Persephoneclub

The blank wall: a novel of suspense | Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

Reposting for @leahBergen
It‘s now October so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@quietjenn ‘s pick for us this month is The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

LeahBergen Thanks for the repost! 1w

Bookbuyingaddict Hello 👋 all count me in have my copy ready to go 😆💨💨I am going away at the weekend for a week and not taking it with me so il binge read it when I get home , happy 😃 reading 🤓🥰 1w

LitsyEvents @LeahBergen please see above 7d

LeahBergen @Bookbuyingaddict Enjoy your weekend away! ❤️ 7d

LeahBergen @LitsyEvents Thanks! 😊 7d

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LeahBergen

The blank wall: a novel of suspense | Elisabeth Sanxay Holding

It‘s now October so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@quietjenn ‘s pick for us this month is The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

rubyslippersreads, Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, Teresereading, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Sparklemn, Bookbuyingaddict, willaful

LeahBergen @LitsyEvents 1w

Tamra Thanks for the reminder, Leah! 1w

quietjenn Thanks! I remembered that it was my pick, but couldn't remember what I nominated 😂. 1w

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Gissy I am so behind but I know I will read them eventually. I have like what I read so far👌Plus I love Persephone editions 😍 1w

Cathythoughts Thanks Leah. I‘ve read this one and I loved it. I might have a reread. I look forward to people‘s thoughts on it. 👍🏻❤️ 1w

CarolynM I‘m going to be away most of this month so I probably won‘t get to this until November. But I will be following everyone‘s posts about it! 1w

LeahBergen @Tamra 😘 7d

LeahBergen @quietjenn That sounds like me 😆 7d

LeahBergen @Gissy You‘re never behind! Just read along as you can. 😊 7d

LeahBergen @Cathythoughts I‘ve read it too and thought it was great! 7d

LeahBergen @CarolynM I hope you‘re travelling somewhere fun. 😘 7d

Sparklemn Can I be added to the list? 6d

LeahBergen @Sparklemn Sure! I‘ll add you to this one so I remember. 😆 6d

julieclair @LeahBergen Can you take me off the list, please? I always want to read these, but never seem to do so. I will still keep up with the hashtag, though, and may pop in from time to time. 💙 4d

LeahBergen @julieclair Sure! I do hope you pop in now and again! ❤️ 4d

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rubyslippersreads

Hetty Dorval | Ethel Wilson

I really enjoyed this. At first it seemed like the story of a young girl growing up on a ranch, with an almost idyllic life, but the detail about Ernestine‘s future revealed that the story was going to get darker. This is my first Ethel Wilson, but won‘t be my last.

Does anyone else think that Hetty would be able to get herself out of trouble in Austria, no matter how ominous the last lines? 😏

#PersephoneClub

andrew61 Yes, I agree, Hetty will definitely find someone else who falls for her charms. Great review. 1mo

Tamra @andrew61 agreed! 1mo

willaful Yup, she's a survivor. 1mo

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LeahBergen Haha! Yes, I bet Hetty figured something out. 1mo

rubyslippersreads @LeahBergen Maybe she heard that a captain with seven children was looking for a governess. 🤣 1mo

LeahBergen Good one!! 😂 1mo

46 likes6 comments

CarolynM

Hetty Dorval. by Ethel Wilson | Ethel Wilson

pick

#PersephoneClub
I have a lot of thoughts about this one. Firstly, the ostracism. No one quite seemed to know exactly why, but Hetty was a “menace” & to be shunned. I wonder how often this happened (& still happens) to someone innocent? Then the “femme fatale”. Of course it‘s the woman‘s fault, no man can resist a beautiful woman who appears available & interested🤬 I was kind of disappointed that it turned out Hetty conformed to the stereotype.

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, daena, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, Teresereading, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful

Tamra I got the impression that was one of Wilson‘s points, re: stereotype? Hetty & her mother suffered the social stigma of having been real women with real feelings, desires, dreams, etc. who were especially manipulated by men. They in turn had to manipulate others bc they operated in survival mode. I would have liked Hetty more fleshed out in first person, but it was Frankie‘s POV. Honestly, I was more interested in Hetty! (edited) 2mo

Cathythoughts Yes I agree, the judgement of innocent people in this world is upsetting. I think Hetty was set up early on when she tells Frankie their meetings must be a secret… this is how we are introduced to her and it‘s hard to get past. I worried for Hetty‘s future, she was living life in survival mode. Solitary. 1mo

68 likes2 comments

LeahBergen

Hetty Dorval | Ethel Wilson

pick

I‘m late to review our latest #PersephoneClub read as I‘ve been travelling around the interior of British Columbia (and very close to the setting of this novel).

I loved it! And who was surprised by the “reveal”?? I felt like I could have continued on with Frankie‘s story just a little bit longer.

rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, Teresereading, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful

Tamra It was a surprise to me! Didn‘t seem to be handled well all the way around. 😅 I felt like that about Frankie too, but I had to keep reminding myself the titular character is Hetty. I wonder if that was a publisher choice? I hope you enjoyed your trip! (edited) 2mo

willaful I would really have liked to see more of what happened to Frankie, but I came to the conclusion that the story was really about her finding her own values and voice and we could take the rest on faith. 2mo

CarolynM I was surprised, but it made sense to me. And I liked what the Afterword said about the consequences of parents behaving as servants to their children. I was uncomfortable all along with accepting that Hetty was bad, without any real evidence. I was hoping for those sitting in judgement to be in the wrong. 2mo

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rubyslippersreads I‘m even later than you, but will come back when I‘m done. 😺 2mo

Cathythoughts I loved it too. The reveal was a surprise to me too, but then on reflection it made sense. I felt for Hetty , but I‘d say she would be a difficult person. I loved the description of their first meeting in nature. Lovely writing. ❤️ 1mo

Cathythoughts Lovely picture ! I hope you had a great time on your trip x 1mo

MemoirsForMe Happy Travels! 🤗🚐❤️ 1mo

rubyslippersreads I was surprised by the reveal. As for Hetty‘s reputation, I think Frankie‘s parents were just trying to protect Frankie, and to keep her from growing up too fast. But that was difficult to do without divulging too much of the sordid gossip around Hetty, which at that time would have been very shocking. 1mo

68 likes8 comments

andrew61

Hetty Dorval. by Ethel Wilson | Ethel Wilson

pick

@quietjenn @Tamra @CarolynM @sisilia @Caryl @daena @elkeOriginal @Gissy @Aimeesue @Bookbuyingaddict @julieclair @willaful @LeahBergen #persephoneclub
Another great read with (reminded me of a lost lady by WC) a central character who is the hypnotic femme fatale who attracts everyone except the sceptical narrator ,here Frankie burnaby who as a child loves the stranger + her parents forbid her to contact but as adult sees the spider like risk.

LeahBergen Pretty photo! I really enjoyed this one, too (and still need to review it). 😆 2mo

rubyslippersreads Spider-like is a perfect description of Hetty. 1mo

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quietjenn

Hetty Dorval | Ethel Wilson

pick

So much packed into this slight novel! Such layered, complex characters in a story that did not go all the places I expected it to. A great #persephoneclub pick!

LeahBergen Look at that old edition, too! 😍 2mo

Tamra 👏🏾indeed, good things come in few pages. 😄 2mo

CarolynM What a great edition! I‘m just getting started. 2mo

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willaful

Hetty Dorval | Ethel Wilson

A coming of age story in which young Frankie's life in beautiful British Columbia, and later in Europe, is disrupted several times by the fascinating, enigmatic -- evil? -- Hetty Dorval. I've read books with similar themes before but I'm not sure I've ever read one in which the narrator comes so satisfactorily into their own by the end; no matter who Hetty really is, Frankie will be the person she needs to be.

#PersephoneClub

LeahBergen Great review! And I‘ve yet to start. 😬 2mo

Cathythoughts Great review. I enjoyed this too. Hetty is one complicated woman ! 2mo

willaful @LeahBergen It's a pretty fast read. 2mo

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Cathythoughts

Hetty Dorval | Ethel Wilson

pick

I adored this book. Watching Frankie as a young girl and then as she matures , and how she sees Hetty at different times in her life. Beautiful writing , I loved this story. #PersephoneClub And what do we think of Hetty !

andrew61 My copy arrived in today's post so I'm looking forward to reading it after all these positive reviews. 2mo

Cathythoughts @andrew61 Looking forward to your review 👍🏻 2mo

CarolynM Great review. I‘m hoping to get to it soon. 2mo

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LeahBergen Oh, I‘m so glad that you liked it! I‘m travelling right now and have it with me (but this whole “family wedding” thing is giving me no time to read 😆). 2mo

Cathythoughts @CarolynM Looking forward to your thought 😁 2mo

Cathythoughts @LeahBergen I loved it Leah ! Great choice. Enjoy the wedding. We have a family wedding in a couple of weeks but we don‘t have to travel far. ❤️ 2mo

Tamra I was a bit torn about Hetty. On the one hand I appreciated her independence and desire to live her life as she saw fit (despite the social pressure & stigma) on the other hand she also was portrayed as a terrible narcissist. The bombshell dropped on her was unfair. 2mo

Cathythoughts @Tamra Yes, the bombshell was unfair, but then she went to Frankie‘s and took her bed and actually slept. I suppose she was a survivor, and ultimately alone , I felt bad for her in that sense. I didn‘t like that in the beginning she asked Frankie to keep it a secret that they met. 2mo

Tamra @Cathythoughts great way to describe her character, a survivor. Agreed, that scene was a clue she had questionable judgement. 2mo

rubyslippersreads I feel a slight sympathy for Hetty, but she does whatever it takes to survive, and I find her impossible to like (although I can see how she charms others). 1mo

Cathythoughts @rubyslippersreads Yes, I agree. That‘s my feeling on her too 👍🏻❤️ 1mo

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