Poet's Cottage

Mar 24, 2012 Karen Brooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful, haunting piece of work that starts in the present day when newly divorced Sadie, along with her teenage daughter, Betty, moves to the sea-village of Pencubitt in Tasmania to claim an inheritance, the benignly and yet appropriately named, Poet's Cottage. On arrival, Sadie finds herself welcomed by both the rather closed and somewhat eccentric community and the gorgeous house that, according to locals, needs a writer and, particularly a Tatlow, to bring it to life. Once the ho...more This is a wonderful, haunting piece of work that starts in the present day when newly divorced Sadie, along with her teenage daughter, Betty, moves to the sea-village of Pencubitt in Tasmania to claim an inheritance, the benignly and yet appropriately named, Poet's Cottage. On arrival, Sadie finds herself welcomed by both the rather closed and somewhat eccentric community and the gorgeous house that, according to locals, needs a writer and, particularly a Tatlow, to bring it to life. Once the home of Sadie's grandmother, the infamous children's author, Pearl Tatlow, Sadie knows little about her relative except that her mother adored her and what she can glean from the children's books her grandmother wrote and the snippets of delicious scandal that followed in Pearl's wake. The other certainty that rightly unnerves Sadie and Betty is that Pearl was brutally murdered in the cellar of Poet's Cottage - a death that seems to have leached into the very foundations and walls of the house itself. As the killer was never found and Pearl's presence lingers, not only in the house, but in the memories (written and otherwise) of many of the villagers, Sadie determines to unravel the mystery of her grandmother's death and try and resolve the conflicting stories she's told about Pearl Tatlow: which was she? Adored mother and talented writer, whimsical, imaginative and warm? Or a selfish seductress and abusive mother and wife who cared for little but herself? Sadie must delve deeply to find the truth, crack open the shell of lies and fabrications to reveal the real woman behind the shiny, beauteous facade. Pearl is, in this regard, aptly named: she is either a precious thing buried beneath layers of grimy history and skewed familial and local stories or she is merely a broken promise, an empty shell devoid of depth. There are risks to this kind of search for the truth as Sadie is about to find out...

Segueing between past and present, from first person narrative (being an unedited version of a published book about Pearl called Webweaver, written by a local, the interesting Birdie) to third person, as a reader you're drawn into both Pearl and Sadie's stories that centre on family, relationships, female desire, social standards, gossip, assumptions and the power of words. This book is, in so many ways, a tale about the way words shape, inspire, create and destroy. How they can both build and harm. The Tatlows and others in the novel are either professional users of words or people who deploy them with a specific purpose such as in letters or wills. Within these forms, they construct versions of events, history and themselves... But for what purpose and what, if anything, are they hiding or revealing? What is fact? What is fiction? Just as writers construct imaginative worlds and tales for others to escape into, it seems other characters are not above doing this for themselves, whether it be a children's book, a work of non-fiction, letters, retellings of occasions or conversations or even Betty's wistful blogs. In all these modes, the subjective nature of 'truth' is exposed and questioned as is the transformative ability of words. Through words, of the novel and those given to the characters, imagination and memory are shown to be powerful tools that are wielded freely and in ways that mirror how we utilise both to protect, preserve, alter events to privilege a specific version and hasten forgetting of another. But this is not the time for fiction... Sadie wants and needs facts, but they're proving harder to uncover than she ever realised.

The story is also about survival - surviving loss, the abnegation of longing, abuse, thwarted desires, and shattered or even fulfilled dreams and the role memory can play in these as well. It's about female bonds and the capacity women have for great unity and destruction - mostly of each other. As we follow the many threads that weave both Pearl's tale and thus Sadie's, we're seduced into a particular kind of thinking and believing. It's testimony to Pennicott's exquisite prose that just as you think you understand where the characters and stories are heading, your expectations are overturned. I loved this about the novel. What I also loved is that I could see these characters; what they wore, ate, how they walked. I could feel the wind on my face, walk through the misty streets of Pencubitt, and feel the cold embrace of Poet's Cottage. Pennicott evokes time and place with a light and meaningful touch: a word, a mood, a gesture all bring the past and present lives of those dwelling in the village into acute focus.

This is a gorgeous, sometimes harrowing but always moving and deep story that remains with you long after the last page. Simply lovely. A triumph. (less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Susanna Montua rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wertung: ****

Cover: Sehr sehr schön, die Aufmachung ist super, der Einband in tollen Pastelltönen gehalten, wahrlich ein Buch, welches ich im Laden aus dem Regal genommen hätte.

Meinung: Ich durfte im Zuge einer Lovelybooks-Leserunde mitmachen und freute mich riesig - bis es dann losging. Dieses Buch schaffte es, auf den ersten Seiten, in mir einen Aberglauben zu wecken. Ich las etwa das erste Drittel sehr mühselig, immer wenn ich es zur Hand nahm, wuchs ein beklemmendes Gefühl in meiner Brust.

De...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Hikari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dornentöchter ist ein guter, spannender Roman, der sowohl im jahr 1936 als auch in der Gegenwart spielt und die Geschichten der Frauen einer Familie miteinander verknüpft. Sadie und ihre Tochter Betty ziehen in das alte Haus ihrer eigenen Mutter, in dem diese nur kurzfristig als Kind lebte. Denn Sadies Großmutter Pearl wurde in diesem Haus umgebracht. Pearl war eine exzentrische Frau, die den Hauptteil der Geschichte in der Vergangenheit ausmacht. Um sie geht es, ihre Geschichte verbindet die Ze...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Dornentöchter" von Josephine Pennicutt erzählt die Geschichte einer Familie in einem kleinen (fiktiven) tasmanischen Dorf namens Pencubitt, die mir insgesamt gut gefallen hat.

Inhalt: Nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter und der Trennung von ihrem Mann Jack zieht Sadie mit ihrer Tochter Betty nach Tasmanien, in das Dorf Pencubitt, wo sie das Poet's Cottage geerbt hat, das alte Haus ihrer Großmutter Pearl. Pearl war eine berühmte Kinderbuchautorin und sehr exzentrisch, bis sie 1936 im Keller des Poet's Cott...more "Dornentöchter" von Josephine Pennicutt erzählt die Geschichte einer Familie in einem kleinen (fiktiven) tasmanischen Dorf namens Pencubitt, die mir insgesamt gut gefallen hat.

Inhalt: Nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter und der Trennung von ihrem Mann Jack zieht Sadie mit ihrer Tochter Betty nach Tasmanien, in das Dorf Pencubitt, wo sie das Poet's Cottage geerbt hat, das alte Haus ihrer Großmutter Pearl. Pearl war eine berühmte Kinderbuchautorin und sehr exzentrisch, bis sie 1936 im Keller des Poet's Cottage brutal ermordet wurde. Seitdem soll es dort angeblich sogar spuken....
Sadie, selbst auch Autorin, hat sich vorgenommen, die Geheimnisse ihrer Großmutter zu entschlüsseln, ihren Tod aufzuklären und ein Buch über sie zu schreiben. Im Garten des Poet's Cottage lebt noch immer Sadies alte Tante Thomasina, die voller Hass für ihre Mutter ist - ganz im Gegenteil zu ihrer Schwester Marguerite, Sadies Mutter, die stets nur gut von ihr gesprochen hatte. Mit einem anderen Buch über Pearl, geschrieben von ihrer alten Freundin Birdie, die immer noch in Pencubitt lebt, versucht Sadie das Leben ihrer Großmutter zu verstehen...

Dieser Roman, der sich irgendwo zwischen Familienschicksal, Kriminalroman und Gruselgeschichte bewegt, war nicht leicht zu lesen. Auf den knapp 400 Seiten tummeln sich nicht wenige Protagonisten, deren Schicksale und Geschichten zu einem Gesamtbild geflochten werden wollen. Das gelingt der Autorin zwar sehr gut, sodass die Handlung mir zum Schluss sehr stimmig und gut durchdacht erschien, aber mit dem eher trockenen Schreibstil hatte der Roman leider doch einige Längen, die von den kurzen Gänsehaut-Momenten und den starken Charakteren nicht aufgewogen werden konnten. Sprachlich wirkt "Dornentöchter" leider recht altbacken, etwas stelzig und staubig - und das nicht nur in Birdies Buch "Die Netzspinnerin", welches der Leser mit der Hauptfigur Sadie gemeinsam liest, sondern auch in der modernen Gegenwart. Der Wechsel zwischen gegenwärtiger Geschichte und Birdies Erzählungen von Pearl und ihrer ungleichen Freundschaft aus der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts sorgte allerdings ein wenig für Auflockerung.

Die Charaktere waren allesamt sehr vielschichtig und stark und sorgten mit ihren Entwicklungen im Laufe des Romans für Überraschungen. Besonders interessant ist aber Sadies verstorbene Großmutter Pearl, deren Leben in dem kleinen Dorf Pencubitt, der Heimat ihres Mannes Maxwell, alles andere als einfach war. Pearl wurde durch ihre exzentrische, freizügige Art zum Zentrum von Klatsch und Tratsch im Dorf und machte sich schnell Feinde, was die Aufklärung ihrer Ermordung nicht gerade einfach macht. Ihr wurden Affären mit mehreren Männern nachgesagt, sie trank, kleidete sich auffällig und selbst ihre älteste Tochter hatte nichts als Verachtung für sie übrig. Mit Sadie gemeinsam einzutauchen in dieses abenteuerliche Leben, das ein so tragisches Ende nahm, war sehr spannend und macht den eigentlichen Reiz dieses Romans aus.

Fazit: Eine interessante Familiengeschichte mit ein paar Geistern aus der Vergangenheit und einem ungelösten Mordfall. Leider etwas trocken zu lesen, aber dennoch ein lesenswerter Roman aus dem fernen Australien. 4 Sterne

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Jul 01, 2012 Elisabeth Storrs rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you ever have doubts as to whether ghosts exist, then you should visit Tasmania. With its convict and colonial past there are buildings a plenty where phantoms reside. Poet’s Cottage by Josephine Pennicott is set in one such haunted dwelling - a house whose walls hide the clues to solving a crime committed decades ago.
Sadie and her daughter, Betty, leave Sydney for the small seaside village of Pencubbitt in Tasmania. Sadie has inherited Poet’s Cottage where her grandmother, Pearl Tatlow, was...more If you ever have doubts as to whether ghosts exist, then you should visit Tasmania. With its convict and colonial past there are buildings a plenty where phantoms reside. Poet’s Cottage by Josephine Pennicott is set in one such haunted dwelling - a house whose walls hide the clues to solving a crime committed decades ago.
Sadie and her daughter, Betty, leave Sydney for the small seaside village of Pencubbitt in Tasmania. Sadie has inherited Poet’s Cottage where her grandmother, Pearl Tatlow, was brutally murdered in 1936. Pearl was a ‘free spirit’ whose bohemian behaviour constantly challenged the morals and sensitivities of her neighbours. Acclaimed as an author of children’s books whose characters themselves have dark undertones, Pearl was charismatic, promiscuous, vicious and on the verge of madness.
The novel swings between the current day and the year of the murder. Sadie leaves behind the trauma of a divorce and the recent death of her mother, Marguerite, to write a book about her famous ancestor. Soon she is trying to uncover both the mystery of Pearl’s character and her demise. Sadie’s views are coloured by the fondness of Marguerite’s memories for her mother while Thomasina, Pearl’s other daughter, tells a different story of physical and mental abuse. Sadie learns more about the circumstances leading up to her grandmother’s death through a manuscript written by Birdie, one of Pearl’s friends. However the reliability of this account is thrown into question given Birdie’s relationship with Pearl’s husband.
Poet’s Cottage is a story with strong female personalities but the house itself has its own character too. Its aspect is charming but a visceral foreboding pervades it which gives the story a gothic feel. At times I found the accumulation of ghost stories concerning both the house and the village to be overplayed, particularly when coupled with the presence of a sinister cloaked woman. Pennicott is skilful, though, in drawing the reader through the maze of various versions of Pearl while building up the undeniable presence of the dead woman’s spirit as the threads of the mystery are unravelled.
There is another spectre that looms over Sadie and Betty – that of insanity. Birdie tells how the temperamental Pearl’s mood would swing between elation, obsessiveness and despair. There is also evidence of a deeper history of mental illness in the family. Pennicott hints of this legacy but never fully develops Sadie’s fear that she might not have only inherited Pearl’s beauty and writing talent but also her madness, nor her apprehension that seeds of instability might have been sewn in her teenage daughter as well. And while Thomasina’s tortured childhood is vividly depicted, I would have liked to know a little more about Marguerite, the favoured child.
Poet’s Cottage is an accomplished, engrossing novel with fine language and powerful descriptions of the small town inhabitants of Pencubbit in both past and modern times. Most of all, in creating the damaged and damaging Pearl, the author has created a character so compelling and complex that the image of her lingers just as surely as the strains of music from her gramophone drifted through Poet’s Cottage both before and after her death.
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Jul 05, 2012 Alison O'keefe rated it 4 of 5 stars

I knew I only had about two and a half days to read this for my book club, so I expected to get maybe about three quarters of the way through it in that time. I finished it in a day. I really expected to not like this book and was very hesitant to buy it, but I didn't want to miss discussing a book so I bought it anyway and found I really enjoyed it. I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what had happened and as it got closer and closer to the end I felt like the author was going to leave it...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Kerry Hennigan rated it 3 of 5 stars

It’s hard to describe this book in terms of a particular genre… part gothic mystery, part dysfunctional family drama; you could imagine either Victoria Holt or Agatha Christie dreaming up the eclectic cast, atmospheric setting and some of the events.

In terms of its cast, there are enough characters populating both past and present to be confusing at times – enough sisters, friends, aunts, uncles and fishermen inhabiting the 1930s and present day in the (fictional) village of Pencubitt on the coa...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, contemporary, crime, gothic, mystery, creepy, aus, historical

With a striking cover, interesting premise and a semi-local author (Australian) it was hard to pass this one up.

Sadie and her daughter Betty have moved to Tasmania to start anew after divorce and personal issues have made life impossible for them in Sydney. Poet's cottage is a beautiful house with a lot of history. Sadie's grandmother Pearl who was a children's author in the 1930s scandalised the locals with her free spirit and eccentric ways. She was beautiful and glamorous but she was also br...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Primeballerina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Das wunderschön gestaltete Cover erinnert eher an einen herrlichen, sanften Liebesroman, verbirgt jedoch eine schaurige Familiengeschichte.

Die Schriftstellerin Sadie zieht mit ihrer Tochter Betty vom australischen Festland nach Tasmanien, ins Poet's Cottage, das Haus ihrer verstorbenen Mutter Marguerite. Dort angekommen, leidet sie Nacht für Nacht an grauenvollen Alpträumen, sieht Geister herumspuken und wird jede Sekunde an das Leben ihrer Urgroßmutter Pearl erinnert. Diese wurde einst im Kelle...more Das wunderschön gestaltete Cover erinnert eher an einen herrlichen, sanften Liebesroman, verbirgt jedoch eine schaurige Familiengeschichte.

Die Schriftstellerin Sadie zieht mit ihrer Tochter Betty vom australischen Festland nach Tasmanien, ins Poet's Cottage, das Haus ihrer verstorbenen Mutter Marguerite. Dort angekommen, leidet sie Nacht für Nacht an grauenvollen Alpträumen, sieht Geister herumspuken und wird jede Sekunde an das Leben ihrer Urgroßmutter Pearl erinnert. Diese wurde einst im Keller dieses Hauses ermordet. So macht sich Sadie auf die Spuren ihrer Vergangenheit und versucht gemeinsam mit Birdie, einer einstigen Freundin von Pearl, das Rätsel, das schon so lange die ganze Stadt beschäftigt, zu lösen.

Parallel laufen zwei Handlungsstränge ab: die Geschichte von Sadie in der heutigen Gegenwart und die Handlung etwa siebzig Jahre zuvor, als Pearl noch lebte. So bekommt man als Leser natürlich ein viel besseres Gefühl für die gesamte und sehr vielseitige Geschichte, doch empfand ich diese leider allzu oft als zu verwirrend. Die ersten fünfzig Seiten musste ich mich sehr dazu zwingen, überhaupt weiterzulesen. Der Schreibstil unterscheidet sich zwar nicht von denen in anderen Romanen, doch ich hatte trotzdem immer ein Gefühl der Schwere beim Lesen. Die Handlung ist mir an so einigen Stellen viel zu skuril, kann ich mit Geistergeschichten so gar nichts anfangen. Stellenweise erinnert der Roman an einen Krimi, dann an einen Thriller, dann wiederum eher an einen historischen Roman. Kurzum, eine vollkommen unlogische und verwirrende Mischung. Auch oder vor allem das Ende, was nach dem mühevollen Lesen dann doch einen interessiert, gestaltet sich als sehr unbefriedigend. Viel zu viele Fragen bleiben offen oder sind zu oberflächlich geklärt worden. Dafür, das um das Rätsel so lange drumherum geredet wird, wird die Lösung dieses Rätsel zwischen den Zeilen mitgeteilt.

Einziger Pluspunkt für mich ist das wirklich schöne Cover: durch das Loch im Schutzumschlag blickt man auf Poet's Cottage und der feste Einband ist sogar ganz bedruckt. Doch wie schon anfangs gesagt, erinnern die Blumenranken eher an einen Liebesroman, wobei ich mir nun nicht einmal sicher bin, welches genaue Genre ich "Dornentöchter" zuordnen würde.(less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Angelcurse rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Familiengeheimnis-Roman + Krimi = gute Unterhaltung

Sadie möchte ein Buch über ihre Großmutter Pearl schreiben, die eine anerkannte Kinderbuch-Autorin war. Allerdings wurde sie in den 1930er Jahren ermordet - und der Mörder wurde nie gefunden. Also zieht Sadie mit ihrer Tochter Betty von Sydney nach Pencubitt, Tasmanien (Australien), in das Familienanwesen Poet's Cottage. Im Keller des Hauses wurde Pearl vor vielen Jahren niedergestochen - wen wundert es da, dass es im Haus zu spuken scheint? In...more Familiengeheimnis-Roman + Krimi = gute Unterhaltung

Sadie möchte ein Buch über ihre Großmutter Pearl schreiben, die eine anerkannte Kinderbuch-Autorin war. Allerdings wurde sie in den 1930er Jahren ermordet - und der Mörder wurde nie gefunden. Also zieht Sadie mit ihrer Tochter Betty von Sydney nach Pencubitt, Tasmanien (Australien), in das Familienanwesen Poet's Cottage. Im Keller des Hauses wurde Pearl vor vielen Jahren niedergestochen - wen wundert es da, dass es im Haus zu spuken scheint? In Pencubitt leben sogar noch einige Leute, die Pearl persönlich kannten und Sadie davon berichten können, allen voran die rüstige Birdie.

Zunächst möchte ich die wunderschöne Ausstattung dieses Buches loben, die für mich von vorne bis hinten stimmt: Das Schriftbild, der Satz, das Cover, einfach die gesamte Gestaltung dieses Romans ist herrlich und für einen Bücherfreund ein Augenschmaus!

Glücklicherweise wird der Inhalt dem Äußeren in jedem Falle gerecht. Ich kann kaum nachvollziehen, dass einige andere Rezensenten das Buch nicht spannend fanden - erst ganz zum Schluss wird aufgeklärt, wer Pearl ermordet hat und genau das war es, was ich unbedingt wissen wollte. Denn Möglichkeiten gab es viele, schließlich hatten viele Menschen einen Grund Pearl umzubringen.

Außerdem hatte das Buch ordentlich Schwung dadurch, dass vor allem Pearl einen besonders, sagen wir, schwierigen Charakter hat. Offenbar leidet sie unter einer psychischen Störung, die in den 1930er Jahren, zumindest in Tasmanien, weder diagnostiziert, noch behandelt wurde. Insofern verwundert es wenig, dass die anderen Einwohner Pearl alle nur als "verrückt" bezeichnen - das ist sie definitiv auch. Und teilweise völlig unberechenbar. Das machte das Lesen spannend für mich! Auch die Charaktere von Sadie, Betty, Birdie und Co. fand ich gut beschrieben, glaubwürdig und deren Handlungen nachvollziehbar.

Aber auch sprachlich konnte mich "Dornentöchter" überzeugen, denn es ließ sich flüssig lesen, ohne jedoch allzu oberflächlich zu wirken.

Insgesamt empfehle ich "Dornentöchter" allen, die gerne Familiengeheimnis-Romane lesen, wo gerne auch eine Mordaufklärung im Vordergrund stehen darf. Wer sich dazu noch für Geister und Übersinnliches interessiert, sollte unbedingt zuschlagen!

Besucht doch mal mein Blog :-) www.bookaddicted.de
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Apr 12, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian, review-books, crime

Josephine Pennicott has written three dark fantasy novels, and won three Scarlet Stiletto Awards from the Sisters in Crime Australia, so it's no surprise that her latest offering, POET'S COTTAGE has a little of the sensibility of both genres.

Set in the small, fictional town of Pencubbit in Tasmania, POET'S COTTAGE is really a story about generational memory. Sadie, and her teenage daughter move to Poet's Cottage after Sadie's mother Marguerite dies. The house, childhood home to Marguerite and he...more Josephine Pennicott has written three dark fantasy novels, and won three Scarlet Stiletto Awards from the Sisters in Crime Australia, so it's no surprise that her latest offering, POET'S COTTAGE has a little of the sensibility of both genres.

Set in the small, fictional town of Pencubbit in Tasmania, POET'S COTTAGE is really a story about generational memory. Sadie, and her teenage daughter move to Poet's Cottage after Sadie's mother Marguerite dies. The house, childhood home to Marguerite and her older sister Thomasina, and their parents Pearl and Maxwell is also the place where Pearl was brutally murdered. Pearl was a children's writer, an eccentric and erratic woman, capable of profoundly shocking behaviour particularly in that time and that place, remembered very differently by her two daughters - Marguerite with affection, Thomasina with loathing.

Sadie returns to her mother's childhood home to write a book about her grandmother, to uncover the truth of her death, to recover from her own divorce and grief at the death of her mother. Along the way she finds why Thomasina loathed the mother that Marguerite loved, and why the locals were so shocked and scandalised by Pearl.

The book moves backwards and forwards between the time of Pearl's life and her antics and the current day. The conduit for much of this movement is Birdie Pinkerton. Childhood friend and then long-time lover of Maxwell after Pearl's death, Birdie is still alive, albeit nearly 100. Her connection is multi-part. She was part of Pearl and Maxwell's circle during the time that they lived in Poet's Cottage, part of Maxwell's life post Pearl and the writer of an earlier book about Pearl that was part of what set Sadie on her path. She still lives in Pencubbit and has a connection with the town, the architecture and the people that is informed by her interest as a historian, and also because she has been there for such a significant period of time.

I understand that part of the plot line of POET'S COTTAGE was inspired by the story of children's author Enid Blyton, whose own daughters have conflicting opinions on Blyton as a mother. Whilst that might be an inspiration, the process of revealing the reason for the differences is interesting in this book, and Thomasina, who still lives in the vicinity, is a complex portrayal both in childhood and as an adult. In fact there are a lot of vaguely unpleasant characters littered throughout the book - some of whom go onto be revealed as maybe just a little misunderstood, some of whom remain unrepentant.

POET'S COTTAGE was a most unexpected reading experience, and one of the problems with writing a review of a book like this is avoiding revealing much of the detail - as this is a very detailed, complicated but extremely readable story. It is really less about solving any mystery around who murdered Pearl, although that is eventually revealed, but more about 4 generations of women in the family, and the women and to a lesser extent, the men, around them. The concentration is very much on the worlds that those women inhabit. Influenced by war, judged by society norms within all the generations, tempered by the isolation and tightness of a small community, connected to each other via flawed and accurate family recollection, POET'S COTTAGE uses a lot of threads to build a beautifully woven story.
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Mar 31, 2012 Lauren Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aww2012, aussie-author, crime-mystery

Poet’s Cottage is an absorbing novel entwined with mystery, inter-generational secrets and intrigue, set in a ghostly town in Tasmania.

When her mother dies, Sadie inherits the Tatlow family home, Poet’s Cottage in the coastal fishing town of Pencubbit, Tasmania. Pearl Tatlow was the eccentric grandmother whose legacy of outlandish behaviour and uninhibited ways is still the talk of the town, even two generations after Pearl was brutally murdered in the cellar and her murder never found. Pearl w...more Poet’s Cottage is an absorbing novel entwined with mystery, inter-generational secrets and intrigue, set in a ghostly town in Tasmania.

When her mother dies, Sadie inherits the Tatlow family home, Poet’s Cottage in the coastal fishing town of Pencubbit, Tasmania. Pearl Tatlow was the eccentric grandmother whose legacy of outlandish behaviour and uninhibited ways is still the talk of the town, even two generations after Pearl was brutally murdered in the cellar and her murder never found. Pearl was a children’s writer and bore two daughters, Marguerite (Sadie’s mother) and Thomasina.

Sadie, also a writer returns to her mother’s childhood home to uncover the truth of her grandmother’s death and to write her story. But she uncovers that Pearl, who was always portrayed as a lively, wonderful mother had many enemies in Pencubbit, including her daughter Thomasina who claimed her mother was abusive and mentally unstable.

Sadie is separated from her husband who left her for a young new age woman and moves into Poet’s Cottage with her teenage daughter, Betty who is recovering from an eating disorder.

There are many quirky characters in the story including close to one hundred year old Birdie Pinkerton who had a long-term relationship with Maxwell (Pearl’s husband) following the murder. Sadie makes friends with outspoken Maria and Canadian Gracie who owns most of the heritage estates in the town.

The author alternates the POV of Sadie and Betty in the present day deciphering the puzzle of their grandmother’s past as well as excerpts from Birdie’s memoir which tells her perspective of events in the 1930′s that lead to the eventual death of Pearl Tatlow.

Poet’s Cottage was inspired by the life of children’s author, Enid Blyton, whose daughters to this day have conflicting opinions on her role as a good mother. During a family holiday to a coastal town in Tasmania, the author was mesmerised by a big white Georgian style cottage by the sea that became known as Poet’s Cottage.

Poet’s Cottage is a ghostly mystery which spans three generations and covers themes of mental illness, infidelity, childhood abuse and the dramas of a small town in the 1930’s.

In the author’s note, Josephine says she set out to create an English-style mystery but with an Australian setting and I think she captured this perfectly. When I read this, I felt as captivated as I did when I read Sara Foster’s ghostly mystery Beneath the Shadows- which I also loved.

Highly recommended!
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Mar 12, 2013 Isabelle Woollard rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it had me hooked all the way. Poet's Cottage is set in the late 1930s and in present day. The story is filled with mystery & intrigue following the murder of the beautiful but notorious Pearl Tatlow. She was murdered in the cellar of her home at Poet's Cottage, no one was ever convicted of her murder.

Decades later, newly divorced Sadie (Pearl's Grandaughter)comes to live in Poet's cottage, Pencubitt, Tasmania with her daughter Betty. Sadie is fascinate...more

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May 19, 2012 Kelsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was really interested in Pearl's character development throughout the novel and genuinely wanted to know her and her story. I liked the Thorough descriptions of her traits (good and bad) and appearance. Sadie's character however, annoyed me somewhat. There wasn't a Terrible lot to her personality. Rather dull really. Enjoyed the setting. Saw glimpses of amazing writing in small sections that has led me to believe they were strokes of luck or that the author was simplifying her writing style fo...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-author

Set in Pencubbit, a fictional fishing town in Tasmania, Poet's Cottage is a story of scandal, intrigue and family. Pearl Tatlow, an eccentric children's author, was brutally murdered in Poet's Cottage in 1936, while her young daughters Thomasina and Marguerite, played in the garden. Her killer was never identified. Seventy or so years later Marguerite's daughter, Sadie along with her teenage daughter Betty, moves into Poet's Cottage to write a book about Pearl, the woman revered by her mother bu...more Set in Pencubbit, a fictional fishing town in Tasmania, Poet's Cottage is a story of scandal, intrigue and family. Pearl Tatlow, an eccentric children's author, was brutally murdered in Poet's Cottage in 1936, while her young daughters Thomasina and Marguerite, played in the garden. Her killer was never identified. Seventy or so years later Marguerite's daughter, Sadie along with her teenage daughter Betty, moves into Poet's Cottage to write a book about Pearl, the woman revered by her mother but reviled by many. As the story moves between the past and present the truth of Pearl's life, and death, is revealed.

While there is a mystery at the core of Poet's Cottage, the story is about much more than Pearl's grisly end. In life Pearl was a polarising force, despised by her daughter Thomasina who was the target of her mother's physical and emotional rages, she was put on a pedestal by Marguerite, whose memories of Pearl are far more rosy. Sadie has always taken her mother, to whom she was devoted, at her word, dismissing Thomasina, who still lives in Pencubbit, as a bitter and eccentric woman. It is Birdie Pinkerton, a contemporary of Pearl, who confirms that Pearl was indeed a disturbed woman. In an unpublished manuscript, Birdie reveals a narcissistic woman who openly had affairs, scandalised the small and conservative community with outrageous behaviour and delighted in careless cruelty. Sadie is unsure if she can trust Birdie's memories, which could be biased by her relationship with Pearls husband, but it paints a damning portrait of a sadistic, albeit, mentally ill woman. Still, Pearl had a strangely magnetic personality, attracting lovers and admirers easily, many of whom were willing to forgive her her faults.
As Sadie learns more about her grandmother, Pearl's shadow seems to loom over the present. Despite the amount of time that has elapsed it seems Pearl still haunts the town.
Poet's Cottage has a touch of the gothic about it. The house, though beautifully restored, has an oppressive atmosphere, there are hidden passageways, a creepy, perhaps haunted, basement and a hooded figure lurks in the grounds. Thick fog rolls across the town which is populated by enigmatic characters, many of whom are unpleasant. There is a brusque and brooding romantic interest for Sadie, who is threatened by unseen forces, and though she may not be the fainting type, she succumbs to the unease that envelops the Cottage.

Poet's Cottage is a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery with surprising depth. A literary novel that offers many surprises, it is sure to capture your imagination and have you reading long into the night.(less)

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Apr 29, 2012 Tania rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. I identified the magical little town of Stanley as the setting very quickly and liked how the author wove some historical facts into the story (ie; the death of the little girl in her cart at the Highfield Estate). One thing that left me wondering though at the end of the book - what was the significance of the blue button that Pearl gave as a gift to Birdie and stashed the other in the hiding place??? Can anyone shed any light on this for me?! I went back and re-read a few chap...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Keksisbaby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2013, borrowed

Vor kurzem ist ihre Mutter gestorben, ihre Tochter wird in der Schule gemobbt und ihr Mann hat sie wegen einer jüngeren New-Age Anhängerin verlassen. Mehr als nur ein guter Grund das hektische Sydney einzutauschen gegen das beschauliche Örtchen Pencubitt in Tasmanien. Sadie zieht in das Häuschen, in dem ihre Großmutter, die berühmte Schriftstellerin Pearl Tatlow früher lebte und auf grausame Weise ermordet wurde. Sie macht sie daran die Familientragödie aufzuarbeiten und muss sich im Zuge dessen...more Vor kurzem ist ihre Mutter gestorben, ihre Tochter wird in der Schule gemobbt und ihr Mann hat sie wegen einer jüngeren New-Age Anhängerin verlassen. Mehr als nur ein guter Grund das hektische Sydney einzutauschen gegen das beschauliche Örtchen Pencubitt in Tasmanien. Sadie zieht in das Häuschen, in dem ihre Großmutter, die berühmte Schriftstellerin Pearl Tatlow früher lebte und auf grausame Weise ermordet wurde. Sie macht sie daran die Familientragödie aufzuarbeiten und muss sich im Zuge dessen vielen Geistern aus der Vergangenheit stellen, denn der kleine Ort hat längst nicht vergessen. Dafür hat die exzentrische Pearl zu viele Wunden mit ihrem Lebenswandel dem Fischerstädtchen vor 70 Jahren zugefügt. Unter der friedlichen Oberfläche schwelt noch immer alter Hass und nie vergessene Kränkungen werden wieder wach. Aber nie hätte sie zu hoffen gewagt, dass sie auch einer neuen Liebe und einem zufriedenerem Leben begegnen würde.
Mir hat der Roman von Josephine Pennicott richtig gut gefallen. Erzählt wird in zwei Zeitebenen und zwar so gut, dass es dem Leser leicht fällt sich von 1938 in die Gegenwart zu begeben und umgekehrt. Obwohl Pearl eine bipolare Störung aufweist und sie als Figur so gar nichts tut, um zu gefallen, konnte ich mich einer gewissen Sympathie ihr gegenüber nicht entziehen. Aber am liebsten mochte ich Birdie. Die Künstlerin, die in Pearl eine verwandte Seele findet, aber auf der anderen Seite geschockt ist von deren Lebens- und Gefühlswandlungen. Sie die immer geträumt hat der spießigen Enge von Penncubitt zu entfliehen und dann doch hochbetagt noch immer in ihrem Seagull Cottage haust, hatte es mir einfach angetan. Außerdem kann der Frömmste nicht in Frieden leben, wenn einem der Mann der Freundin gefällt.
Zum Schluss führen alle gesponnen Erzählstränge zusammen fügen sich in ein Großes und Ganzes, auch wenn das Ende etwas fad daherkommt. Ich hätte mir eine spektakulärere Auflösung des Mordfalles gewünscht, aber die emotional aufgeladenen Figuren lassen mich über diese Schwäche hinwegsehen.
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Jul 10, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

While I've lived in Australia for many years, I've read embarrassingly few novels set here. My vow to change this began with Poet's Cottage. I came across this novel at Joesphine Pennocott's blog. It's gothic setting and mystery were themes have always attracted me and I put it on my to read list. Like the universe often does, it threw this book out at me at my local bookstore. There it was, sitting on the Australian Authors shelf at the front.
I'm glad I found it. It didn't take me long to get...more

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May 05, 2013 Eve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Handlung
Die Autorin Sadie zieht nach der Trennung von ihrem Ehemann gemeinsam mit ihrer Tochter Betty vom hektischen Sydney in ein kleines Fischerdorf in Tasmanien.

Sie richten sich im Cottage ihrer Familie ein, welches sie nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter geerbt hat. Da in diesem Haus von jeher Dichter gelebt haben, wurde es auf den Namen „Poet´s Cottage“ getauft – übersetzt „Das Haus der Dichter“.

Diesen Namen hat das kleine Cottage zu Recht verdient, denn auch Sadies Großmutter Pearl Tatlow war Autori...more

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May 15, 2012 Erica rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was immediately struck by the gothic elements of this story - the old buildings with secret passageways, the mysterious atmosphere, an omen, inexplicable supernatural events, gloom and overwrought emotions. It was suspenseful and I couldn't help being drawn into the mystery of who killed Pearl.

Then it stopped - two chapters from the end. A totally unsatisfactory ending, written as if the author had reached her page ration. Very disappointing story resolution that left me feeling bewildered. S...more

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Sep 12, 2012 slyonbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

While holidaying in the small fishing village of Stanley on the north-west coast of Tasmania, author Josephine Pennicott spied a Georgian-style cottage with a story to tell. That holiday was the starting point of her novel Poet’s Cottage. Part Gothic, part history, part love story, part murder mystery, the work centres around the reportedly haunted house set by the sea and all who chose to pass through its doors. While the novel is fictional, Pennicott is true to the Tasmanian landscape and hist...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Eilatan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just finished - really really good!! Bought a 2nd copy to give to my Mum. Would definitely recommend to others. Not that the write the same thing but if you enjoy Kate Morton's books, give Josephine a try. She has a previously published trilogy in the fantasy genre & this is not like them. Just to let you know so that you don't expect the same if you've read those.

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Sep 05, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The main character discovers an old family mystery and in the process identifies the killer in a murder case from the 1930. But it is the family relationships through 4 generations of women of the family that was absorbing. The ending was a surprise. All the glamour and scandal of the bohemian 1930 was fascinating.

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Jan 09, 2013 Toni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This is a gothic style mystery that reminded me of Kate Morton with its shift between past and present but just not as good. I enjoyed the range of characters and how Pearl and Tomasina are quite complex and at times not likeable. I preferred the story set in the 1930's rather than present day and I did enjoy reading an Australian novel set in Tasmania. The ending though just wasn't satisfying to me, although I had recently read the Secret Keeper by Kate Morton so am likely being unfair in compa...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Ritja rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: familie, frauen-woman

Ich fand es schleppend und wenig spannend. Die Geschichte drehte sich im Kreis und so war ich dann auch froh, als es vorbei war. Zwei Sterne für die Idee der Geschichte, die an sich gut war, aber leider nicht so gut umgesetzt wurde. Schade.

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Feb 03, 2013 Leslea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Quite good. Love the setting in Tasmania and the old house. The fact is was based on a real house made the story more interesting. Little disappointed in the actual murder mystery. Bit long and drawn out - the last half of the book picked up a bit so would give it a 7/10.

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Apr 09, 2013 Pam Saunders rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was given a free copy and as the book was set in Tasmania I was intrigued. This book did not work for me at all. And who would call their teenage daughter Betty these days?

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May 02, 2012 Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mainstream

This is a wonderful novel with something to offer to almost every type of reader - a historical setting juxtaposed with the present, deft hints of the supernatural, a murder mystery, the joys of parenthood (!) and the need to be comfortable in one's own skin. The main characters are all believably drawn, the prose never falters and the principal character of Pearl Tatlow is a stunning creation that readers won't be able to tear their eyes away from.

Highly recommended.

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Feb 07, 2013 Debbe' Sloan rated it 4 of 5 stars

A really pleasant read. Tasmania has always been a place I have wanted to visit, and after reading this book I am more determined than ever.....

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Aug 30, 2012 Kate Forsyth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australian, historical-mystery, gothic, parallel-narratives

I really loved this book, which I would describe as a Gothic murder mystery set in Tasmania. It’s a parallel story, moving between the point of view of modern day Sadie and her grandmother’s life in the 1930s. Sadie’s grandmother, Pearl Tatlow, was a popular children’s author who is violently murdered, and the murderer never caught. Slowly, Sadie finds the events of her own life shadowed and haunted by the violence and tragedy of the past, as the reader comes ever closer to discovering the ident...more

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