A Family Likeness

by Anna Gilbert

The selfless love Tessa felt for her grandmother was a natural, ingrained thing; her pride in her family tradition an unquestioned duty, an essential part of being a Jasmyn. Why, then, as she grew up, did she occasionally yearn to be free of Barmote Hall? Was it simply a longing to escape to the village and Reuben Bateman, or was her unhappiness in some strange way linked to the misgivings aroused in her by Grandmamma's tenant at the Lodge, the enigmatic Mrs Masson? Tessa's struggle for spiritual freedom involves her in the discovery of a wrong as cruel as it is unexpected.

Genres: Gothic

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Marguerite Jackson Lazarus
aka Marguerite J. Gascoigne, Anna Gilbert

Marguerite Jackson was born on 1 May 1916 in Durham, England, UK, daughter of Hannah, and John Jackson, an inspector of schools. On 1937, she obtained a BA with honours and on 1957 a MA at Durham University. She worked as Grammar school English teacher from 1938 to 1973. On 5 April 1956, she married Jacob "Jack" Lazarus.

She published Children's fiction as Marguerite J. Gascoigne, and later gothic romance novels as Anna Gilbert. Marguerite died at 88, on 24 September 2004 in North Yorkshire, England.

Reviews

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took forever to pick up plot-wise. It wasn't badly written and kept me reading (I like historical novels that give a nod to terminology and historical settings), but at 53% I realized I'd made it halfway through the book and still had no idea what it was about. I had background information on characters and situaiton, and an idea of where it was going, but still couldn't figure out if it was a mystery or a romance. (Neither, really, it turns out.) The ending (for lack of a better word) was not hard to spot, but it was interesting enough to keep reading to see how it would play out, and I didn't expect it to happen the way it did, so points for that, I suppose.

I don't think I liked the ending. After a such a big build up, I was expecting more. The reactions didn't ring true (Kate felt off, I don't trust her reactions as sincere), and then the last paragraph made it feel like it should have a a sequel. Not so much unresolved (I hate the books that you expect to end but end up being a two-parter, so not like that), but more of a "to be continued..." Although it doesn't appear to have a follow-up story.

Overall, not a bad book. Two typos, but I thought the style of writing (while a bit slow) was decent. It's not a romance novel. I'd classify it as fiction.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read four chapters of this book and unfortunately I have to admit that this one is not for me. I didn't like the writing style nor did I particularly like the characters or the story...

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok

Had a hard time getting into this one. Skimmed quite a bit of it. A quick read but I didn't feel very invested in the characters.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh this book wasn't that bad but the ending felt off. I had a lot of unanswered questions. a bit slow though

[Donna Newcome]

Terribly depressing!

This story was terribly depressing. The characters seemed so downtrodden and morose. It didn't end with a good feeling. Not a good time!

[Patricia Schuette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Family Likeness

This is a haunting story that I couldn't put down. It's about a young girl who was brought up by her grandmother.