Dark and chilling gothic historical fiction.

Superb in every way. I’m so pleased I read The Turn of the Screw before I finished listening to Fyneshade because it made the ending so much more enjoyable. This is not your typical Victorian governess story. Marta is an anti-hero, possibly even a psychopath. She’s the female, gothic version of Mr Ripley or Oliver Quick. Excellent writing and brilliant narration. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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One that will stay with me, one I'm sorry came to an end, one where I will miss the characters and one I'm glad I listened to.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the story was good, it kept me intrested and the narration was excellent -perfect for the character.
I'm still trying to get my head around the main character as I just didn't like her, and maybe you were not susposed to, but I found this dislike strange. I mean we all want the heroine to succeed right, we root for them throughout the story but for the most part here, I just didn't.
Ultimately the betrayal was not a surprise but my eventual want for her to "win" was.
I'm confused as I don't know if I would say oh my God you need to read / listen to this book but it's one that will stay with me, one I'm sorry came to an end, one where I will miss the characters and one I'm glad I listened to.

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A pleasingly dark twist on an old tale

The trope of a young governess in a mysterious house is a mainstay of Gothic literature, and this version gives it a refreshing twist. The main character Marta is nothing like the usual delicate maiden, and instead is delightfully wicked and selfish, a real anti-heroine. Though I could see what was going to happen I didn’t mind at all, as the enjoyment was in the writing and the manipulations of the story, with a satisfying ending linking the story, rather like The Wide Sargasso Sea, to a classic. Quite happy to recommend!

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Victorian gothic with lots of twists

I loved this. Though be prepared - the heroine/narrator is very wicked (basically a psychopath!!!). I listened to it in a day.

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1 person found this helpful

Dreadful narration

the story was OK, but the narration was shocking. Random changes in pace, mispronounced words and an obsession about elongating the end of words ending in S really spoilt this audiology for me.

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Vanity, greed and bloodlust in the Peak District

Utter serendipity that the last book I read was ‘The Turn of the Screw’. Having had no idea of its connection to Fyneshade I can now say how much more enjoyable the ending was because of my familiarity with James’s ghost story.
What grated most was the actress’s inability to pronounce apothecary. She insisted on it being ‘apocerthary’ and that, along with liver-ee (as in the Liver Bird) instead of livery, excessive sibilants and unnecessary ’dramatic pauses’ it was not as enjoyable an experience as so would have liked.

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2 people found this helpful

Fabulous anti-heroine

Very enjoyable listen, I devoured every word. The central character is monstrous and self-centred but I couldn’t help rooting for her and her dark deeds. Excellent antidote to the simpering “heroines” that are too often at the centre of historical tales.

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what a horrible protagonist

while well written, there was nothing to like about the main protagonist. she was manipulative, a child abuser and didn't seem to learn any lessons or have an arch.

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Loved it all!

Gripping and totally enthralling story and narration. The characters were wonderfully believable and full of mystery and intrigue. I listened without a break. Highly recommend.

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Awful Narration which spoilt story at times

Overall I enjoyed the story, however, the narration was awful. The narrator sounded like she sang the story with intonations in the wrong places, the long pauses were unnecessary and took away from the listening experience.

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