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The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
- Narrated by: Olivia Vinall
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
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The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
It's 1852 and Margaret Lennox, a young widow, is offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She quickly accepts, hoping this isolated country house will allow her to leave her past behind.
Cut off from the village, Margaret soon starts to feel there's something odd about her new home, despite her growing fondness for her bright, affectionate pupil, Louis. There are strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants and an abandoned east wing. Even stranger is the local gossip surrounding Mrs Eversham, Louis's widowed mother, who is deeply distrusted in the village.
Margaret finds distraction in a forbidden relationship with the gardener, Paul. But despite his efforts to reassure her, Margaret is certain that everyone here has something hide. And as Margaret's own past threatens to catch up with her, she must learn to trust her instincts before it's too late...
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is a chilling gothic mystery, and an authentic and atmospheric love letter to Victorian fiction.
Critic reviews
"I loved this fresh take on the gothic genre. Vivid, haunting, surprising." (Stacey Halls, author of Sunday Times bestsellers The Familiars, The Foundling and Mrs England)
"A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere." (Emma Stonex, author of Sunday Times bestseller The Lamplighters)
"A brilliantly creepy and utterly compelling read, which put me in mind of Laura Purcell, Stacey Halls and Michelle Paver: it's up there with the most wonderfully engrossing and twisty gothic historical fiction." (Caroline Lea)
What listeners say about The Secrets of Hartwood Hall
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 26-12-23
One for the Austen/Bronte fans out there!
Really loving this novel so far, about half way through. Beautifully written and narrated. Love the story and the pace - very typical of the genre. Feels like it was actually written in the 1800s! Wonderful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tracey Watson
- 15-10-23
Brilliant, one to lose yourself in.
What a great storyline, I can honestly say it was not was I was expecting which is such a breath of fresh air.
It kept me absorbed so much that I didn’t want it to end. The narration was first class, I really feel it can make or break an audible book. Thank you for an excellent listen and looking forward to your next book. X
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jose Angel Miranda
- 20-09-23
GRIPPING
EXCELLENT NOVEL. LOTS OF TWISTS AND TURNS AS WELL WELL WRITTEN. DEFINITELY WORTH A READ.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 31-03-23
Absolutely Haunting and Utterly Brilliant Writing!
I loved this so much. it's rare a book grabs me so much I have to listen to the whole thing in ONE DAY! Beautifully crafted characters, edge-of-your-seat twists and turns - just a fantastically written novel. If you like Sarah Waters, this is a MUST!! I'm so looking forward to reading/listening to more from this author. What a wonderful debut! More, please!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daisy71
- 29-09-23
Very atmospheric!
Listening to this story I could picture the house and all the characters. Good storyline and I found myself looking forward to listening to it. I hope there is a sequel! Fabulous narration
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Meg
- 30-06-24
Mrs Lennox is INFURIATING
Margaret: She’s been through so much yet acts like a silly mouse. I only wish she’d had even a slither of gumption! Narration is beautiful, house and landscape descriptions are beautifully atmospheric.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mrs AS Mallabar
- 22-02-24
Disappointing ending to an otherwise promising story
The story was engaging overall, but I found the main character less and less likeable and understandable as the story progressed. So much so, that by the end of the book I had lost almost all sympathy for her because of her unkind and selfish treatment of one of the other, most likeable characters in the book.
A main theme of the book is bad marriages and the cruel treatment of women by their former husbands, but then the main female character turns out to be equally as heartless as the man she has escaped!
I can’t understand the authors decision to end the book the way she did. There are so many other possible options for endings that would have maintained real sympathy for the main character.
Although the story was quite good overall, the ending absolutely ruined the book for me and left me feeling sad and annoyed. I won’t be rushing to read another book by this author unfortunately.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs O
- 01-03-24
Atmospheric tale
Thoroughly enjoyed this debut.
It kept me gripped and I finished it in one day.
Good characters, intrigue a hint of the supernatural and a good comeuppance.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Krypton
- 17-01-24
Great atmospheric story
The first thing to note is that the narration was perfect and delivered the suspenseful undertone the book warranted. I was worried it might be too scary but it wasn’t. Really enjoyable to the end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Moxy
- 18-03-24
A well deserving 5 stars. Thoroughly enjoyed.
I discovered this author by accident and I’m so glad I did. I devoured this title within 48 hours. I listened at every opportunity . It had me gripped from the start to the very end. I enjoyed the narrator and really did find this little gem by accident. I’m now looking for the authors next read but it’s not released until the middle of July which is a shame. I have added it to my wish list so I can’t forget about it. It’s not my usual type of listen but I’m so glad I took this chance and got it. Not returning it. I want to add it to my collection. A very well deserving 5 stars overall. I wish I could give it more. Be brave and grab a copy.
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