The Emerald Comb

What a stunning read. Katie is interested in looking into her family tree although her husband doesn’t share her enthusiasm. She finds the house where her family lived and although she doesn’t tell her husband it’s history they do move in. She is very keen to trace her history.

The house is described beautifully- it’s in need of some tender loving care, but it really draws Katie The book is set in modern time and in the 1840’s and the story moves seamlessly between the two. It hints of dark mysteries and you really want to find out what secrets are going to be uncovered. The characters are so well drawn that you really feel connected to them. Katie and Simon in modern times and Bartholomew and Georgia in the 1840’s.

I was sad to reach the end of the book- and will look out eagerly for more books by this author.

The Emerald Comb by kathleen Mcgurl my review what a fab book (6STARS)
BY AJBOOKREVIEWCLUB ON OCTOBER 3, 2014

THE EMERALD COMB BY KATHLEEN MCGURL

THE BLURB

Some secrets are best left buried…

Researching her family tree had been little more than a hobby – until Katie stepped onto Kingsley House’s sprawling, ivy-strewn drive. The house may be crumbling today, but it was once the intimidatingly opulent residence of the St Clairs, Katie’s ancestors. Arriving here two hundred years later, emotion stirs in Katie: a strange nostalgia for a place she’s never seen before… and when Kingsley House comes up for sale, Katie is determined that her family must buy it.

Surrounded by the mysteries of the past, Katie’s pastime becomes a darker obsession, as she searches through history to trace her heritage. But she soon discovers that these walls house terrible secrets. And when forgotten stories and hidden betrayals come to light, the past seems more alive than Katie could ever have imagined.

Moving between the 21st and 19th centuries, The Emerald Comb is a hauntingly evocative novel, perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Rachel Hore.

WHAT I SAY I got to say i love this book it was my book of the week . It full of mystery , drama,love, romance,family , murder and betrayal

The story is told as a mix of the past and present The past is told by Bartholmew st clair in a letter he wrote to his son Barty Each chapter set in past or present so it very easy to follow It a real page turner you will love it

Katie wants to find out about her family her ancestors .She find her self at kingsley house soon they buy the house Katie not told Simon about her family living there he would not have move as he hated Katie finding about her family .To Katie is a hobby she loves doing she so focus on looking in to her history .

Simon just does not get it he was a bit annoying at times .He all ways seems to be at work well was he ? He was a good husband to her but her seems to have a lot on his mind all the time he not very open about things

Then one day the past become the present and now he seems to want to know about the past he happy for her to look into it i want to tell you more but i want you all to read this fab book

Bartholomew was not a very nice man i did not like him (cause of what he was doing) but i did like how he told his story in the letter it must of be so hard to write you could feel his words you were there with him wanting him to write more down for you to hear about

Georgia i love her she was to young to marry i just wish she could see what was going on she was to naive she need to be a strong person she need to stand up for her self may be she could see or tell what was going on ? May be she was happy ? I not sure my heart when out to this young girl she was so alone

Agnes what can i say about her you will love or hate her i did both i want to shout at her so many times but in the end she got what she wanted i did enjoy her character at the start but then i found her very manipulative you could see what was going to happen

I would of like a bit from Agnes and Georgia side of the story may be them writing a bit in a letter i think they would of told you a very different point of view

The story was told we such passion

I wish the cover had the emerald comb on it but i loved the emerald dress as the comb play a part in the story it would of been nice to see on cover may on girl hair ?

The house has got so many secret the story tell you them all i was grip front the first page to to last page The book just took you back in time it was told with such grace and passion a lovely story told with a lot of heart arch I loved how the past and present mixed so well together the story was told in a clever way Not just looking for your family history on the net like we can do now days I love history so that why i enjoy this book so much i can not recommend enough you all show read you will love the story

My gem book (6stars) and book of the week i like to thank net galley and carina for letting me read this fab book

The Emerald Comb - Kathleen McGurl

'The Emerald Comb' is two stories; one historical, the other contemporary, cleverly interwoven with conflict, mystery and passion. The action slips seamlessly from Bartholomew St Clair's 19th century confessions to the 21st century consequences experienced by Katie our heroine. It is an absorbing read.

Katie delves into her ancestry bitten by the contemporary obsession with genealogy. What she finds leads to a house move and more mystery than answers. A possible ghost and a macabre discovery in the garden of their newly moved into house force Katie to question the wisdom of delving into her past. She can't stop. Genealogy gives Katie an identity and focus, something she is in danger of losing amidst her demanding children and unhelpful husband. Seen only from Katie's point of view Simon often seems rather a difficult man to like, who treats her hobby with disdain.

The story highlights parallels between the past and Katie's present life. The secrets both historical and contemporary are resolved in a credible way. The ending is a great bit of dramatic irony. A little inconclusive from Katie's perspective but complete for the reader who knows what really happened. A classy, readable story.

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

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I would like to thank author Kathleeen McGurl for sending me a link to the via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Oh where do I start, I love the cover it is gorgeous, I love the green dress although I personally would of liked to see the comb in the ladies hair....
We first meet Katie as she is going to see Kingsley House where her ancestors lived, she meets a lovely couple that are now living there, they also tell her they have plans to sell the house as it's getting too much for them. Katie comes away in love with the house but not thinking anything of the couple plans to sell up.

Weeks later Katie and Simon are talking about moving, they see the house for sale but Simons doesn't hold with the history stuff Katie does, does she tell him it's her ancestors house or keep it secret?

I loved how the story mixes with the past, the past being told in a series of letters from Bartholomew St Clair to his son Barty. This is a wonderful mix between the 19th Century and 21 Century. I didn't understand why this was classed as a time slip novel, but really it's the best way to describe it. The chapters switched seemlessly between the centuries, leaving me desperately wanting to find out more.
I can't say I liked Bartholomew or Agnes as their actions had serious consequences which they eventually suffered for later in life. This also would come back to haunt Katie as well.

I really felt sorry for Georgia as she was young and niave, she was let down by her uncle who just wanted her married and off his hands. Used by Bartholomew who only wanted her money and used by Agnes who wanted her husband, they were the ones who were meant to care about her but badly let her down.

I really like Katie, as like me she has a love for her ancestors and ancestry. She loved her family and tried to do the best by them, but she also wanted to find out her family history. Simon her husband couldn't understand this as he was adopted and never wanted to know further than his close family.
Simon however I found annoying and even though he was under strain, (his mums dementia and finding out that he had a 21 year old daughter) at times I really wanted to slap him.
The mysteries within the book held me captivated chapter after chapter, especially the 19th Century ones that were revealed in the 21st Century, it just goes to show how much do you really know about your ancestors apart from their names. What secrets they hide and keep?

There is so much more to this story but to say anymore would ruin it. An edge of your seat read, that is a page turner and griped me from page one.

Family mystery and a lost comb, the charms of a crumbling old home and old letters; it seems The Emerald Comb displays the typical recipe for a modern day English mystery. Just as anyone fond of English mysteries, I was drawn like a moth to a flame.

Katie, obsessed with her lineage, spends a lot of time tracing up anything related to her ancestors, the St. Clairs. When she steps into Kingsley House, the old residence of the St. Clairs, buried secrets of the family starts unfolding just as it all becomes more muddled. Who was the owner of the emerald comb? Which part of the story does it come in?

There is something old fashioned at the way it is written that I couldn’t picture out much of the modern world in it. The nostalgic quality, spreading throughout the book, creates a wistful atmosphere and complements when the story takes us back to the past. It is perhaps because of this that Bartholomew’s story looms larger in presence and eclipses Katie’s story just a bit. Chapters move back and forth from the 19th to 21st century and this is where things get a bit tricky for me. This kind of style is most often used but there comes a point when, during the cuts, interest would slightly waver and I would have half a mind to make a jump. I am not exactly sure if this is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.

Perhaps it did not help that Katie seemed to be the only interesting character in the 21st century, apart from the elderly couple who lived at Kingsley House. I thought Simon’s disapproving reactions in the beginning borders on unlikable and in spite what happened further on it did not really wipe away earlier impressions. That or my sympathy has run its course while reading about the old St. Clairs. In any case, the past was more gripping than the present here.

I loved a lot of English mysteries but I have to say The English Comb couldn’t quite get me there, like a very nice dish missing an ingredient. Perhaps I needed more from that emerald comb. It is as if it stayed true to its intent that some secrets are very much best left buried but Kathleen McGurl makes it worth a try for us to dig in. Hauntingly dramatic with its elegant writing, it was a good read with just the right edge to it.