A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, an unnamed body and a young student determined to find the truth.In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s … meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.
Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?
The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
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Book Review: Widow’s Lace by Lelita Baldock ” A forced trip leads Ellie on a path to discovery where she just may learn more than she bargained for. ” https://bit.ly/3IEoQix
I will admit, between agreeing to read this book and reading it, I completely forgot about the blurb and what this book was about, other than the fact that it was historical fiction. Therefore, imagine my surprise when it starts in 2018, with a woman called Ellie who is putting off doing her thesis and drinks too much alcohol! Nonetheless, I continued reading and soon I was in 1886, with the very poet that Ellie is researching. Skip ahead a couple of days (it wouldn’t have been so long, but I have a very needy child) I am in 1913, with yet another timeline that somehow fits in perfectly with the other two.
Let us go through each timeline separately. In 2018, Ellie isn’t having the greatest of times. She has no motivation to work on her thesis (haven’t we all been there?) and is miserable after the death of her father. She drinks, she smokes, she sleeps. Then, just as everything seems incredibly forlorn, a little ray of hope appears in the form of a pile of bones found at the poet’s old house. Of course, finding bones is incredibly exciting, and Ellie ends up on a mission to find out who the bones belong to and is determined to find the truth about the poet’s life. He disappeared, never to be heard of again, and Ellie wants to know why and what happened to him. At one point, she ends up in London, the first time, for she grew up in Australia. When in a new country, there is always a moment of awe as you see a new culture, a new environment, and I found it both incredibly amusing and so very true that as Ellie takes in London, she feels the need to point out the never-ending amount of pigeons.
In 1913, Archie and Clara are also not having fun. At least, they would be, but Clara desperately wants to marry Archie and Archie is never around. She is the most patient person I have ever read about, he runs off to Australia for a year and she forgives him with a kiss. No, Clara, ignore him for a year and see how he feels. Then, when he inevitably doesn’t have the patience to wait that long, hope that he understands how you feel (but he is a man, so he won’t). Archie wants to write a book about the poet, but since he is missing and presumed dead for 25 years, he visits the poet’s wife instead. And stays with her all year. Seriously, I feel so bad for Clara, even though I know why Archie is so closed off towards her (I’m not telling, read the book yourself!)
1886, the poet, Edward Barrington, is moving from England to Australia because of his wife’s health. Rosalind has consumption, and Edward sorely hopes the heat of Australia will help to rejuvenate her, to give her back her health. Edward, being a man, ends up making some very big choices in Australia, affecting both his and his wife’s entire futures, without consulting her. He likes Australia, much more than she does. In my opinion, she should be thankful she is not dead and learn to love the country, but I have never moved across the world so I can’t relate to the homesickness she has for England.
The mystery throughout, the bones, the disappearance of Edward, is intensely gripping and, if I had such a thing as a day to myself, I might have read this in a single sitting. Nothing is fully revealed until the end, so there is the constant incentive to continue reading and I didn’t want to put this book down, as much as I loved pretending to eat the *Play_Doh food my child had made while I read. This is the kind of book that I wish I could completely forget about, purely so I could read it and experience it again.
I admit, I was a little concerned when I agreed to read this book because of the three vastly different timelines — I was worried that I might find it difficult to keep up. How completely wrong I was! There is mystery aplenty, which means that this is the kind of book that one cannot walk away from. It is a sit down and finish book.
The story grabbed me and held my attention until the very end — if you do read this book, you must read to the end to get the full explanation, to find the truth about the mysteries.
The author has certainly put a lot of work into this book, for the timelines flow together without the jarring feel that dual timelines can sometimes possess, and the stories blend together wonderfully. One timeline is living a story, the next is trying to write a book about them and the third is trying to find the truth about them both. That third timeline, the modern one, shows just how difficult research can be, for there is always gossip that twists the truth, not all sources are reliable and for the ones that are, if can often be difficult to prove their reliability.
Nearly every character ends up on the other side of the world at one point, all of them spending time in both England and Australia, and the differences between the two countries are described wonderfully.
I thought this novel was brilliant from start to finish. If you’re looking for a good mystery book that will keep you guessing, not to mention reading all night, then look no further!
*I received a copy of this book from The Coffee Pot Book Club for review consideration.
Well, this book blew me away! I stayed up way past my bedtime so that I could finish it. Widow’s Lace is an enthralling mystery that had me guessing right up until the end, and wow, Lolita Baldock knows how to write a great plot-twist!
This story is set in two very different times – modern-day (2018) and the latter part of the 19th century. In 2018, Ellie’s life is falling apart, and she has no interest in her studies. But that all changes (I will not give away any spoilers as I don’t want to ruin this marvellous book for anyone). Needless, to say Ellie finds herself in the middle of a compelling – who done it, and who is it, adventure!
The historical setting was wonderfully portrayed. I must admit, I don’t know a great deal about Australia in 1886, so I was really interested in what it must have been like to live there and how vastly different it was from old Blighty. I really sympathised with Rosalind and Edward because, due to Rosaline’s health, they had no choice but to up sticks and make a new life on the other side of the world. It must have been a terribly traumatic experience to leave everything and everyone you knew, knowing that you would probably never see them again. I could understand Rosaline’s misery, but I also admired Edward’s determination to make the best out of the situation.
I am trying to be really careful in what I say, as it would be so easy to give away the plot. But let me end this review by saying that there are secrets aplenty in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book, and I think you will too.