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251st out of 485 books
—
613 voters
A Gathering Storm
by
Rachel Hore
Photographer Lucy Cardwell has recently lost her troubled father, Tom. While sifting through his papers, she finds he'd been researching an uncle she never knew he'd had. Intrigued, she visits her father's childhood home, the once beautiful Carlyon Manor. She meets an old woman named Beatrice who has an extraordinary story to tell ...Growing up in the 1930s, Beatrice plays...more
Paperback, 470 pages
Published
September 1st 2011
by Simon & Schuster
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When Lucy delves into her father's past to find out why he was particularly interested in a certain man whose story he was never able to uncover, she meets a woman who holds the answers and peels back the layers of her life and reveals to Lucy hidden truths and a story rich in WWII details. Beatrice had been a welcome friend of the Wincanton family, a rich family who lived in a Manor named Carlyon Manor in England. The Wincantons were wealthy and Beatrice poor, but she was good company for their...more
That cover! A story moving between past and present! A big house in Cornwall!
I’d left Rachel Hore’s book on the library shelf before, but this one I couldn’t resist!
The story opens in the present. Lucy’s father has died, and as she goes through his papers she discovers that he has been researching the life of an uncle she knew nothing about. She wonders why this man had been written out of her family history.
And so on a trip to Cornwall she makes a detour so that she can visit Carlyon, her fathe...more
I’d left Rachel Hore’s book on the library shelf before, but this one I couldn’t resist!
The story opens in the present. Lucy’s father has died, and as she goes through his papers she discovers that he has been researching the life of an uncle she knew nothing about. She wonders why this man had been written out of her family history.
And so on a trip to Cornwall she makes a detour so that she can visit Carlyon, her fathe...more
For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know I have a soft spot for historical fiction novels. The intrigue and mystery of a foreign time period always draws me in and makes the plot of these novels that much better. Rachel Hore’s A Gathering Storm is no different, and I found myself incredibly immersed in this harrowing mystery.
Lucy Cardwell’s father has died. When looking through his papers, she finds that he started doing research on Rafe Ashton, a long-lost uncle. Det...more
Lucy Cardwell’s father has died. When looking through his papers, she finds that he started doing research on Rafe Ashton, a long-lost uncle. Det...more
I'm a massive fan of Rachel Hore and just had to pre-order this one for my Kindle - but I was really disappointed by it. Her strength has always been the easy relationship between the historical story and the modern, but she certainly lost her touch with this one. The modern story didn't engage me at all. Lucy is such a non-entity - just the person Beatrice tells her story to - and I really didn't have any interest in how her life turned out. I got the impression the author didn't either. The re...more
A good read, focusing on the lives on a disparate group of individuals, before, during and after, the post war years.
Beatrice, the protagonist, becomes involved with her wealthy neighbor's children in Cornwall. They often turn to her in times of need, and come to rely on her quite extensively.In turn, they appear to rather take advantage of Beatrice's good nature, and she often has to subjugate her needs to their's.
There is a good range of characters-all of whom come into their own at some ssta...more
Beatrice, the protagonist, becomes involved with her wealthy neighbor's children in Cornwall. They often turn to her in times of need, and come to rely on her quite extensively.In turn, they appear to rather take advantage of Beatrice's good nature, and she often has to subjugate her needs to their's.
There is a good range of characters-all of whom come into their own at some ssta...more
A Gathering Storm belongs to the genre where the narrative switches from the past to the present when a young women becomes intrigued by a bygone family, romantic or domestic mystery and seeks to unravel it, usually with the aid of fortuitously discovered letters or diaries or an encounter with an aged but plucky survivor of the drama. It is a genre I love but some novels are better than others. A Gathering Storm is very enjoyable, though it did tail off towards the end and the ending easily sur...more
Despite being what most people would consider 'chick lit', I actually really enjoyed this book. I'm new to Rachel Hore, a local Norfolk author, but I have to say she's a great storyteller. The book is set in Cornwall just before the war. It tells the story of a local upper class family, the Wincantons and their stately home, and a local girl Beatrice. Beatrice meets the Wincanton children one day on the beach and strikes up a friendship with Angie, the eldest daughter. One day Beatrice meets a l...more
I bought this book in a little museum shop in a little town in Cornwall when I was desperate for a book, having read everything I had brought with me on the trip. Admittedly, I used it as a sleep aid for the first 100 pages or so, but then, once the kids had grown up and made some choices in their lives, and once WWII was looming, it got much more readable. It was definitely a plot-driven novel, and so once the back story clichés were finished, the story was able to keep me turning the pages. I...more
Another new author for me for January, yep you guessed it, it was another Christmas present. I'd not come across Rachel Hore before so didn't know what to expect or if I'd enjoy it but thought I'd give it a go, but actually I enjoyed it once the children had grown up as until that point I struggled.
Lucy's trying to discover her family history and following a longer than expected stay in Cornwall is introduced to Beatrice. She hopes that Beatrice will be able to give her the information she needs...more
Lucy's trying to discover her family history and following a longer than expected stay in Cornwall is introduced to Beatrice. She hopes that Beatrice will be able to give her the information she needs...more
Feb 06, 2013
Sharon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Sharon by:
Tesco
Shelves:
favorites,
2013-books-read
Fantastic is all I can say discovered this book as a 2 for £7 offer in Tesco and so glad I did !! I don't think it unfair to compare Rachel with Kate Morton. Both are now on my favourite authors list.
I won't even dream of spoiling the story a wonderfully researched tale I found myself wanting more at the end of every page. I felt a sense of relief at the end as it did come to the conclusion I had guessed about 2 chapters from the end. It left me with a smile on my face and a definite must get an...more
I won't even dream of spoiling the story a wonderfully researched tale I found myself wanting more at the end of every page. I felt a sense of relief at the end as it did come to the conclusion I had guessed about 2 chapters from the end. It left me with a smile on my face and a definite must get an...more
On her way to a brief holiday in Cornwall, Lucy Cardwell finds herself making a quick break from her new boyfriend. Lucy's participation in this holiday is halted as they are passing through an area which contains her father's childhood home,Carlyon Manor. The draw to visit Carlyon Manor is so strong that Lucy abruptly decides to stay in the nearby village rather than going on with her scheduled holiday plans. The recent loss of her troubled father, Tom, has her questioning some of his papers sh...more
Photographer Lucy Cardwell has recently lost her troubled father, Tom. While sifting through his papers, she discovers that he'd been researching an uncle by the name of Rafe Ashton, who she'd never knew he'd had. Intrigued, she visits her father's childhood home, the once beautiful Carlyon Manor. With the help of Beatrice, an old lady who wants the truth to be told as it really happened, Lucy uncovers family secrets and untold bravery during WW2.
A bit slow and long winded at times - I found my...more
A bit slow and long winded at times - I found my...more
A powerful story, beautifully written. Beatrice's character grew from a naive young girl to a strong and courageous woman at a natural and believable pace. It was easy to see how life had shaped her. I wanted to hear more about Lucy, but Beatrice's story was so consuming I can see why Lucy's plot seemed more like a vehicle to tell about the past than an actual plot-line herself.
This was an amazing book, with characters that felt real to me in their many shades of gray. The story will haunt me fo...more
This was an amazing book, with characters that felt real to me in their many shades of gray. The story will haunt me fo...more
After Lucy Cardwell’s father dies she discovers references to Rafe Ashton, her great-uncle and someone she had never heard mention of, amongst his things. Lucy’s father seemed to have been troubled before he died and when she is presented with the opportunity to visit the village where her grandmother grew-up she takes it. In fact after a disagreement with her boyfriend she makes a spontaneous decision to spend a week there.
Trying to find out more about her family’s history, Lucy is introduced t...more
Trying to find out more about her family’s history, Lucy is introduced t...more
Great read - tells story of women SOE agents during WW2 and of the sacrifices they made. The inspiration was Violet Szabo and Odette Churchill, both of whom were mothers of young children. The book is well written and conveys meaningfully what it must have been like for those women and others like them. You also get very well the sense of what it must have been like for their families and loved ones. A must read for those who want to get a feel for the sacrifices and bravery and what that genera...more
I really enjoyed this book as it was set in two time periods and jumped back and forth between the two. There seem to be many books out there at the moment that are written in this style with a modern day heroine and a historic heroine, so the idea is by no means unique.
The modern day heroine is called Lucy, and whilst some of the book does focus on her it is really the story of the historic heroine, Beatrice, that we are following. The story winds from Beatrice's childhood right up to the moder...more
The modern day heroine is called Lucy, and whilst some of the book does focus on her it is really the story of the historic heroine, Beatrice, that we are following. The story winds from Beatrice's childhood right up to the moder...more
I really got into this book - I'm definitely now a fan of this author. I really liked A Place of Secrets but it clearly wasn't a one off, as this latest book was also good. Although I did feel that the large chunk towards the end - focusing solely and in detail on Beatrice's experience during WWII and her time spent helping the French Resistance and then as a prisoner of war - almost started to feel like it should be part of a separate book. And I thought the brief epilogue was a bit redundant /...more
I bought this book to scratch an itch. It's a change from my usual genre and a subject I know little about. The wonderful characterisation and scene-setting made it possible for me to emotionally engage with the story. I found Beatrice a strong heroine whose character development surprised me after meeting her at the beginning of the book. I will be hunting down more of Rachel Hore's novels in the near future.
This book took a little while to get going, and the flitting back and forth in time took a while to get used to, but once the story kicked in it was so hard to put down. Alternating between the present day, and Cornwall in World War Two, we learn the story of Beatrice as she struggles to fit into society, as she recalls her life to curious Lucy, who is searching for more information about her family. Beatrice's story provides a brilliant glimpse into the life of women during the war, and the sto...more
A fun read- flashbacks to pre and World War II era England through the eyes of a female spy in France- loves won and lost-babies born without fathers in a time when that was shunned- class differences still around even after World War I. Interesting characters and situations told through the eyes of an 80 something year old woman who lived a full, exciting life.
What is it about those who became involved in the resistance in WWII that demands that they all had some branch of their family living in Cornwall? Maybe it's my imagination but it does seem to be a feature of this kind of reasonably enjoyable very light read.
It's a sitting in the sun when you have nothing pressing to do kind of book. Maybe best read in Cornwall?
It's a sitting in the sun when you have nothing pressing to do kind of book. Maybe best read in Cornwall?
This book covered an area of history which I've always found interesting thanks to A level history, but from the perspective of a young woman involved in espionage and the French resistance which I knew very little about. Although some of the plot was a little bit predictable, the way the characters react to their circumstances was unexpected. I picked this up in the library as a quick summertime read, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rachel has become one of my top 5 authors due to her use of history within her stories. Judy is interested in why her recently deceased father Tom was trying to find out about Rafe a great uncle. She takes up the research and stumbles on family secrets and untold bravery during WW2. The story is told via Beatrice an old lady who wants the secrets to be told but in the right way and with the good reason, the truth will out.
Loved this - another great story by Rachel Hore. Wasn't expecting it to be so WW2 based, & there is actually very little in the present day, but I loved the way the story was revealed to the modern-day character, and how it ultimately impacts on her life & family.
Lucy uncovers a secret that has been lurking in her family's past in a novel that includes idyllic childhood, love and bravery. Highly recommended. I read this book in two sittings and was gripped by the plot. It is a rewarding and intriguing read.
I really enjoyed this read. Not my usual cup of tea but this really worked for me. Sure, I wont lie, there was some weak spots but overall they could be completely forgiven. I think I have just discovered my new 'must read' author
In style, this reminded me of books I had read as a child - Famous Five/Mallory Towers. Not much of the writer's craft here I'm afraid, and fancy giving the game away in the first few pages... made it a pointless read.
this is a great fiction story that depicts the full horror of war for all concerned wit h out it being an horrific book to read.I everybody f2f by I
would enjoy. a book on t he second/ world war .but this was great well written and historically researched.
would enjoy. a book on t he second/ world war .but this was great well written and historically researched.
This is my third Rachel Hore book and my favourite so far, I LOVED it. Beatrice's story is very moving and she is a very endearing character. Although I guessed the end quite early on, it didnt spoil my enjoyment and was sorry when I finished reading it.
I enjoyed it, as I have all of Ms. Hore's books. Of course, I had guessed by the end what the "secret" was. I would have rated it higher, but it got a little long by the end of the book.
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Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, Norfolk. She is married to writer D.J. Taylor and they have three sons. Her first novel was The Dream House. Her second, The Memory Garden, was published in August 2007 and was an Amazon Top Ten bestseller. Her third, The Glass Painter's Daughter, is to be published in 2009. She teaches Publishing at t...more
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01. Januar, 02:08 Uhr