The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, a debut novel by Katie Lumsden, is historical fiction written in the tradition of gothic classics such as Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. It follows a woman named Margaret Lennox, recently widowed and running from a shadowy past, as she takes a position as a governess at a dilapidated mansion–Hartwood Hall–in an isolated town. As Margaret gets acclimated to her new role and grows fond of her charge, she slowly comes to realize that Hartford Hall holds many secrets, some of which may be dangerous.
One of the strongest aspects of The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is the setting. Atmospheric and eerie, the descriptions of the mansion itself, the surrounding grounds, and the small, superstitious town that has disavowed Hartwood Hall altogether really set the stage for gothic novel goodness. You immediately imagine a dark, misty place where one could accidentally mistake something benign for something sinister–whether it be through sight or sound. Paired with this, the novel wastes no time setting up many mysteries which draw the reader in. Why are the townspeople afraid of Hartwood Hall? What is Margaret running from? Why is the mistress of the hall so anxious? With all of these questions, the reader is propelled to keep reading to find the answers. Luckily, the writing is also strong enough so flipping the pages are far from a hardship.
Unfortunately, however, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall suffers from some issues that ultimately are never resolved. The biggest issue would be Margaret’s characterization. While I was curious about Margaret’s past, I started to find that I did not care about her, mostly because I did not understand her. The inconsistencies in her character are small, but they are additive enough to become distracting. Some of Margaret’s actions feel as if they occur more for plot progression rather than from a place of natural character progression. While a character’s decision can move a plot forward, I think it’s important for the reader to believe that the character in question would actually *make* that decision. Also, the pace starts to slow down during the middle, and while eventually it does pick up again, the resolution of the novel unfortunately comes off more chaotic than satisfying.
In the end, I give The Secrets of Hartwood Hall three out of five stars. While it has its problems, I think it is a strong debut novel that delivers on its promise of gothic, Victorian fun. If you like a medium-paced story with creepy houses, closed off wings, ghost sightings (imagined or not), forbidden romantic subplots and the like, I would say give The Secrets of Hartwood Hall a shot. Best read in the evening with a cup of Earl Grey, of course.
Note: I would like to thank Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for providing an advanced reader’s copy for me to review.
She Happily Reads 