The Legacy by Katherine Webb (review #134)

Title: The Legacy

Author: Katherine Webb

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Fiction

Format: Review Copy

This book was compared to the books of Kate Morton so I knew I had to jump on it. It did not disappoint. I must say, though, my reading time is sorely lacking. I am taking so long finishing books these days. It's becoming a tad stressful. AND I joined another bookclub. I'm crazy!

I have decided to not to do any tours for the rest of the year and possibly not accept anymore books to review until next year. I know! Scary but reality is that I don't have time to read and review that much these days. I want to relax and not feel any pressure. I really want to enjoy the books that I have chosen already and not keep piling them on.

I digress.

I simply must say, I loved this book. It was right up my alley. It is literary fiction with a hint of suspense. It had the weaving story lines and different voices in each section that I like. It had the hidden secrets, the drama, the familial entanglements and the love story.

I was eager to get back to it every chance I could.

Here is a description from Goodreads:

In 1903, New York heiress Caroline marries a cattle rancher and moves with him to rural Oklahoma, where she finds herself wholly out of her depth. Unable to adjust to the isolation of the vast prairies, Caroline grows increasingly frightened and unhappy. Driven to the edge of reason she commits a terrible crime from which she flees, all the way to London, to start a new life as the wife of English aristocrat Henry Calcott. She moves to Storton Manor in Wiltshire, but soon finds that the repercussions of her actions have crossed the Atlantic with her, and will not be so easily forgotten. In the bitter winter of 2008, following the death of their grandmother, Erica Calcott and her sister Beth return to Storton Manor, where they spent the summer holidays as children. As she begins to sort through her grandmother's belongings, Erica is inundated with memories of her childhood, and of Dinny, a local boy whom she idolised. She also remembers her spiteful cousin, Henry, whose disappearance from the manor tore the family apart. Convinced that she should remember what happened to Henry, Erica sets out to uncover the truth. She is reunited with Dinny, and finds herself as drawn to him in adulthood as she was as a child. Haunted by emotions and suspicions, Erica delves deeply into her memories, revisiting the people and places that shaped her childhood, and bringing to light a truth more shocking than she had ever imagined.

There is quite a bit going on in this book but it never feels heavy or confusing to me. I enjoyed Caroline's story a bit more but was still eager to discover the secrets of Erica and Beth as well. Overall, I found this to be an intriguing debut of an author I would keep an eye on. To be able to intricately weave a complicated familial drama together takes skill and I feel that

Katherine Webb has it.

Rating: 5/6

If you are a fan of literary fiction in the style of Kate Morton, you would enjoy this book. It was well written, well put together and filled with all the juicy things a book should have; drama, love, secrets, betrayals, complicated characters and a moody, atmospheric setting.

To Purchase:

Amazon UK

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child