Here is a review for you all, I hope you enjoy:
Touched
by Joanna Briscoe
by Joanna Briscoe
Published Date: 3rd July 2014
Rating:
**Disclaimer - I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
1963: Rowena Crale and her family have recently moved into an old house in a small English village.
But the house appears to be resisting all attempts at renovation.
Walls ooze damp. Stains come through layers of wallpaper. Ceilings sag. And strange noises - voices - emanate from empty rooms.
As Rowena struggles with the upheaval of builders while trying to be a dutiful wife to her husband and a good mother to her five small children, her life starts to disintegrate.
And then her eldest and prettiest daughter goes missing.
Out in the village, a frantic search is mounted - while inside the house reveals its darkest secret: a hidden room with no windows and no obvious entrance.
Boarded up, it smells of old food, disinfectant - and death...
Set in a world where appearances are everything, and nothing is as it seems, Touched is unsettling, claustrophobic, and utterly gripping.
Review:
The cover is hauntingly inviting. It was the first thing that caught my attention. After reading the excerpt, I then decided I was definitely interested in reading the book. The lovely ladies at Random House UK kindly sent me a copy to review.
A promising start, we are introduced to the family and their new house in the quaint little country village. However things don't seem to be turning out as perfect as Rowena is expecting. Unfortunately for me that is when the story became rather slow, the plot difficult to figure out as it seemed to be jumping from one thing to another, never really spending enough time on any characters to build a bond. I really was beginning to enjoy Eva's character and then poof, its gone. However after the halfway mark the story seemed to settle and focus more and I found it more enjoyable to read.
I understand the story is covering different elements and themes of the characters and their experiences, however I would have enjoyed the book more if it had of remained focused on perhaps one or two elements and not the amount that was written within the story. There just seemed to be too much going on at certain times and not well enough tied in together.
Anywho, as I said, after the halfway mark I started enjoying the book more. Things settled into place and I found myself wanting to read on to see what was going to happen.
If you get the opportunity to read this book, go for it. Besides a slight lull, a little bit of character, descriptive writing hopping, it does pick up and by the end I enjoyed it. I'm sure you will too!
Congratulations to Joanna Briscoe, may you have many future successes!
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