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The Hermitage
It is October 1937 and Vere, Roger and John all catch the 10am Taronga Zoo ferry, interested to see why they have been invited to stay at The Hermitage on Sydney Harbour. On the pier they are met by a golden retriever named Daphne.
When they arrive their hosts, Bernard Halliday and Celeste Williams, realise there has been a mistake with the party. Two are from 1937 but one guest is from twenty years earlier and will prove to be a challenging case.
Despite the beauty of the Hermitage, Roger quickly discovers that no-one can leave and all three guests are having trouble with their memory. Vere, a lover of mysteries, decides they are trapped in a locked room mystery of their own, but can she solve it before it is too late?
When they arrive their hosts, Bernard Halliday and Celeste Williams, realise there has been a mistake with the party. Two are from 1937 but one guest is from twenty years earlier and will prove to be a challenging case.
Despite the beauty of the Hermitage, Roger quickly discovers that no-one can leave and all three guests are having trouble with their memory. Vere, a lover of mysteries, decides they are trapped in a locked room mystery of their own, but can she solve it before it is too late?
136 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 2023
2954 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Robson
13 books181 followersI was born in the Mater Hospital in Sydney and grew up on the Northern Beaches. I now live in Lake Macquarie. As a writer and reader I am fascinated by the first 60 years of the last century and very excited that my novella, The Hermitage, set in 1937 has been published in 2023.
My poems, micro, flash and stories have been published internationally, online and in print. Tomaree, my first novel, is a WWII love story and my second novel is Crossing Paths: the Bookcrossing Novel, inspired by the website of the same name. I am currently working on my trilogy entitled Paris Next Week, set in Sydney and Paris during the 1920s. I also write about an angel who drives a taxi cab in Sydney.
I blog on writing and researching historical fiction at debbierobson.net occasionally and review regularly here on Goodreads.
My poems, micro, flash and stories have been published internationally, online and in print. Tomaree, my first novel, is a WWII love story and my second novel is Crossing Paths: the Bookcrossing Novel, inspired by the website of the same name. I am currently working on my trilogy entitled Paris Next Week, set in Sydney and Paris during the 1920s. I also write about an angel who drives a taxi cab in Sydney.
I blog on writing and researching historical fiction at debbierobson.net occasionally and review regularly here on Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 9, 2023
I'm putting five stars as I'm very proud of this small book. The house featured in the Hermitage is inspired by four houses. They have all mingled and become one: The Hermitage at Healesville, my grandparents house at Kareela Road, Cremorne, the house in The House that Beckons by Gladys Lister and The Hermitage at Vaucluse.
I originally began writing this as a screenplay way back in 2009 but couldn't tie up the ending. A few years ago I managed to finish the ending and cut The Hermitage in length to be eligible for a renowned radio play competition. A bad move.
Only a year or two ago I decided to look at The Hermitage again. I restored the deleted passages, added more and turned it into a novella. I hope my readers enjoy it.
I originally began writing this as a screenplay way back in 2009 but couldn't tie up the ending. A few years ago I managed to finish the ending and cut The Hermitage in length to be eligible for a renowned radio play competition. A bad move.
Only a year or two ago I decided to look at The Hermitage again. I restored the deleted passages, added more and turned it into a novella. I hope my readers enjoy it.
August 11, 2023
As far as I can see this is Debbie Robson's first published novel and I found it a really enjoyable read, munching through it in two sessions, by virtue of the crisp, understated prose and a cast of relatable and (mostly!) likeable characters. Then there is the mystery that winds it's way through the text - I won't dwell on this for fear of any spoilers, but I found it satisfying and deftly managed. I will look out for more of Debbie's work in the future.
June 23, 2024
Registered on Bookcrossing - https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/...
Really interesting story. I liked the characters and the setting. Very good ending too.
Really interesting story. I liked the characters and the setting. Very good ending too.
December 4, 2023
To make everything transparent, I was gifted The Hermitage to review. However, I think with so many Australian books on the market, it’s easy to miss these small, delightful treasures. Therefore, I'm grateful to have received it.
The Hermitage is a cosy mystery, quite short at 136 pages, making it easy to consume on the week-end or during a day at the beach. I'm a fast reader and I turned those pages over in a single afternoon. Sometimes, in this hectic and challenging world in which we live, this is exactly what you need -- an easy, entertaining story that you don't have to labour over, one that takes you away to a different time and place with an intriguing dilemma to solve.
The book is reminiscent of an early Agatha Christie. Set in 1937, a group of strangers discover themselves 'trapped' in an isolated location (a grand old house on Sydney Harbour), all of them attempting to work out what’s going on. The characters are sharply drawn and the prose is sparse with some lovely detail that easily evokes an earlier era, 'As soon as they set their luggage down in the hall, the men's hats on top, the grandfather clocks count the hour of eleven. Roger is about to call out when a stout man in his early fifties puts his head around the nearest doorway and beckons them to join him.' Women wear voile dresses and red lipstick; everybody smokes cigarettes or cigars and the housekeeper serves fresh lemonade after tennis and bacon and egg pie for lunch. Robson has clearly done her research and one of the most successful aspects of the book is the seemingly effortless historical backdrop she creates. It makes the story believable, entertaining and immersive.
The characters in The Hermitage also add to the credibility of the story. Two hosts, three guests, a housekeeper, dog and baby cloistered in the stately home ('an extravagant affair of gables and bay windows') for a week. The tension between them is well structured and each backstory fascinating. Vere Seymour-Smith for example, 'a ticket writer at Buckley & Nunn'. While ‘heavy gold lighter[s]’ are used to light the frequent cigarettes she smokes, Vere clashes with the overbearing Roger Maguire, a man in 'property development.' Watching all this from the sidelines, is the young and sensitive John Summers, ‘an articled clerk’ who pulls at the reader's heart strings. The conflict between these three guests and the interplay with their hosts, Bernard and Celeste is clever and engaging.
But it’s the wanting to know how the story concludes and what all the secrets are about that ultimately makes you keep reading. In this way, The Hermitage was intriguing and besides the undemanding length, this is why I read it in one sitting. Also, the narrative is set over one week and as everyone gradually realises the truth, its impossible not to keep going to find out everything.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys well written, easy to read, appealing historical fiction in the lighter style of Agatha Christie. In The Hermitage, Robson has created an excellent recreation of 1930s Sydney which is captivating and highly charming.
The Hermitage is a cosy mystery, quite short at 136 pages, making it easy to consume on the week-end or during a day at the beach. I'm a fast reader and I turned those pages over in a single afternoon. Sometimes, in this hectic and challenging world in which we live, this is exactly what you need -- an easy, entertaining story that you don't have to labour over, one that takes you away to a different time and place with an intriguing dilemma to solve.
The book is reminiscent of an early Agatha Christie. Set in 1937, a group of strangers discover themselves 'trapped' in an isolated location (a grand old house on Sydney Harbour), all of them attempting to work out what’s going on. The characters are sharply drawn and the prose is sparse with some lovely detail that easily evokes an earlier era, 'As soon as they set their luggage down in the hall, the men's hats on top, the grandfather clocks count the hour of eleven. Roger is about to call out when a stout man in his early fifties puts his head around the nearest doorway and beckons them to join him.' Women wear voile dresses and red lipstick; everybody smokes cigarettes or cigars and the housekeeper serves fresh lemonade after tennis and bacon and egg pie for lunch. Robson has clearly done her research and one of the most successful aspects of the book is the seemingly effortless historical backdrop she creates. It makes the story believable, entertaining and immersive.
The characters in The Hermitage also add to the credibility of the story. Two hosts, three guests, a housekeeper, dog and baby cloistered in the stately home ('an extravagant affair of gables and bay windows') for a week. The tension between them is well structured and each backstory fascinating. Vere Seymour-Smith for example, 'a ticket writer at Buckley & Nunn'. While ‘heavy gold lighter[s]’ are used to light the frequent cigarettes she smokes, Vere clashes with the overbearing Roger Maguire, a man in 'property development.' Watching all this from the sidelines, is the young and sensitive John Summers, ‘an articled clerk’ who pulls at the reader's heart strings. The conflict between these three guests and the interplay with their hosts, Bernard and Celeste is clever and engaging.
But it’s the wanting to know how the story concludes and what all the secrets are about that ultimately makes you keep reading. In this way, The Hermitage was intriguing and besides the undemanding length, this is why I read it in one sitting. Also, the narrative is set over one week and as everyone gradually realises the truth, its impossible not to keep going to find out everything.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys well written, easy to read, appealing historical fiction in the lighter style of Agatha Christie. In The Hermitage, Robson has created an excellent recreation of 1930s Sydney which is captivating and highly charming.
November 24, 2023
‘Vere puts her shoes on and wanders through the small paths that intersect the vegetable gardens. She smiles at the lettuces, beans, spring onions and carrots and other vegetables and herbs she can’t identify. As she walks through the garden the sunlight follows her path and falls ahead on the stone bench, turning it from a dull grey brown to a golden biscuit colour. She sits down on it and throws her head back in relief; the last rays of the sun warming her face. She watches the clouds race across the sky and then closes her eyes.’
Vere, a young woman who is ‘arresting if not beautiful’, is one of three guests at The Hermitage, ‘an extravagant affair of gables and bay windows’ on Sydney’s lower north shore. They meet for the first time as solo passengers on the Taronga Zoo ferry, each wondering why they’ve been invited for a short stay by hosts Celeste and Derek Williams, unknown to any of them.
Roger Maguire and John Summers are the other guests – businessman Roger will prove angry and resistant to all plans and suggestions; John is ‘nervous and distracted’, confused about how different everything looks on Sydney Harbour. It’s 1937, but John doesn’t quite fit in.
Confusions mount as their hosts transpire to be Celeste Williams and Bernard Halliday, uneasy partners in some obscure endeavour. Celeste’s husband is ‘away’. The cast of characters is small – other than those mentioned, there is baby Blythe, Celeste’s niece; the cook Mrs Jenkins; and a golden retriever named Daphne. As in every good mystery, each has a key role to play.
As Ms Robson makes careful choices as to which teasers of the mystery to reveal, the sights and sounds of Sydney are ever present – birds, trees, plants and flowers, the landscape and the harbour. The Hermitage sounds as if it is a refuge, a place of respite. Despite being soothed, we are uncertain whether this mystery will be benign, or sinister.
It is Vere who is first to work out why she is there and earn her freedom to ‘leave’. Did pencils and a sketchpad left by a previous guest help in some way?
Shifting time, memory loss, confusion, and anger float in and out. But it seems that the mystery at the heart of The Hermitage is the ‘work’ needed to release trauma. It can be done in the present, when one is living, or after death. Ms Robson doesn’t offer much by way of explanation – like the wind catching Blythe’s mobile, the magpie’s warble, the blazing lights of a passing ferry, the ‘how’ is elusive.
Don’t expect a neat bow tying up all loose ends when you finish reading this novella. If you enjoy exploring possibilities and piecing together puzzles, though, you are in luck.
Vere, a young woman who is ‘arresting if not beautiful’, is one of three guests at The Hermitage, ‘an extravagant affair of gables and bay windows’ on Sydney’s lower north shore. They meet for the first time as solo passengers on the Taronga Zoo ferry, each wondering why they’ve been invited for a short stay by hosts Celeste and Derek Williams, unknown to any of them.
Roger Maguire and John Summers are the other guests – businessman Roger will prove angry and resistant to all plans and suggestions; John is ‘nervous and distracted’, confused about how different everything looks on Sydney Harbour. It’s 1937, but John doesn’t quite fit in.
Confusions mount as their hosts transpire to be Celeste Williams and Bernard Halliday, uneasy partners in some obscure endeavour. Celeste’s husband is ‘away’. The cast of characters is small – other than those mentioned, there is baby Blythe, Celeste’s niece; the cook Mrs Jenkins; and a golden retriever named Daphne. As in every good mystery, each has a key role to play.
As Ms Robson makes careful choices as to which teasers of the mystery to reveal, the sights and sounds of Sydney are ever present – birds, trees, plants and flowers, the landscape and the harbour. The Hermitage sounds as if it is a refuge, a place of respite. Despite being soothed, we are uncertain whether this mystery will be benign, or sinister.
It is Vere who is first to work out why she is there and earn her freedom to ‘leave’. Did pencils and a sketchpad left by a previous guest help in some way?
Shifting time, memory loss, confusion, and anger float in and out. But it seems that the mystery at the heart of The Hermitage is the ‘work’ needed to release trauma. It can be done in the present, when one is living, or after death. Ms Robson doesn’t offer much by way of explanation – like the wind catching Blythe’s mobile, the magpie’s warble, the blazing lights of a passing ferry, the ‘how’ is elusive.
Don’t expect a neat bow tying up all loose ends when you finish reading this novella. If you enjoy exploring possibilities and piecing together puzzles, though, you are in luck.
March 20, 2024
Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...
I read The Hermitage in one go a few days ago. I found it an interesting read due to the "bizzare" ambiance and the lively pictures and I enjoyed reading it. But simultaneously I kept thinking that this is one of those reads that don't stay with you for long. I was right, as I start to forget it already.
I feel that that the characters had much potential, but the book was too short to fully develop them, while the world building was a bit too vague for my liking. Maybe if I had been more familiar with the setting, some references would have make more of an impact to me. Also, the books featuring plots that are a bit too surreal or otherworldly tend to leave me somehow confused.
All in all I found this a very decent read to pass the time but I think it had potential for something more.
Διάβασα το βιβλίο ένα απόγευμα πριν από λίγες μέρες. Το βρήκα ενδιαφέρον λόγω της «παράξενης» ατμόσφαιρας και των ζωηρών εικόνων και μου άρεσε να την ώρα που το διάβαζα. Αλλά ταυτόχρονα σκεφτόμουν πως είναι ένα από αυτά τα αναγνώσματα που δεν σου μένουν για πολύ. Είχα δίκιο, καθώς έχω ήδη αρχίσει να το ξεχνάω.
Νομίζω ότι οι χαρακτήρες είχαν προϋποθέσεις για κάτι καλό, αλλά το βιβλίο ήταν πολύ σύντομο για να τους αναπτύξει πλήρως η συγγραφέας, ενώ το πλαίσιο της ιστορίας παραήταν ασαφές για τα γούστα μου. Ίσως αν ήμουν πιο εξοικειωμένη με το Σύδνεϋ, κάποιες αναφορές θα είχαν περισσότερο αντίκτυπο σε 'μενα. Επίσης, τα βιβλία που παρουσιάζουν πλοκές που είναι σουρεαλιστικές ή αλλόκοτες τείνουν να με αφήνουν κάπως μπερδεμένη στο τέλος.
Γενικά, το βιβλίο ήταν μία καλή επιλογή για να περάσει η ώρα, αλλά νομίζω ότι είχε δυνατότητες για κάτι περισσότερο.
I read The Hermitage in one go a few days ago. I found it an interesting read due to the "bizzare" ambiance and the lively pictures and I enjoyed reading it. But simultaneously I kept thinking that this is one of those reads that don't stay with you for long. I was right, as I start to forget it already.
I feel that that the characters had much potential, but the book was too short to fully develop them, while the world building was a bit too vague for my liking. Maybe if I had been more familiar with the setting, some references would have make more of an impact to me. Also, the books featuring plots that are a bit too surreal or otherworldly tend to leave me somehow confused.
All in all I found this a very decent read to pass the time but I think it had potential for something more.
Διάβασα το βιβλίο ένα απόγευμα πριν από λίγες μέρες. Το βρήκα ενδιαφέρον λόγω της «παράξενης» ατμόσφαιρας και των ζωηρών εικόνων και μου άρεσε να την ώρα που το διάβαζα. Αλλά ταυτόχρονα σκεφτόμουν πως είναι ένα από αυτά τα αναγνώσματα που δεν σου μένουν για πολύ. Είχα δίκιο, καθώς έχω ήδη αρχίσει να το ξεχνάω.
Νομίζω ότι οι χαρακτήρες είχαν προϋποθέσεις για κάτι καλό, αλλά το βιβλίο ήταν πολύ σύντομο για να τους αναπτύξει πλήρως η συγγραφέας, ενώ το πλαίσιο της ιστορίας παραήταν ασαφές για τα γούστα μου. Ίσως αν ήμουν πιο εξοικειωμένη με το Σύδνεϋ, κάποιες αναφορές θα είχαν περισσότερο αντίκτυπο σε 'μενα. Επίσης, τα βιβλία που παρουσιάζουν πλοκές που είναι σουρεαλιστικές ή αλλόκοτες τείνουν να με αφήνουν κάπως μπερδεμένη στο τέλος.
Γενικά, το βιβλίο ήταν μία καλή επιλογή για να περάσει η ώρα, αλλά νομίζω ότι είχε δυνατότητες για κάτι περισσότερο.
July 9, 2024
"The Hermitage" by Debbie Robson blends historical fiction with a captivating mystery set against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour in October 1937. Vere, Roger, and John, unexpectedly invited to The Hermitage, find themselves entangled in a puzzling situation where time seems to warp. The arrival of a guest from twenty years prior complicates matters, challenging their understanding of reality.
Robson weaves a tale filled with intrigue and suspense, anchored by vivid descriptions of the picturesque setting and a diverse cast of characters. The mystery deepens as the guests, hindered by memory lapses, grapple with their confinement. Vere emerges as a determined protagonist, drawing parallels between their predicament and classic locked room mysteries. As tensions rise and the stakes escalate, Robson skillfully builds suspense, keeping readers engrossed until the satisfying conclusion.
"The Hermitage" is a brisk yet engaging read, perfect for fans of historical mysteries and those intrigued by narratives that blend time-travel elements with intricate puzzles. Robson's narrative prowess shines, offering both a compelling story and a vivid portrait of a bygone era in Australia's history.
Robson weaves a tale filled with intrigue and suspense, anchored by vivid descriptions of the picturesque setting and a diverse cast of characters. The mystery deepens as the guests, hindered by memory lapses, grapple with their confinement. Vere emerges as a determined protagonist, drawing parallels between their predicament and classic locked room mysteries. As tensions rise and the stakes escalate, Robson skillfully builds suspense, keeping readers engrossed until the satisfying conclusion.
"The Hermitage" is a brisk yet engaging read, perfect for fans of historical mysteries and those intrigued by narratives that blend time-travel elements with intricate puzzles. Robson's narrative prowess shines, offering both a compelling story and a vivid portrait of a bygone era in Australia's history.
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January 28, 2024This doesn't really fit any of the goodreads labels I have readily available.. is it paranormal / magic? is it sci fi/dystopia/ fantasy? is it a mystery?
Here as a bookcrossing ring sent by the author, I think this novella is a bit of all that.
It takes a bit of time to cotton on to what is happening (and have we really understood by the end?), but it's easy to take this and read it in one sitting.
The imagery was stong, although at times I felt I lacked an overview of place, as I had the impression that if I were familiar with Sydney and the areas around it, I would have more of a sense of the strangeness.
This is indeed all very strange, and I imagine the dream-like quality is intentional. An interesting read.
Here as a bookcrossing ring sent by the author, I think this novella is a bit of all that.
It takes a bit of time to cotton on to what is happening (and have we really understood by the end?), but it's easy to take this and read it in one sitting.
The imagery was stong, although at times I felt I lacked an overview of place, as I had the impression that if I were familiar with Sydney and the areas around it, I would have more of a sense of the strangeness.
This is indeed all very strange, and I imagine the dream-like quality is intentional. An interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews