THE CURSE OF MORTON ABBEY

Clarissa Harwood

Thornfield Press – Copyright © 2021 – Publication Date: October 26, 2021

LONDON: FEBRUARY 1897 – July 1897

“I’d sooner accept a coin to send an innocent soul to hell. Don’t go to Morton Abbey, Miss.”  This is one of many warnings that perhaps Morton Abbey is not a place a young woman of 28 years should be venturing off to following the death of her father.  However, that is exactly why you might want to join her dear reader.  Perfect time of year for a sensational gothic novel set in February 1897, and The Curse of Morton Abbey delivers with a perfectly timed publication date of October 26, 2021.  

Summary

We are with Vaughan and in her own words she is “a solicitor in everything but name.” She is offered a job to simply prepare Morton Abbey for sale.  She is hired through written correspondence and her employer, thanks to her ambiguous name, does not know that she is a woman or has a “bad leg”.  She has been underestimated by everyone her whole life, except her father. Her colorful language for a Victorian upper middle-class woman can attest to spending many hours assisting her father in his law practice. 

We meet Vaughan as she is preparing to depart to Yorkshire from London three months after her father’s death.  Within the first six percent of the book she receives several verbal warnings about Morton Abbey… references to a mad and locked up second son, creepy servants and awoken by a gunshot, all while never having met the man that hired her. 

Character Discussion

I have to admit that initially I did not find Vaughan a likeable character. She felt stale, unemotional, abrasive, demanding and entitled to know everything.  Not proper behavior of a Victorian woman, but if everything she did was proper I don’t think we would be reading a story about her.  She is an unusual heroine but her behaviors are believable once you understand her back story. 

The various characters all have multiple layers. I experienced ever evolving feelings towards all of them. Always a great sign when a book’s characters make you feel something. The atmosphere throughout the novel is pitch perfect. The gothic/mysterious feel extends to the gardens, grounds and neighboring village.

Overall Impression

The pacing and writing added to the story enjoyment.  The plot twists were more like swerves and effectively increased my intrigue and desire to know more.  The final section had a few moments that felt rushed.  I felt that we were no longer discovering, but rather being told what the key points were.  Some of the characters we meet toward the later parts of the story seemed flat and not flushed out.  Additionally, I believe these late comers could have been used to better effect if only introduced earlier. There is a bit of romance in the air, but it is slow burning and really ads to the mysterious feel of the story. I know that others have made references to The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre… but truth be told I felt more of a gothic Beauty and the Beast vibe in regards to the romance and setting, and I loved it for that.  Overall, if the premise intrigues you, I would say pick this one up.