Alison Bannister is caught off guard when she sees a small
painting
claiming to be a new portrait of Anne Boleyn. She is
positive it is of
Mary Seymour, daughter of Henry VIII's widow Katherine
Parr, long
believed to have died in infancy. Alison knows it is Mary
because she
once lived with Mary at Wolf Hall before she traveled
through centuries
from the 1600s to the present day. What Alison eventually
realizes is
that Mary has left her a message in this painting, one that
will reveal
mysteries Alison never believed could be solved...
Mary Seymour, daughter of a queen and niece of another, has
led a
tenuous life. Her father, Thomas Seymour and convicted
traitor, left her
with barely any money or dowry to speak of, so she has been
passed to
various relatives on both sides of her family. Additionally,
Mary has
visions that eventually come true, and whispers of
witchcraft follow her
no matter how much she tries to keep her gift a secret. Her
vivacious
cousin Alison has always intrigued and frustrated her, but
when Alison
decides to take control over her own fate, Mary wishes she
has the
courage to do the same. And then she meets a man who not
only gives
her hope but shows her what it means to be loved and valued...
Told through three perspectives, Alison in the present day,
Alison in the
past, and Mary in the past, THE
PHANTOM TREE by Nicola Cornick is a beautiful,
intriguing, and
mysterious historical fiction novel! Time travel, psychic
visions, and
star-crossed love all play major parts in this book, and
they all come
together in surprising ways. Alison, both in the past and
present, is a
character that comes across as a bit brisk at first, but
under her tough
exterior is a vulnerable woman, trying to figure out her
life. Mary begins
as a naive girl but quickly grows into a strong young lady
as she
experiences setbacks and true love in her life. The way that
Cornick is
able to bring both Alison and Mary fully to life is
inspiring, as well as
leading readers to a devastating and yet hopeful conclusion.
Recommended to fans of Susanna Kearsley and Diana Gabaldon.
Browsing an antiques shop in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait—identified as the doomed Tudor queen, Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better. The subject is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr, who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 and presumed dead after going missing as a child. And Alison knows this because she, too, lived at Wolf Hall and knew Mary...more than four hundred years ago. The painting of Mary is more than just a beautiful object for Alison—it holds the key to her past life, the unlocking of the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance and how Alison can get back to her own time. To when she and Mary were childhood enemies yet shared a pact that now, finally, must be fulfilled, no matter the cost. Bestselling author of House of Shadows Nicola Cornick offers a provocative alternate history of rivals, secrets and danger, set in a time when a woman’s destiny was determined by the politics of men and luck of birth. A spellbinding tale for fans of Kate Morton, Philippa Gregory and Barbara Erskine.
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