Set In Stone

Description

When Samuel Godwin, a young and naive art tutor, accepts a job with the Farrow family at Fourwinds, their majestic home, little does he expect to come across such a web of secrets and lies. His two tutees are as different as chalk and cheese - the beautiful younger sister Marianne, full of flightiness and nervous imagination, and Juliana, controlled and sad.With their governess, Charlotte Agnew, Samuel begins to uncover slowly the horrifying truth behind Juliana's sadness and Marianne's emotional fragility. Their discoveries change their perception of life at Fourwinds for ever and none of their lives will ever be the same again. With her usual brilliance and ease, Linda Newbery has written a haunting and faultlessly plotted novel with characters that leap of the page and stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. Winner of the 2006 Costa Book Award (formerly Whitbread) for Children's Books.

Promotion info

A chilling novel set at the end of the nineteenth century, where love, possession, ambition and desire exist side by side ...

Reviews

The protagonists' unreliable narratives keep readers on the edge of their seats as the shocking nature of their secret is gradually, teasingly revealed in this lyrical novel.' --Lesley Agnew, The Bookseller

'An absorbing, thoughtful, jigsaw puzzle of a book... if its atmosphere is that of a Victorian mystery, the setting combines the richly imagined detail of a George Eliot novel with the grace and light of a Vuillard painting.'--Kate Agnew, Books for Keeps

'Linda Newberry has very successfully recreated the nineteenth century voice reminiscent of the Bronte's and Austen, and the element of mystery to be solved evokes the style of Wilkie Collins. The particular strength of this novel is the way in which the characters are drawn, each with their own story that leads the reader through the quagmire that is the Farrow family saga... most suited to older teenagers and adults.'--Writeaway!

'This novel calls to mind the writings of the Bronte sisters... despite or maybe because of the author seeming so unconcerned with current trends, this book works on every level. The plot is full of twists, the charcters are multi-dimensional, and the atmosphere of that grand Victorian house, with all its intrigue and hierarchy, is electric. Set in Stone is a gripping page-turner for children and adults alike.'--Glasgow Herald

Author description

Linda Newbery is the author of over twenty books for children and young adults, and lives in Northamptonshire with her husband and three cats.