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The Legacy

The LegacyAuthor: Katherine Webb
Publisher: Orion
Category: Book

List Price: £7.99
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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars reviews
Sales Rank: 52

Media: Paperback
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5 x 1.3

ISBN: 1409117162
EAN: 9781409117162
ASIN: 1409117162

Publication Date: June 24, 2010
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Features:
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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Two sisters. One heart-breaking secret. And a past that cannot stay buried.

Customer Reviews:
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5 out of 5 stars A Perfect Summer Read   June 28, 2010
Denise4891
121 out of 128 found this review helpful

The story centres around sisters Erica and Beth Calcott who inherit the family seat, Storton Manor, from their cold, unloving grandmother Meredith. From the blurb I expected it to be a run-of-the-mill dual-timeframe 'woman inherits house and discovers family secrets buried within' type story, of which I've read quite a few lately, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's streets ahead of a lot of the genre in terms of the quality of the writing, the originality of the historical setting and sheer page-turning readability.

In the contemporary story, Erica is dealing with her sister's depression, her rekindled feelings for her childhood friend Dinny and the fall-out from the disappearance of her cousin Henry who went missing during a family holiday at the house in the balmy summer of 1986. At the same time she starts to delve into her family history, discovering a cache of old photographs and letters in the attic which causes her to question her heritage and her family's links to the travellers who have lived on their land since the beginning of the last century.

The historical thread involves Erica's aristocratic Great-Grandmother Caroline, someone she remembers only vaguely from her childhood as a fierce, matriarchal figure. Caroline comes alive as her story is told, from her early years as a New York debutant under the thumb of her domineering Aunt Bathilda, to her life as a rancher's wife in the wilds of Oklahoma. A tragic event causes her to flee to London and make a new life for herself as Lady Calcott, bringing with her a terrible secret for which she has to atone for the rest of her life.

The two threads blend together beautifully with the links becoming more obvious as the book progresses (including a twist near the end involving the missing cousin which I had an inkling about from early on). With this type of book I usually prefer the historical story, but for once I was equally engrossed in both elements and could happily have read a whole novel based on either.

I understand that The Legacy is Katherine Webb's seventh completed novel but only the first to be published and it came to the publisher's attention through a peer-review creative writing website. She now has a two book deal and her next book, The Elemental, is out next year and sounds very promising. Meanwhile The Legacy is a great Summer Read and definitely one for fans of the work of Katharine McMahon, Rachel Hore, Kate Morton etc.



5 out of 5 stars Gripping and atmospheric   June 23, 2010
MK
37 out of 42 found this review helpful

A thoroughly intriguing tale; interweaving historical and contemporary storylines. Really liked the historical, set in the wild west of America. A great summer read, I couldn't put it down - I found it had me guessing right to the end.


5 out of 5 stars Fanatastic read!   June 25, 2010
John Hoggard (Newbury, UK)
43 out of 49 found this review helpful

What you have to understand about this book is that it is so far out of my normal choice of reading as to not even be on my horizon. Normally limiting myself to Sci-Fi or Fantasy I will, however, read a book if recommended by a trusted source, and so this is how I came to "The Legacy".

The author has an amazing skill, strong, believable characters, who are weaved into a beautifully crafted and intriguing plot. The historical portions of the tale are clearly well researched (without the author falling into the trap of "I've researched all of this so you will get every single detail of everything I know", but that research is used as the framework to hang a tale of adventure, sorrow and joy. The contemporary portions compliment and dovetail seamlessly into the overall story, and the author allows, on occasion, the reader to correctly assume something later revealed to be true (and therefore feel very smug and clever) and then, later, twist the plot around into something unexpected and yet, once revealed, you know the clues were there all along!

If I could write half as good as this, I'd be twice the writer I am now!

Brilliant.

If the author has anything else in the pipeline then it will be on my shopping list.

Why are you still reading this? Go buy the book!


5 out of 5 stars Wonderful summer read   July 12, 2010
Boof (United Kingdom)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

The Legacy opens in 1905 with Caroline Calcott, Lady of Stourton Manor in Wiltshire, hurredly leaving the house and making her way through the grounds and into the woods, carrying a white pillowcase over her shoulder which (unbeknown to the maids who watch her in surprise from the window) holds a small child.

The story then fast forwards to the current day and passes to Erica Calcott, Caroline's Great-Granddaughter. Erica and her sister Beth have come back to Stourton Manor after 23 years of being kept away as their Grandmother, Meredith, has passed away and left them the property in her will. The two sisters haven't been to the Manor since 1986 when their cousin Henry, who also used to stay at the house with them every summer during their childhood, vanished without trace never to be heard of again. Erica can't remember what happened on that day and Beth won't talk about it.

The story then goes further back in time to 1902 when Caroline was still living in New York and falls in love with a young cattle rancher from Oklahoma and once married, makes her way to her new life in the vast open prairies and overwhelming heat. From here, the book alternated between the stories of Caroline and Erica and while we start to put tiny pieces of the puzzle together to find out the fates of both children the pages just turn themselves.

I have read books before with dual narratives and I have often found that I prefer one story to the other, even to the stage where I will skim over the less favoured. Not so with The Legacy. Both stories are so compelling and end on cliff-hangers (of sorts) which makes the book even more pacey and page-turning. In the contemporary story, themes of depression, discovery, nostaligia and deception are dealt with and with Caroline's turn of the century story there is loneliness, longing, desperation and envy which all built up to an act so impulsive and shocking that its repercussion imprint themselves on the future generations of the Calcott family, including Erica's.

Within this book of long hot summers, secrets and deception there are two mysteries to solve too: the fate of both children. This is what gives the book its tremendous forward momentum. As the pages turn, we get closer and closer to the truth of what happened in both 1905 and 1986 but I have to admit that I was stunned with one of the conclusions. As a huge mystery/thriller fan I like to pride myself on being able to guess "whodunnit" early but......I didn not see this one coming! Don't get me wrong, this isn't a thriller book, but the fact that the book steers us towards the truth through the pages means that it is one cracking, fast-paced read.

In summary, The Legacy is a wonderfully crafted, beautifully written, skillfully interwoven book that is perfect for a summer read. I highly recommend.



5 out of 5 stars Fantastic   June 24, 2010
overwallop
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

I really really enjoyed this book. It kept me involved from page one to the very end. The book combines the stories of two modern day sisters in England with that of their great grand mother in Oklahoma, USA, and shows how the actions of the great grand mother are still influencing the lives of the modern day characters, although they aren't aware of it to begin with. There's a love story, a twenty year old unsolved crime, and themes of redemption, regret and coming to terms with mistakes made. The perfect book to get lost in for hours. Thoroughly recommended!

1 2 3 4 5 6 ...12Next »


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