March 2016 Reading Group Book of the Month.
Kate Riordan has written another heartfelt beautifully readable novel about two families, set in the dual time frames of 1878 and 1922. As a tragedy unfolds in front of our eyes in the prologue, captivating whispers of intrigue continue to echo through the tale. The story revolves around Fenix House, a family home where Grace arrives as Governess in 1922, her Grandmother Harriet held the same position in 1878 but in very different circumstances. Kate Riordan has a subtle hand, she leaves you on a delicious spellbinding note as you move between Grace and Harriet’s tales. The undertones of unease reflect through each story as connecting circles ripple and expand, linking the two until they become one. There is a gentle luminosity to the writing, it embraces you as you read, both poignant and moving, 'The Shadow Hour' is quite simply gorgeous. ~ Liz Robinson
STOP PRESS: Why not check out Kate Riordan's story, The Red Letter, an evocative short story and featuring characters from her debut The Girl in the Photograph. It also comes complete with an extract for The Shadow Hour.
| Primary Genre | Family Drama |
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It was in the shadow hours of deepest night that this tapestry of lies fell to rags...Harriet Jenner is just twenty-one when she walks through the gates of Fenix House. Reeling from a personal tragedy, she doesn't expect her new life as a governess to be easy. But she certainly does not foresee the spell Fenix House will cast. Almost fifty years later, Harriet's granddaughter Grace follows in her footsteps. For Grace, raised on Harriet's spellbinding stories, Fenix House is a fairy tale; a magical place suspended in time. But the now-faded grandeur of the mansion soon begins to reveal the holes in Harriet's story and Grace finds herself in a place of secrets and shadows. For Fenix House hides truths about her family, and everything that she once knew is about to change. The Author Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She started out as an editorial assistant at the Guardian, followed by a stint as deputy editor for the lifestyle section of Time Out. Kate's first novel, The Girl in the Photograph published in January 2015. Kate is now a freelance writer and lives in the Cotswolds where she is currently working on her third novel. Praise for The Girl in the Photograph: Rich and atmospheric, like Rebecca this novel casts an enduring spell . (Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author). Full of slow-burning tension . (Essentials). A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts . (Good Housekeeping). A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere . (Sunday Mirror). A prickly story full of tension . (Sunday Express).
The Shadow Hour features in the following genres: Family Drama, Historical Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Book Club Recommendations, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, General Fiction, Recommendations
The Shadow Hour is available in Paperback
The Shadow Hour was written by Kate Riordan and published by Penguin Books Ltd
The Shadow Hour has 504 pages
£15.29
