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bookwormy614's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the story very much. It jumps back in forth in time (100 year gap) but it was easy enough to follow. Lots of suspenseful, scary-ish buildup to .... nothing. No closure whatsoever. And that is why this book gets 3 stars.
livinliterary's review against another edition
4.0
This held my attention to the end - intriguing and thought provoking. Cleverly written and quite unnerving at times.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
From past to present, a cottage in a remote English village, provides a chilling setting. Talented, Julie Myerson delivers an emotional, atmospheric haunting tale, THE STOPPED HEART --dual time periods, over a hundred and fifty years apart linked by tragedy. (love the cover)
Mary, a former publicist, is left devastated by the deaths of her daughters. She and husband attempt to build a new life in a rural cottage. Eliza is a 13-year-old farmer’s daughter, living in the same house a century earlier. How do the two stories connect? Crimes of the past. Secrets. Lies.
Eliza, resides in a small 19th century English farming community. She lives on a farm with her large family, tending to her younger six siblings. One night there is a storm. An old tree fell. A man came just like the rain, lightening, thunder, and a raging storm. The cold and blackness.
A city boy (definitely not country), James Dix, the red-haired mystery stranger is pinned under the tree. It missed him by an inch. He recovers and Eliza’s father hires him to help out on the farm. Eliza, the oldest-- does not care for the man; however, others seem to be under his spell. She thinks he is evil.
Lottie, the younger sister, four years old-- has a gift and sees things. Reincarnation. The dog does not like James. She thinks she was a dog before she died. He weaves himself into their lives.
A hundred and fifty years later, Mary and Graham Coles are looking at buying an old rundown cottage. A former orchard. Escaping their own tragedy, they buy the old cottage in a remote English village, hoping for a fresh start. Mary is drawn to the home far away from London, friends and reminders of their loss – their daughters. (we learn about this further on into the novel). Graham hopes this will pull her out of her depression.
The neighbor Eddie.
However, soon there are echoes of the past. A sense of voices, a dark presence, a red haired man in the orchard. Kids, steps and floors creak, doors. Shouts. A magpie.
A connection – two parallels, linked. The author cleverly and slowly peels back the dark layers at her own pace, keeping the reader glued to the pages. The setting feels real and the narrators, Elizabeth Knowelden and Lucinda Clare delivered a chilling performance.
A clever spine-chilling INTENSE and haunting story. Evocative, a twisted blend of Gothic, supernatural, horror, ghosts, mystery, and psychological suspense. Loss, grief, pain, love, hearts broken, madness, memories, emotional devastation. For fans of Tana French and Kate Morton.
My first book by the author, and look forward to more!
JDCMustReadBooks
Mary, a former publicist, is left devastated by the deaths of her daughters. She and husband attempt to build a new life in a rural cottage. Eliza is a 13-year-old farmer’s daughter, living in the same house a century earlier. How do the two stories connect? Crimes of the past. Secrets. Lies.
Eliza, resides in a small 19th century English farming community. She lives on a farm with her large family, tending to her younger six siblings. One night there is a storm. An old tree fell. A man came just like the rain, lightening, thunder, and a raging storm. The cold and blackness.
A city boy (definitely not country), James Dix, the red-haired mystery stranger is pinned under the tree. It missed him by an inch. He recovers and Eliza’s father hires him to help out on the farm. Eliza, the oldest-- does not care for the man; however, others seem to be under his spell. She thinks he is evil.
Lottie, the younger sister, four years old-- has a gift and sees things. Reincarnation. The dog does not like James. She thinks she was a dog before she died. He weaves himself into their lives.
A hundred and fifty years later, Mary and Graham Coles are looking at buying an old rundown cottage. A former orchard. Escaping their own tragedy, they buy the old cottage in a remote English village, hoping for a fresh start. Mary is drawn to the home far away from London, friends and reminders of their loss – their daughters. (we learn about this further on into the novel). Graham hopes this will pull her out of her depression.
The neighbor Eddie.
However, soon there are echoes of the past. A sense of voices, a dark presence, a red haired man in the orchard. Kids, steps and floors creak, doors. Shouts. A magpie.
A connection – two parallels, linked. The author cleverly and slowly peels back the dark layers at her own pace, keeping the reader glued to the pages. The setting feels real and the narrators, Elizabeth Knowelden and Lucinda Clare delivered a chilling performance.
A clever spine-chilling INTENSE and haunting story. Evocative, a twisted blend of Gothic, supernatural, horror, ghosts, mystery, and psychological suspense. Loss, grief, pain, love, hearts broken, madness, memories, emotional devastation. For fans of Tana French and Kate Morton.
My first book by the author, and look forward to more!
JDCMustReadBooks
miszmuis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
2.0
Parents of murdered children move to country house haunted by unrelated murdered children.
Parts of this ghost story were very good, dark and creepy. Mary, the grieving mother, is a convincing character and her sensitivity to the ghostly presence in the house makes sense. The rest of the characters are not half as convincing (I kept thinking Eddie must be a hallucination because holy crap, he was bizarre) and as for the plot line, well, every twist is visible miles away, making the slow progress frustrating. The disturbing Eliza-James scenes were especially drawn-out for no good reason. A little bit of child abuse goes a long way, people.
It's a pity, because at times this was a gripping four star read. I didn't mind the loose threads, but I've had enough graphic violence against little girls to last me a lifetime.
Parts of this ghost story were very good, dark and creepy. Mary, the grieving mother, is a convincing character and her sensitivity to the ghostly presence in the house makes sense. The rest of the characters are not half as convincing (I kept thinking Eddie must be a hallucination because holy crap, he was bizarre) and as for the plot line, well, every twist is visible miles away, making the slow progress frustrating. The disturbing Eliza-James scenes were especially drawn-out for no good reason. A little bit of child abuse goes a long way, people.
It's a pity, because at times this was a gripping four star read. I didn't mind the loose threads, but I've had enough graphic violence against little girls to last me a lifetime.
highladyofthenightcourt21's review against another edition
2.0
To me, this one really fell flat.
I only kept reading it because at first, there was a lot of mystery and I wanted to know how it ended.
But the ending was swift and boring for me.
Also, the little love affair that happens in this book (in the present day plot line) was unnecessary and strange to me.
Overall, would not recommend and wouldn't read again.
I only kept reading it because at first, there was a lot of mystery and I wanted to know how it ended.
But the ending was swift and boring for me.
Also, the little love affair that happens in this book (in the present day plot line) was unnecessary and strange to me.
Overall, would not recommend and wouldn't read again.