Amazon UK
Title: The Lost Child
Author: Ann Troup
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Purchased
Publisher: Carina
Publication Date: 19th May 2015
Rating: 4 Stars
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| Amazon UK |
Mandy Miller disappeared from Hallow’s End when she was just 3 years old. She was never found.
Thirty years on, Elaine Ellis is carrying her mother’s ashes back to Hallow’s End to scatter them in the place that she once called home. Elaine has never been there, but it’s the only place Jean talked about while she was growing up – so it seems as good a place as any.
As Elaine settles into her holiday cottage in the peaceful Devonshire village, she gets to know the locals; family she never knew she had, eccentric and old-fashioned gentry, and new friends where she would least expect them. But she is intrigued by the tale of the missing girl that the village still carries at its heart, and which somehow continues to overshadow them all. Little does she know how much more involved in the mystery she will become…
Thirty years on, Elaine Ellis is carrying her mother’s ashes back to Hallow’s End to scatter them in the place that she once called home. Elaine has never been there, but it’s the only place Jean talked about while she was growing up – so it seems as good a place as any.
As Elaine settles into her holiday cottage in the peaceful Devonshire village, she gets to know the locals; family she never knew she had, eccentric and old-fashioned gentry, and new friends where she would least expect them. But she is intrigued by the tale of the missing girl that the village still carries at its heart, and which somehow continues to overshadow them all. Little does she know how much more involved in the mystery she will become…
It feels a bit odd, I worked out what the main mystery was within the first 10% of the book, or at least I had a very strong feeling. I then had to stop as my lunch break was over, and when I came back to the book that evening, despite reading on purely to see that my hunch was correct, and then seeing what other twists and turns the story may take, I did read the rest of the book in one sitting in a little over 3 hours.
The fact that I did that while not being sure how much I was enjoying, or even bothered by the story, and not allowing myself to be distracted by social media, leads me to realise that the book was incredibly well written, and kept my gripped throughout even though I really didn't think I was.
I just didn't really connect with the characters on any level, although it was Brodie's story I was most interested in, as a troubled teen, who comes from a truly horrific family. Her siblings as you will discover during the story are messed up, and her mother is not any better. The explanation for it all was that Brodie's sister Mandy went missing aged 3 years old, in Hallow's End, and now thirty years later, Brodie is in Hallow's End herself.
There are some rather eccentric characters in Hallow's End, including an old man who is a bit of a hoarder, and also Derry who really is a loveable giant, even if noone seems to understand him at all. The descriptions of Hallow's End are evocative and do make you feel as though you were there.
The Lost Child is a well written book, that clearly had me reading on, but I didn't really find it that mysterious, it didn't overly shock me at all, and despite being hooked, I just felt slightly numb reading it.
Thank you everyone for voting for The Lost Child, it didn't really surprise me that much that it won, as I know Ann Troup is popular. I think the main thing that had put me off reading this before hand was the cover, as it just feels a bit too eerie for my liking, and although having now read the book I understand the image a lot better, I am glad though that I have finally read the book, and I really look forward to seeing what wins this week's vote.
The fact that I did that while not being sure how much I was enjoying, or even bothered by the story, and not allowing myself to be distracted by social media, leads me to realise that the book was incredibly well written, and kept my gripped throughout even though I really didn't think I was.
I just didn't really connect with the characters on any level, although it was Brodie's story I was most interested in, as a troubled teen, who comes from a truly horrific family. Her siblings as you will discover during the story are messed up, and her mother is not any better. The explanation for it all was that Brodie's sister Mandy went missing aged 3 years old, in Hallow's End, and now thirty years later, Brodie is in Hallow's End herself.
There are some rather eccentric characters in Hallow's End, including an old man who is a bit of a hoarder, and also Derry who really is a loveable giant, even if noone seems to understand him at all. The descriptions of Hallow's End are evocative and do make you feel as though you were there.
The Lost Child is a well written book, that clearly had me reading on, but I didn't really find it that mysterious, it didn't overly shock me at all, and despite being hooked, I just felt slightly numb reading it.
Thank you everyone for voting for The Lost Child, it didn't really surprise me that much that it won, as I know Ann Troup is popular. I think the main thing that had put me off reading this before hand was the cover, as it just feels a bit too eerie for my liking, and although having now read the book I understand the image a lot better, I am glad though that I have finally read the book, and I really look forward to seeing what wins this week's vote.
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