The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James
Thanks to Rebecca James, Macmillan Publishers, and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book.
Book Summary
For more than two centuries, Winterbourne Hall has stood atop a bluff overseeing the English countryside of Cornwall and the sea beyond.
In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after Captain Jonathan de Grey’s twin children. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. Alice finds her surroundings subtly altered, her air slightly chilled. Something malicious resents her presence, something clouding her senses and threatening her very sanity.
In present day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. A legacy borne from greed and deceit, twisted by madness, and suffused with unrequited love and unequivocal rage.
Book Details
The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James
Published on March 17, 2020 by Macmillan
Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Hardcover, 368 pages
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Review
Rebecca James weaves a hauntingly, dark tale with The Woman in the Mirror. Infused with Gothic details and chilling atmosphere the story is about the de Greys and their descendants who are haunted by a curse. It is a story of betrayal and one woman’s wish for revenge that will forever change the de Greys legacy.
The story is set upon the rocky crags of Cornwall where Winterbourne Hall beckons—holding within its majestic and crumbly facade a mystery of unrequited love and rumors of witchcraft. Two very different young women separated by time find themselves consumed by the secrets hidden within the walls of the manor.
“Love. Rotten, stinking, hated love. Love is for fools, bound for hell.
I detest its creeping treacheries. I resent the shell it made of me. ”
In 1947, a young Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne, looking after Captain Jonathan de Greys’ twins. She finds herself slowly unraveling as the children and manor seem to be pulling her ever closer to madness.
In present-day New York, Rachel Wright discovers she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. She travels to Cornwall in hopes of finally answering questions she has about her birth parents and adoption, only to find an eerie presence lingering among its walls.
Can she discover the mystery behind the curse placed on the de Greys and break it before she follows in the line as the women before her who have succumbed to its sinister presence?
I’m a big fan of Gothic tales and I’m so happy that they seem to be making a comeback in the literary world. Stories that are filled with many of the elements fans of the genre have come to love—a rich and dark atmosphere, touches of the supernatural, mystery and forbidden romance all wrapped up in a smart, new way readers can admire the intrepid heroine who battles wits against an unknown and threatening source.
The Woman in the Mirror delivers a gorgeous tale rich in Gothic atmosphere and I found the two story-lines dark and compelling as the curse and legacy of the de Greys family winds itself sinuously among the woman who find themselves at the heart of Winterbourne.
The crumbling facade comes to eerie life and the salt spray from the towering cliffs is easy to imagine. Little happenings escalate and readers can’t but help wonder what is really happening.
The dual timeline and two protagonists, Alice and Rachel, bring readers one step closer to the madness and allure of the manor. The mystery and story’s plot cleverly comes together and wraps-up nicely leaving readers happily satisfied as they close the book’s pages.
In the End
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy a well-done mystery and are looking for their next read featuring dark, Gothic overtones. I am definitely looking forward to more from the author Rebecca James.
