The moors surrounding Haworth, and the imposing Ponden Hall provided the perfect setting for Rowan Coleman’s novel The Girl In The Window.

The landscape, known for its bleakness, wonderful imagery, and magic was perfectly translated onto the page and it wasn’t hard to let your imagination run wild as Coleman set her character Tru, on a journey into a past full of surprises.

Indeed Tru, was a wonderful character, full of grief, a need to protect her young son and to build bridges with her estranged Mum. I loved her for her positivity, her resilience, her innate curiosity to seek out the secrets of her home, and most of all her love for the Bronte’s.

You could also sense Coleman’s own love for the Bronte’s as it seeped through her narrative, as she opened up a window to their world and that of past generations who lived or had connections with Ponden Hall.

It was a past that Coleman seamlessly interwove into the structure of the novel, excerpts from old letters that told a story of love, of grief, of murder and tragedy and, were utterly fascinating.

The sheer delight Tru felt as she discovered old notebooks, examined old books was for me, one of the highlights. You could almost smell the mustiness, feel the fragility of the pages, and Tru’s own awe and amazement at each precious discovery.

The ghostly apparitions, and rumblings, the presence of spirits who fought for freedom gave the novel that added extra dimension, lifted it from being just another story of the Bronte’s. You could feel the chill, and the eeriness yet not the fear, as you felt somehow they were there to help, to steer Tru in the right direction.

If it was a novel of past history it was also a novel of the present, of Tru’s own story, of the love she pursued, of the family, and a house she left behind.

Reconciliation and forgiveness were strong themes, and I loved the changing relationship between mother and daughter, that Coleman portrayed beautifully, filled with emotion but also tension and unease.

You wondered how Coleman would pull all the threads together, how the past and the present would finally come together. When it did, it was with skill, filled with compassion, sorrow, but also hope for a bright future.

The Girl In The Window was wonderful, a novel that will transport you to another world, a world full of fabulous characters you will not want to leave.

I loved this. I wasn't sure what to expect, within pages I was hooked in. As Trudy and Will deal with grief, a new home and past secrets we are with them every step of the way. The relationships between the generations is beautiful - Ma is a wonderful character.
I was consumed by Agnes and just wanted to get to know her and help Trudy to lay her to rest. Her haunting felt real and consuming
The house was fabulous and the fact that it was haunted by it's past was gripping. From the moment I met marcus I knew he would be trouble but couldnt work out why.
5 stars to Rowan for this fabulous read.

This book was a balance of contemporary and historical fiction and it switches seamlessly between the two in alternate time lines and points of view. I found the way the two sides of the book intertwined really interesting, as the book progresses you see more and more links between the two narratives and I really liked the way that progressed.



I loved the relationship between mother and daughter and mother and son and again this grows and changes as the novel progresses. I really enjoyed seeing their relationships blossom and finding out what had happened in their lives that had affected their lives now. Will is a great character, I love when a novel has a full storyline for a child character and he provided some light relief and some interesting philosophy on the events that were happening in other parts of the book.



Trudy is very into books as well and this, combined with the historical side of the novel, means that this is a must read for an Bronte fan. It is set in and around Haworth and so as you can imagine, it is a love song to Emily Bronte in particular. The historical side of this novel does mean that a level of concentration is involved when switching between the time lines and taking in the historical detail so your full attention will be require for this story.



I really enjoyed meeting Trudy and Will and being introduced to Ponden Hall and I am sure you will too.

I wish to thank Rowan Colman and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am an avid fan of Rowan so was extremely excited to read this book, however, it was very different to her usual style of writing. That's not to say it wasn't good just not what I was expecting. I was intrigued by Tru and Will's story and the discovery of the first edition book. I still prefer Rowan's other works such as the Memory Book but she is amazing whatever she pens.

I've read a few this author books and this one was by far the most page tuner I read.

For trudy and will to b happy and everything they went through made the book enjoyable.

I'll admit it wasn't at all what I was expecting. In fact I thought it was going to be an homage to Hitchcock, because of the title. Instead I was surprised to find an intricate story, actually a Russian doll like story. It was a story based on a classic story, which in turn had a story inside it. Very much a Faberge egg of literary surprises, and most certainly an homage to the legacy of Emily Brontë.

What flows throughout the book is the love, adoration and admiration Coleman has for the Brontë sisters, in particular Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and of course Ponden Hall. Historical facts are woven into the fictional story seamlessly to the point where the reader is absolutely on board with the possibility that it could be true. And I also admit to googling pics of Ponden Hall, the bed and the window, after reading this.

One of points the author builds into the plot is the question about whether antique and first edition books should be kept secluded from the public in private collections or should the public be allowed to enjoy the magical pleasure of such precious items. There is something mystical about seeing (touching is not allowed) and being around antique books.

This is a ghost story, a thriller, and it's historical fiction. It is also very much a love story - love for Emily Brontë. There are parallels between the story Emily finds and the one she writes. The destructive power of obsessive love, which readers often read with a romantic pair of spectacles on instead of seeing things in the cold light of day. It's certainly a captivating read.

I have always enjoyed Rowan Coleman's previous books...but this one, not so much. The start was promising; I engaged with Trudy and Will initially, feeling for their sudden and unexpected loss of husband and father, believed killed in a plane crash; full of anticipation for their move to Ponden Hall, and intrigued by Trudy's elderly mother who already lived there....but something was just *not quite right* for me.
So, after the promising start, the first of numerous references to Emily Bronte, 'Wuthering Heights' and Ponden Hall began to creep, which in my opinion distracted and detracted from the main event, the story that I wanted to hear about, which was Will and Trudy. In fact, in the end, I simply moved on to a more interesting book. Sorry, but for me this time!

Completely outside of the genres in normally read and hating ghosy paranormal films I thought this would be a brilliant sidestep out of my comfort zone. This was absolutely bloody brilliant. I loved it and I hated it in equal measure and it genuniely gave me nightmares. I didn't want to put it down but was too scared to read it at night before bed so I had to find time during the day in my busy schedule to binge read it as I simply had to know what happened.
Now the thing is that I've never read any of the Bronte sisters work, I'm not familiar with Ponden Hall or any of the historical references in it, but that made it even better for me becuase I genuinely had no idea what was fact and what was fiction. I at times found myself googling things to find out if it was real. The box bed I find genuinley creepy and even the pcitures of it ae me feel claustraphobic, but it added to the story. I loved a lot of the characters and I enjoyed the pace and level of curiosity and emotional upheaval it envoked in me. I don't like scary films, I hate psychological thrillers and I wouldnt normally pick something like this but the people who had said it was really good were right. I might need something a bit fluffy and lighthearter before I read one like this again though. Rowan Coleman has excelled herself with this incredible creative and captivating tale.

What a lovely book. I have not read any of Rowan Coleman’s books before but loved it and will read more. Without giving too much away Trudy and Will, her son, are left on their own in London and have to make the decision to return to her childhood home Ponden Hall which still exists today. She has to face her mother who she has not seen for a long time and they begin to coexist and then their lives merge for many reasons. Once back in her childhood home she finds it is disrepair and that causes great anxiety including the financial aspect of repairing the home especially with a leaky roof. She meets Marcus who is someone who can help with the repairs but Trudy is uneasy and this becomes clear eventually. Trudy is a Bronte fan and being back in Bronte country she feels at peace but needs to channel her time at Ponden Hall which reveals a story from the past and Trudy works hard to find its truth and she finds help in the most unusual way including under floorboards and with help from an apparition (or is it). The story she is chasing is a very sad one and one that I needed to know from the get to even having to read late in the night. Trudy has many things to deal with including her missing husband who is the love of her life but she seems to cope until suddenly she makes you feel very sad and you want to push her through her barriers to a brighter future. This future does manifest itself in an unexpected way thankgoodness. A beautiful story.

I love Jane Eyre and the other Bronte novels. I’ve read a few modern adaptations and novels based on the characters and landscapes. However this novel is a real treat and stands out from the crowd. It’s gothic, chilling and very immersive and looks lovingly at the character and literary heritage from where it takes its inspiration.

There’s plenty of gothic delights, paranormal over tones and more to delight Bronte fans. But this novel goes further by bringing new Bronte magic alive. Ponden Hall has so many links to the Bronte story and so to have a modern day novel tied to this and also to its historical ribbons is a nice nod to a literary great. The novel of the Girl at the Window is a mix of all that a novel set here should be - a love story, mystery and of course a gothic one. Agnes’ past and her discovery of it was a strong story and it unravelled some spookily good reveals.

The ending was a bit neater than I had hoped for but then it didn’t overshadow an enjoyable read.

The Girl at the Window is very different from the other books I've read by Rowan Coleman. To start with, although the main story is set in present day, it has historical, paranormal, gothic and mystery elements intertwined in it. At first I was not sure it was going to pick my curiosity as I was bit confused but once I started finding out more about the characters and their story, especially the historical parts and how they related to the present one, I was hooked.

The atmosphere of the whole book was very eerie and even gave me goosebumps in some parts. I felt like the house of Ponden Hall was one more character, with its own feelings and secrets. I especially enjoyed how Rowan Coleman combined real historical facts with her fiction and with a bit of magic. The plot line definitely surprised me more than once and I had to stay up late a couple nights to find out how the story unfolded.

The multiple narratives worked very well, as we got the chance to get to know all the characters and their eras better. I cared and rooted for them. Although I didn't know much about Emily Brontë's life, since reading this story, I have been reading a lot more about the Brontë family and I am now looking forward to reading Rowan Coleman's new book, The Vanishing Bride (written under the name Bella Ellis), in which the Brontë sisters solve crimes together.

When Trudy husband is declared missing, her and her son travel back to her childhood home of Ponden Hall – a house with its fair share of secrets, history… and ghosts.

The Girl at the Window is a bit of an odd story that isn’t quite sure what it wants to be – is it a love story? A historical mystery? A ghost story? A story about family? There’s certainly a lot of themes in here and I’m not really sure any of them are portrayed well enough to be convincing for me. The discovery of the character of Agnes’ past and her link to our present day protagonist Trudy as she battles to move on from heartbreak and reconnect with her family was probably the strongest part of the story for me. I’m afraid I found a lot of the other elements – the Emily Bronte link, the ghost story, the character of Marcus and the love story of how she met her husband all sort of overshadowed each other and muddled the plot line. Although I liked the ghost story I didn’t really feel like it went far enough and it just felt like a convenient plot device rather than an actual dip into the genre. I didn’t really understand why the Bronte sister had to be linked into all of this or why she was collecting and hiding old letters all over the place – I must admit I got a little confused as to why these stories were being hidden in the first place. I was disappointed that the character of Marcus started out interesting in the beginning but became a well-worn cliché by the end. I then felt the ending tried way too hard to wrap everything up in a ‘happy ever after’ that really wasn’t needed – it would have been much more powerful left without what was discovered and all of the ‘signs’ were so unrealistic it became a bit laughable.

I do think that this is a shame as I did find the writing style to be engaging and although the book is relatively long (longer than it should be!), I did power through it and it kept me hooked. Perhaps it just needed a little ruthless editing to untangle and remove some of its many threads and it would have been a great read.

Overall The Girl at the Window is a book that isn’t sure what it wants to be and left me feeling unsure about it as well. Thank you to Penguin Random House and Ebury Publishing – Ebury Press for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book - I was hooked in right from the start and found it impossible to put down.

An enchanting haunting ghost story of relationships, family, loyalty, loss, reconciliation and love. So beautifully written, eloquent and spine tingling in places. Highly descriptive with amazing characters. I loved how the story was linked with Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights. The book was so atmospheric I felt I was living in Ponden Hall along with Tru and her son. What an amazing ending, I loved it.

I can't recommend this book highly enough - it is one of the best books I have read this year and I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.

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

The main setting for this wonderful story is an old English home, awash with ghosts and mystery, whose library used to be frequented by Emily Brontë. A recipe for success as far as I’m concerned! A tragedy drives Trudy and her son, Will, back to her childhood home, Ponden Hall, where her estranged mother still lives. She finds it in a state of disrepair– the roof is literally missing in places – but it envelops her with its love. Here, in the embrace of Ponden Hall with its ancient history, Trudy stumbles upon some ancient writings and is drawn into the mystery of Agnes, a young girl who once worked at Ponden Hall. Rowan Coleman really drew me into the drama and had me rooting for Trudy and Will. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Rowan Coleman's book The Memory Book is one of my most favourite books I've ever read. So I approached this book with great anticipation but unfortunately it did not meet my expectations.

It started off great and the effect of it moving between time is her typical style of writing, different chapters tell the story through the eyes of different characters but I felt it was too long winded and the story took too long for my liking.

The haunting ghostly effect seems too similar to Cecelia Ahearn's style but not as good. The ending was too fairy tale like and I felt it was abit rushed and immature.

I really wanted to like this book just as I loved The Memory Book. I will still eagerly reach out to read Rowans books as I am sure she is more than capable of writing another excellent book.

A Gothic mystery with more sentimentality than you would expect. Full of history, ghosts, mystery and a house set in the Yorkshire Moors. Also involves Emily Bronte, who else?

First a disclaimer that I've never read a book by any of the Bronte's, nor before going into this story know much about them at all. I'm also not typically a fan of books with large historical sections...

....but I am a massive fan of Rowan Coleman, so I put my trust in her that I would enjoy the book, and she hasn't steered me wrong.

Although not entirely for me, I did thoroughly enjoy the story-lines, the parallels in the history. Through such evocative writing i felt as though I knew every nook and cranny of Ponden Hall, and even the sceptic in me was starting to believe in ghosts, such was the conviction of the storytelling.

There is a lot going on this story, and I couldn't help but feel for poor Agnes. And then there is in the present day Will who is utterly convinced his father is still alive, they just have to look harder for him.

Despite the multiple time lines, it was always clear which bit you were following, which greatly helped. I enjoyed seeing how Trudy and Abe got together, and also how the relationship between Trudy and her mum develops .

Hauntingly beautiful writing, which I suspect may just infiltrate my dreams this evening, Just hope this hotel doesn't have any ghosts of it own! What a fabulous start to my holiday reading,

Thank you to Ebury and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

After her husband is missing presumed dead after a plane crash Trudy & her young son return to her childhood home on the Yorkshire moors. Having never got on with her mother this is not something she is looking forward to. Ponden Hall is a very old building & many generations of the Heaton family have lived there.. Now many parts of it are in disrepair. When Trudy finds parts of an old manuscript written by a serving girl in the 1600's & what could be the undiscovered second novel of Emily Bronte she can't believe it. Being a conservator of manuscripts & a lifelong Bronte fan she can hardly believe it. As she searches to find their stories the old house seems determined to tell it's own tale.

This was a wonderfully written creepy atmospheric tale. I couldn't put it down till I'd finished it with a sigh of satisfaction. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this terrific book.

The descriptive power of this book had me feeling as if I was taking those steps back into the hall with all its memories and ghosts of past family members. The setting is well prepared and the characterisations are so carefully drawn that the book haunted me long after I had put it down.
A definite if you want a gripping storyline!

Rowan Coleman has always been one of my favourite authors, occupying three out of the twenty coveted spaces on my ‘All Time Favourites’ shelf: The Baby Group, Dearest Rose, and The Summer of Impossible Things. All different genres, and all equally as brilliant as each other. So, as you can imagine, I had already set my hopes quite high for the author’s latest novel. As well as this, I knew The Girl at the Window had connotations with Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. This brings back fond memories when during the second year of my literature degree, I was snuggled up in my writing room, writing an essay on ‘the constant overlapping of the gothic and the domestic’ in Wuthering Heights whilst the snow and hail storm of February 2016 rapped against my window.

The Girl at the Window is a perfect blend of fact and fiction, historical and contemporary. Starting in the present, Tru is having one of those weird dreams where you think you’ve woken up but you haven’t. But when she does wake up her nightmare is only just beginning when she is told her army surgeon husband, Abe, has gone missing in action. But despite all the evidence stacking against him, Will (Tru and Abe’s young son) refuses to admit defeat and is determined to have faith in the return of his father. But Tru isn’t convinced and decides to go back to the home where she grew up, and the place where she fell in love with Abe: Ponden Hall and the Yorkshire moors, in the hope that she will find a clue as to what happened to him.

Tru’s mother still lives at Ponden Hall but we soon learn that their relationship is a difficult one and they have been estranged for several years. As the rift in their relationship gradually heals, we learn about what life was like for Tru as a child, and her father’s familial connection to Ponden and the Bronte’s. The story also touches on some deep issues such as post-natal depression. At first, Tru’s mother came across as a right old hag, but by the end I absolutely loved her. A tribute to the author’s wonderful creation of this multi-dimensional character.

But where this story is so very different from other ‘uplit’ genres is that it is also utterly creepy. You wouldn’t think the two genres would work together, but this hybrid really does work so well. There is a scene where a hand comes out of the wall and grabs Tru: like OMG I almost s**t myself! One of the reasons nineteenth-century gothic and crime novels were so popular was because they juxtaposed the ordinary world against danger. Sherlock Holmes for example, one minute he was trying to escape with his life, the next he was in his cosy living room with an open fire and his housekeeper bringing him a cup of tea. Ponden is like that; you have weird and supernatural things going on in one part of the house whilst Tru’s mother is baking cakes in another.

Like Wuthering Heights, The Girl at the Window also has a frame structure, where the past story is told through the present-day story. There were also some other plot and characterisation similarities to Wuthering Heights: I could see parts of Heathcliffe in a few of the characters. Like Heathcliffe, Agnes was brought to Ponden by the man who adopted her; and in the same way that Heathcliffe returned and bought Wuthering Heights, so did Robert. Whilst Blackbeard, like the adult Heathcliffe, was full of hatred and revenge, this character also reminded me of Hindley Earnshaw and the way he treated the young Heathcliffe. There is also, of course, the star-crossed love story element between Agnes and Robert, and not to mention Tru and Abe.

The Girl at the Window has been yet another unique and incredibly satisfying read from Rowan Coleman. I don’t want to give any spoilers but wow that ending, and how the message from Agnes links to Tru on a much deeper level is just brilliant. I can’t really say who I would recommend this book for as it in a league of its own. It’s a story for anybody who is looking for an uplifting story of family, love, loss, reconciliation, as well as somebody who likes a bit of gothic horror. Not to mention anybody who has a book addiction. Modern-day Bronte’ fans perhaps!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley
for an Advance Review Copy of this book
in return for an honest and unbiased review.