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

January 1, 2017
Pearl Gibson has no home or attachments. Raised by a now-deceased, starchy great-aunt, she has learned to keep her own counsel and walk a narrow path. After leaving her former employer, Pearl accepts a lady's-maid position with a kind but quirky employer. Lady Ottoline is wealthier than any of Pearl's prior employers, but also warm and confiding. Pearl soon grows attached to Ottoline, her family, their Scottish summer estate, and Ottoline's handsome cousin. With the start of WWI and its heavy losses swirling around them, the world is beginning to change, and Pearl and the family must redefine themselves to fit this new reality. Pearl has her own secrets, and must learn that the cost of love and belonging is that she now has something to lose. Kinghorn (The Memory of Lost Senses, 2014) has created an enchanting, atmospheric work of historical fiction that is a rich blend of Downton Abbey and Jane Eyre. The Echo of Twilight is a wonderful novel to curl up with this winter.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)