Review and Giveaway: Tyringham Park by Rosemary McLoughlin

Title: Tyringham Park
Author: Rosemary McLoughlin
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Atria
Publish Date: February 25, 2014
Source: I received a copy from the publisher; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a historical fiction fan.
• You don't mind tough subjects.
• You like armchair traveling.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Tyringham Park is the Blackshaws' magnificent country house in the south of Ireland. It is a haven of wealth and privilege until its peace is shattered by a devastating event which reveals the chaos of jealousy and deceit beneath its surface.

Charlotte Blackshaw is only eight years old when her little sister Victoria goes missing from the estate. Charlotte is left to struggle with her loss without any support from her hostile mother and menacing nanny. It is obvious to Charlotte that both of them wish she had been the one to go missing rather than pretty little Victoria.

Charlotte finds comfort in the kindness of servants. With their help she seeks an escape from the burden of being the unattractive one left behind.

Despite her mother's opposition, she later reaches out for happiness and believes the past can no longer hurt her.

But the mystery of Victoria's disappearance continues to cast a long shadow over Tyringham Park – a mystery that may still have the power to destroy its world and the world of all those connected to it."

My Two Cents:

"Tyringham Park" is the story of a rich family who is deeply affected when when of their daughters disappears. Charlotte, the daughter who is left behind, is constantly reminded of what happened to her young sister, Victoria. She feels guilty because she is still there when her sister is gone but there may be more than meets the eye there.

It took me a bit to get into this book. This book has been compared to Downton Abbey but it is quite different. Yes, there is a little bit of the tension between the upstairs and downstairs like Downton but it really just focuses on Charlotte's story whereas Downton focuses on everyone in the household. Charlotte's family owns a huge estate but while Downton almost feels like a character in Downton Abbey but Charlotte's family's houses Charlotte does have an interesting story that unfolded slowly but ends with a surprise!

The synopsis really does not begin to tell the whole story. Victoria's disappearance is the very beginning of this story. I really felt bad for Charlotte. She takes on so much as a child from the adults that are supposed to care for her. Her mother and her nanny are pretty abusive, which was quite uncomfortable to read. I wish that the story had focused a little more on her young life. I also wish that we got to understand why she did what she did (I don't want to give anything away about the mystery at the center of this book). The storytelling in the book was ok. I felt that there were some places that could be slimmed down a little bit.

I did like the setting of the book. The book takes place both in Ireland and Australia, two places that I love reading about. I really enjoyed the armchair traveling that you get in this book!

Giveaway:

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