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The Fascination by Essie Fox #Review #Giveaway
Today be prepared for a dark, Victorian gothic novel! The Fascination by Essie Fox is published on June 22nd by Orenda. For the chance to win a print copy of The Fascination see the foot of this post for details.
Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions…
Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except
that Tilly hasn't grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into
promoting their father's quack elixir as they tour the country
fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious
Italian known as ‘Captain’.
Theo is an orphan, raised by his
grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical
freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting
his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook
remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home
without a penny to his name.
Theo finds employment in Dr
Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and
his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.
But
it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of
them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening
everything they know…
Exploring universal themes of love and loss, the power of redemption and what it means to be unique, The Fascination is
an evocative, glittering and bewitching gothic novel that brings alive
Victorian London – and darkness and deception that lies beneath…
My Thoughts
Dark and mysterious, you are taken along on a horrifying journey as you follow the story of Tilly and Keziah and also, Theo. As you soon discover, there are some disturbing elements behind certain people’s actions. People’s vulnerabilities are laid bare and exploitation takes place on an industrial scale.
As I read this book, full of gothic overtones as it is, I had Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’ in my mind. It is the other worldly tone and cruelty that seems to lurk beneath the surface. The museum with its grotesque exhibits both fascinates and repulses the observers. In some ways, this story is a plea for us to accept those who are different and to end exploitation. This is a singular piece of writing which shocks and beguiles in equal measure.
In short: dark deeds and shocking events.
About the Author
Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire, which inspires much of her writing.
After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, then the book publishers George Allen & Unwin – before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design.
Always an avid reader, Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, set in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Her latest novel, The Fascination is based in Victorian country fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres, and an Oxford Street museum full of morbid curiosities.
Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian She has lectured on this era at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London.
You can follow Essie here: Twitter | Website
Book links: Amazon UK
Thanks to Essie Fox, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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