Member Reviews

Have already given feedback handbook was originally titled the Wilding sisters

Was this review helpful?

I found this story to be a bit boring and it needed something else happening along side the story as that could have been told in a few chapters. I have blogged and reviewed it everywhere and tried to be positive about some points, like the basic story is a good idea and the characters fit in so well and work well together. I just felt it was lacking in something.

Was this review helpful?

I adored this eerie, gothic treat which moves between the 1950s and today. A joy to read

Was this review helpful?

Great book. Having been brought up in the 50's it was great to relive some of those times. Found this very reminiscent of a Du Maurier book, partly because of the locations and unanswered questions from the past. The stories of both families were very well mingled, bringing modern day living to a sleepy and sinister merge with the past lives of the previous owners. Highly recommended

Was this review helpful?

Really incredible

If you only read one book this year, make it this one! It was just surprising, I loved every moment. That's not an exaggeration, this book is one I could talk about for hours.

Audrey Wilde was twelve when she simply vanished. It was days after her cousins left her and her mother, at Applecote Manor. It had been a summer getaway location for the cousins. Audrey was an only child, she looked forward to her cousins' arrival. Her cousins being Margot, Dot, Pam and Flora. Four sisters, beautifully close.

Now, over fifty years later, a new family moves into Applecote Manor. They are caught unaware by the secrets and the history of the Manor; they have their own hurdles to jump. The book follows their journey and the story of the property's past.

I love history, and the history- the late 1950s, as described in this book, was so compelling. The sisters and their bond was so relatable to me. I'm one of five daughters, I'm the middle one. We are not as close in age, as Margot and her sisters, but we have that relationship that comes before all else. Of course, there's the rivalry and the getting on each other's nerves but the relationship wasn't too different from the one Margot had with her sisters.

I'm at such a high right now, after reading this book, that I'm not sure I'll find another one that will touch me so deeply. I fell in love with this book immediately. The writing was so perfectly in sync with the story, if that makes any sense at all
This book would not be as crazily inviting were it not for Eve Chases' ability to use words in such a manner to craft such a fragile but powerful book. I recommend this book so wholeheartedly. A favourite for me.

I received this book through NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Is Audrey still alive?
I'm glad to say I enjoyed this even more than Eve Chase's first book, Black Rabbit Hall. While both books were beautifully written, I thought The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde was a more involving story. I also noticed that both books revolved around an old building which appears as an old wreck in the present day but a vibrant home in a previous era, and both include families of four children.

In current time, Applecoat Manor is purchased by Jessie and Will, who need to leave London to get away from negative influences in Will's teenage daughter's life. Will is recently married to Jessie after the death of his first wife, Mandy. Jessie had moved into Mandy's house and she is hoping the move into the countryside will also clear some of the memories of Mandy's presence. Her own child, Romy is still young and adores her step-sister, Bella, but Jessie isn't sure she can trust Bella to be alone with Romy. Circumstances necessitate that Will is in London for most of the week so Jessie has to juggle this new life alone, with a young child and a resentful step-daughter.

The house they buy had been the home of Sybil, Percy and their daughter, Audrey, until Audrey's disappearance in 1954. Sybil refuses to accept the possibility that Audrey might be dead and has kept her bedroom as it was when she last slept there.
Sybil's sister is an unconventional single mother to four vivacious daughters, Flora, Pam, Margot and Dot, and when the opportunity comes up for her to work a few months in Morocco, she asks if her girls can spend the summer at Applecoat Manor. The girls have not been back to the old house since Audrey's disappearance, although prior to that they had spent every summer there. Now, five years later, they return with trepidation. Their Aunt and Uncle welcome them but appear very different to the carefree parents they had once been.

What had happened to Audrey, and who is the young man being dragged across the grass in the dramatic opening pages of the book? What exactly went on during that long hot summer of 1954?
There is a wonderful collision between past and present, though I won't say any more about that.

As with Black Rabbit Hall, Eve Chase writes beautifully and with humour:
'At each corner of the pool stands a goddess statue, fragile, beautiful, broken, like survivors of some terrible natural disaster.' (Loc 625)
Romy: 'Where does the sky end and space begin?' 'If God is everywhere, is He in the bristles of my hairbrush?' (Loc 268)

I loved this book, wonderfully atmospheric, with totally convincing characters. The interactions between the four sisters were fascinating and the story held my attention. I did have a bit of a problem adjusting time frames but I'm sure that just reflects how involved I had become in the narrative.
Loved the cover too.

Also read:
Black Rabbit Hall (3.5 stars)

Was this review helpful?

I’m grateful to Netgalley for an arc of this book in return for an honest review. After reading the first dozen or so pages I thought that I was going to struggle to give this book three stars. There were just too many adjectives and similes‘. It wasn’t just every page or even every paragraph, but frequently every sentence. All beautifully worked out descriptions which set the place and atmosphere, but there were just too many, They got in the way. Then I decided to ignore a lot of them and just concentrate on the tale itself. Such a waste of the authors hard work, but I now began to relax and enjoy the story which centres on an old Cotswold house.. Another minus I thought. I’d read too many of these, but I was wrong. Thanks to the author’s skill with words the house and the grounds came to life. There was a real spirit of place.. Then I discovered that it was a story of two halves. One told in the first person and set in 1959 and the other related in the third person and set in the present.. Each part had substantial, alternating chapters. This flash back technique employed in writing of recent years has become one of my pet hates. But this time it really worked, both parts coming together at the end. I think that this is the first time that I’ve enjoyed this writing device.

The story itself is fairly basic. The Cotswold house, Applecote Manor is about to be bought by a London couple, Jessie and Will and their two daughters, sixteen year old Bella from his first marriage to his late wife and their own toddler Romy. The family are doing the usual, looking for a simpler life away from the stress of London. They will later learn that there is some recent unpleasant history attached to the house. In the mid fifties the only child of the then owners, Perry and Sybil Wilde, Audrey, disappears., never to be found, hence the title of the book. Five years later, in 1959, Audrey’s four girl cousins are sent to spend the summer at Applecote Manor with their uncle and aunt, who have become reclusive,. Their mother goes abroad , their father having been killed twelve years before. That incredible hot but carefree summer in the Cotswolds of the fifties is gloriously evoked by the writer.. I really was there. The sisters become friendly with Tom and Harry, cousins who’s family own the near by big house. The relationship between all the characters in both halves of the story are brought out and explored. There are certain parallels between the two halves, the older one taking place in the heat of summer, the other tale in the coldest of winters. Finally the two halves are cleverly and beautifully drawn together.

When I began reading I would never have imagined that I would end the book wondering if five stars could be enough. It’s definitely a book that I want to reread in a year or so and there aren’t many modern works of fiction one can say that about. Hopefully there will be more from Eva Chase. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

i wasn't sure what to expect with this book but it was well written and the story flowed well, it focuses on two families 50 years apart, a child goes missing and no one has any idea what has happened to her until, 50 years on when a new family with issues of their own move into her old home. It was an interesting read and I would definitely read more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

Real page turner, well written with good characters, and a gripping story line. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

A delightful book centred around a Cotswold House, Applecote. - a house with an air of mystery. Fifty years ago four sisters are reluctantly sent to stay with an aunt and uncle for the summer, Their reluctance stems from the fact that almost a decade earlier their young cousin vanished without trace. Fifty years later the house is bought by a young family, with two girls. Each chapter, very cleverly written, alternates between the past and the present and slowly the mystery is unravelled, with some surprising twists and turns. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

This is the second novel that I have read by this author and she seems to be improving with each book. Enjoyed the story and the whole concept of the past and the present intertwining.. Maybe more could have been written about the present than the past, but in limited number of words I suppose that is difficult.. Each character described well so that I could imagine what they looked like.....and Uncle Percy in those shorts

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book. It had lots of interest and intrigue and held my attention from start to finish. Very enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. At first it was like two different stories but loved the way they became entwined with each other and the way the story evolved.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book. Loved the way it flipped seemlessly from 1959 to the present day, and the 1959 story reminded me of long summer school holidays,youth and innocence. I can't praise this book enough, it was an absolute delight from start to finish!

Was this review helpful?

Although I felt this book had rather a slow start, taking time to get to know and like the characters, I felt it was in keeping with one of the main relationships of the novel, a step daughter finding it difficult to accept her father's new wife. There are two parallel narratives based around the house where two families a generation apart battle with history, demons and their own failings. In fact the house is almost a character in its own right, gradually disclosing its secrets and allowing the two families to come to terms with theirs. I found this a haunting and absorbing read, beautifully written, judged and paced so that the reader becomes so involved with each narrative, they are desperate to return to it as soon as it is handed over to the other. I really loved it - the perfect summer read - wonderful!

Was this review helpful?

Beautifully written book which makes you fall in love with all the characters. Set in 2 different eras both plots keep you addicted to the twists and turns that Applecote manor brings. A wonderful read that leaves you with hope and faith that real love never fades.

Was this review helpful?

This proved to be one of the best books I have ever read. I was never quite certain how it would finish even with the prologue leading you one way. A couple of subjective ''negative' comments - firstly I found myself comparing the 2 timelines in the book with the TV series Marchlands which was a series about a house over 3 generations (albeit some supernatural element not in the book). Secondly I found the book slow to get started - coming from Yorkshire I like to call 'a spade a spade' and not have a detailed description of the handle, marks on it and what the last user was wearing! However the pace of the book, for me, quickened appreciably. There is a point in any book when I say to myself - this is ok, this is terrible or this is brilliant and I can't stop reading it - In this book this point came at about 40% through. From that point on I was totally gripped and loved it. So, thank you so much for providing me with the opportunity to read the book and thank you to Eve for producing such an excellent book. I shall definitely look out for any further books.

Was this review helpful?

This is a beautfully written and haunting story that revolves around Applecote Manor in the Cotswolds, brimming with gothic overtones. It has two timelines, set in the 1950s and the present. It begins with an attention grabbing scenario where a body is being dragged, and you are left wondering and eager to know who it is, what has taken place, and what are the circumstances and motivations behind it. In 1959, four close sisters, Flora, Pam, Margot and Dot Wilde arrive at Applecote Manor for a turbulent summer. Affectionately known as the Wildings, they are staying with their Aunt Sybil and Uncle Perry, who are devastated about the disappearance of their daughter, Audrey, five years previously. In the present, Jessie and Will move into Applecote Manor hoping that it proves to be a balm to the spirits for their emotionally troubled family. This is a story of nostalgia, yearnings, family, secrets and lies.

The Wildings mother is off working in Morocco, and the girls get caught up in the mystery of the missing Audrey for their stay. We see things through the perspective of fifteen year old Margot, the sister that fades into the background. Two attractive neighbours stoke up feelings and desires between the sisters leading to friction. Everything falls apart and decisions are made that cement a bond between the sisters that is stronger than familial ties. In the present, an insecure Jess worries over her fraught relationship with her stepdaughter, Bella, who is hostile and still deeply connected with her dead mother. Applecote Manor seems to offer an ideal and idyllic location to ease their family problems. Bella hears the rumours associated with the Manor and cannot resist looking into the secrets of the house.

Eve Chase writes vivid and vibrant prose that reflects the slow pace of life in a rural setting and the long summer days. She evokes the 1950s period well with the sisters coming of age and the excitement of exploring the mystery of Audrey. She connects the impact of past events on the present with the new family with flair. It is a well plotted and character driven book which I found compelling reading. The most gripping part for me was the 1950s aspect of the novel. I recommend this to those who enjoy a slow paced haunting period mystery set around a house with secrets. A great read. Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

The book begins with a shocking event involving the four Wilde sisters and the mystery of just what happened keeps you guessing to the end. There are similarities here with two books by Katharine Swartz: The Vicar’s Wife Iand The Second Bride (both very enjoyable). As with those books, the story alternates between the present and previous owners of a house. Applecote Manor in the Cotswolds is large, isolated and cold but when Jessie sees it she knows it’s the place she, husband Will, baby Romy and Bella, the stepdaughter from hell (see The Second Bride again) can make a fresh start away from London.

In the summer of 1959 the four Wilde sisters are despatched by their infuriating, adorable mother, to stay at Applecote with Aunt Sybil and Uncle Perry. They don’t look forward to it because their cousin Audrey won’t be there; she disappeared without trace five years before. Margot narrates the events of that long, hot summer, remembering times spent at Applecote with Audrey, meeting local boys, which is disturbing, and coping with her aunt’s increasingly strange behaviour. Alternating with that story is Jessie’s attempt to make a home at Applecote. As soon as Bella explores the house she announces that something bad has happened there. She’s right, of course. People seem unwilling to come to the house to work. There are strange looks from the locals. It’s as though the past won’t leave Applecote alone.

In the end the two stories combine. We have to rely on Matgot’s narrative to find out what happened to the Wilde sisters in 1959 but it’s in the present that Audrey’s fate is finally made clear. I found this very atmospheric and a good read. Ideal for people who like books about old houses and old mysteries.

The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde, also titled The Wildling Sisters will be published in July by Penguin/Michael Joseph and I read it courtesy of the publishers and NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

After a bit of a slow start I became hooked by Margot and her sisters, Jessie and her family and the whole story of the disappearance. I am still thinking about what happened. It's a bit different from my usual books, but couldn't put it down., once I got going.

Was this review helpful?