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304th out of 576 books
—
520 voters
Bleeding Heart Square
It's 1934, and the decaying London cul-de-sac of Bleeding Heart Square is an unlikely place of refuge for aristocratic Lydia Langstone. But as she flees her abusive marriage, there is only one person she can turn to--the genteelly derelict Captain Ingleby-Lewis, currently lodging at Number 7.
However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts the decrepit building. What happ...more
However, unknown to Lydia, a dark mystery haunts the decrepit building. What happ...more
Hardcover, 480 pages
Published
May 29th 2008
by Michael Joseph
(first published May 1st 2008)
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In the mid 1930s a young woman, married to a wealthy London social climber, walks away from an abusive marriage. Having been beaten and degraded she takes up residence with her father in a small apartment off of Bleeding Heart square. For the first time in her life Lydia has to fend for herself and make due in a world she had not experienced before. We learn that the previous owner of the house Lydia's father is renting rooms from, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The old landlady mos...more
Guess I should start off with the fact I’m not someone who normally reads mystery novels (though I do enjoy them; I just don’t read tons of them) but I was intrigued by this particular book because it was set in the tumultuous period between WW1 and WW2 in Britain; a time period and locale I’m especially fond of. So, I had no real expectations, I just hoped the story wouldn’t turn out to be too simplistic or the characters too broad, flat, etc.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The story is...more
I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The story is...more
Jul 26, 2011
Betty-Anne
added it
I was set to receive Bleeding Heart Square as a pre-read ARC in February 2009, but it never arrived until almost a year later when a delivery issue was sorted out. I remember being disappointed because I thought it sounded like a good read. I can definitely say now that I would have missed out on a fantastic book if I had never had the chance to read it. This was one book that was definitely worth the wait.
Set in the 1930’s, Bleeding Heart Square has the feel of a classic gothic mystery, with al...more
Set in the 1930’s, Bleeding Heart Square has the feel of a classic gothic mystery, with al...more
This novel could very well have been classified as fiction/literature.
"Bleeding Heart Square" takes place in the early 1900's in London. Lydia Langstone is married to Marcus and has a very affluent lifestyle. However, the lifestyle cannot compensate for the infidelity and abuse of Marcus. Lydia leaves her comfortable home and moves in with her father at "Bleeding Heart Square".
It is while living with her father that Lydia starts to find out things about herself and the people she has come in co...more
"Bleeding Heart Square" takes place in the early 1900's in London. Lydia Langstone is married to Marcus and has a very affluent lifestyle. However, the lifestyle cannot compensate for the infidelity and abuse of Marcus. Lydia leaves her comfortable home and moves in with her father at "Bleeding Heart Square".
It is while living with her father that Lydia starts to find out things about herself and the people she has come in co...more
Reason for Reading: The book sounded perfect for me: a British historical mystery set in the thirties which the blurbs assured me was "beautifully crafted".
I have found myself a new favourite author! After reading this book, I want to get my hands on anything else by this man. This is a clever book, very intelligently crafted and written with a literary flair. His combination of mystery and history is absolutely superb.
There is so much story here and a mystery that morphs itself in so many direc...more
I have found myself a new favourite author! After reading this book, I want to get my hands on anything else by this man. This is a clever book, very intelligently crafted and written with a literary flair. His combination of mystery and history is absolutely superb.
There is so much story here and a mystery that morphs itself in so many direc...more
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Andrew Taylor is a British mystery author who should be better known in the United States. This complex story is set mostly in 1934 London, with flashbacks to 1930 via a diary kept by Philippa Penhow, a pathetically gullible, financially well-off older woman who is courted by Joseph Serridge, a middle-aged scoundrel known to some as "the devil" who convinces her that he is truly in love with her.
The cast of characters is colorful and Dickensian. It includes Lydia Langstone, a young woman who has...more
The cast of characters is colorful and Dickensian. It includes Lydia Langstone, a young woman who has...more
1 like · like · see review
Lydia Langstone is an upper-class woman used to the finer things. But when her husband strikes her, she leaves her comfortable life to share a gritty apartment with her estranged father in the somewhat seedy Bleeding Heart Square. Rory Wentwood, a journalist who has spent years in India and is now unemployed, also finds himself renting an apartment there. The legend of the square has it that the devil, disguised during a party, danced away with a lady, leaving her body on the square, her bleedin...more
Bleeding Heart Square is not your typical British murder mystery at all. I've seen it labeled in some reviews as "Dickensian" which might actually be an appropriate description on several levels. As a matter of fact, at times I was a bit taken aback when the author brought up things like automobiles and typewriters, because the tone of this book often made me feel like I was reading a story set in the Victorian period. But it's definitely set squarely in 1930s England, between the wars.
Bleeding...more
Bleeding...more
One of the best books I've ever read. I can't even recognise the critique offered by a number of other reviewers, let alone agree with them. The setting, place, time and characterisation were all spot-on, and I couldn't stop reading. Typical of Taylor's style, he writes with an almost detached air, slightly disconnected which seems to increase the narrative drive. I really didn't want this book to end. If you haven't done so already, then start reading this today.
© Koplowitz 2010
© Koplowitz 2010
1 like · like · see review
It is 1934 and 4 years ago Philippa Penhow went missing. A letter from her seemed to indicate that she had gone to America, but the situation is suspicious.
Now Lydia Langstone has just left her abusive husband and runs to her father in Bleeding Heart Square, a man she has never met before. Also living in the same house in the square are Mrs. Renton, a seamstress; Mr Fimberry; and Mr Serridge, the landlord of the house. Another man, Rory Wentwood soon arrives to take the room in the attic. As the...more
Now Lydia Langstone has just left her abusive husband and runs to her father in Bleeding Heart Square, a man she has never met before. Also living in the same house in the square are Mrs. Renton, a seamstress; Mr Fimberry; and Mr Serridge, the landlord of the house. Another man, Rory Wentwood soon arrives to take the room in the attic. As the...more
One or two of the characters are a little flat and two-dimensional, but Andrew Taylor has a flair for atmosphere and setting a scene. 1930s London could be a grim, cold, frightening place and he evokes that beautifully. He also knows how to create suspense; the interweaving of the present, with the past through the diaries of a love-struck, increasingly terrified woman keeps the reader turning the pages to find out how it all ends.
This book had me hooked by page 10. What a strong opening with immediate mystery, intrigue and a setting that is hard to beat. I absolutely loved the historical aspect of this novel, the timing between WWI and WWII along with the square provided a fantastic backdrop. I also loved the strong female main character. A woman of status who would be willing leave her abusive husband during this time period is somewhat unbelievable, but also greatly admirable.
With such a strong and interesting beginnin...more
With such a strong and interesting beginnin...more
The events of 1930 will haunt Bleeding Heart Square forever. This was the time that Philippa Penhow left her farm to travel to America. No one has heard from Miss Penhow since. Her niece and her niece's finance Rory are concerned so that four years later in 1934, Rory takes a room in the attic of Bleeding Heart Square.
At the same time, Lydia Langstone is fleeing from her abusive husband Marcus. Her father, Captain Ingleby-Lewis lives there. She has not seen her father since she was two and her...more
At the same time, Lydia Langstone is fleeing from her abusive husband Marcus. Her father, Captain Ingleby-Lewis lives there. She has not seen her father since she was two and her...more
This is a book which is essentially a bit of fluff with a mystery in it, or four, in which every single character seems to be related. From the cover, you will discover that Lydia Langstone has left her husband! And Miss Penhow has disappeared! The former of these is a fait accomplis from about two chapters in, and the latter is sort of background noise to what is basically a dysfunctional 44 Scotland Street full of drunkards and socially inept people, which is to say, exactly the sort of people...more
Either I have become an absolute sucker for historical fiction set in 20th century London, or the last few novels I’ve read by UK authors are so unusually well plotted and complex that they have captured my imagination and made me a true fan. My latest foray into this genre is Andrew Taylor’s Bleeding Heart Square, a tale less about violent murder and more an exploration into the psyche’s of several individuals whose lives are interconnected through their association with a spinster named Philip...more
In general, mysteries aren't my thing. The historical aspect of this one appealed to me, so on a whim I entered to win in on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. Much to my surprise, I won it, and I was a little apprehensive about reading a mystery. Again, much to my surprise, I enjoyed it.
The setting, historical details, and atmosphere are what really drove this one home for me. Although the mystery of what happened to Miss Philippa Penhow is the focus of the novel, there is so much more to it than...more
The setting, historical details, and atmosphere are what really drove this one home for me. Although the mystery of what happened to Miss Philippa Penhow is the focus of the novel, there is so much more to it than...more
There's nothing better than a good mystery - unless it's a good historical novel, and Andrew Taylor has crafted both in Bleeding Heart Square. The characters are creatures of their era, sometimes maddeningly reserved, not quite modern but with telephones and cars. The two main protagonists evolve wonderfully because of choices each is making, and there are also two wicked villains to compete for your attention, both of them with designs on the heroine.
I was able to guess one of the twists that c...more
I was able to guess one of the twists that c...more
Nov 24, 2010
Iris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Iris by:
Bas Bleu
Bleeding Heart Square is a suspenseful mystery. Lydia Langston, having left her abusive husband, moves in with her father, but things aren't quite right in her father's building. The lady who used to own the building, Philippa Penhow, has disappeared and the new owner seems to have had a hand in her disappearance. Lydia is drawn into the mystery, but one is unsure whether she will survive it.
I enjoyed the portrayals of the main characters and the atmosphere of the Bleeding Heart Square. The mys...more
I enjoyed the portrayals of the main characters and the atmosphere of the Bleeding Heart Square. The mys...more
Set in London in the 1930's, "Bleeding Heart Square" tells the story of Lydia Langstone, a wealthy woman who leaves her abusive husband and goes to live with her father in a less-than-ideal part of London. While settling into her new life and trying to establish her identity, Lydia finds herself mixed up in an investigation of a missing woman who has ties to a number of people around her in her new home, Bleeding Heart Square. She and a fellow tenant, Rory Wentworth, work together to determine w...more
This book is about two women living in London in the 1930's whose stories begin to overlap. The first, is Miss Penhow, a middle-aged spinster with property, who is wooed by an unscrupulous man, Joseph Serridge. Her story is told mostly via her diary. The second story which is interspersed with the first is about Lydia Langstone, who has left her husband after he hit her and moved to Number 7 Bleeding Heart Square to stay with her drunkard father, Captain Ingleby-Lewis. The house used to be owned...more
Jan 18, 2010
Elaine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who just wants an engrossing read
I don't like mysteries. I don't like British mysteries. This is a mystery. This is a British mystery. I loved it. It is, of course, very well written. The characters are so well drawn, you feel you know them well and they must be real people. More than that, he recreates 1934 London very convincingly. His detail is superb, down to the baked beans on toast one can still order in a luncheonette. The state of Britain between World Wars I and II, the shakiness of the Empire, the rise of Fascism unde...more
This was my first Andrew Taylor book and it won't be my last. Fascinating read, loved the way he develops characters and the plot.
What I liked most about this book was the pacing. Excellent build up to the end, which revealed all you were wondering throughout the book. It's not extremely dramatic and everything was very plausible. It started a bit slow, but the character development kept me interested.
My only complaint is the time. Although it's set in the UK between the wars, 1934 or so, it h...more
What I liked most about this book was the pacing. Excellent build up to the end, which revealed all you were wondering throughout the book. It's not extremely dramatic and everything was very plausible. It started a bit slow, but the character development kept me interested.
My only complaint is the time. Although it's set in the UK between the wars, 1934 or so, it h...more
This could well be the most leisurely thriller I've ever read. Tension builds only very slowly, and even then it seldom reaches heart-pounding levels. My second Andrew Taylor book, and there's no doubt that this guy is a real pro. You feel secure that he is in complete control of tone, character, and plot, and that every question will eventually be answered. And you are not disappointed. Half-way through I didn't see how it could possibly resolve in a satisfying way, but it did. Bleeding Heart S...more
I had read another book by Andrew Taylor, The Anatomy of Ghosts, and realy enjoyed it. In fact, I emailed Rebecca Eaton, because it would be a perfect Masterpiece Mystery adaptation. So, I was anxious to read more of his work. This book was set in 1930's London and captured the era perfectly. From the very beginning, there was a disturbing portrayal of abusive men and shallow socialite women that you hoped would all meet tragic ends .. ... soon. However; the protagonist, Lydia Langstone, quickly...more
A solid mystery with many of the elements I enjoy. Set in Britain in the 1920's, an abused wife leaves her husband and settles in with her estranged father. The former landlady of the house has disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and most people believe the man who has seemingly "inherited" her property as being guilty of her death. Raw animal hearts sent in the mail, a plain clothes policeman obsessed with proving the man's guilt, and a series of strange coincidences lead to a startling...more
4.5 stars. This book is really a slow moving mystery with a small cast of characters. A young woman fleeing her aristocratic life when her husband hits her. With no where to go she ends up at her fathers doorstep in a small decaying part of London called Bleeding Heart Square. We learn of her neighbors and local businesses all knowing each others business in that microcosm. A letter opens each chapter giving you clues as to the circumstances surrounding the mystery of the story. The times are th...more
I've looked back through my notes on every book of Andrew Taylor's that I've read over the last five years and I've pretty much liked them all and really loved several of them. Which makes me feel not too guilty, when you look at the overall picture, about saying that this was a bit of an "eh?" book for me.
There were lots of little things I liked but the overall story didn't especially engage me: I liked the main female character Libby and the insights into 1930s living, divorce and the rise of
...more
Life changes. They who meet the challenge that presents will survive. Those who are unable to adapt face the consequences.
Lydia Langstone, born into an aristocratic family, flees an abusive marriage and seeks refuge in a run-down corner of London with the biological father she’s never met. There in Bleeding Heart Square she encounters the mystery of another woman who disappeared years before.
Philippa Penhow, a middle-aged spinster desperate for love, had cast her lot with a crude former soldier...more
Lydia Langstone, born into an aristocratic family, flees an abusive marriage and seeks refuge in a run-down corner of London with the biological father she’s never met. There in Bleeding Heart Square she encounters the mystery of another woman who disappeared years before.
Philippa Penhow, a middle-aged spinster desperate for love, had cast her lot with a crude former soldier...more
Jul 25, 2011
Daniele
added it
I wanted to love this book, but it is mediocre at best. Full of elegance (don't all British novels seem somewhat sophisticated no matter their subject matter?), and a variety of characters, though some shallow in construction, I kept reading, waiting for the intensity to build. Unfortunately, it falls flat, and though all of the carefully laid out coincidences come together, some are unnecessary and others are not explained to my satisfaction. After creeping through hundreds of pages, the resolu...more
Fantastic book. Not sure how I got onto this author: it may have been a Good Reads recommendation, but I would certainly read his other books. This is set in 1934 in Bleeding Heart Square, London where legend has it the devil danced once danced. Decaying and full of damaged, down & outers all seemingly under the thrall of the landlord, Mr Serridge. The initial question is what happened to Ms Penhow, the former owner of the house where Serridge runs his lodging house and why rotting hearts ke...more
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Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of critically acclaimed crime novels, including the Lydmouth series, the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy and The American Boy, his bestselling historical novel which was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection.
He has won many awards, inc...more
More about Andrew Taylor...
Andrew Taylor is the author of a number of critically acclaimed crime novels, including the Lydmouth series, the ground-breaking Roth Trilogy and The American Boy, his bestselling historical novel which was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection.
He has won many awards, inc...more
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