I love Rowan Coleman's books, particularly The Summer of Impossible Things, which is one of my all-time favourites! I particularly enjoy that each of her stories are slightly different to each other, so I never know quite what to expect!
The Girl at the Window is one of those novels with several timelines cleverly woven together. In the present day, Trudy Heaton returns to her family home, Ponden Hall, after several years away. Running alongside this is a glimpse into Ponden Hall's past, plus the story of how Trudy met her husband - he's been missing a year, presumed dead. There are also mentions of Emily Bronte, who visited Ponden Hall, which is a real place in Yorkshire and allegedly the inspiration for Wuthering Heights.
I love history, so I particularly enjoyed the story of the Hall's past (I'd have liked to have known more about the lady balloonist!) and the ghosts that live there still. I loved the developing relationship between Trudy and her blunt, eccentric mother (they had not previously got on). There is also a mystery involving a lost library of valuable books and Emily Bronte's missing manuscript - one of my favourite bits is where Trudy decides to go 'digging for treasure' in the mud! Ironically, as much as I love old houses, another favourite scene was where Trudy visits an ultra-modern house and her son becomes lost - heart-stopping!
I really enjoyed The Girl at the Window and can't wait to read what Rowan writes next! I'd thoroughly recommend this to anyone who loves stories about spooky old houses where the former residents haven't quite moved out, and gothic mysteries.
Thank you to Rowan Coleman and Ebury for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
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