clara is a great observer of people and of the natural world. She loves her work and she is careful and meticulous, feeling an affinity for the exotic plants of the glass house, that, like her until recently, also have to live enclosed in an artificial environment for their own safety. That is partly what enhances their beauty and their rarity in our eyes. By contrast, Clara knows that she is seen as weird, lacking, less-able, and hates it. She is a deep thinker and reflects upon what she sees, other people’s behaviours, she imagines what others might be talking about, and dreams of her dead mother and soon also of the mystery behind the strange happenings at the house.
The novel has been described as gothic, and that is a very apt description, even though it is not always dark and claustrophobic. There are plenty of scenes that take place in the garden, in the fields, and in the open air, but we do have the required strange happenings, creaks and noises, scratches on doors, objects and flowers behaving in unpredictable fashion, previous owners of the house with a troublesome and tragic past, a mysterious current owner who hides something, violence, murder, and plenty of rumours. We have a priest who is conflicted by something, a loyal gardener who knows more than he says, a neighbouring farmer who has plenty of skeletons in his closet, and a housekeeper who can’t sleep and is terrified. But there is much more to the novel than the usual tropes we have come to expect and love in the genre. There is social commentary; there are issues of diversity and physical disability, discussions about religious belief and spirituality, and also about mental health, women’s rights, and the destructive nature of rumours and gossip, and some others that I won’t go into to avoid spoilers.
I don’t want to give anything away, and although the story moves at a steady and contemplative pace, this in no way makes it less gripping. If anything, the beauty of the language and the slow build up work in its favour, giving us a chance to get fully immersed in the mood and the atmosphere of the place.
I marked a lot of passages, and I don’t think any of them make it full justice, but I’ve decided to share some, nonetheless:
She’d also said that there was no human perfection; that if the flaw could not be seen physically, then the person carried it inside them, which made it far worse, and I’d believed this part, at least.
For my mother had never spoken well of the Church. Patrick had said nothing at all of it. And my own understanding had been that imperfect bodies were forms of godly punishment; that imperfect meant I was worth less somehow. I’d disliked this notion intensely. Also, I was not a spare rib.
I could not taste fruit from studying a sketch of it, cut in half. What use was only reading of acts and not doing them? Knowing the route of the Ganges was not the same as standing in it.

The ending… We find the solution to the mystery, (which I enjoyed, and at the time I wondered why the book did not finish at that point) but the novel does not end there, and we get to hear what happened in the aftermath of the story. And yes, although at first, I wasn’t sure that part was necessary, by the end of the book proper I was crying and felt as if I was leaving a close friend in Clara, one that I was convinced would go on to lead a happy life.
Another fantastic novel by Susan Fletcher, one I recommend to fans of gothic novels, of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and her other novels, of Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, and of inspiringly gorgeous writing. I do not recommend it to readers who prefer an action-laden plot with little space for thought or reflexion, although why not check a sample of the book and see for yourselves? I must catch up on the rest of the author’s novels and I hope there will be many more to come.

https://lynns-books.com/2018/10/30/house-of-glass-by-susan-fletcher-spooktasticreads/
5 of 5 stars
I am on a winning streak with my gothic reads these past few weeks and here is yet another little beauty to add to your wishlists. I know, I know, I’m sorry, you have too many books already but you and I both know you don’t want to miss a good book – after all that’s how your TBR grew into such a monster in the first place and, whilst I hate to add to your ever growing stacks, trust me, this book is worth it. Don’t miss out. Described as being reminiscent of duMaurier I would suggest this also gave me Jane Eyre vibes and yet at the same time it absolutely stands on it’s own two feet. Beautifully written and powerfully evocative it contains all the elements that woven together make an engrossing gothic story.

The thing I love about this book is the voice. Clara is a wonderful narrator and I was quite hooked to the page as she recounted her early years. Clara was born with a condition that makes her skeleton incredibly vulnerable, apologies but I didn’t make a note of the name but it seems to be akin to ‘glass bones’. A simple fall can result in serious damage and Clara spends her youth spent largely recuperating, mainly in the company of her mother and in a house that is all but wrapped in cotton wool to prevent, as far as possible, further injuries. As she grows older her condition stabilises a little but of course by that time, and with so many broken bones already in her past Clara finds it difficult to walk without the aid of a stick. On top of this her appearance is almost ethereal. With a diminutive frame, strangely entrancing eyes and white blond hair she certainly catches attention although quite often of the negative variety. And, finally, with a lack of social encounters in her past she has a certain way of interacting with others that is brutally frank and often borders on abrupt. Here we have a female character, set in a period where societal restrictions would prevent her having any freedom, enjoying a lifestyle that is totally unexpected. She is a wonderful creation, I loved her and I absolutely applaud the author for taking a character, born with such difficulties to surmount and instead of letting this restrict the story using it instead to create a strong and no-nonsense woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind or talk frankly. I want more of this.

The story moves forward to approximately 1914. Unfortunately Clara’s mother and only friend has passed away and Clara needs a purpose. She takes to visiting Kew Gardens, fascinated by the plants and keen to learn. She develops an almost teacher/student relationship with one of the head gardeners and from there stems an invitation to a country manor where the new owner, having recently built a grand greenhouse, requires someone with the expertise to fill it with exotic plants. Shadowbrook House is appropriately named. The villagers whisper about it, the housekeeper and maids are convinced it’s haunted and there are certainly plenty of strange noises of an evening. Noises that whisper of footsteps treading along creaking floorboards, or perhaps just noises of an old house settling in to sleep at night.

I don’t think I need to really elaborate too much on the plot, this is a house with a history, it could be haunted or maybe it’s simply a house that is haunted by it’s past, people unable or unwilling to forget the ‘goings on’ that took place within its walls. It has a forbidden attic, a reclusive owner and plenty of dark secrets just waiting to be unveiled. I certainly didn’t foresee the final outcome but I confess I never try overly hard to second guess the endings to books – I prefer to let them reveal themselves as intended so it’s possible that others might not find the reveals as surprising as I did. Undoubtedly this ticks a lot of the trope boxes that you would expect from a gothic read and I can almost picture you rolling your eyes thinking the ‘same old, same old’ but, apart from the fact that these tropes are so enjoyable anyway, what makes this book refreshingly different is the main protagonist who is such an original character. Clara is an intelligent and practical woman. She has a scientific mind and so as such refuses to believe in ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Instead she looks for rational explanation where others simply give in to superstition and she isn’t afraid to go and investigate. Obviously, her nature is tempered by her easily broken bones. Clara can’t go flinging herself around or dashing about the countryside, she has to take certain precautions but she doesn’t let her condition dictate who she is or use it as an excuse not to get on with life.

Added to a great protagonist and an eerie tale is of course the writing. Susan Fletcher is a wonderful writer. She has an almost magical way with words that simply transports you into whatever vision she is currently creating. I’ve read a couple of her books before and it’s always the same for me – I rush through the book, devouring the words like a raging maniac and then finish the story feeling almost teary eyed and bereft. There’s almost a poetic beauty to her words and yet at the same time a simplicity that just brings forth memories. For this particular book it’s the garden, the scent of the flowers and the herbs, the beautiful colours and the feeling of nature doing what it does best. Please, don’t take my word for it – go and pick up a copy and see what you think.

In terms of criticisms. I have nothing. I think the only proviso I would make is that whilst this is a ghostly tale I don’t think it’s a tale of terror – which I think is mainly down to Clara’s unwillingness to give in to flights of fancy. But, I don’t really think of that as a criticism, just something to note.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I love historical books, and this one didn't disappoint me at all. Loved it.
It's a very good historical mystery. It has many other elements in it that makes it rich like feminism, family dynamics, a bit of darkness and thrill. It's very atmospheric in its telling, and has a gothic feel to it.

Clara is our main character. She has a sensitive medical condition. She's raised at home because of her condition. But, she starts working in Kew Gardens as she loses her mother very young. But, her life gets more complicated when she's called to set up a glass house by Mr. Fox.
He's a mysterious character and weird events take off from here that makes you read at the edge of your seat, curiously turning the pages :)

After this setting, I really liked the book, and the pace. The end was very surprising as well, everything falling into place one by one in an unexpected way.

If you're a lover of historical books with some mystery and secrets in it, then it's a good choice.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for granting an access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good read.

Reminded me of The Silent Companions and Little Stranger from time to time. Quite gothic and dark.

We follow the story of Clara, a young woman almost made of glass, with a medical condition that curses her with easily broken bones. A childhood of suffering due to broken bones, she grows up to be a crippled young woman with a mind beyond her tiny body. After the loss of her mother she starts working for Kew Gardens. Until one day she's appointed to set up a glass house in a house in Gloucester.

The house is called Shadowbrook and the owner, Mr Fox, is not usually around, constantly away trips and the house workers are not allowed to go upstairs to his quarters.

By the time she arrives Shadowbrook Clara faces with a cloud of mystery. The two maids and the housekeeper Mrs Bale are terrified, saying the house is haunted by a ghost. Clara also experiences the disturbances, scratched doors, footsteps in the night. But she doesn't believe in ghosts and thinks an intruder is causing the disturbances.

The story flows beautifully with a surprising ending, and the air of mystery surrounding the house, Mr Fox, and Shadowbrooks's previous owners keeps the reader engaged and entertained until the end.

There is a few things I didn't expect in the end, and I wish the ending was a little bit shorter.

I loved the dialogue between the priest, Matthew and Clara. Clara is a young woman beyond her time, defying God, and refusing to accept the rules of society and pitying their understanding in morals. I loved the contrast in her character, physically weak cursed by her bones, but mentally really bright, and has a strong will.

A really good historical mystery with a lot of feminism in it, I would highly recommend this one if you like historical books.

This is a gothic historical novel set mainly in the years preceding the Great War. The narrator/heroine is an interesting and unusual character but i didn't find her very likeable. Parts of the plot are well constructed but in others it dragged or revelations came too quickly resulting in an uneven whole. I also found the ending quite abrupt and unsatisfying. Disappointing overall.