From the bestselling author of House of Shadows and The Phantom Tree comes a spellbinding tale of jealousy, greed, plotting and revenge—part history, part mystery—for fans of Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley and Barbara ErskineLondon, 1765Lady Isabella Gerard, a respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the … respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the actions of her brutal husband the night before.
Three months later, Lord Gerard stands at the shoreline of the lake, looking down at a woman wearing the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this was not his intended victim…
250 Years Later…
When a gown she stole from a historic home as a child is mysteriously returned to Fenella Brightwell, it begins to possess her in exactly the same way that it did as a girl. Soon the fragile new life Fen has created for herself away from her abusive ex-husband is threatened at its foundations by the gown’s power over her until she can’t tell what is real and what is imaginary.
As Fen uncovers more about the gown and Isabella’s story, she begins to see the parallels with her own life. When each piece of history is revealed, the gown—and its past—seems to possess her more and more, culminating in a dramatic revelation set to destroy her sanity.
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Atmospheric and compelling, Nicola Cornick brings her knowledge of history to everything she writes. Great book.
I love Nicola Cornick’s books. They never disappoint.
From the bestselling author of House of Shadows and The Phantom Tree comes a spellbinding tale of jealousy, greed, plotting and revenge—part history, part mystery—for fans of Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley and Barbara Erskine.
This one definitely will keep you turning page after page and on the edge of your seat. A very good historical mystery. 5 stars all the way for it.
Two stories in different times connected by a mysterious dress. Interesting characters.
The concept of this book was so interesting. It was informative as well as descriptive and the dual storylines slowly unravelled to reveal the mystery surrounding the characters past and present. The only thing that let this book down in my option was the female characters in the past portion of the story. I didn’t connect with them in a way I normally do when I read this authors books. That being said it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book
I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I believe it to be a little darker than Nicola Cornick’s other two timeslip novels (which I also loved), as the Golden Gown doesn’t bring out the best in its owner.
A fabulous mix of history, romance (Hamish Ross is a tiny bit lush) and drama. And I love that it’s set in Swindon (which clearly has more history to it than the steam trains) and we get to see it in present day and in the 18th Century.
I have mentioned in past posts that I am a fan of historical fiction. I don’t read it often because I am afraid of getting burnt out. I am also a mystery/thriller fan. I like reading a mystery/thriller and trying to guess what is going on. So, when there are those two genres thrown together, I will pick it up. That’s what happened with The Woman in the Lake. I saw it, read the blurb and got it.
The Woman in the Lake was a bit different than some of the other mystery/thriller books that I have read in the past. Those differences actually made me like the book more.
The first difference is that the book went back and forth between 1st person and 3rd person. I usually dislike it when a book does that. The storyline gets lost between the constant back and forth. Not in this book. The author makes it clear when the POV changes. It made that part of reading the book pleasurable for me.
The second difference is that there are 3 separate storylines. Again, something that would drive me nuts. Like the POV changes, the author handled the 3 storylines wonderfully. Lady Gerard and Constance’s storyline was intertwined. The author was able to keep them separate until the pivotal scene towards the end of the book. It was wonderfully written.
I loved the characters. There were layers to them. I loved that when one layer was peeled back, another was revealed. This kept up until the end.
The historical fiction angle of the book was wonderfully written as well. It was set in Gregorian England. The author did a fantastic job of describing everyday life in that era. She also did a fantastic job of portraying how women were treated. Lady Gerard was beaten by Lord Gerard. Everyone turned a blind eye to it. Constance was sold to Lord Gerard and forced to be Lady Gerard’s maid. She was treated like she was invisible. Which was all part of being part of a servant and catering to the nobility.
The mystery/thriller angle had me guessing also. The author did a fantastic job of keeping me on my toes with Fenella’s storyline. Was she going insane? Was she suffering a psychotic breakdown? How come she kept seeing Jake? What was she going to find out about the gown? I couldn’t get enough.
The ending was fantastic. The author did a great job at bringing all 3 storylines together, merging them and ending the book. I was surprised at the twist that the author threw in at the end of the book. I didn’t see that coming!
The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick is a split time/timeslip novel 1760‘s and 2000‘s set in England. There are intricate plot twists with deceitful characters that scheme to serve their own interests impacting others for years. A pervasive evil influences the characters behavior leading to a suspenseful and thrilling story. Nicola Cornick writes unforgettable fiction that always has me wishing for her next book. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. My thanks to the author, the publisher and netgalley for the privilege to read, enjoy and review this book.
Audiobook –
This was performed by three narrators. I’m unsure who narrated each character. One of them definitely did a much better job than the others as well as one made if difficult for me to listen to it at times as her voice was so flat and monotone that I struggled with the driving need to just stop the torture. Usually, I just switched over to music and later returned to it. It pretty much flipped between narrators/characters with every chapter which made it much easier.
I had high hopes for this book. Labeled as a psychological thriller, I’m not sure what I was expecting but this tended to have a bit of a paranormal aspect to it. Although, I was okay with that. It just never really lived up to what that promised as well as the thriller claim.
The most disappointing part of the story was that I didn’t like or care about a single character. Not even the one that was supposed to be the good guy in the end. I also expected to feel more of the mystery and mystique and was hoping for a surprising twist but unfortunately I didn’t get any of that either. I stuck with this one thinking it was going to eventually give me that adrenaline rush at the end but nope. I felt like this was a waste of time.
A great story of finding one’s history. Between current day and 2 generation ago.
Boring and boring and boring
Another genre-bending page turner – perfect for those who like a bit of everything in their books!
The Woman in the Lake is a compelling novel told by 3 people, two in 1765 and one in present day England who is getting her life back together after a bad marriage.
The Gown is what ties these 2 time periods together. A beautiful gown that seems to possess everyon that has possession of it.
It is a novel of love, hate, greed , revenge and redemption.
Secrets prevail throughout the novel.
A great story, the characters are strong, you feel like you are in the room with them .
I am a recent fan of Nicola Cornick , have loved her books The Phantom Tree and The House of Shadows. The Woman in the Lake does not disappoint !!!
Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book. Can’t wait to get my hard copy for my shelves.
The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick is a puzzle you must read through the voices of two women in the past and the present day Fenella. I really enjoyed the plot twists with the beautiful golden gown which passed through different generations in rather mysterious ways. Fenella is dismayed to open a box from her sister and find the gorgeous golden gown which has haunted her life since the day she was compelled by an unusual force to steal it! Yes, Fenella has a little problem, she is a recovering kleptomaniac and never thought she would see this item again. Read the story as the interweaving timelines carry you between the Georgian society of greed, lust, deceit, and smugglers or the Moonrakers, into the present with Fenella dealing with an abusive husband she thought she had escaped and how to understand the beguiling and dangerous gown. Maybe there was too much going on within the tale. Sometimes the story got a bit entangled, but overall it is interesting to finally have all the loose ends tied together.
Publication Date: February 26, 2019