Welcome to Litsy!

The main character visits Oxburgh Hall & “tours” the “priest hole.”The hole was “built” 400+ yrs ago at a time of “a flowering of culture against a backdrop of religious suppression,torture,&disease..”〰️”400 yrs from now, is this how Anne Frank‘s attic would be viewed?After…the trauma had faded,would the attic evolve into something fun for kids to see because it was gruesome, the horrifying truth rewritten to make the site more visitor-friendly?”

“I knew that one of the biggest roadblocks to understanding history was the false notion that the individuals of the past were more or less like us, thought like us, and would do only things we would do.” —Hannah Larson (main character) p.276

So, I rarely find a book that I don‘t like; and this book had a lot of potential. I liked the premise and the fact that the author brought in sexual identity and neurodiversity in her characters. However, everything was too much for me — too much angst, too much personal drama. I felt like Ron Weasley when he said that a person couldn‘t feel all those things or they would explode. I almost bailed but I needed to find out how it ended.

Review is up! Check it out!

https://reecaspieces.com/2023/06/30/ashton-hall-by-lauren-belfer-suzyapbooktours...

This book was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a twisty thriller but this was more of a historical mystery. There were several pieces of the plot besides the mystery that made this book so good. Just to keep from spoilers I won‘t mention them but they are very important issues and the author approached them very well.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I‘d love ASHTON HALL right from the start, with its immersive narrative voice and strong familial themes, and it only gets better as it rolls along. The historical conundrum at the story‘s heart would be a compelling hook all by itself, but the framework for self-reflection with which it provides Hannah elevates this to something truly spectacular. I read the last 150 pages in one sitting.

4.5 stars; caveat below. #AuldLangSpine

There is a lot going on in this book: in the modern-day storyline, LGBTQ+ and women‘s issues, marital problems, family, relationships, parenting neurodiverse children, and more. Running beneath all of that is the historical mystery, almost gothic in nature, of a Tudor-era woman‘s remains found walled up in the manor. Really good writing, well-researched subject matter, and endearing characters. After a slow start, I loved this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I have mixed feelings about this one--she confronts some timely issues regarding LGBTQ families, marital struggles, the difficulties of parenting a neurodiverse child. It's clear the author has done a lot of research to inform this novel and I loved the historical mystery storyline. Not a bad book, just not my favorite from this writer.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A gothic mystery with a nuanced look at motherhood.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#bookreview #reading #mystery #NetGalley
Full review at: https://lostnagoodbook.wordpress.com/2022/06/08/ashton-hall-lauren-belfer/

So excited I was approved for this ARC from #NetGalley ! I have loved this author‘s prior books and can‘t wait to read this one.