For a spellbinding story, Susanna Kearsley is always the author to turn
to for a great read. BELLEWETHER
is no exception, featuring two life star-crossed lovers during the French
and Indian War and a present-day storyline involving a museum curator
trying to discover the truth behind this breathtaking love story...
Lydia Wilde and her family have two French-Canadian soldiers assigned
to stay with them until a prisoner of war exchange can be made. Their
presence causes stress and painful memories of the war to resurface in
her brother, and Lydia wants nothing to do with either of them.
Lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran wants nothing to do with Lydia or
her family but decides to pick up odd tasks around their house to pass
his imprisonment. As they spend more and more time together, Lydia
and Jean-Philippe slowly come to admire one another, and eventually
fall in love. Of course, their love is a forbidden one, ill-fated from the
start.
Charley Van Hoek is the new curator of Wilde House, now a museum
dedicated to the ancestral home. Almost as soon as she arrives,
Charley hears stories of Lydia and Jean-Philippe's tragic romance,
including tales of Jean-Phillipe's ghost still haunting the property.
Strange occurrences around the house aside, Charley decides to
continue researching what really happened during the tumultuous
years of war.
BELLEWETHER showcases
Susanna Kearsley's meticulous attention to detail, bringing past and
present fully to life. As always, her characters are fully realized, not
perfect by any means, and readers truly come to care for them. The
romance between Lydia and Jean-Philippe is a slow burn, and deeply
passionate. Charley is a wonderful present-day heroine, and watching
her figure things out over the course of the novel is captivating. I found
this time period in American and Canadian history fascinating, and one
that isn't often explored in such rich detail. The plot wasn't as intriguing
as some of Kearsley's other books, but the overall story was enjoyable,
and the dual timeline and alternating viewpoint structure worked well,
as it has in her previous novels.
A magical new masterpiece from New York
Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley! A rich,
haunting tale that will draw you in and never let you
go
"The house, when I first saw it, seemed intent on guarding
what it knew; but we all learned, by the end of it, that
secrets aren't such easy things to keep."
It's the summer of 1759, and the world is at war. Times are
complicated, as are the loyalties of many in New York who
have secretly been playing a treacherous game of
cat-and-mouse with their British rulers. In this world of
conflict and secrecy, a young captured French Canadian
lieutenant is billeted with a Long Island family, only to
find himself drawn more and more to the daughter of the
house. He cannot speak her language, but he can see into her
soul. Legend has it that their love ended tragically, but
centuries later, a young historian discovers that the clues
they left behind might slowly unveil the true story.