This is an intriguing look at what may have happened to Mary Seymore, the daughter of Katherine Parr. I liked the idea of the plot, but it was boring at times.

In this book we travel back to Tudor times, but we follow a little known historical character Mary Seymour. Unfortunately not a lot is known about her apart from a few dates, in fact she seems to have vanished at some point. We're also following Alison in present day trying to figure out why a painting of Mary is being touted as Ann Boleyn. Their two stories intertwine with each other.
I do enjoy a good historical book, and this is a good historical book. It is in fact my favourite kind of historical, a time-slip where people from the past and future slip backwards and forwards in time. It seems that Nicola Cornick is a new author for me to start buying as this is the second time-slip novel of hers that i've read and enjoyed.
I enjoyed reading about the historical aspects of this book a lot more than the present day ones, i guess i just love reading about how people lived back then. It was awful reading about how women were treated, more as an object to barter with and gain higher standing socially rather than an actual human being. I also really loved the magical elements to the book, how Mary could see things that were going to happen in the future, and obviously Alison and her time travelling.
Overall this was a very gentle book with no great scenes of peril or adventure, although lots of exciting things happened. I never felt that anything truly bad would happen to the characters, everything felt like it was meant to be. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thanks netgalley for this ARC.

Nicola Cornick's novels just get better and better. I love the feeling a good novel brings me. A cool twist on the past/present novel.

I have always found the concept of time-travel fascinating – and equally fascinating are the number of ways in which various authors choose to approach the subject when writing time-travel fiction. The Phantom Tree is one of many dual time period time-slip novels I have read over the last few years, but I found it refreshingly different in that it deals not with the usual idea of a modern day character going back in time but a woman from the past coming forward to the present time.

The name of our time traveller is Alison Bannister (or Banastre, as she was known in her previous life) and she has been trapped in the 21st century for ten years, unable to find a way to get back. We first meet Alison walking through the streets of Marlborough one day just before Christmas. Stopping to look through the window of an art gallery, she is surprised to see a painting of a woman she once knew. Investigating further, she learns that this is apparently a newly discovered portrait of Anne Boleyn – but she’s sure it isn’t; it’s Mary Seymour, who lived with Alison at Wolf Hall in the 1500s. To complicate things further, the historian hoping to build his career around the discovery of Anne Boleyn’s portrait is Adam Hewer, Alison’s ex-boyfriend. Without telling him the truth about her journey through time, how can she convince him that he’s wrong?

The historical sections of the novel are written mainly from Mary Seymour’s perspective. Unlike Alison, who is fictional, Mary is a real historical figure – but one whose story has been lost in the mists of time. Mary is the daughter of Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Katherine Parr, and Thomas Seymour, whom Katherine married following Henry’s death. Katherine dies shortly after giving birth and Thomas is executed a year later, leaving Mary an orphan in the care of the Duchess of Suffolk. Mary disappears from historical records in 1550, but Nicola Cornick suggests that she was sent to live with her Seymour cousins at Wolf Hall. This allows plenty of scope to create a storyline for Mary which is both imaginary and historically plausible.

Of the two time periods, I found the sections set in the past more interesting – in particular, I enjoyed the supernatural elements of Mary’s story. Almost from the moment she arrives at Wolf Hall rumours begin to circulate that she is a witch, especially after she has a vision which seems to come true. She also has a telepathic connection with a secret friend called Darrell and this reminded me instantly of Mary Stewart’s Touch Not the Cat, (which may have been intentional, as Darrell’s nickname for Mary is ‘Cat’).

The present day story was enjoyable too, though. I couldn’t help thinking that Alison had adapted remarkably quickly to modern life, which wasn’t at all convincing, but otherwise I was kept entertained by her attempts to find a gateway back to her own time and to decipher a set of clues sent by Mary through the centuries.

The Phantom Tree does require disbelief to be suspended on many occasions, which I know is not something that appeals to all readers, but I think anyone who likes reading time-slip novels by authors like Susanna Kearsley or Barbara Erskine should find plenty to enjoy here. I will now be looking out for Nicola Cornick’s previous book, House of Shadows!

4.5 stars

I was not familiar with this author so when I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review it was because I am a big fan of history, and am particularly fond of the Tudor period. However there have been so many books written about this period of late, some very good - others, not so much.

The Phantom Tree, I am delighted to say, falls firmly into the former. From the off, the premise intrigued me. Mary Seymour? The child of Thomas Seymour and (ex) Queen Catherine Parr? But she died at birth, no? Or did she? Sent to live in a loveless place, Mary does indeed survive, and as time progresses, we learn she has a job to do. Alison, in modern day, sees a newly discovered portrait claimed to be a likeness of Anne Boleyn - but Alison knows it isn’t. Alison knows it’s Mary Seymour because, well, she actually knew Mary back then.

The story arcs between the 1500s and modern day, and we see how Alison and Mary are connected and how their relationship pans out. It’s quite different to many time-slip novels, there is a real hook to this one that makes it stand out, and it is written so well that you are able to suspend your disbelief because you WANT this to be possible. The connection is tangible.

It’s quite hard to explain why you should read this book because I simply can’t do it justice. Suffice to say the story is excellent and kept me hooked right the way through. I was impressed at the level of detail and historical accuracy that made me feel like I was actually there in Tudor England. There’s a touch of magic and sparkle that ran like a thread throughout the novel but at times it’s sad and complicated and you really feel for the characters. If you’re like me, it’s the kind of book you will devour in one sitting on a rainy day.

It's easy to feel sorry for Mary Seymour. Daughter of Henry VIII’s widow, Katherine Parr, and her reckless fourth husband, who was executed for treason, Mary was orphaned by her first birthday. A burden to her relatives during her life, she was also obscure in death, which has gone unrecorded. Many assume she died as a child, but the speculation that she survived to adulthood presents a provocative “what if.”

Nicola Cornick’s second romantic time-slip novel (after House of Shadows) is a historically rich work that uses this premise as the springboard for a story about an unlikely sisterhood that extends into two eras.

Alison Bannister, née Banastre, was born into the 16th century but has somehow been trapped in the 21st century for over a decade. She and Mary Seymour had spent their later childhood and adolescence together at Wolf Hall in Wiltshire, along with a passel of other orphaned cousins. Several years separate the pair, and their personalities are too different to allow for friendship: Alison is beautiful yet hard-edged, while Mary is innocent and naïve, and Mary’s higher social standing invites feelings of jealousy. Still, later circumstances compel them into a pact. Alison had helped Mary flee a dangerous situation at Wolf Hall, and in exchange, she demands Mary’s assistance in finding the son she was forced to give up.

Unable to return to her own time, Alison has made a new life for herself in modern England but doesn’t let herself get close to anyone; she remains haunted by her lost child. Her first clues on what happened to him emerge via a portrait of Mary, which she finds while browsing an antique shop in Marlborough. Unfortunately for Alison, examining the painting’s provenance and the objects depicted within it means reconnecting with an old flame, Adam Hewer, a rising celebrity historian who’s staked his career on its identification as a newly discovered Anne Boleyn portrait.

Adam shows dubious professional judgment, as do the portrait’s modern authenticators, but he’s willing to concede he may be wrong. Several mysteries are carefully woven through both timelines. What became of Alison’s son? What forced Mary to leave Wolf Hall? What’s the true identity of the mysterious man who communicates telepathically with Mary? Perhaps written as a touching homage to Mary Stewart’s classic Touch Not the Cat, Mary’s secret relationship with this man she’s never seen is often her sole source of hope.

Cornick’s portrait of country life in Tudor England is presented with a tactile clarity that avoids romanticizing the time. One can feel the damp chill that pervades Wolf Hall in winter, smell the ripe odors of the local market, and observe how women’s powerlessness gives rise to discord and rancor. Alison’s under no illusion about a woman’s lot back then – if not for her missing son, she’d stay put in 2016 – and a wonderful scene of her present-day visit to a medieval church illustrates this. Moreover, Alison’s attempts to locate the past via modern clues demonstrate how much the past remains with us.

"There were traces of history everywhere: in street names, on inn signs, in old tracks and ancient hedgerows, buried walls and tumbled gravestones. Scratch the surface and it was there."

The Phantom Tree is a skillfully written multi-stranded mystery with thoughtful reflections on two women’s quests for belonging. Read it not only for its evocation of the 16th century but for greater appreciation of the conveniences and freedoms we take for granted today.

(Published at Reading the Past)

I'm a big fan of history and fantasy based books and this combines the 2 in an easy to read way and has a really pleasing storyline that is really well paced and full of interesting characters.

Alison Bannister and Mary Seymour are the 2 women featured and we follow their stories through different times as their paths cross to help solve mysteries in their own timelines. You do have to suspend belief reading this, as time travel is just a thing and seems to be accepted rationally by all those involved, but I think this just adds to the special storylines that are featured in the now and then!

If you love your history, then the Tudor period is brought to life vividly and with all the names you know featured as the main part of the story. The 'now' period isn't brought to life so well, but I think most reading this would be interested more in the past timeline.

It does have a few dips where timelines get a little messy and take some effort in keeping up with, but it is worth sticking with. I really enjoyed the mystery of the character of Mary Seymour, who was the daughter of Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour, but seemed to disappear soon after but is believed to have lived into adulthood but very little is known of her and this just explores a story of what could have been for her.

An engaging read!

In The Phantom Tree author Nicola Cornick takes the real life Mary Seymour, who disappeared from the record books in 1550, and weaves a fictional tale of what could have happened to her.

Starting in the present day when Alison sees the portrait that she knows is certainly Mary Seymour, she tries to explain to the person who found it ...... but how does she know it's definitely not Anne Boleyn? How can Alison explain that she was born in the 16th century and knew Mary and lived with her for a short time at Wolf Hall?

Alison can't find her way back and she is desperate to go home and find out what happened to her son. When she sees the portrait she believes that Mary has given her some clues to help her find him.

This is so much more than a time travel tale.

The two different time periods are skilfully interwoven to build up a picture of Alison and Mary's lives in the 1500's, how they disliked each other, their jealousies, how poor Mary was unwanted and unloved, all interspersed with the present day and Alison's dilemma and desperation.

It took me a while to get used to the going back and forth in time, but once I did I was absolutely engrossed. I loved the writing, it was beautifully told, I really cared about the characters, about what happened to them, and was always curious as to how it would all end and be resolved.

Nicola Cornick has written an imaginative and unpredictable tale, with twists and turns and surprises aplenty, well-crafted with memorable characters. This is a book that I'll remember for a long time. Very enjoyable!

The crucial question in a time-slip story is who stays and who leaves the time period in which they were born. The Phantom Tree is a tale of two women: Mary Seymour, the “daughter of one queen and the niece of another,” and the enigmatic, modern-day Alison Bannister. Mary Seymour’s mother was Henry VIII’s last wife, Katherine Parr. Nicola Cornick deftly switches between the worlds of the Tudor-era Wolf Hall and Wiltshire and the London of today.

Alison is wandering through the “rain sodden streets of Marlborough,” eight weeks before Christmas. She’s hungry, wet, and not at all pleased to have landed in a “faux historical event”—a Victorian market in the town square manned by cheerful stallholders in appropriate costume.

Hate is not too strong a word for her feelings.

Beneath the crinolines and jackets they had on their thermal vests and long johns to guard against the cold. They had waterproof boots and raincoats. They thought this play-acting was fun, a jolly celebration of Christmas past. She remembered past Christmases very differently; the bone sharp cold, the damp, the chilblains and the hunger that had hollowed in her stomach. Even though she had been trapped in the present day for so long now that time had started to blur, some of her past she could remember with utter clarity. Pain, sickness, violence, death, had been a raw reality.

Who is this woman? Why does she feel trapped living in the present day since it doesn’t sound like the time she comes from was safe or comfortable?

Alison stops in front of a modern art gallery, her interest caught by a row of sixteenth-century portraits, specifically Henry VIII “painted at the moment his glorious, golden youthfulness was changing into something more watchful and inimical.” A portrait of a Tudor woman stops Alison cold.

It was a face she knew. Mary Seymour. Alison’s breath stopped. There was a tight pain in her chest and a buzzing in her ears. Mary. After all this time. She had never given up hope. It wasn’t in her nature to despair although she had come very close to it so many times. All the history books—those that mentioned Mary Seymour at all—said that she had died as a child. Alison had known that was not true but she had never discovered what had happened to Mary after she had left Wolf Hall. “Help me,” she had said to Mary all those years ago. “Help me to find my son. I’ll come back for him. Leave me word…” She had not begged, precisely; her relationship with Mary had been too prickly to allow her to show that vulnerability. She had phrased it as an order, but Mary had known. There had been a bargain between them.

When a character thinks “after all this time,” usually they’re not referring to 500 or 600 hundred years earlier. Clearly, however, Alison is. An elderly gentleman comes up to Alison while she is staring at the portrait and tells her that its subject is Anne Boleyn and that his godson—historian Adam Hewer—not only discovered the portrait, but also wrote a book about it: Discovering Anne Boleyn. He says proudly, “Apparently, there aren’t many portraits of Anne Boleyn.” To which Alison replies:

“And this isn’t one of them, I’m afraid,” Alison said. Rain was seeping down her neck, making her shiver. Or perhaps the shivers were coming from elsewhere, somewhere far deeper inside.

Alison knows Adam. A decade earlier they had a passionate, youthful affair. She broke it off abruptly, consumed with a need to return to the past and rescue her son. By this point, nothing surprises Alison.

Odd that it should be Adam, of all people, who should be the one to lead her to Mary. Or perhaps it was not odd at all. That sense of time shifting, the lure of the brightly lit window, the portrait… It had not happened by chance. When it came to fate and time she did not believe in coincidence.

Alison’s reaction of anguish and equanimity to Mary Seymour’s portrait is puzzling and mysterious. What happened between the two women centuries earlier? Through one woman’s journey, Cornick creates a mesmerizing world populated by the lost children of Wolf Hall.