The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
by Hester Fox
- Used
- Fine
- Paperback
- Condition
- Fine/none
- ISBN 10
- 1525804782
- ISBN 13
- 9781525804786
- Seller
-
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
This book is in excellent condition, no wear to covers, no markings inner pages, very small mark along bottom edge. Spine intact, no creases. "World War I England, a young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets
With the stroke of a pen, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe becomes Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate on the Yorkshire moors. Ivy has never heard of Blackwood Abbey, or of the ancient bloodline from which she's descended. With nothing to keep her in London since losing her brother in the Great War, she warily makes her way to her new home.
The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own.
Rumors swirl in the village about the abbey's previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. And as events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library's mysteries in order to reclaim her own story—before it vanishes forever.
Lush, atmospheric and transporting, The Last Heir to Blackwood Library is a skillful reflection on memory and female agency, and a love letter to books from a writer at the height of her power." Good Reads "Hester comes to writing from a background in museum work and historical archaeology. She loves the Gothic, the lurid, the dark...so long as the ending is a happy one. She has never seen a ghost, though she remains hopeful." Good Reads
Reviews
The Last Heir to the Blackwood Library by Hester Fox is a gothic tale. The author created a rich environment with the foggy moors, a shabby manor house, grim domestics, objects moving on their own, cold spots, and an ominous library. The story begins in 1927 when Ivy Radcliffe inherits Blackwood Abbey and becomes Lady Hayworth. The spiritualist movement had a resurgence in the 1920s (people who lost loved ones during the war wanted to find a way to reach them). Ivy finds herself drawn to the manor's extensive library. The housekeeper seems determined to keep Ivy away from it, but Ivy cannot resist the libraries allure. Ivy Radcliffe is an independent, stubborn woman who is also naïve. There are times when she will stand up to someone and others when she backs down (would you sleep in a bedroom where strange things have been happening so you would not inconvenience the staff). I loved the descriptions of the library. There were some intriguing books in it. There are two potential love interests for Ivy. Ivy finds the manor houses curt driver (also gardener, handyman, and stable boy) appealing as well as a charming local aristocrat. I could have done with less of this element and less repetition regarding the two men's attributes. We also see how the Great War affected different people. The war continues to haunt soldiers and those who were left behind. The story does move at a slower pace. The pace improves toward the end as the story reaches it climax. The author is detail oriented which is good and bad. It creates a rich atmosphere, but it does slow down the story. The book does contain mild foul language and graphic violence (fair warning). I liked the paranormal component and the mystery. There was a surprise or two. I was left with a lingering question or two at the end. I am glad that I stuck with the story and finished it (after reading the prologue, I was tempted to put the book at the bottom of my TBR pile). The Last Heir to the Blackwood Library is a spooky story with an intriguing inheritance, dour domestics, an alluring library, an appealing aristocrat, a firm friend, a spooky presence, and a mad monk.
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Ohkwaho Books and Fine Art (CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 1053-2024
- Title
- The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
- Author
- Hester Fox
- Format/Binding
- Softcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- none
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 1525804782
- ISBN 13
- 9781525804786
- Publisher
- Greydon House
- Date Published
- 2023
- Pages
- 331
- Size
- trade
- Keywords
- Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Gothic
Terms of Sale
Ohkwaho Books and Fine Art
About the Seller
Ohkwaho Books and Fine Art
About Ohkwaho Books and Fine Art
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes: