I am once again working with The Coffee Pot Book Club to introduce you to your next favourite read, and I am sure Widow's Lace by Lelita Baldock could very well be your next favourite read! Before we get to my review, let's check out the blurb.
A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.
25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.
Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?
The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
My Review
I admit, I was a little concerned when I agreed to read this book because of the three vastly different timelines — I was worried that I might find it difficult to keep up. How completely wrong I was! There is mystery aplenty, which means that this is the kind of book that one cannot walk away from. It is a sit down and finish book.
The story grabbed me and held my attention until the very end — if you do read this book, you must read to the end to get the full explanation, to find the truth about the mysteries.
The author has certainly put a lot of work into this book, for the timelines flow together without the jarring feel that dual timelines can sometimes possess, and the stories blend together wonderfully. One timeline is living a story, the next is trying to write a book about them and the third is trying to find the truth about them both. That third timeline, the modern one, shows just how difficult research can be, for there is always gossip that twists the truth, not all sources are reliable and for the ones that are, if can often be difficult to prove their reliability.
Nearly every character ends up on the other side of the world at one point, all of them spending time in both England and Australia, and the differences between the two countries are described wonderfully.
I thought this novel was brilliant from start to finish. If you’re looking for a good mystery book that will keep you guessing, not to mention reading all night, then look no further!
Buy this Book (and I suggest you do)
Lelita Baldock
Lelita has a passion for stories, especially those with a dark undercurrent, or a twist to be revealed.
She hopes to tell interesting stories that people will find themselves drawn into. Stories that are for entertainment and escape, and hopefully a little thrill of the unexpected. She truly enjoys the experience of writing, exploring human traits and reactions as well as the darkness that can lurk unexpectedly inside anyone.
Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Lelita holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Education from The University of South Australia. During her twenties she worked as an English teacher in both Australia and the United Kingdom, working with the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
Now Lelita and her husband run a web development business, and she makes time for writing after hours and on weekends. It can mean long days and late nights, but she doesn’t mind, stories are her passion.
Lelita’s long term goal as a writer is to be able to publish her stories regularly and hopefully appeal to a wide range of readers.
Lelita currently resides in the United Kingdom with her husband Ryan and beloved rescue-cat, Jasmine.
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