“Cavendish draws from the best conventions of the genre in this eerie gothic novel about a woman’s sanity slowly unraveling within the hallways of a mysterious mansion.” – Publishers Weekly Don’t play the game.In 1893, Evelyn and Claire leave their home in a Yorkshire town for life in a rural retreat on their beloved moors. But when a strange toy garden mysteriously appears, a chain of … mysteriously appears, a chain of increasingly terrifying events is unleashed. Neighbour Matthew Dixon befriends Evelyn, but seems to have more than one secret to hide. Then the horror really begins. The Garden of Bewitchment is all too real and something is threatening the lives and sanity of the women. Evelyn no longer knows who – or what – to believe. And time is running out.
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3.5 stars.
THE GARDEN OF BEWITCHMENT, by Catherine Cavendish, is her latest novel released by Flame Tree Publishing. One thing I’ve come to expect from this author is incredible atmosphere throughout her entire story. This one is no exception to that! The Gothic feel set in almost immediately, and never let up.
We begin with twins, Evelyn and Claire, unmarried wealthy women, alone now since the death of their parents. In an attempt to hide from society–and the possibility of men after them only for their money–Evelyn insists they move to a more remote location.
“. . . maybe she hadn’t chosen Heather Cottage at all. Maybe it had chosen her.”
Of course, this misty area is seeped in Gothic imagery and just enough isolation to let you feel as though anything is possible here. This is a land where the “unnatural” belongs.
“. . . A few days ago, she wouldn’t have given the supernatural a second thought . . . ”
The characters of Evelyn and Claire have the most dynamics between them. Other chance encounters–one with a new neighbor–show that everything here seems “destined” to unfold, and that there are no mere coincidences. After the man, Matthew, describes his encounter many years before with a game called “The Garden of Bewitchment”, Evelyn’s sister finds a game by the same name in her new room.
A game that seemingly “plays” you, and is much more than an innocuous toy.
“. . . I have seen enough in my life to make me believe there are some things best left alone and some things we will never explain . . .”
I loved the characters of Evelyn and Claire–even Matthew, to an extent. The only complaint I had during the first two-thirds or so of the book was that there were several “repetitive” scenes–basically same people, location, “slightly” different conversation.
“. . . nothing was as it seemed in this place . . . ”
Additionally, there were some characters later introduced that I just didn’t understand the need for. One, in particular, really confused me towards the end–in an otherwise fantastic idea, this one part intruded on what could have been a “perfect” ending, in my mind.
“This is real life . . . It’s much more sinister . . . ”
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the writing style. The setting was perfect and gave my imagination plenty to speculate on, making it easy to fall into the events unfolding.
“. . . Don’t you feel as if you’re losing touch with reality in some way? . . . ”
The idea behind the GARDEN OF BEWITCHMENT was sinister and led me to believe the actions happening here. My only real complaints were the “excess scenes” and one of the characters at the end that felt unnecessary and simply . . . confusing . . . as I didn’t see where he fit in, or the reason for him at all. Aside from that, a riveting book that kept me thinking the entire read.
Recommended.
This book was quite different from most I’ve read, but it was really enjoyable. The twin sisters will having your head spinning trying to figure out what is going on. You never are quite sure if you can trust Matthew , their neighbor, or not. Word to the wise, you will have to put on your fantasy cap, and be willing to imagine the Garden of Bewitched.
This is a historical Gothic haunted house story featuring two sisters, Evelyn and Claire, and multiple spirits.
Cavendish creates a superb backdrop for the story. We get to see northern England in the late 1800s and experience the weather on the moors. The village cottage where the sisters live becomes one of the characters itself.
The Garden of Bewitchment, seemingly an innocent, children’s dollhouse-type of toy, is more than a toy and evolves into the central paranormal focus of the story. It’s a fresh twist on the haunted house genre.
I appreciated Cavendish’s use of historical vocabulary and sensibilities. Her prose is never too thick, though, and it’s easy to read.
Even trying to be nit-picky, I couldn’t think of any negatives.
This is an excellent, captivating story, well researched and eerie to the point of goosebumps. Highly recommended for those who enjoy Gothic literature.
Horrors both of our own imaginings and of the supernatural come home to roost in Catherine Cavendish’s The Garden of Bewitchment [February 2020, Flame Tree Press].
When the Wainwright sisters move to the country to escape the judgmental eyes of their neighbors—after all, what could be more scandalous than two spinster sisters living alone, unwed, and wealthy in the end of the 19th-century England?—what is meant to be a quiet respite quickly becomes a tale of deadly horror. And it seems to all start with the appearance of a mysterious, eerily sentient toy called the Garden of Bewitchment.
Atmospheric and rich in detail, Cavendish masterfully draws the reader into the slow-burning horror that makes well-crafted Gothic literature so delightfully addictive. It all starts with tension between sisters. Identical twins Evelyn and Claire might share the same physical characteristics, but they exist in almost two completely different worlds. Evelyn is pragmatic and responsible, Claire unkempt and somewhat unhinged, infatuated with Branwell Brontë, who although deceased is very real in Claire’s mind—and her heart. The one thing the sisters do share: Calladocia.
Like the Brontë sisters, the Wainwrights are writing a novel about Calladocia, a universe of their own creation. Their existence at opposite ends of this imaginary world provides an unsettling allegory for the widening gap between the sisters as Cavendish’s story unfolds, pulling the sisters apart with it. When a strange toy featuring a miniature mansion surrounded by a beautiful garden, the Garden of Bewitchment, appears in their cottage, the boundary between the real and the imaged begins to crumble. As the separation between reality and the nightmare the sisters have found themselves trapped in becomes ever-frightening, Evelyn and Claire are forced to try to sort out which of the horrors are consequences of the toy’s unnerving influence, and which might be of their own making. No one—and nothing—is as it seems in The Garden of Bewitchment.
Though at time the pacing seems a little uneven, The Garden of Bewitchment delivers as a gothic tale of unexpected horror, unraveling insanity, and what happens when the realities we’ve constructed for ourselves turn against us.
The Queen of Gothic Horror returns with another dark thriller. A cottage in a small town, two quirky spinster sisters, and a whole host of ghosts. Throw in the creepiest doll house ever and this becomes a riveting tale with some splendid, surreal, scenes. Catherine has the ability to nail period settings and this book is no exception. Highly recommended.
Wow, this was a great read! This is the first book by Catherine Cavendish I have read and I devoured it! If you love gothic horror, you’ll love this slow burn ghost story with a touch of demons.
Evelyn and Claire, identical twins, move to a small cottage and things begin to become odd. A handsome stranger, a mysterious child’s game and sisterly conflict create a story that will stick with you for a while.
I can’t wait to read more from this author!