Set In Stone

October 30, 2006
Newbery's (Sisterland) absorbing, haunting mystery set in Victorian England explores the dark secrets found among the wealthy. Fourwinds, the beautiful and architecturally impressive estate belonging to the recently widowed Ernest Farrow, holds a disturbing secret. Samuel Godwin has been hired to give art lessons to Farrow's two teenage daughters, Juliana and Marianne. He resolves that at Fourwinds, "I should find myself an artist." Shortly after his arrival, 21-year-old Samuel meets newlywed Eliza Dearly, former governess at Fourwinds. Samuel's been led to believe that Eliza's young son, Tommy, was conceived by another former employee, Gideon Waring, the man responsible for the exquisite stone carvings found throughout the estate. However, since Mrs. Dearly's visit, Juliana seems more withdrawn. The disturbing truth unfolds in alternating chapters between Samuel and the new governess, Charlotte Agnew, who has a secret of her own about Mr. Farrow. The consequences of incest and premarital sex in this era bubble below the surface of the novel and erupt near its conclusion; these themes plus the adult narrators and the antiquated dialogue that mimics Victorian conversation make this more appropriate for sophisticated readers. The writing style, reminiscent of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, brims with atmospheric descriptions sure to delight seasoned book lovers, despite the disturbing plot twists. Ages 10-up.

February 1, 2007
Gr 8 Up-The setting, set-up, and characters in this entertaining suspense novel are pure Victorian Gothic. At the close of the 19th century, an earnest young artist named Samuel Godwin has been hired by a wealthy man to tutor his elder daughter at their magnificent country estate. Samuel arrives by foot on a moonlit night, hears wild shrieking in the woods, and encounters a seemingly mad young girl in a nightdress before he reaches the front door. Pushing his forebodings aside, Samuel enters the life of the household and becomes obsessed with the vibrant younger sister, Marianne, who is a talented artist. The secluded mansion is a hothouse of repressed emotions, and Samuel begins to suspect that this family is a lot more complicated than it appears. His sleuthing leads to a crescendo of climactic revelations. Readers learn that there is a secret baby, that the baby is the older daughter's son, and that the prime suspect for fatherhood is gay and so "couldn't" have fathered the child. This is just the beginning. There is incest, another unacknowledged child, an attempted suicide, and the accidental-on-purpose drowning of the predatory father during a raging storm. The potboiler action would seem to presage an equally dramatic ending. But the final pages are more autumnal in mood, a look back on the compromises and losses throughout the characters' lives. Only Marianne appears unscathed; still vibrant, she leads a bohemian life of art and lovers, in the very house her father built."Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2006
At first, this novel, set in Sussex in the late nineteenth century, seems like a conventional gothic, complete with a plain governess and an attractive, widowed head of household. But it is so much more. Samuel Godwin arrives at Fourwinds, the home of Ernest Farrow and his teenage daughters, the despondent Juliana and the wild, erratic Marianne. Hired to tutor the girls, Samuel soon feels real affection for them, as well as for their governess, Charlotte. He reveres Mr. Farrow, not just because he is treated well but also because of Farrow's keen interest in art and architecture. He soon learns, however, that the household is not what it seems, and that to solve one mystery only uncovers another. Samuel and Charlotte alternately narrate the chapters, and it is at first hard to pick up who is speaking--especially as readers race to strip away the layers of deception that include suicide, incest, and illegitimacy. Evocatively written and carefully crafted (though with one too many surprises), this will tantalize readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)