The Fairbairn Girls

April 15, 2013
Set in Scotland at the end of the nineteenth century, Parker's latest historical saga focuses on the Fairbairns, whose patriarch, Lord Rothbury, comes from a long line of aristocrats. With nine daughters, two sons, a vast estate, priceless jewels, and a historic castle bedecked with valuable furniture and paintings, Lord Rothbury seems to have everything. But on the day his daughter Laura's engagement is announced, Lord Rothbury receives a shocking visit from a man with a dark secret and a deep hatred of the Fairbairns. The man vows to place a curse on the family, and while Lord Rothbury believes curses are for the lower classes, he can't help but be fearful. Shortly after the mysterious stranger departs, terrible things begin happening to the Fairbairnsrobberies, losses of land and property, fires, broken marriages, disappearances, and deaths. With an unusual plot full of unexpected twists and a graceful writing style, Parker's latest is not only a spellbinding read but also an eye-opening look at the role of the aristocracy and women in Scotland at the turn of the nineteenth-to-twentieth century.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)