LoveReading Says
August 2013 Book of the Month.
Secrets and haunting mysteries...A wonderfully powerful and poignant historical novel from the author of A Half Forgotten Song and the TV Book Club bestseller The Legacy. Dark and dangerous secrets lie behind the immaculate facades of Bath's high society in the early 19th century.
In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion for The Misbegotten a small number of Lovereading members were lucky enough to be invited to review this title - 'A compelling, absorbing and intriguing story about how secrets can come back to haunt us...I thought this was a fabulous read .' - Vanessa Wild. Scroll down to read more reviews.
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The Misbegotten Synopsis
Bath, 1821. Rachel Crofton seizes the opportunity to leave behind the binds of her unhappy employment as a governess and start a new life as the wife of a charming self-made merchant. Through her new husband's connections Rachel is invited to become the companion of the reclusive Jonathan Alleyn, a man tortured by memories of what he witnessed in the Peninsula War, and tormented by the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart, Alice, 12 years ago. Rachel's arrival into the grand house on Lansdown Crescent has a mysterious effect on those who live there, and suddenly it seems the secrets and dark deeds of the past can no longer be swept away. Starling, foundling servant to the Alleyn family, is convinced that Alice, the woman she felt as close to as a sister, was stolen from her. She is determined to uncover the truth about Alice's disappearance. Did she run away? Was there someone else? Or did something altogether darker occur? Others want only to forget, and will go to extreme lengths to do so. All is refinement and politeness in the grand drawing rooms of Bath society, but there are shattering truths lurking in the lives hidden behind closed doors. Rachel's marriage is far from the partnership she had hoped for, and her husband has troubling secrets of his own. She is drawn to Starling and her obsessive need to find the truth about her beloved Alice. As, together, they seek answers, they learn that courage comes at a high price, and that to resist the constraints of their social position is to risk everything.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781409131465 |
| Publication date: |
1st August 2013 |
| Author: |
Katherine Webb |
| Publisher: |
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ) an imprint of Orion Publishing Co |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Primary Genre |
Family Drama
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Katherine Webb Press Reviews
We have asked a select number of members and browsers to review The Misbegotten. You can read their reviews below.
Gill Wilmott - 'This story is woven in such a way that not only do you want to know the conclusion, but you really care about the characters and what becomes of them.' Click here to read the full review.
Nailah Afghan - 'this is an enthralling tale of two very different women caught in a world of dark secrets, trying to make sense of their past and present.' Click here to read the full review.
Edel Waugh (edelwaugh.blogspot.ie) - 'The first thing you should know about this book is that it does not give up its secrets easily. The second thing you should know about it is that those secrets are well worth the wait.' Click here to read the full review.
Vanessa Wild - 'A compelling, absorbing and intriguing story about how secrets can come back to haunt us...I thought this was a fabulous read.' Click here to read the full review.
Linda Hill - 'Webb drops clues into the lies and truths so skillfully that each twist of narrative makes the book impossible to put down.The Misbegotten is a wonderful read and I can't recommend it highly enough.' Click here to read the full review.
Lisa Redmond - 'This is engrossing storytelling reminiscent of Kate Morton or Daphne du Maurier...a fantastic gothic thriller. I highly recommend it.' Click here to read the full review.
Susan Walsh - 'Period drama at its best...each tantalizing chapter will have you enthralled as you piece together what happens next. A must read for those who enjoy historical fiction.' Click here to read the full review.
Ruth Paterson - 'I demolished this novel from start to finish in two sittings...It is not a straight forward storyline and dark twists arise...I thoroughly recommend this novel; escapism at its best.' Click here to read the full review.
Lynn Curtis - 'I found the book didn’t quite live up to its initially intriguing set-up. I enjoyed the setting and the period details, but felt that the suspense element didn’t quite hit the mark.' Click here to read the full review.
Suzanne Marsh (www.ireadnovels.wordpress.com) - 'Such a joy to read!' Click here to read the full review.
About Katherine Webb
Katherine Webb was born in 1977 and grew up in Hampshire before reading History at Durham University. She has since spent time living in London and Venice, and now lives near Bath, UK. Having worked as a waitress, au pair, personal assistant, bookbinder, housemaid, library assistant and seller of fairy costumes, she is now a full-time writer. Her debut novel, The Legacy, won the popular vote for the TV Book Club Summer Read 2010 and was shortlisted for Best New Writer at the 2010 Galaxy National Book Awards. Her subsequent novels The Unseen, A Half Forgotten Song and The Misbegotten were all Sunday Times Top Ten Bestsellers, and her books have been translated into 26 languages around the world.
CLICK HERE to read our 'Ask the Author' feature on Katherine Webb.
Author photo © Andrew Morris
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