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As Shadows Haunting
Time-travel at its spellbinding best. Two women, one a contemporary musician, the other a legendary mistress of King George III, glimpse each other first in astonishment then in affinity across two centuries. Through this strange and magical connection, they discover that no matter how much time passes, a woman's heart remains the same.
448 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 4, 2015
"And it had been the dark looks of both Charles Stuart and his French lady that had passed through the generations to Sarah Lennox, making her, at fourteen, already one of the great beauties of her day."
Gosh this was good, and definitely one for fans of the time-slip books. The present day story was centered around a musician who has recently moved into a flat next to the ruins of Holland House and she starts falling back in time to see visions of Lady Sarah Lennox, a great beauty who apparently caught the eye of the young George III.
"To say that he gazed was an understatement. His Majesty positively stared, while Sarah, a born coquette if ever there was one, looked at him from beneath lowered lashes and dropped a small curtsey in acknowledgment of his attention."
History is written and we all know George didn't marry Sarah, but she led quite a fascinating life, and at times a very sad one. You can certainly look up her story on Wiki, but I don't recommend it too close to reading the book - you'll spoil yourself.
I really enjoyed both the past and present day storyline, and thought the time-slip element well done and believable. I hadn't heard of Lady Sarah before, so also appreciated a glimpse into her life and I'm looking forward to reading more. I also liked the closer look into George's life, especially as a young man. What if he'd been able to marry Sarah and how different history might have been? Bonus points on using the time slip element to make such a ending for the baddie in the present day. Such lovely just desserts :)
Gosh this was good, and definitely one for fans of the time-slip books. The present day story was centered around a musician who has recently moved into a flat next to the ruins of Holland House and she starts falling back in time to see visions of Lady Sarah Lennox, a great beauty who apparently caught the eye of the young George III.
"To say that he gazed was an understatement. His Majesty positively stared, while Sarah, a born coquette if ever there was one, looked at him from beneath lowered lashes and dropped a small curtsey in acknowledgment of his attention."
History is written and we all know George didn't marry Sarah, but she led quite a fascinating life, and at times a very sad one. You can certainly look up her story on Wiki, but I don't recommend it too close to reading the book - you'll spoil yourself.
I really enjoyed both the past and present day storyline, and thought the time-slip element well done and believable. I hadn't heard of Lady Sarah before, so also appreciated a glimpse into her life and I'm looking forward to reading more. I also liked the closer look into George's life, especially as a young man. What if he'd been able to marry Sarah and how different history might have been? Bonus points on using the time slip element to make such a ending for the baddie in the present day. Such lovely just desserts :)
May 22, 2016
Not really a romance
While I appreciate the author's dedication to historical accuracy, this book was disjointed and lacked a clear focus. I think that the author attempted to make it a love story, but in Sarah's story, aside from the King, there were just too many men in her life for the reader to ever connect and feel a storyline of true love and passion. In the modern day love storylines, I think that there was too much indecision to ever capture or evoke feelings of longing or angst. The time travel, if it can even be called that, was so poorly executed that it made no sense at all to even have it. It didn't benefit the story or the characters at all. It would have been better if Sidanie simply read the documents instead of showing up randomly back in time. Overall, I wish that the author had stuck with her original intent and focused on George III. His storyline seemed to have the most potential.
While I appreciate the author's dedication to historical accuracy, this book was disjointed and lacked a clear focus. I think that the author attempted to make it a love story, but in Sarah's story, aside from the King, there were just too many men in her life for the reader to ever connect and feel a storyline of true love and passion. In the modern day love storylines, I think that there was too much indecision to ever capture or evoke feelings of longing or angst. The time travel, if it can even be called that, was so poorly executed that it made no sense at all to even have it. It didn't benefit the story or the characters at all. It would have been better if Sidanie simply read the documents instead of showing up randomly back in time. Overall, I wish that the author had stuck with her original intent and focused on George III. His storyline seemed to have the most potential.
Want to Read
March 5, 2012I question the authors research,yet it is a timetravel so on my list it goes.
May 28, 2016
Abandoned. Just didn't care about the heroine.
January 18, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. Set in my favourite historical time period (along with a contemporary time slip) and about one of the periods most fascinating women, Lady Sarah Lennox. Written by Dinah Lampitt the book couldn't fail to please as Dinah's historical research is impeccable. I have read as much as I can find about the Lennox sisters, famous beauties of their day and nearly missed this one due to the fairly non specific title. There is just a little bit about the plot on the reverse cover informing us that this book is about Sarah and contemporary musician (harpsichord) Sidonie Brooks. I would personally retitle the book as there must be many Lennox fans 'out there' who have missed this book. It has been a wonderful read capturing historical (and contempory) feel perfectly. I believe that Dinah researched much of Sarah's history from her journal letters therefore we get a genuine feel for Sarah's personality. I feel so much closer to her after reading this and find myself empathising due to the way in which fate seemed to rule her life. She could have so easily become Queen if it were not for the usual schemers at Court (George IIIs Mother and the Earl of Bute). So sad for George as I believe that he genuinely loved Sarah. A 'must read' for all Georgian era fans, especially those who prefer a lighter read as opposed to the heavier autobiographies. 5 Stars all the way!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews