The Echo of Twilight

January 23, 2017
Kinghorn takes readers to England in 1914, shortly before WWI begins, to tell the story of two women of drastically different means who are brought together by the shifting fate of their country. The book begins with Pearl Gibson landing a job as the maid of Lady Ottoline Campbell, a wealthy landowner in Northumberland. Pearl is a dutiful employee, but her relationship to Lady Campbell turns out to be not as formal as she expected. Slowly, the two become friends, bonding over their shared experiences of the uncertainty and heartache of watching the men in their lives go off to war. As they grow closer, Pearl learns more about her employer than she bargained for and must make hard decisions if she wishes to learn to stand on her own. Kinghorn carefully weaves the story of love and self-discovery into the solemn tapestry of war, loss, and mental instability. Pearl experiences the beauty of life alongside the sting of betrayal and heartbreak, always striving to be more than what the situation of her birth dictates for her life. With language that draws the reader into the story, Kinghorn brings the past to life and makes Pearl’s struggles for stability accessible relatable and affecting. Kinghorn embraces a dark time in history to tell this immersive and historically sound coming-of-age tale. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary

Kinghorn's story of the close relationship between lady's maid Pearl Gibson and her highborn employer, Ottoline Campbell, will no doubt find listeners among fans of richly detailed historical fiction. However, there may be mixed reactions to narrator Lucy Rayner's exaggerated performance. Rayner is adept at switching between the Cockney of Pearl's speech and the well-spoken voice of the same character's inner monologue in the first person point of view. But the stark difference between the two is somewhat jarring. Furthermore, her style is a bit over-the-top, with words overarticulated and the pace, consequently, slower than necessary. E.M.C. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine