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House of Glass

Susan Fletcher

3.88 · Rating details · 743 ratings · 163 reviews

June 1914 and a young woman - Clara Waterfield - is summoned to a large stone house in Gloucestershire. Her task: to fill a greenhouse with exotic plants from Kew Gardens, to create a private paradise for the owner of Shadowbrook. Yet, on arrival, Clara hears rumours: something is wrong with this quiet, wisteria-covered house. Its gardens are filled with foxgloves, hydrang

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Kindle Edition, 368 pages

Published November 1st 2018 by Virago

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· 743 ratings · 163 reviews

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Oct 28, 2018 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery-horror, netgalley-books, favorites, wwi-literature, united-kingdom, britain, british-literature, gothic-fiction, 1910s

‘’This was the time of day my mother had warned me against, years before. The half-light, she explained, can change how things appear so that distances may seem less. Our eyes might detect movement when in fact there is none; a shadow might become a living shape. In short, I was more likely to fall at twilight. Remember this, Clara. But she’d loved it, too. It was an hour of potency. In India, this had been the time of the leopard’s waking, in which jasmine smelled at its strongest.’’

England ‘’This was the time of day my mother had warned me against, years before. The half-light, she explained, can change how things appear so that distances may seem less. Our eyes might detect movement when in fact there is none; a shadow might become a living shape. In short, I was more likely to fall at twilight. Remember this, Clara. But she’d loved it, too. It was an hour of potency. In India, this had been the time of the leopard’s waking, in which jasmine smelled at its strongest.’’

England, a few months before the Great War turns Europe into a bloody terrain of madness. Clara, a wealthy young woman, is invited to a mansion, undertaking the task of creating a unique glass house. However, the house and the community Clara finds herself in are anything but ordinary or peaceful. Clara herself isn’t ordinary. Inflicted by a rare syndrome that can leave her bones fractured in the blink of an eyes, graced with strangely beautiful hair and eyes, with a personality that is the definition of an atomic bomb (which is always a good thing for us women), Clara begins to witness events and behaviours that make her doubt her own firmly grounded, ardently supported convictions. Coming into a place haunted by secrets and death, wounded by the loss of her mother, Clara has to face a task that is much heavier and perilous than her own afflictions.

‘’An insufficient reply. Perhaps he had misheard me. But perhaps, too, it was an aversion, a step away from what I wished to know.’’

We’ve read many books using the trope of the young woman arriving in a strange mansion, toying with spectres and suspicions and secrets but Fletcher’s novel has a great asset. An extraordinary heroine and a wonderfully balanced told through exciting, confident writing. Atmospheric and complex, making use of the characteristics of the Haunted House in all its good, old British glory, the plot is so much more than that. Born through an utterly successful combination of Gothic and Historical Fiction, Fletcher provides food for thought on issues that have excited our imagination and divided us for centuries. Through the footsteps, the falling paintings, the scratches and the shadows, the withering flowers, the mysterious owner and the village life during a rather hot English summer, we’ll find the chance to ponder on Faith and Proof, on Belief and Certainty. On a journey where Faith can be seen as a refuge and Proof can be supported as a form of security in a changing world. Make of this debate what you will, draw your own conclusions. Fletcher manages to present everything in a balanced, respectful manner, resulting in a novel that will make us feel uncomfortable for things that lurk in the shadows and for the conviction adopted by many of us that everything can be explained, that science has an answer to every question. I am sorry but this is not accurate….

A fine novel is a result of a well-told story and a successful cast of characters. House of Glass contains both. Set in an era when women finally decided to claim rights that should have been provided to them all along, when most men viewed the rising cried for equality and justice, dismissing them as temporary clutter (the way a certain contemporary ‘’leader’’ does…), Clara speaks with a voice that demand of everyone to listen. Now. To look beyond her syndrome and answer her questions clearly. She reminded me of Lib from Emma Donoghue’s masterpiece The Wonder. She gets into so much trouble to prove that there is nothing supernatural in those weird incidents and she rejects religion and the idea of the afterlife. And then, she learns to doubt. I loved her. The way she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, ignoring etiquette and political correctness. The way she refused to let anyone take her for a fool or make use of what others viewed as ‘’deficiencies’’. She is surrounded by characters that will accompany you on an exciting, thoughtful journey. Mr Fox, Mrs Bale, George and Kit.

After a streak of horrible reads, House of Glass was a breath of fresh air, a beautiful reminder of why Historical and Gothic Fiction (when done right) create a unique reading experience.

‘’Such bone dreams had frequented my London life. My fear of fractures, by day, would move into dreams in which my teeth rained into my hands; I’d see myself as piano keys on which unknown fingers played. But the opiate brought the darkest dream. In it, my bones would be taken from me; faceless men would dismantle me, removing ribs from my nose or my femur through my mouth like an ancient ritual to which I’d not consented.’’

Many thanks to Virago Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.word... ...more

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Nov 12, 2018 Dem rated it liked it · review of another edition

A perfect read for a winter's night. An intriguing, and genuinely eerie slice of gothic fiction which was entertaining and atmospheric.

I love gothic style stories and House of Glass by Susan Fletcher has all the elements of what I was looking for. A Manor House set on the edge of an English Country Village, it's reclusive owner who only visits occasionally and remains in his rooms for the during of his visit. A Village of wary residents who remain tight lipped when asked about the House's histor ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Ova - Excuse My Reading rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, historical

Reminded me of The Silent Companions and Little Stranger from time to time. Quite gothic and dark.

We follow the story of Clara, a young woman almost made of glass, with a medical condition that curses her with easily broken bones. A childhood of suffering due to broken bones, she grows up to be a crippled young woman with a mind beyond her tiny body. After the loss of her mother she starts working for Kew Gardens. Until one day she's appointed to set up a glass house in a house in Gloucester.

The ...more

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Nov 04, 2018 Joseph rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gothic-and-supernatural, history-and-historical-fiction, contemporary-fiction, netgalley, coming-of-age

A house is meant to be a place of safety and intimacy. The haunted house is a powerful symbol of horror precisely because it shows us a haven of domesticity upturned by an intruder, and a supernatural one at that. It is hardly surprising that from being just one of many Gothic tropes, the haunted house eventually became the basis of a rich supernatural sub-genre.

House of Glass is a historical novel within this tradition. It is set just before the outbreak of the First World War and features a s A house is meant to be a place of safety and intimacy. The haunted house is a powerful symbol of horror precisely because it shows us a haven of domesticity upturned by an intruder, and a supernatural one at that. It is hardly surprising that from being just one of many Gothic tropes, the haunted house eventually became the basis of a rich supernatural sub-genre.

House of Glass is a historical novel within this tradition. It is set just before the outbreak of the First World War and features a sprawling mansion – Shadowbrook – marked by dark, old rumours about its previous owners, the evil and hated Pettigrew family. The last Pettigrew to inhabit Shadowbrook was the sensual, decadent and possibly mad Veronique - her ghost still walks its corridors and the pages of this book. So far, so familiar. Indeed, this novel shares many elements with other books within the (sub-)genre. It has been compared to Du Maurier’s Rebecca but I would say that its mixture of Gothic thrills, historical novel and social commentary is closer in spirit to Sarah Water’s The Little Stranger. What makes House of Glass particularly original is its protagonist and narrator, Clara Waterfield. Conceived out of wedlock in India, and born in England where her mother Charlotte is dispatched to avoid a scandal, Clara suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta or “brittle bones disease”, a condition which causes fractures at the least pressure or impact. As a result, Clara lives a secluded London childhood, fiercely protected by her parents. The premature death of her mother thrusts Clara into adulthood. Notwithstanding her syndrome, her walking cane and ungainly gait, Clara ventures out into the world. The gardens at Kew become her refuge and she finds herself turning into an amateur botanist – “amateur” in the best sense of the word, that of a lover of knowledge. This earns her the respect, friendship and support of Forbes, the foreman of the glasshouses. It also leads to an unexpected invitation. One day, Clara is summoned to Gloucestershire by the new owner of Shadowbrook, to oversee the installation of exotic plants from Kew in a new greenhouse in the mansion’s gardens. It is here that the ghost story proper begins. For Clara finds herself surrounded by mystery and secrets, by things that go bump in the night and malevolent attacks by an unseen visitor. The housekeeper and maids cower in fear of the ghost of Veronique Pettigrew, a woman seemingly so evil that a mere mention of her name is enough to unleash poltergeist activity. Clara is sceptical but her rationalist approach is put under severe test. That summer will mark her coming to age, as she questions long-held certainties and beliefs.

At one level, House of Glass is enjoyable as a good old piece of storytelling. But there is so much more to it. What struck me at first is the blend of realism and the supernatural. Shadowbrook and its gardens are inspired by the real-life Hidcote Manor Gardens (a National Trust property in Gloucestershire) and they are lovingly and minutely described. At the same time, Fletcher uses small details (closed, dust-filled rooms; peeling paint; a blood-stained billiard table) to evoke an atmosphere of fear and dread. The scene has already been set for the nocturnal visitations which considerably ratchet up the tension.

The novel also manages to take an established form and inject it with a strong dose of feminism. Clara’s condition becomes a symbol of female rebellion and resistance, her physical imperfections as transgressive as her assertiveness and inquisitiveness. There is a parallel between the “cripple” Clara and the uniquely beautiful Veronique, both of them strong women trying to hold their own in a patriarchal society. Clara ruefully notes that despite the fact that the male Pettigrews were violent and criminal, it was Veronique and her ‘sex orgies’ which gripped the attention of the sleepy village where she lived and which marked her forever as an epitome of immorality. This leads to another theme which is central to the novel, namely that of truth and falsehood, and how accounts can be manipulated to propagate the worldview favoured by their narrator.

My only reservation when reading the novel was that there are a number of narrative gear-changes late in the book. Engrossing as it is, the plot moves forward at a leisurely pace until about three-quarters in, when a raft of unexpected revelations propel the tale forward and lead us closer to the “sensation novel”. In the final chapters then, there is yet another shift, as the work ends with a meditation on war. The more I think about it, however, the more I tend to feel that my initial doubts were unfounded – the different facets of House of Glass ultimately add up to a convincing whole, held together by Fletcher’s lyrical and elegiac writing style. For this is also a story about the passing of an era, and what are ghosts if not remnants, in one way or another, of a half-remembered past?

A longer version of this review, featuring a selection of music to accompany the novel, can be found at https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20... ...more

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Nov 01, 2018 Lou rated it liked it · review of another edition

House of Glass is award-winning, historical fiction writer Susan Fletcher's first foray into the Gothic novel scene and creates a wonderful atmosphere and feelings of claustrophobia. Set in the run-up to the First World War, we meet Clara Waterfield, our narrator for the journey. Although Clara isn't really that likeable you can relate to most of her behaviour and thoughts. I found that in some parts of the story the revelations were very drawn out and as a result, everything became quite disjoi ...more

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Oct 02, 2020 Ellie (faerieontheshelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gothic, gorgeous-prose, stand-alone-novels, historical-set-in-the-past, uk-lit, paranormal, thrillers-crime-mystery, disability-rep, gothic-british, horror

House of Glass is a beautifully gothic book set within a decaying English manor house and its sprawling gardens. It is about ghosts, but also about memories and rumours, and how sometimes false beliefs can reshape the reality of women.

Although more slowly paced in parts, Fletcher writes beautifully and the book prompted many thoughts. Truly an enjoyable read as the season turns to autumn, but would suit anytime of the year.

(Also, note that the heroine is disabled and uses a cane.)

> 4.2 stars

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Feb 06, 2019 Callum McLaughlin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gothic-and-horror, historical-fiction

House of Glass is at once an enthralling gothic mystery, and a poignant piece of historical fiction that examines the devastating ways in which women’s lives were ruled by scandal, rumour, and reputation. In this respect, and many others, it is a book of opposites; of truth versus lies, logic versus faith, and reality versus the supernatural.

The story follows Clara, a young woman who spent her childhood confined to the safety of home. Suffering from a rare brittle bone condition, she is at const House of Glass is at once an enthralling gothic mystery, and a poignant piece of historical fiction that examines the devastating ways in which women’s lives were ruled by scandal, rumour, and reputation. In this respect, and many others, it is a book of opposites; of truth versus lies, logic versus faith, and reality versus the supernatural.

The story follows Clara, a young woman who spent her childhood confined to the safety of home. Suffering from a rare brittle bone condition, she is at constant threat of injury. Grieving the loss of her feminist mother, however, she jumps at the chance to finally fly the nest. Passionate about botany, she receives an invitation to establish a new glasshouse at Shadowbrook, a remote country manor. When she arrives, she is greeted by an owner conspicuous by absence, and residents terrified of a supposed haunting. Clara soon sets her practical mind to solving the mysteries of Shadowbrook.

Clara herself is a fabulous heroine. Her sheltered childhood spent in solitude, during which time she relied on the company of books, has instilled in her a voracious thirst for knowledge about people, and the world around her. This, coupled with her lack of social training, and her stubborn resilience against those who would dismiss her based on gender or disability, makes her forthright, headstrong, and proactive. If some gothic heroines flounder in the face of uncertainty, Clara moves straight for the truth, asking all the questions on the tip of the reader’s tongue.

The first half of the novel is pretty much everything I look for in an ideal read. It has a rich, vivid setting, complete with all the gothic hallmarks. The dark, brooding air of mystery swells, as do the number of delightfully ghostly and atmospheric moments. The cast of supporting characters are well established, and equally intriguing in their own ways. The looming threat of WWI in the background helps to reflect the mounting tension, and to firmly establish the story’s historical context. Fletcher’s writing itself is evocative and transporting, without ever feeling convoluted.

In the second half, the dynamic shifts somewhat, but I was no less compelled. As Clara makes discoveries about Shadowbrook’s past, and the past of those who once called it home, Fletcher begins to weave together a wonderfully intricate tapestry of secrets and lies, with everything gradually falling into place in a satisfying though devastating way. At large, this is a book about lives ruled and destroyed by the toxicity of hearsay, and the manipulative power that men held over women.

For the last 50 pages or so, there is a further shift in tone and focus that I can imagine will put it at odds with the rest of the story for some people. However, this section was still beautiful in its own way, helping to capture a very specific moment in time, when society was in a state of flux. If the coming of war interrupts the flow and significance of prior events in the novel, this is hugely reflective of the effect war has in real life, throwing a new perspective on everything. With WWI proving the catalyst for much change, particularly the role and reputation of women, it also brings an opportunity for Shadowbrook’s legacy to be rewritten, thus making complete narrative sense. Plus, by this point, I was so invested in the characters and the setting that I was just glad to be spending a little more time with them.

After all, there’s a lot to be said for picking up the right book at the right time, and the joy of a great reading experience. House of Glass was exactly what I needed right now. It completely swept me up, and I loved every moment I spent in the grips of its pages. ...more

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Jan 05, 2019 Travel.with.a.book rated it really liked it

A great story that I have never heard or read quite like a story that the author wrote.
Amazing book that starts in the 90' century.
I have always craving to read a story that is fresh and an original book.
I give the book 4.5 stars and thankfully I started reading it in 2019 with a perfect start.
Something that I have had never read and the book did not disappoint me at all.
Starting from the sample that I read which satisfied me from the start to the instagram when I saw it in others feed and I fel ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 Renee Godding marked it as to-read

(Temporary)DNF

With all due respect to this book, I’m putting it back onto my TBR shelf for now.
House of Glass is very literary and atmospheric and could potentially be something I really end up loving. As for now however, I think I have to much going on in my mind to appreciate the beautiful writing. 100% me and not the book, but I’m going to save this until another time, preferable in autumn.

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Dec 18, 2018 Kate rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: out-in-2018-and-read, favourites-read-in-2018

Although this is set during the summer (in the days leading up to the outbreak of World War I), this is one of those books that is definitely well suited to winter reading by lamplight. A large, decaying mansion, rumoured to be haunted, in which picked flowers die within hours. Clara Waterfield is a marvellous heroine - fragile due to her brittle bone disease but still rooted in soil, plants, the outdoors. I enjoyed the first half particularly. Beautiful writing. Review to follow shortly on For ...more

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Jun 27, 2019 Annie rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 11, 2019 Catherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 4-stars

"But above all, there were books. Books were my consolation. For if I could not walk into the bright, blowing world I could, at least, read of it; books, I was told, contained it all."

After Witch Light, I tried a different kind of book by another author as my next read. Unfortunately, I had to put said book on hold, because Susan Fletcher's masterpiece was still on my mind at every page. So I decided to read the other novel by the same author I bought and while it's not as amazing as Witch Light ...more

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Nov 04, 2018 Melanie rated it it was ok

I had such high hopes for this one. It does some things well. A main character that has a disability and is different and she stayed clear of the “this girl has a disability so she must be sweet and lovely” trope which I was grateful for but apart from that this book just did not quite know what it wanted to be. All over the place.

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Dec 02, 2018 Kirsty rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: december-2018, borrowed

Susan Fletcher is an author whose work I have always very much enjoyed. My first encounter with one of her novels was in the glorious Harper Perennial edition of Eve Gree, quite some time ago. I have since read almost all of her other work, and when I saw that she had a new novel - House of Glass - coming out in 2018, I borrowed it from the library just as soon as I could.

Many of the reviews of House of Glass mention its ‘darkly gothic’ tone, as well as the way in which it is such things as surp ...more

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Dec 29, 2019 Tanja Berg rated it it was ok · review of another edition

If I wasn’t so incredibly bored I could perhaps gather up some disappointment as well. This book is predictable from start to finish and there is nothing gothic about it at all. I don’t know exactly what I had hoped for, it got lost very quickly. A promising start, weak middle and no help with the endless revelations at the end.

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Dec 20, 2018 Lisa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2018-reads

This had the potential to be a 5 star read for me but as you can tell from my 3 star rating, it didn't live up to the admittedly high expectations I had going in. There were some things it did very well, such as envoking a deliciously creepy gothic atmosphere alongside some reasonably well-drawn characters, but my main problem with it was that it was far too slow in terms of its pacing. The plot moved at a snail's pace for at least 2/3 of the book, with page after page of little to nothing happe ...more

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Dec 10, 2018 Jo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, gothic

It's 1914 and England is on the cusp of war. Clara is a young woman with what we now call brittle bones disease who takes a job at Kew Gardens whilst grieving for her mother. She's sent to the countryside to stock the glasshouse of a mysterious estate owner where she encounters a staff terrified by the ghost of a former owner. This was a wonderful piece of historical fiction with a slight supernatural undertone. ...more

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Jul 15, 2019 Christena Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

House of glass turned out to be less of a ghost story and more of a tale of loss and lies. About half way in, all the well spun creepiness ended, and with it, my interest. Then, strangly, the plot spiraled into a odd half-baked romance that seemed to belong to a whole other story. By the time I read the last page, I just ended up feeling drained and sad.

There were some beautiful lines and sentimental moments that were truly memorable, for sure. The author took alot of creative liberties with he ...more

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Nov 25, 2018 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Oh my goodness what a book. This is absolutely exquisite; so lyrical and vivid and such an amazing protagonist. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil any of the experience but I will say if you enjoy beautiful writing and intense character connections, this is an absolute must! ...more

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Dec 15, 2018 Helen Carolan rated it it was amazing

Another terrific Gothic read. Clara suffers from brittle bone disease and has spent much of her early life cocooned indoors. When her beloved mum dies Clara starts to question her own identity and wanders the streets of London trying to banish her grief. This leads her to Kew gardens where she learns about exotic plants. This in turn leads to a commission at Shadowbrook in Gloucestershire. The owner is a mysterious recluse and the locals have nothing but bad to say about previous owners the Pett ...more

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Oct 30, 2018 Lynn Williams rated it it was amazing

https://lynns-books.com/2018/10/30/ho...
I am on a winning streak with my gothic reads these past few weeks and here is yet another little beauty to add to your wishlists. I know, I know, I’m sorry, you have too many books already but you and I both know you don’t want to miss a good book – after all that’s how your TBR grew into such a monster in the first place and, whilst I hate to add to your ever growing stacks, trust me, this book is worth it. Don’t miss out. Described as being reminiscent https://lynns-books.com/2018/10/30/ho...
I am on a winning streak with my gothic reads these past few weeks and here is yet another little beauty to add to your wishlists. I know, I know, I’m sorry, you have too many books already but you and I both know you don’t want to miss a good book – after all that’s how your TBR grew into such a monster in the first place and, whilst I hate to add to your ever growing stacks, trust me, this book is worth it. Don’t miss out. Described as being reminiscent of duMaurier I would suggest this also gave me Jane Eyre vibes and yet at the same time it absolutely stands on it’s own two feet. Beautifully written and powerfully evocative it contains all the elements that woven together make an engrossing gothic story.

The thing I love about this book is the voice. Clara is a wonderful narrator and I was quite hooked to the page as she recounted her early years. Clara was born with a condition that makes her skeleton incredibly vulnerable, apologies but I didn’t make a note of the name but it seems to be akin to ‘glass bones’. A simple fall can result in serious damage and Clara spends her youth spent largely recuperating, mainly in the company of her mother and in a house that is all but wrapped in cotton wool to prevent, as far as possible, further injuries. As she grows older her condition stabilises a little but of course by that time, and with so many broken bones already in her past Clara finds it difficult to walk without the aid of a stick. On top of this her appearance is almost ethereal. With a diminutive frame, strangely entrancing eyes and white blond hair she certainly catches attention although quite often of the negative variety. And, finally, with a lack of social encounters in her past she has a certain way of interacting with others that is brutally frank and often borders on abrupt. Here we have a female character, set in a period where societal restrictions would prevent her having any freedom, enjoying a lifestyle that is totally unexpected. She is a wonderful creation, I loved her and I absolutely applaud the author for taking a character, born with such difficulties to surmount and instead of letting this restrict the story using it instead to create a strong and no-nonsense woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind or talk frankly. I want more of this.

The story moves forward to approximately 1914. Unfortunately Clara’s mother and only friend has passed away and Clara needs a purpose. She takes to visiting Kew Gardens, fascinated by the plants and keen to learn. She develops an almost teacher/student relationship with one of the head gardeners and from there stems an invitation to a country manor where the new owner, having recently built a grand greenhouse, requires someone with the expertise to fill it with exotic plants. Shadowbrook House is appropriately named. The villagers whisper about it, the housekeeper and maids are convinced it’s haunted and there are certainly plenty of strange noises of an evening. Noises that whisper of footsteps treading along creaking floorboards, or perhaps just noises of an old house settling in to sleep at night.

I don’t think I need to really elaborate too much on the plot, this is a house with a history, it could be haunted or maybe it’s simply a house that is haunted by it’s past, people unable or unwilling to forget the ‘goings on’ that took place within its walls. It has a forbidden attic, a reclusive owner and plenty of dark secrets just waiting to be unveiled. I certainly didn’t foresee the final outcome but I confess I never try overly hard to second guess the endings to books – I prefer to let them reveal themselves as intended so it’s possible that others might not find the reveals as surprising as I did. Undoubtedly this ticks a lot of the trope boxes that you would expect from a gothic read and I can almost picture you rolling your eyes thinking the ‘same old, same old’ but, apart from the fact that these tropes are so enjoyable anyway, what makes this book refreshingly different is the main protagonist who is such an original character. Clara is an intelligent and practical woman. She has a scientific mind and so as such refuses to believe in ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Instead she looks for rational explanation where others simply give in to superstition and she isn’t afraid to go and investigate. Obviously, her nature is tempered by her easily broken bones. Clara can’t go flinging herself around or dashing about the countryside, she has to take certain precautions but she doesn’t let her condition dictate who she is or use it as an excuse not to get on with life.

Added to a great protagonist and an eerie tale is of course the writing. Susan Fletcher is a wonderful writer. She has an almost magical way with words that simply transports you into whatever vision she is currently creating. I’ve read a couple of her books before and it’s always the same for me – I rush through the book, devouring the words like a raging maniac and then finish the story feeling almost teary eyed and bereft. There’s almost a poetic beauty to her words and yet at the same time a simplicity that just brings forth memories. For this particular book it’s the garden, the scent of the flowers and the herbs, the beautiful colours and the feeling of nature doing what it does best. Please, don’t take my word for it – go and pick up a copy and see what you think.

In terms of criticisms. I have nothing. I think the only proviso I would make is that whilst this is a ghostly tale I don’t think it’s a tale of terror – which I think is mainly down to Clara’s unwillingness to give in to flights of fancy. But, I don’t really think of that as a criticism, just something to note.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion. ...more

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Oct 12, 2019 Mary Crawford rated it liked it

A gothic novel that ticked all the boxes for what should be included. A young disabled woman accepts a commission to set up a greenhouse in Gloucestershire. There are strange goings on in the stately house and Clara is determined to solve the mystery. As this is 1914 she is unusual in being forthright and outspoken as well as an expert on plants. There are beautiful descriptions of flowers and fauna. A good read.

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Jan 09, 2019 pennyg rated it it was amazing

It starts as a ghost story but is so much more. It's tone is a bit different from her other books but has the same beautiful writing, same uncanny ability to depict emotion that is spot on and a sense of place that is almost as vital as the characters. The story is about a strong willed but physically fragile young woman discovering who she is and what she believes, set in 1914 during the suffragette movement and right before the war, braving the world on her own for the first time at a grand e ...more

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Nov 06, 2018 Eleanor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: histfic

(4.5)

At first glance, House of Glass seems to fit neatly into the tradition of English Gothic haunted-house stories: an unusual or unreliable narrator (Clara Waterfield, age twenty and a sufferer of osteogenesis imperfecta, which renders her bones dangerously brittle; her beloved mother is dead of cancer and her stepfather not unkind but distant) is summoned to a stately home (Shadowbrook, in Gloucestershire) that represents some kind of sanctuary (the opportunity to use her newly acquired horti (4.5)

At first glance, House of Glass seems to fit neatly into the tradition of English Gothic haunted-house stories: an unusual or unreliable narrator (Clara Waterfield, age twenty and a sufferer of osteogenesis imperfecta, which renders her bones dangerously brittle; her beloved mother is dead of cancer and her stepfather not unkind but distant) is summoned to a stately home (Shadowbrook, in Gloucestershire) that represents some kind of sanctuary (the opportunity to use her newly acquired horticultural skills in the cultivation of a glasshouse for Shadowbrook’s owner, the mysterious Mr. Fox). “Trouble” is darkly hinted at (by the man who drives Clara from the station to the house), but our narrator remains skeptical of anything that can’t be touched or proven. Still, the house’s staff seem to be hiding something (the overly cheerful housekeeper, Mrs. Bale, and two frightened maids from the village, Harriet and Maud), and eventually our narrator experiences some uncanny goings-on for themselves. Intellectually frustrated by the apparent impossibility of the supernatural, our narrator seeks to uncover the truth, while simultaneously revealing themselves to the reader as being an ever more untrustworthy and subjective observer.

Roughly, that is what happens in the first half of House of Glass, but Susan Fletcher innovates by making Clara not less believable, but more so. Learning to shed her preconceptions about rationality and the nature of knowledge, she also learns to shed idealized images of other people: too frail throughout childhood and adolescence to have a normal social life, she is forced to meet people at Shadowbrook who are – like all real people – contradictory, confusing, and illogical in their actions. This will eventually prove the key to solving the mystery of Shadowbrook, which – it’s whispered – is the ghost of Veronique Pettigrew, the daughter of the family that used to own the place. To say too much more would be to spoil the clever way in which Fletcher undermines the tropes of the Gothic romance genre: the crazed, over-sexed woman (Bertha in Jane Eyre, Cathy in Wuthering Heights), the deceptive housekeeper (Mrs. Danvers, Mrs. Fairfax), the brooding romantic hero whose role, in House of Glass, is spread over several male characters and in one instance combined with the trope of the taciturn-but-sexy man of the soil. Fletcher makes us consider the difference between real life and fiction. We think we are reading one sort of book, one particular set of accepted illusions, but that too is an illusion: House of Glass is a different book at its end, once we grow to understand – along with Clara, whose book-derived ideas about life echo Catherine Morland’s in Northanger Abbey, though to an effect that’s alarming rather than amusing – what it is we’re actually reading.

About three-quarters of the way through, the device that has brought all of these characters together in one place is revealed, and it’s the weakest part of the book, as such devices tend to be. Still, if the book resonates with Jane Eyre in its early sections, it’s worth remembering that Charlotte Bronte resorts to a universally-derided and equally implausible trick in order to reunite Jane and Rochester; Fletcher’s use of convoluted coincidence can be read as another comment on the genre she’s working with. House of Glass is fluid, addictive, and very clever, all at once: I can’t recommend it more highly.

This post was a stop on the House of Glass blog tour. Thanks to Virago for the review copy! ...more

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Oct 10, 2019 Mary Lou rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The publisher’s blurb describes House of Glass as ‘a wonderful, atmospheric gothic page-turner’ and that is exactly what it is.
Forced to spend her childhood indoors through illness Clara only knows of the world from her mother and stepfather. Now able for the great outdoors, a naïve young woman, carrying a limp from a badly mended broken hip, she sets out to may a way in the world but experiences a major set back when her mother dies suddenly. Clara finds her way to Kew and the Palm House. The t ...more

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Nov 22, 2018 Angela Smith rated it liked it

Shelves: general-fiction, historical, mystery, ww1

Clara Waterfield has spent most of her life cushioned from life's knocks as she has a rare bone disorder which causes them to break like twigs as she grows up some strength is afforded her and she manages to get about with a cane. Her mother dies and Clara wants a bit of independence from her stepfather and the house she has been closeted in.

One of her strengths is that she knows plants. A gardener at Kew who she befriends helps her to get a temporary position at a country house whose owner wan ...more

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Jun 15, 2019 Atul_reads rated it really liked it

I can say that the premise of this novel is high. Some reviewers said that it was an attempt to remake Rebecca.
Sure there's a resemblance but this story was drafted in a different way.

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‘House of Glass’ left me with so much sorrow. I also had a moment of nervousness with all that occurred.
For me the ending was unpredictable. I had concluded some conclusion of my own but not quite precisely.

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It's a combination of debates, questionnaire, rational, factual, and it's certainly focused on morality ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Ellie Stevenson rated it liked it

Lyrical and atmospheric book with unusual storyline set just before WW1. Low key atmosphere meant I was surprised by some of the later twists and turns. Well worth reading. Gardens inspired by Hidcote Manor in the Cotswolds (which, incidentally, is an amazing place to visit if you can).

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Feb 15, 2020 David rated it it was amazing

Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) meets Wilkie Collins (Woman in White) meets Daphne du Maruier (Rebecca) meets Jean Rhys (Saragossa Sea) meets Germain Greer. This is a homage to Victorian Gothic (oops, apologies, the book is set in 1914 on the cusp of World War One) with suitable twists and turns plus a touch of feminism and modern eroticism. This is my first Susan Fletcher. What a gifted writer. In the lyricism of some passages, you can almost smell the flowers, hear Clara's bones splinter. A myste ...more

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Jan 23, 2019 Louise rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, historical

House of Glass is a historical mystery in the vein of Jane Eyre or The Turn of the Screw. 20-year-old Clara has lived an isolated life but takes a job setting up a glasshouse at a remote estate. With mysterious sounds in the night, a village full of rumours and a house with a chequered past, Clara’s doing her best to find out what her new employer is hiding.

Clara’s a wonderful and complicated character. She’s blunt and forthright, and fiercely independent despite a sheltered upbringing. She grow ...more

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About Susan Fletcher

Susan Fletcher

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Susan Fletcher is the author of Eve Green, which won the Whitbread Award for First Novel, Oystercatchers, and Corrag. She lives in the United Kingdom. ...more