What a fantastically creepy and mysterious read The Whistling was!

Grief stricken Elspeth Swansome takes a job on the remote island of Skelthsea to escape her past. What she finds there is a crumbling house and a young girl named Mary who has refused to speak since her twin brother William died. Immediately Elspeth feels there is something off on the island, a ghostly presence that wishes her harm. She can't leave Mary and return to the mainland, so she must face whatever comes her way.

The Whistling had so many things I love in a ghost story. A strange child, a remote island, undercurrents of witchcraft and, of course, an element of mystery mixed in there.

Sometimes in stories like this I find the heroine a little wishy washy, but that wasn't so with Elspeth. She was naïve yet still had a backbone and a distinct personality but was still flawed, which made her enjoyable to read.

A brilliantly chilling story and a must if you love a good ghost story like I do!

I believe the author has just released a new book, so I will definitely pick that up.

I was excited for this one – I love seeing modern writers tackle gothic, and I was intrigued by the blurb for this, keen to see which direction it took. Unfortunately, it did not take an interesting direction, and instead trod a well-worn path, ignoring any mildly intriguing possibilities along the way.

Elspeth takes a job as a nanny on a remote Scottish island. Not because she has any experience in this, but simply because she wants to and she’s lonely. Her charge, Mary, has not spoken since her brother died. Her employer keeps the family’s secrets close to her chest, and the other islanders are just as mysterious, until it becomes relevant for plot reasons to tell Elspeth anything actually useful.

There are a lot of women in this book, and they’re all poorly written. None of the characters seem to have any personality outside their assigned roles, the story itself is full of cliché after cliché. The way it’s written feels way too forced to make it sound “historical” without actually managing to do so. It read like a fanfic of The Haunting of Bly Manor, taking it back to the general era of The Turn of the Screw but based on a skimming of the book itself.

Elspeth comes across as selfish and idiotic, taking whatever anyone tells her at face value and never actually questioning why so many people think an actual child is Quite Literally Evil. The vast majority of what appears in this book has been done before, but in better ways. I was really hoping to see something more here, but instead Elspeth seems to find out information, proceed to ignore it or take the wrong thing from what she’s discovered. She treats Mary poorly, and almost every interaction between the two has Elspeth demanding Mary speak, though one does have her admitting to the poor kid she knows her brother and former nanny had both ‘gone bad’, without any consideration how the kid might feel about that.

The prose is repetitive and overladen with telling – that is, we’re constantly told about various things, such as one of the maids hating Elspeth, but we never actually see evidence of it. Elspeth fumbles her way through a thin plot that ends in an overly cliché manner, and this was a book I found myself feeling frustrated at more often than not. I’d recommend actually reading The Turn of the Screw instead if you haven’t already, or revisiting it if you want to read something similar, though there are also plenty of excellent gothic titles to choose from out there and if you are looking for something gothic to read this spooky season, I’d suggest one of them instead.

A gothic, atmospheric read. What’s not to love about a story that takes place on an isolated island where a nanny comes to take care of a child, where family secrets threaten their lives? All of what makes a good Halloween story is there. Highly recommended.

Elspeth Swansome is escaping her past in Edinburgh and taking up a post as a nanny on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea (it’s fictional, but I would really want to visit it if it was real!).

Elspeth is going to nanny Mary, a child who is clearly suffering from trauma. Her twin, William, is dead and her former nanny has disappeared. Elspeth is told that if she can’t get Mary to talk, she will be institutionalised.

I loved this - it’s the right kind of spooky, and you can’t beat a haunted house: lullabies are sung by someone who isn’t there, poppets keep appearing in random rooms, and whistling can be heard at night. It all added up to a book that sent shivers down my spine!

The characters were sometimes likeable, menacing, disconcerting and some most definitely had something to hide!

I listened to this on Audible, and the narrator, Lois Chimimba, kept me glued to my headphones. Her different accents were all spot on, and helped me to tell the different characters apart. I was never confused as to ‘who’ was speaking.

The tension built and built to the climactic ending - a truly delicious ghost story!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I had been looking forward to reading this and I wasnt disappointed. It was well written and I enjoyed it.
Elspeth starts a job on an island off the coast of Scotland, looking after a little girl Mary, who lives with her Aunt.
It is eerie, atmospheric and quite scary.
I will certainly read more from this author and would recommend this book to others.

An atmospheric ghost story with so much more intrigue. Witchcraft, small town, gossip and mystery all ravelled in.
Elspeth answers the call to be a live in nanny to a young girl whose parents have died, twin brother has recently died and the ex nanny up and left leaving poor little Mary mute. Elspeth although recently bereaved herself, believes she has the love to coax Mary from her grief and talking again. But when strange things start to happen in the house, everyone is suspected by Elspeth. Who is creeping in the corridors and chilling the darkness?

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for this and sorry for the delay in reading.
This was not my normal genre of book but I have to say I enjoyed it. Different and not what I expected, Well written and a good story. Would love to read more by this author.
Thank you.

read over Halloween for a bit of a spooky read and this did not fail. It's very atmospheric and from the start it captures the imagination. almost a bit Stephen King in atmosphere and the eeriness stays with me many books later

A classic Gothic horror-mystery, The Whistling has a brooding, claustrophobic atmosphere that gave me vibes of both Rebecca and The Woman in Black – there is a creepy house, a suspiciously sullen maid, strange noises and creepy children.

I particularly enjoyed the mystery element of the plot; the author did a good job of offering up plausible alternatives – could Elspeth be the one who is mad or hallucinating? Is this really paranormal activity, or could it be caused by human trickery and spite?

The events and atmosphere are sinister enough to create cold frissons if read at night, and I was as haunted by the eerie Iskar setting as much as by the ghostly apparitions and hints of witchcraft.

Quick and easy to read, and yet well-written and compellingly creepy, this Gothic mystery is ideal for fans of the genre.

Thank you to Michael Joseph Penguin Random House UK and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of The Whistling by Rebecca Netley.

I had not read a ghost story in many years, and this book reminded me of the classic ghost stories I've read in the past. The book had my attention from the first few pages.

A whistle in the night gets Elspeth's attention. A silent child, Mary who cannot articulate what has caused her to stop speaking. As the story unfolds, Elspeth is not sure who to trust and who to turn to. The islands are not revealing anything they know. And what about the dolls that mysteriously appear?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and looking forward to reading more from Rebecca Netley.

*Review Copy

Set in 1860, 'The Whistling' centres around Elspeth Swansome, a young woman who has taken a job as a Nanny on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea.

The child, Mary, has not spoken a word since the death of her sibling and the disappearance of their former Nanny. Locals are wary of Elspeth - but also of the family she's working for. To quote one, "All is not well".

When Elspeth learns of a whistle that can summon the dead, she is shocked - because she has heard it.

A gothic drama that unravels slowly, this won't suit anyone who likes a quick read. I liked the writing style, but I felt that it dragged a lot in the middle section. It's 378 pages - it could have lost 50 of them and still been a solid creepy story.

If you like this sort of sweeping, atmospheric, dark, brooding, historical novel, then you may enjoy this. For me there were too many people to keep track of (I kept mixing the locals up with the staff) and it was fairly obvious to me what had happened before Elspeth arrived. I also didn't really feel any major connection to Elspeth and would have liked to have known her more as a person, rather than just a Nanny.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph for the ARC.

A good old fashioned Victorian gothic tale, it didn't blow me away but I was entertained nevertheless. All the necessary elements were there, draughty old house, mist, gloom and ghostly shenanigans, the mystery kept me turning the pages, and the ending was decent. The main character Elspeth, was frustrating at times, she spent a lot of time hesitating and quivering, but that's pretty much par for the course with this type of story. A solid debut novel from Rebecca Netley, I'm interested to see what she does next.

Found this one a bit slow going, I was only reading in short bursts as was busy at the time, so cannot really give
a complete accurate description, I usually like to indulge in a book at lengthy intervals, but lots of things happening at the time in preparation for Australian Holiday.

I am so excited to have kicked off my spooky reading this year with The Whistling by Rebecca Netley, it has been on my TBR pile for a while but I really wanted to save it for the right time.
Our protagonist is Elspeth Swansome and early on in the book she travels to the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. She is take up the position of nanny to a young girl called Mary, she has lost her mother and brother and has not uttered a word since. Elspeth arrives at Iskar, the largest house on the island and is immediately aware that something is awry. She soon hears a strange whistling sound at night that cannot be explained and there is talk of witchcraft amongst the locals and they are suspicious of the silent Mary.
This book is perfect for this time of year, it has a truly gothic feel, the mysterious silent child, a house with locked up rooms and hidden tunnels, unexplained noises and faceless dolls, what more could you want as we head towards Halloween?
Rebecca Netley delivers a truly spooky tale, she has the perfect blend of suspense and creepy details. Just as I thought it might be getting a little predictable, Netley thew in a huge twist that I had not seen coming. I can highly recommend this one!

It’s the autumn of 1860 and following the tragic death of her sister, Elspeth has taken on a job as a nanny on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. Her new charge is a troubled girl named Mary who has been mute since the recent death of her twin brother William, just days after the disappearance of the children’s previous nanny. Elspeth and Mary find an instant kinship – both somewhat alone in the world – but Elspeth is disturbed by events on the island. No one will speak about William’s death other than to say the boy was involved in something dark and unnatural, strange dolls appear in the rooms of the old house, and Elspeth hears lullabies being whispered in seemingly empty corridors. Worst is the bone-chilling whistling that haunts the night air.

As the weather closes in and Skelthsea is cut off from the mainland, Elspeth finds herself trapped just as events begin to escalate and the danger faced by her and Mary begins to feel insurmountable. It’s down to Elspeth to discover what really happened on the island and what secret is keeping Mary locked behind a wall of silence, but can she figure out the truth in time to save them both?

The Whistling is a fantastic work of traditional style gothic fiction that feels right at home beside classic horror novels like The Turn of the Screw and The Woman in Black. Its Victorian-era setting makes it feel much older than its actual 2021 release date although the more modern writing style makes it a much easier read than many of the classics it clearly seeks to emulate. I really loved the main character Elspeth who reminded me of an Austen or Bronte heroine determined to strike her own path in a world where doing so is difficult for women and despite her silence, I also found myself increasingly attached to Mary and wanting to protect her just as Elspeth did, even when her motives begin to become suspect.

If you have loved all the classics and are looking to find something new in a similar style then definitely give The Whistling a try.

"And then, through the silence, the widows' whistle began to whine and a shape emerged, one that seemed cut out of something blacker than the night itself."
The Whistling has been on my TBR list for almost a year now, but I wanted to save it for the spooky season. It is a wonderful novel, full of mystery and suspense. Even better, this book is set in the 1800's, on a fictional Scottish island called Skelthsea, in a tumbling old manor house called Iskar. It has all the wild weather of the Highlands and Islands, being very atmospheric in its descriptive passages, successfully transporting me from Yorkshire, to the wilds of Scotland as I read.

It tells the story of Elspeth, a young women recently bereaved of her father and sister and now all alone in the world. She moves to Iskar from Edinburgh, to take up the position of nanny to Mary, a nine year old girl who's twin brother has recently died. Their former nanny has disappeared, seemingly running off into the night, leaving the children to the care of their neglectful aunt. So Elspeth is eager to offer comfort to her sad young charge.

She views Iskar and Skelthsea as a fresh start, perhaps even the possibility of a new adopted family, so she is keen to fit in and make friends on the island. However, as with most parts of the Highlands and Islands, the locals do not take kindly to strangers, not even the new nanny. The maid, Greer, is openly hostile and the islanders are full of gossip, claiming that young Mary is in league with the devil and that no nanny can save her from her wicked ways. Furthermore, Mary hasn't spoken a word since the death of her brother, so Elspeth has her work cut out trying to win her trust and build a bond with her.

This is a novel full of wild storms and howling winds rattling Victorian window panes; of malevolent witchcraft and sinister haunting; of superstitions and isolation. It explores the damage malicious gossip can do within the small community of a tiny island, because where people suspect witchcraft, surely there must be a witch to hold accountable, even if the suspected witch is just a child? Elspeth has to protect Mary from these rumors and superstitions, and get her to talk or else she is likely to be sent to an asylum on the mainland.

At it's heart, this is a novel about grief and loss and being haunted by the past. Who is the lady who stalks the corridors of Iskar at night, singing lullabies? What is the meaning of the high, fluting whistling that wings its way to the house on the wind from the stone circle of Fiaclach? As both Espeth and Mary deal with their personal griefs in different ways, the mystery unfolds around them and the various secrets of Skethsea Island begin to come to light.

The Whistling is a glorious Gothic novel, part mystery-thriller, part ghost story, it rattles along at a good pace. If you like the novels of Laura Purcell, or you enjoy reading books such as The Haunting Season, or The Lighthouse Witches, then I think you will like The Whistling. It is the perfect Scottish ghostly tale to snuggle under the covers with this Halloween night! Whatever you are doing this evening, have a blessed Samhain 🎃

BB Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher for the purposes of review. It is available now in both hard cover, audio and digital formats. NOTE TO PUBLISHER - THIS REVIEW WILL BE POSTED ON HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR

This was a hard book for me to get into at first - I found it a bit slow and struggled with picking it up for about the first 25%. This, admittedly, might be because I had just finished watching The Haunting of Bly Manor and I found the story in this book to be very similar to what I had just watched, so it wasn't able to full grab my attention.
However, I did get more into it after that point and I found myself wanting to know what had happened and actually wanting to pick it up. The story itself was suspensful and full of intrigue, the writing was very well executed and I did find myself caring about the characters and what happened to them.
I would recommend this book for horror fans - and I will be checking out this author again.

A chilling and spooky read The Whistling is perfect for Halloween and fans of historical reads that have that slight mystery/ horror vibe going on.

Tense, atmospheric and terrifying.

Perfect for fans of Susan Hill, 'The Turn of the Screw' and 'The Others'.