Tyringham Park

November 15, 2013

McLoughlin doesn't skimp on the melodrama in her debut novel, an Upstairs Downstairs soap that follows the perpetually tragic Blackshaw family. Havoc descends on Tyringham Park one morning in 1917, when young Victoria Blackshaw goes missing. The unsolved disappearance of the family and staff favorite casts a permanent pall over the entire estate. Eldest daughter Charlotte carries an enormous amount of survivor's guilt, and as she is the least-liked child, no one in the family will let her forget it. As Charlotte grows into adulthood, the betrayals, trysts, and petty jealousies that formed her childhood environment play out to their inevitable ends. McLoughlin provides a stellar cast of characters to round out this drama: a War Office-minded father, a disinterested mother, a cruel nanny, a swoon-worthy stable hand, and a kindhearted housekeeper. Charlotte is also refreshingly complex. She is both pitiable and infuriating in her lack of self-actualization, but the author provides enough growth and background for it to feel natural. VERDICT While the ending unfortunately tips over into histrionics, this brittle take on Downton Abbey is still a good choice for historical fiction fans, especially those who can't get enough of country-house sagas.--Liza Oldham, Beverly, MA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2013
On the grand Irish estate of Tyringham Park, Lady Edwina Blackshaw discovers her two- year-old daughter, Victoria, is missing. While everyone is searching, Charlotte, her eight-year-old daughter, is with her nanny, Dixon. Lord Waldron is in London at the war office and cannot be spared. What quickly comes to light in this masterful first novel is that nothing is as it seems. Edwina is a terrible wife and mother; Waldron is an alcoholic; Dixon is cruel beyond words; and Charlotte . . . well, Charlotte is damaged more than anyone knew, desperate for love but unable to see it when it comes. The tale spans from 1917 to 1943 and covers fox hunts, balls, art exhibitions, and sojourns in Australia. The mystery of Victoria is ever present and just when the reader thinks it is solved, it isn't. Told in a dispassionate voice with rich descriptions and brilliant characters, the story holds the reader's interest to the last page, with more than enough twists and turns. This will tide us over until Downton Abbey returns.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)