Fiercombe Manor: A Novel

This book seems to take much of its inspiration and tone from classic “Gothic” romances such as “Wuthering Heights” and “Jane Eyre.” Like “Wuthering Heights,” it tells the intimate domestic story of two generations of people who occupy a remote manor house. Like “Wuthering Heights,” it tackles some of the social issues of the day. But this novel’s day is later than that of the Bronte sisters. It takes an alternating view of the late Edwardian era, and then of the early 1930’s. The author movingly makes readers feel the kinds of pressures that women especially were subject to over that span.In modern times, when it is almost routine to have children out of wedlock, it is a real eye-opener to be transported back to that earlier period when such a situation could make a woman a virtual pariah. Alice herself adopts the mores of the times, as she frequently ponders the awful “mistake” she made by allowing herself to be romanced by an already married man who then wanted nothing further to do with her. It never occurs to her, as it might to modern feminists, to consider that the father of her child was also badly mistaken and blameworthy.Soon after Alice arrives at Fiercombe Manor, she becomes absorbed in the lingering domestic tragedy of the antecedent mistress of the Manor. Through diaries and the wafting vapors of that earlier, bygone presence - Alice gradually pieces together the mystery and misery of that other woman.There is some suspense and a page-turning momentum that drives these dual stories. The romance elements tend to get a little unlikely and pat, more typical of something you’d find in a Harlequin Romance. But any such contrivance is rescued by good writing. A little girl who occupied the house is described as being precocious in that “she already knew that each thing has its shadow.” The cook of the house “anoints the dough with flour.”When Alice learns that the former occupant’s name was “Elizabeth,” she reflectively repeats the name, silently mouthing “the hiss of the second syllable, the sigh of the last.” What a brilliant hearing of the particular music of the name “Elizabeth!”Each of these metaphors perfectly captures the whispers of sadness and of the unseen that echo through the Manor. This is a good book.

I love nothing better than a book that offers me an old manor house, a diary, and plenty of secrets and that’s just what I got with Fiercombe Manor by Kate Riordan.It’s 1933 when we meet twenty-two year old Alice who has disgraced her family and been sent to live at Fiercombe Manor until she births her baby. The owners Lord and Lady Stanton are not living there at the moment and have given her leave to stay there with Mrs. Jelphs, an old friend of her mothers, and the staff. Even as she is approaching Fiercombe Manor Alice feels a strange connection to the place. She feels that something has happened here but she doesn’t know what. It isn’t long though before she discovers that thirty years ago another woman lived there. It was Elizabeth Stanton and she too was expecting a child just like Alice. As Alice begins to uncover the mysteries behind Elizabeth, her husband Edward, and their daughter Isabel she finds more and more questions are raised. What exactly was wrong with Elizabeth? What happened to Elizabeth and her daughter Isabel? And even more puzzling is the housekeeper Mrs. Jelphs. Alice is sure she is hiding something, but what? There are also rumors that the valley is tainted; that children born there suffer a bad fate. All of this has Alice in a turmoil? Is she safe there? Is her baby?The story alternates between Alice’s story and Elizabeth’s and their lives are surprisingly similar. Both women are pregnant, both are living under the rules of society at the time, and both feel very much alone. The author relates many of the issues that women had with pregnancy and their rights and she also touches on postnatal depression and how it was dealt with at that time in history. I knew quite a bit about that but it was interesting nonetheless.The book is lengthy at 400 pages but that’s one of the things I liked about it. I like stories that unfold slowly especially if they are good and Fiercombe Manor is. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy gothic tales or historical fiction. I really enjoyed it!

I liked Fiercombe Manor enough to keep reading, but some parts were boring enough that I sped- read thru them. There was a lot about post-partum depression from the professional position that was around in 1898. Women were hysterical and easily sent into mania, especially if they just had a baby. They were kept in bed with no mental distractions, etc. and often abused in mental hospitals. There was no consideration that all they needed was love and some attention. OK- that part I didn't like. I liked the characters, Alice and Elizabeth, but after reading the whole book and pondering over their connection-- darned if I could find any. Alice had an active imagination and spent most of her time hunting for info on Elizabeth, who was long dead. Alice spent her time creeping thru long hallways, going thru papers and furniture, going places on the grounds where Elizabeth had been. She was obsessed with Elizabeth but at the end, the connection between them was paper thin. The only thing that might have connected them was they both had pregnancies and Alice's grandmother knew the present maid, Edith. However, even at the end, Alice was still believing there was a connection. We, the reader, were also led to believe there was a connection, but what I think is--that was a way to keep us reading. There just wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and nothing that would not have been possible with any two women who had unhappy pregnancies.

This was a fun read and I wish I had saved it for fall. It’s atmospheric, not scary but some might find it spooky. Just about what you’d expect it to be with a name like Fiercombe Manor. (Also, if you are confused like I was, apparently this is the same book as The Girl in the Portrait.)

Could be a bit spooky but enjoyed the suspense!!

Good read

It was at first a little difficult to get into but once the story line catches the reader you simply can't put the book down.

beautifully written book, would recommend it.

Great mysterious novel with a paranormal twist.