In 1903, New York heiress Caroline marries a cattle rancher and moves with him to rural Oklahoma, where she finds herself wholly out of her depth. ...
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Sep 27, 2011
The Legacy centers on two sisters Beth and Erica who have jointly inherited their recently deceased grandmother's manor house. They return to the house to sort through the belongings and decide what they should do with the house. Sounds fantastic except that the home holds a rather unpleasant memory, one Beth has been trying to run away from and Erica has been trying to figure out.
While trying to sort out the demons in their own closet, Erica stumbles upon a mystery surrounding her g More...
While trying to sort out the demons in their own closet, Erica stumbles upon a mystery surrounding her g More...
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Nov 29, 2011
Karen
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The Legacy by Katherine Webb is my kind of book! Anyone who's read this blog for any time now, knows that I love dual time period stories, so dang, this one had me when I read the first page when we learn that in 1905, Caroline Calcott flees Storton Manor with a pillowcase over her shoulder. Caroline turns out to be Erica and Beth's Great-grandmother, a Great-grandmother with a secret.
Author Katherine Webb then fast forwards the reader to the present time, when Erica and Beth return More...
Author Katherine Webb then fast forwards the reader to the present time, when Erica and Beth return More...
Nov 04, 2011
Alyson
rated it: 
Dual stories (one Victorian, one modern day) about the same family. The question of "What happened to Henry?" goes on for a bit too long--or, rather, the conversations consisting of "Tell me what happened!"/"No, it's better that you don't remember!" happened a bit too frequently and had me wishing they would just get to the point in the final conversation before the Big Reveal.
I wasn't actually too crazy about either Beth or Erica, and got progressively More...
I wasn't actually too crazy about either Beth or Erica, and got progressively More...
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Sep 12, 2011
Kat
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A horrible, deep, dark secret will hold a generation of women to Storton Manor. Not only bound by the memories but also what these secrets have done to the women who lived there.
Erica Calcott and her sister, Beth, have found themselves the fortunate heirs of Storton Manor in Whitshire, England, where they used to spend their summers. Now returning to the home, Beth remains withdrawn and depressed. Hoping that being back at the Manor might enable her sister to heal, Erica is bound and d More...
Erica Calcott and her sister, Beth, have found themselves the fortunate heirs of Storton Manor in Whitshire, England, where they used to spend their summers. Now returning to the home, Beth remains withdrawn and depressed. Hoping that being back at the Manor might enable her sister to heal, Erica is bound and d More...
Aug 29, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
There are two stories leapfrogging the pages of this book. One is the story of two sisters, Erica and Beth who have come to sort through some of the belongings of the old family mansion. Erica, the younger of the two, is carefree and rootless. She is only held down by her sister's debilitating depression which seems to have begun the summer their cruel cousin, Henry, disappeared. Erica believes that Beth and a boy named Dinny, who camps on the grounds, knows what happened to Henry. Beth believe
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Aug 22, 2011
Dani
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I love stories about long kept family secrets and family trees with branches that seem to sprout from nowhere. Of course these kinds of novels are a dime a dozen, but I still take my chances that soon I’ll stumble upon the next “Rebecca” or “The Sound and the Fury”. It is for this reason that I picked up a copy of Katherine Webb’s “The Legacy”. While it is not the next “Rebecca”, it certainly has enough intrigue to keep readers interested for over 300 pages.
Webb begins by telling two s More...
Webb begins by telling two s More...
Jun 28, 2011
Amy
rated it:
I received this book from NetGalley, of which I am a member reader. I will be publishing my review of this book on my web-blog (http://amy-bookaddiction.blogspot.com), www.goodreads.com, www.librarything.com as well as on NetGalley.com.
This book is about two sisters who have come back to their family estate after their grandmother's death. The house was left to them in the will and it is theirs to live in or to do what they want with it. There is a sense of trepidation as they move More...
This book is about two sisters who have come back to their family estate after their grandmother's death. The house was left to them in the will and it is theirs to live in or to do what they want with it. There is a sense of trepidation as they move More...
Jul 12, 2010
Boof
rated it:
The Legacy opens in 1905 with Caroline Calcott, Lady of Stourton Manor in Wiltshire, hurredly leaving the house and making her way through the grounds and into the woods, carrying a white pillowcase over her shoulder which (unbeknown to the maids who watch her in surprise from the window) holds a small child.
The story then fast forwards to the current day and passes to Erica Calcott, Caroline’s Great-Granddaughter. Erica and her sister Beth have come back to Stourton Manor after 23 y More...
The story then fast forwards to the current day and passes to Erica Calcott, Caroline’s Great-Granddaughter. Erica and her sister Beth have come back to Stourton Manor after 23 y More...
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Oct 30, 2011
Marguerite
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Another of those 'two parallel stories' books that I really enjoy and which seem to be popping up in droves at the moment. I liked the premise of this and I really enjoyed the Victorian story and the wild west setting, I was intrigued as to how it linked up with the present-day story. And I was also intrigued by the mystery of the present day story. In fact, up until about 100 pages from the end I had this as 4 stars.
But I was disappointed in the ending. I hate books where some pivo More...
But I was disappointed in the ending. I hate books where some pivo More...
Sep 05, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
What a fabulous, engrossing book. This partially takes place in present day England when two sisters, Erica and Beth, inherit their grandmother’s fabulous (but creepy) old estate. Beth is battling some serious mental issues, we’re not sure the extent/why at first, and Erica not only wants to help her older sister but figure out certain secrets of her family’s past. The chapters flop back and forth between Beth/Erica and the story of their great-grandmother at turn-of-last-century America.
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Jul 27, 2011
Sue
rated it:
I was intrigued by this novel and was lucky to receive an ARC from Netgalley. Erica and Beth return to the family estate of Storton Manor after their Grandmother dies, leaving the estate to them with some stipulations: if they want to inherit it, they must both live there. If not, it will be sold, and they receive nothing.
This may sound like an easy way to make a lot of money, but there are issues: their Grandmother, Meredith, was a cruel woman who made their summer visits misera More...
This may sound like an easy way to make a lot of money, but there are issues: their Grandmother, Meredith, was a cruel woman who made their summer visits misera More...
Jul 16, 2011
Terri-Maree
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I would like to start this review by saying how perfect the cover image of this book is. The image of two girls - one obviously older than the other - with the older girl showing how protective she is of the younger. It perfectly presents a part of the book - it is just brilliant. But now onto the content...
I loved this book. For me, it was one of those books that you have to just read and read so that you can see the whole picture, but when you finish it, even though you feel satisf More...
I loved this book. For me, it was one of those books that you have to just read and read so that you can see the whole picture, but when you finish it, even though you feel satisf More...
Aug 24, 2010
Teresa
rated it:
I really enjoy dual narrative novels although some can be more challenging than others losing the reader by flitting too much from one story to the next. I am pleased to report that this didn't happen to me during my reading of The Legacy and it was a very enjoyable, light read.
In the contemporary story, two sisters, Beth and Erica inherit a rambling country pile from their grandmother Meredith but the legacy has conditions, the sisters have to decide to live in the house or they lo More...
In the contemporary story, two sisters, Beth and Erica inherit a rambling country pile from their grandmother Meredith but the legacy has conditions, the sisters have to decide to live in the house or they lo More...
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Jul 13, 2010
Boof
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The Legacy opens in 1905 with Caroline Calcott, Lady of Stourton Manor in Wiltshire, hurredly leaving the house and making her way through the grounds and into the woods, carrying a white pillowcase over her shoulder which (unbeknown to the maids who watch her in surprise from the window) holds a small child.
The story then fast forwards to the current day and passes to Erica Calcott, Caroline’s Great-Granddaughter. Erica and her sister Beth have come back to Stourton Manor after 23 More...
The story then fast forwards to the current day and passes to Erica Calcott, Caroline’s Great-Granddaughter. Erica and her sister Beth have come back to Stourton Manor after 23 More...
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Aug 15, 2011
Indiaskye
rated it:
"The Legacy" wss a really enjoyable book! It's a very engaging and well-written family saga that never has a boring moment! Once I had started this book I found it very hard to put it down again. In fact, there was a moment once when I was reading on the bus on my way to work where I actually missed my bus stop because I was so immersed in the story ... ;o)
About the story:
When sisters Beth and Erica Calcott inherit Storton Manor from their recently deceased gran More...
About the story:
When sisters Beth and Erica Calcott inherit Storton Manor from their recently deceased gran More...
May 12, 2011
Dianne
rated it:
Very Gothic with dark secrets, Gypsies, American Indians and English aristocrats. There are two narrators. The third person omniscient narrator tells the story of American born Catherine married to a rancher at the turn of the century, unable to cope with the hard life out West. The other first person narrator is Erica, Catherine's great grand-daughter, who wants to sort out the unhappiness which hangs over the old mansion left to her and her sister by her grandmother. Why is her sister unhappy?
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Sep 24, 2011
Pam
rated it:
At first, this book reminded me of Kate Morton's big best seller, "The Forgotten Garden". However, I liked "The Legacy" better! Beginning in about the middle of the book, I just couldn't put it down. This is another book with two stories woven in to one. One story from the past and one story from the present, concerning the same family. What I loved about this book is that I was surprised at some of the revelations - I love it when that happens! The characters in these s
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Sep 07, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
When my roommate saw this book sitting on the kitchen table, he asked me why was I reading a "chick" book. It told him that wasn't what it was, but I don't think he ever really believed me. All he would say was, look at the cover. Based off of that alone, I probably would have agreed with him. With this cover, I don't think I would have ever picked this one up. It's a shame really, because if I hadn't, I would have missed out on an amazing story.
As soon as Erica and Beth More...
As soon as Erica and Beth More...
Aug 31, 2011
L_manning
rated it:
Erica and Beth Calcott face the unpleasant task of moving into their grandmother's stately manor home. Having spent time there as children, their grandmother's will states they must live there together or sell the home. However, living there reopens old wounds including the mysterious disappearance of their cousin Henry. While sorting through things, Erica soon discovers that their great-grandmother Caroline also had some secrets. Covering the mysterious pasts of both Erica and Caroline, this bo
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Sep 22, 2011
Abby
rated it:
This book is VERY similar to Kate Morton's "The Forgotten Garden', where the author intertwines the past and the present, telling two different stories in one. I wouldn't say that I was riveted, but the book was definitely entertaining. I became fascinated with Caroline's marriage to an Oklahoma cattle rancher and how disgustingly frail, feeble, and weak she turned out to be. All things considered, this was a fun story to make the housework go by quicker, but I wasn't excited to listen t
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Aug 29, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
Give me a book where there's a bunch of hidden family secrets and I'm probably going to be intrigued enough to read. The thing is that so many of these books don't live up to the initial promise. And a lot of them aren't very well written.
But this book had me from page 1. Right away I thought, "This lady can write. Awesome."
The basic setup, following two women from the same family 100 years apart, both with secrets about boys that have gone missing at the same hous More...
But this book had me from page 1. Right away I thought, "This lady can write. Awesome."
The basic setup, following two women from the same family 100 years apart, both with secrets about boys that have gone missing at the same hous More...
Jun 16, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
Having picked this book up at random from my mum's bookshelf, I thought I'd give it a go... It didn't look much like something I would pick for myself. I know, I know, "never judge a book by it's cover" and it's completely true!
I was surprised by how well written this book was! I really got caught up in the plot, and the world created by Katherine Webb in The Legacy.
I felt for each of the characters, I willed for things to turn out better for them when times were hard, I More...
I was surprised by how well written this book was! I really got caught up in the plot, and the world created by Katherine Webb in The Legacy.
I felt for each of the characters, I willed for things to turn out better for them when times were hard, I More...
May 02, 2011
Hayley
rated it: 
When Beth and Erica Calcott return to their family home they start to sort through their Grandmother's belongings and forgotten fragments of family history start to break the surface of the present day. Memories of their cousin Henry who disappeared and their Grandmother, a bitter and twisted old woman.
I really like books about different generations of families and this plot had such potential but it really failed to deliver for me. The female characters were so frustrating and I jus More...
I really like books about different generations of families and this plot had such potential but it really failed to deliver for me. The female characters were so frustrating and I jus More...
Aug 31, 2011
emmegail
rated it:
First Impressions (Out of all the books I have to read, why this one?):
The cover is just stunning. Lately, I have been attracted to books about family secrets or old family homes with secrets so thought I would try this one out.
Thoughts:
The Legacy follows two sisters Erica and Beth back to their grandmother’s estate to sort out her belongings after her death. They had spent a lot of their childhood there, but stopped going soon after a tragic event that happ More...
The cover is just stunning. Lately, I have been attracted to books about family secrets or old family homes with secrets so thought I would try this one out.
Thoughts:
The Legacy follows two sisters Erica and Beth back to their grandmother’s estate to sort out her belongings after her death. They had spent a lot of their childhood there, but stopped going soon after a tragic event that happ More...
Aug 27, 2011
Sharon
rated it:
The prologue in 1905 sets the scene on this totally absorbing journey of how the past can send ripples along time in a family to affect the present. It hooks you in straight away with intrigue, leaving you wanting to find out why this is happening and what bearing it has on the story of four generations of Calcott women.
Erica and sister Beth return to Storton Manor in the winter after the death of their grandmother Meredith. Meredith has set terms for their inheritance of the Manor More...
Erica and sister Beth return to Storton Manor in the winter after the death of their grandmother Meredith. Meredith has set terms for their inheritance of the Manor More...
Aug 24, 2011
PopcornReads
rated it:
One of the things I was fascinated by in grad school was how patterns repeat in families throughout generations and/or affect future generations in ways that can’t be foreseen. The Legacy is an excellent example of the effects that has. Decisions made and secrets kept a century before run lives three generations later in the Calcott family. But above all, this is a story about the things people do when they feel they have no choice, when they feel powerless, and the repercussions of those action
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Oct 14, 2011
Lydia
rated it:
Original review posted here
Just a few minutes after picking up The Legacy by Katherine Webb, II felt a familiar feeling come over me. I relaxed, my mind went a little hazy and I got a little shiver down my back. All those signs together signal to me that I’m about to enjoy a story filled with mystery, surrounded by a dark feeling that marks the perfect type of fall read.
The Legacy is yet another book I’ve been introduced to this year that is that perfect type of fall read More...
Just a few minutes after picking up The Legacy by Katherine Webb, II felt a familiar feeling come over me. I relaxed, my mind went a little hazy and I got a little shiver down my back. All those signs together signal to me that I’m about to enjoy a story filled with mystery, surrounded by a dark feeling that marks the perfect type of fall read.
The Legacy is yet another book I’ve been introduced to this year that is that perfect type of fall read More...
Sep 22, 2011
Amber
rated it:
Erica Calcott and her older sister, Beth, grew up spending their summers at Storton Manor in Wiltshire, England. Upon their grandmother’s death, Erica and Beth return to the manor where the atmosphere drudges up memories of their cousin Henry, who disappeared from the estate one summer.
Erica is convinced that Beth’s emotional problems began that summer and have worsened over the years. She hopes that this visit will help them confront the past and finally leave it behind them for good More...
Erica is convinced that Beth’s emotional problems began that summer and have worsened over the years. She hopes that this visit will help them confront the past and finally leave it behind them for good More...
Oct 24, 2011
Susan
rated it:
I wish I could give this one 4.5 stars, as I liked it very much. THE LEGACY is a family saga and begins with two sisters, Beth and Erica, returning to their grandmother's house in the country, outside London, after Meredith has died and left it to them conditionally. If they are to inherit, they must live there. But both have more than a little trepidation about going back, as they lost their cousin, Henry, twenty years before when he disappeared one summer day. Beth seems more freaked out a
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Feb 20, 2011
Claire
rated it: 
Rather a lot of words for not a lot happening...And when something did happen, how ridiculous! From the main characters to the 'heartbreaking secret' it was all completely unbelievable. The most surprising thing is that I managed to read it to the end (albeit with many urges not to) so it was weirdly gripping at least!
I'm not sure that Caroline's story added anything to the book especially since Erica's gut feelings (or whatever) seemed to know all the answers anyway. Would have been More...
I'm not sure that Caroline's story added anything to the book especially since Erica's gut feelings (or whatever) seemed to know all the answers anyway. Would have been More...
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