Reviews

• Every sentence is beautifully crafted and paints a clear picture of the unfolding ...

  So what did I think? A gothic whodunnit, written with wit and superlative story telling. There’s so much I want to say about this book, that it’s difficult to know where to start. The first chapter tempts you with deliciously moreish prose, before delighting you with a neverending banquet of colourful characters and exciting events. Every sentence is beautifully crafted and paints a clear picture of the unfolding scene. I knew from the very first page that I would love this book! Although there are dark elements to this book: murder, ghosts and anger, there are also moments of wit and acute sensitivity. What interests me above all (as an aspiring writer) is Hardinge’s skilful characterisation, especially with regard to Faith. Every description and piece of action reveals her true character and inner thoughts, so that we quickly understand and empathise with her. One of the most fascinating aspects of the novel for me is Faith’s relationship with her mother, Myrtle: a pretty, coquettish and ruthlessly flirtatious creature. Whereas Faith had once viewed her as “a being from another world, warm, merry, beautiful and untouchable, a sun-nymph with a keen sense of fashion“; in her adolescence her relationship with her mother has soured: “Faith had started to feel like a rag doll, snatched up and cast down according the whims of an impatient child with an uncertain temper.” The constant tension between the two keeps you guessing, and rooting for a spark of optimism and spiritual connection. You think you have the denouement of the murder mystery sussed, then you realise you’ve ended up down a blind alley, such is Hardinge’s skill at weaving all the characters and events together. The final chapters literally had my heart thumping. I had no idea what was going to happen next. The final resolution was beautiful and satisfying without being predictable. The themes of the story are numerous: science versus religion, secrets versus enlightenment, and appearance versus reality, for example. But what I’m most envious of overall is how Hardinge takes a Victorian setting and gives such precedence to a modern theme (the role of women in society), and in a way that fits the character’s pysche, without being at all preachy. It’s a gripping tale, a hugely entertaining read and THE book to study if you want to write for Young Adults. Happy reading! Pippa @hellopipski hellopipski.wordpress.com

• A flowering of new and dangerous things in the night

  Frances Hardinge has an extraordinary gift for writing girls with hungers and curiosities and desires, girls who feel wrong and strange and out of sorts, but here she has outdone herself. I have fallen completely in love with the winding vines and tendrils of this book, its sharp observations and fierce characters and the way that its central character, Faith Sunderly, unfurls and spreads her wings for ill and good.

• This book deserves its Costa price

  This book is very evocatively written with very rich vocabulary. It has sofisticated and unpredictable characters and good tension. It is a story written from the perspective of a very intelligent and inquisitative child, which tries to understand the world of the grown ups around her. Her father a stern old fashioned naturalist has dark secret, which she discovers. His behaviour brings shame and death and loss of everything over the family. The book was advertised as a book for young adult readers as it has a very strong moral. It is more intresting for women, not only because of its female protagonist but also because of its critsism of the science establishment and the society 1864 who denied women their role in science.

• A Thrilling Paranormal Mystery

  "The Lie Tree" a chilling paranormal mystery overflowing with intrigue, lies and secrets heats up when Faith Sunderly's father is suspected of committing suicide. On the small island of Vane with its strange mingling of superstition and dogmatic religious beliefs his death spells misfortune for Faith and her family unless she can untangle clues that point to his murderer. In this mesmerizing story Francis Hardinge brings to life the religious and social upheavals in Victorian England with the rise of Darwin's revolutionary theory and women's growing rebellion against staid and oppressive traditions. Within this framework she skilfully contrasts Myrtle's use of her feminine wiles and seductive power to garner support while Faith dreams of breaking tradition, of becoming a natural scientist while she hunts for the evidence that proves her father was murdered. This is a well-written, absorbing page-turner set in a dark, sinister atmosphere as fourteen year old Faith discovers a tree that feeds off whispered lies. Spinning lies and fueling the islanders' superstition so the tree will offer her answers to her father's murder, the hostility and mocking attitude of the islanders slowly turns to fear and uncertainty. With clever dexterity the author builds a plot that vibrates with intensity and suspense with a budding scandal, an accident that threatens Faith and her brother and past secrets that bring disillusionment and violence. Fast-paced and innovative the plotline moves quickly and smoothly to a fiery confrontation at the end. Like any good story realistic and complex characters fuel the plotline with excitement, power and high-drama. Among them is Faith Sunderly a teen who adores the stodgy, cool and distant father who constantly rejects her. She masks her keen intelligence, hunger for knowledge and resourcefulness behind a prim, shy and reliable trustworthiness. In contrast her mother Myrtle is a warm, charming, untouchable beauty with a will of steel who uses her beauty and softness to get what she wants. Only when confronted by her brother Miles Cattistock's ambition and greed or with violence that could destroy her family does Myrtle demonstrate her strength of character. Howard Faith's brother is a morose and fearful six year old who's adored as the Sunderly's male heir, but brow-beaten because of his left-handedness. Paul Clay Faith's co-conspirator and a highly skilled photographer is reliable, clever and dependable even though he's uncertain and insecure around Faith believing she hates him. And this is only a handful of the fascinating personalities that make this story so enthralling. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Lie Tree" and highly recommend it to those that love a thrilling paranormal mystery with twists and turns that will keep you mystified until the end.

• Frantically paced and gripping

  I have always considered my days of non-fiction reading to be over. But this book really caught my attention and kept me engaged. I read this book through in as much continuous pace as I could as it transported me to London life sometime in the past. The writing is vivid, the story gripping and evokes sense of tragedy, horror, thrill and really transports one to different world.

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