This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I wasn’t entirely sure about this book but it was a very interesting concept about how something taken from a school trip affected a person in the modern day and the history behind it and the characters from the past surrounding it.

Nicola Cornick has done it again with The Woman in the Lake - I loved her previous dual timeline books, House of Shadows and The Phantom Tree, and this latest offering absolutely lives up to expectations and more. Would highly recommend.

The story of a couple of women hundreds of years apart and a strange yellow gown binding them together. Naturally there’s a few cads and a hero! Set in Swindon and environs which turned out to be a surprising place and far more interesting than I would’ve imagined. Glimpses into the Georgian lifestyle when it’s Lady Isabella’s turn to give her point of view plus every now and again, her maid, Constance gets to say her piece. I preferred them to Fen (Fenella) who I didn’t find very appealing which isn’t to say the other two women were perfect. This is the sort of book to while away a few hours either on a winter’s eve or basking on a beach.

One day in 2004, thirteen-year-old Fenella Brightwell is on a school trip to Lydiard House in Swindon when she becomes separated from the rest of the class. Following a disturbing encounter with a drunken old man who appears to be dressed in period costume, Fen manages to find her way out of the stately home to rejoin her friends – but not before picking up a beautiful golden dress left carelessly on a chair and pushing it into her bag. Fen doesn’t know why she keeps feeling such a compulsion to take things that aren’t hers, but perhaps it is a way of coping with her difficult home life. She hasn’t seen her father for years, and with her mother away on a series of archaeological digs, Fen has been left to care not only for herself but for her alcoholic grandmother, Sarah, as well.

In the present day, Fen is now a woman of twenty-seven trying to build a new life for herself as an antique dealer after leaving her abusive husband. Sarah has recently died and has left Fen a package containing the gold dress, which Fen has never even thought about for years, along with a cryptic message warning her to be careful. Fen has no idea what her grandmother means – how can a dress be dangerous? – but now that she has it in her possession she becomes aware of the strange, almost supernatural powers it wields.

To understand the history of the dress and the secrets it holds in its fabric, we need to follow another storyline, this one set in the eighteenth century. In 1765, Lady Isabella Gerard is surprised when she receives a lovely golden gown as a gift from her husband. Eustace, Lord Gerard, is a cruel and manipulative man and doesn’t usually show her any generosity. She doesn’t really want to accept his gifts, but tells her maid, Constance, to take the dress away and keep it until the day comes when she feels like wearing it. Constance, however, is later approached by Lord Gerard, who seems to have changed his mind about the dress and tells her to destroy it. Who should she obey? What is so important about the golden gown? And what effects might it have on Constance herself?

This is the third Nicola Cornick novel I’ve read (The Phantom Tree and House of Shadows are the previous two) and it has many of the things I’ve come to expect from her books: multiple narratives set in different time periods, a big country house, objects from the past finding their way into the present, and a touch of the supernatural. The house in this book is based on a real place, Lydiard House, set in beautiful parkland in Swindon, Wiltshire, and can still be visited today. In reality, it was home to the St John family, rather than the Gerards in the novel, although one of its residents – Lady Diana – was apparently the inspiration for Isabella Gerard. A mixture of fact and fiction, then, but with the emphasis more towards the fiction.

I preferred the historical storyline to the modern day one, although I can’t say that I liked either of our historical narrators, Isabella and Constance. They had both been treated badly in various ways, so I felt that I should have had more sympathy for them, but I just didn’t – I found Isabella self-absorbed and Constance bitter and spiteful. Having said that, the story probably wouldn’t have worked if they had been different sorts of people. I did appreciate the fact that neither of them revealed everything about themselves too early in the book, which meant that there were secrets to be discovered later on.

As for Fen, I never quite warmed to her either, but I did enjoy seeing her storyline tie together with Isabella’s and Constance’s as the book headed towards its conclusion. There are lots of little snippets of information on Swindon’s history which helps to form links between the two periods and I particularly loved a subplot involving a gang of ‘Moonrakers’ (smugglers). I couldn’t help feeling that there were too many things left unexplained, though. The time travel that seemed to occur in Lydiard House at the beginning of the book never happened again, which was disappointing, and I didn’t fully understand why the dress exerted so much power over the present day characters either – except to add a spooky, Gothic element to the story.

I found more to like than to dislike about The Woman in the Lake, but if you’re new to Nicola Cornick I would recommend starting with The Phantom Tree.

I really enjoyed The Woman in the Lake, a dual timeline novel, set in Swindon, which is split between the 1760s and the present day. The suspense is built gradually, by alternately telling us a little bit more about the stories of Fen and Isabella, until the dreadful truth is revealed; as the story unfolds we see parallels between the two marriages, hundreds of years apart. Lots of historical detail is woven into the story, and the supernatural element is done with a light touch. The characters are well drawn and convincing though not always likeable. I will certainly be on the lookout for other books by Nicola Cornick, and Lydiard House is definitely worth a visit. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book of Nicola Cornick's which I have read and it will not be the last!

A captivating dual timeline story set in the 1760's and the present day and linked by a beautiful golden gown. Great characterisation - three women, Isabella, Constance and Fenella - I was absorbed in each of their stories. Very skilfully written - the past and present are so cleverly intertwined. I loved the good twist at the end too.

Highly recommended - I was engrossed from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s 1765 and after a terrifying night with her abusive husband, Lord Eustace Gerard, Lady Isabella tells her maid Constance to destroy the golden gown he has given her. She has no wish to wear it, despite its beauty and wants nothing to remind her of that night. Constance can’t bring herself to do as she’s asked and keeps the dress. The family doctor comes to tend to Isabella and offers her help, but although she doesn’t take it, she does though do as he recommends and moves to Lydiard Hall in the country to recover.

A few months later a woman wearing the golden dress is drowned, we know it isn’t Lady Isabella, so who is it?

Moving forward two hundred years we see schoolgirl, Fen stealing a golden gown from a stately home on a school trip. In the present day we learn that Fen is recovering from her own abusive relationship. She’s had to rebuild her life after divorcing her husband Jake. And although she tried to hide the dress from herself it’s now been returned to her along with her compulsion to steal.

At first the two lives seem unconnected, but as the story moves on you can see the parallels of their lives and the ways that the golden gown is involved in what happens to them. I love this author’s books. I think I took a little time to get into this story because I didn’t take to the characters, especially Fen. However, as the story progressed, I couldn’t put the book down. It’s a clever, captivating and atmospheric story and I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant read
Very clever story told about two women centuries apart.At first it would appear that they have nothing in common but as you are drawn closer into the story you realise that their are certain similarities in their life.
Very clever especially the ending.
Five stars all the way

The Woman in the Lake has all the ingredients I love in a novel. A mystery set across two different times, with a real old house at the core. An object which affects people across the years, a time travel aspect and a story of how the past and present can intertwine in the most unexpected of ways.

I always seem to prefer the story set in the past and I admit that was the case here. Lady Isabella and her maid Constance were instantly recognisable. Her husband is a bad one and he is abusive and evil in many ways.

The dress, which is to be the focus of the novel is at first worn by Lady Isabella. The historical backdrop of Georgian England is evoked in style. I was there in that hall with Lady Isabella but had I been in the novel, I would have probably been more with Constance to be honest. I liked both and was glad to be in the kitchen when the husband was so awful. The scene setting and the sense of foreboding was exciting. And that’s without mentioning the scandals!

Cut to the present day and I immediately didn’t like Fen. Fancy stealing a dress from a manor house!? I realise this was the story but I didn’t care for her from this point on. I did find the story and supernatural element of the dress intriguing. Far fetched? Well yes, but then so is time travel, supernatural tales at the best of times. And I do believe objects from the past do hold traces of that past on them - like faded fingerprints or something. Constance was on it! As I said, I would have been with her and did what she told me especially regarding that dress.

Nicola’s love and fascination for history shines through - you can tell she’s been to this house and studied its moods. There were shivers down the back of my neck as I read. This mix of historical fact and fiction is a fascinating mix for me and Nicola a go- to author for delving into the history of old buildings and the objects within.

Off to Lydiard Hall I go!

Domestic abuse is the dark theme of this timeslip novel. Another central element is the mystical influence of a golden gown, the reader finds characters linked over time, both victims of abusive partners.

The historical detail and setting for the eighteenth century part of the novel are atmospheric and absorbing. Lady Isabella is perhaps the easiest of the characters to empathise, as she suffers her husband's mental and physical abuse.

Fenella suffers a similar fate in the present day, and its effects force her into the role of an unreliable protagonist. You are not sure of her true motives and whether she really sees what she says she does.

The characters are complex and well written. The story has a supernatural element, which could be explained away as the psychological impact of abuse on the women, but there is always an element of doubt that keeps the reader guessing.

Well-paced with a layered plot, the book keeps you enthralled until the end.

I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I went into to thinking it was going to be a straight historical fiction but this was more a mystery or thriller set over two different centuries. I found the story gripping and I flew through this and was enthralled with the levels of uncertainty that Cornick created. The two different era, georgian and contempory, fitted well together and it did not feel like one part of the story overwhelmed the other. Even though Fen is a bit of an unreliable narrator which I normally hate and would instantly mark a book down for, I did not mind her and felt that her behaviour and state of mind was explored well.

In the 1760s we have Lady Isabella Gerard. She is trapped in a loveless and abusive marriage and keen to find a way out. When her husband gives her a golden dress it sets in motion a train of circumstances which lead to deaths. Running parallel to this is Fenella Brightwell. A modern day woman who has struggled with a difficult upbringing & an abusive marriage. Her life starts to fall apart when a box arrives for her following the death of her Grandmother.

I am very fond of this sort of historical novel – 2 time periods running in parallel with the modern often mirroring the past. I am a fan of Kate Morton and Barbara Erskine. Having read a couple of Nicola Cornick’s books before I was pleased to get the chance to read this one. Unfortunately I felt it fell short of her previous books and is certainly not up to the standard of the aforementioned authors.

So what went wrong? I liked the idea of the dress & it connecting the past and present. I wasn’t quite so sure about its powers of control over whoever come into contact with it though. The plot got really quite complicated with a large number of characters. This meant that neither the plot nor the cast were developed fully.

Personally I don’t feel that this was Nicola Cornick’s best work. There was just too much going on for me to really settle with it. Some great ideas but the story as a whole just didn’t work for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

This was my first novel by this author. I did enjoy to an extend. It's a story told in parallel with leading 2 female characters in 16th and 21st century through a gown's effects. The premise is quite interesting and I love historical novels going back and forth in time. For some reason I couldn't feel for these women, just didn't make me root for them, so the effects of the story was somehow limited.
But, it was a good concept and good writing. I'll try other books by this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful golden dress is the thread that connects the lives of two women across two centuries. It's beauty conceals a malevolent intent in it's making that subsequently affects all those who come into contact with it. Part ghost story and part psychological thriller with smugglers and historical interest as well this story is quite compulsive reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, Nicola Cornick and HQ publishing for my ARC of The Woman in the Lake in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: In 1765 Lady Isabella Gerard is in an unhappy marriage with a physically and mentally abusive husband. When he gives her a golden gown as a gift she suddenly finds herself obsessed with. Constance her maid has also become obsessed with the gown even though Lord Gerard has told her to destroy it. In 1996 Fenella Brightwell is on a school trip to a stately home when she steals a stunning golden gown. She doesn't think on it anymore until it is returned to her years later after her grandmother's death. As the gown's influence and power continue to flourish Fen is unsure what is real and what is imagination...

I loved Nicola's first two novels The Phantom Tree and House of Shadows but I must admit I didn't enjoy The Woman in the Lake quite as much. Like the first two this is a time slip novel which shows the gown's effects through the 16th and 21st centuries while drawing parallels with the lives of the two women. But it just didn't stick for me this time. I didn't like either Isabella or Fen and especially not Constance, it seems silly to say the story of a possessed gown seems implausible when another of Nicola's books features time travel, but it just really didn't feel real. I failed to connect with any of the characters and struggled to get any interest in the plot which at time's felt quite rushed and not thought out.
I'm disappointed with this one but I will definitely try Nicola's future books as I did really enjoy the first two!