Review: Anatomy

Title: Anatomy

Author: Dana Schwartz

Publisher: 25th January 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 335 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: young adult, mystery, gothic, historical fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

A gothic tale full of mystery and romance about a willful female surgeon, a resurrection man who sells bodies for a living, and the buried secrets they must uncover together.

Edinburgh, 1817. 

Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. 

Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die. 

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, the university will allow her to enroll. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books – she’ll need bodies to study, corpses to dissect. 

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living, then. 

But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets. Hazel and Jack work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.

My Thoughts

‘It wasn't anything novel or helpful to anyone. She hadn’t contributed to the world. She had made a frog dance for her own amusement. She had been the dancing frog all along.’

Anatomy takes place in Edinburg in 1817 and centers around a young woman named Hazel who wants more from life than most other girls her age. Hazel wants to be a surgeon. She meets a Resurrectionist - Jack Currer - who makes a living by digging up dead bodies to sell them to universities. What can I say about this book:

• Time to state the obvious, the cover art is extraordinary! Captivating!

• To be fair, I would class this read predominantly as young adult, historical fiction, there is mystery with a touch of gothic, faintly fantasy with a little romance (still …  I will put it out there now - I love Hazel and Jack).

• The final twist … OMG … I did not see it coming.

‘It’s the lesson young girls everywhere were taught their entire lives - don’t be seduced by the men you meet, protect your virtue - until, of course, their entire

lives depended on seduction by the right man. It was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them.’

This book is easy to read with an ending that, whilst slightly too quick, took me for  quite a ride. Hazel is an incredible lead at a time when girls could not have dreams of their own outside of society’s expectations. Her life was to be all about medicine and assisting those in need. Jack makes a great partner in crime (literally!) and the chemistry between them is there. 

‘Somebody should tell you that you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Wednesdays. And at tea time. Someone should tell you you're beautiful on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve and the evening before Christmas Eve, and on Easter. He should tell you on Guy Fawkes Night and on New Year's, and on the eighth of August, just because.’

The ending … the jury is out for many people. It will certainly leave you shocked and unsure. Maybe somewhat too quickly wrapped up given your investment throughout the book as a whole. Could there be more to come? I don’t think so. Still, I appreciated it. What there is no doubt about is the research Dana has gone into with regards to Edinburgh at the time, the differences in classes and the spectacular insight into the advances of medicine of the age. 

I really enjoyed this book with the last fifty pages having my eyes glued until completion. More historical fiction than fantasy/gothic, more mystery than romance it still gives off the Frankenstein-Mary Shelley vibes. Well written, cover art TDF and I would be pumped if there turned out to be a sequel. 

‘… you realize how thin the line is between everything being all right and everything being ruined forever and you just become suddenly aware that you know nothing.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Madam

Title: Madam

Author: Phoebe Wynne 

Publisher: 1th May 2021 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 435 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: mystery, gothic, thriller

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

For 150 years, Caldonbrae Hall has loomed high above the Scottish cliffs as a beacon of excellence in the ancestral castle of Lord William Hope. A boarding school for girls, it promises that its pupils will emerge ‘resilient and ready to serve society’.

Into its illustrious midst steps Rose Christie, a 26-year-old Classics teacher and new head of department. Rose is overwhelmed by the institution: its arcane traditions, unrivalled prestige, and terrifyingly cool, vindictive students. Her classroom becomes her haven, where the stories of fearless women from ancient Greek and Roman history ignite the curiosity of the girls she teaches and, unknowingly, the suspicions of the powers that be.

But as Rose uncovers the darkness that beats at the very heart of Caldonbrae, the lines between myth and reality grow ever more blurred. It will be up to Rose – and the fierce young women she has come to love – to find a way to escape the fate the school has in store for them, before it is too late.

My Thoughts

If the speculative fiction of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ intrigues you, then Phoebe Wynne’s debut novel is something you may be interested in. Set in a remote Scotlish peninsula on cliff tops high above the sea, the scene is well and truly set for a gothic style mystery.

‘This place is all about traditions, honour, rules .... which means what? Turning a blind eye when things go wrong?'

Caldonbrae Hall, a prestigious girls boarding school with a long history of tradition, has just hired a new teacher which had not happened for a decade. Whilst excited to be honoured with such a position as the new Head of Classics, it does not take long for Rose to realise all is not what it seems. Phoebe provides puzzle pieces, slowly revealing and inviting her readers to start putting them together to reveal the truth behind the closed doors of Caldonbrae Hall.

The setting is, of course, perfect for the unfolding thriller - the Scottish wilds - with tumultuous storms and even the historic Hall itself lending to the vibe with secret passageways and winding hallways. I found the inclusion of Greek mythology through Rose’s position as Classics teacher to be clever. It enriches the story with excerpts from the Classics - strong women such as Medusa and Boudicca - and how they cleverly can reflect and inspire the present day events.

‘Classics is more than language - more than history, literature and society. It's an entire culture and philosophy, a civilisation that we still continue to imitate today, without even realising it.' She faced him properly. 'It's the study of people. And sometimes, I understand the Greek and Roman civilisations more than I do our own.’

Although the story takes place in the 1990s, due to the remote location and way the school is run, it feels like it should be from a different era. Yet, I guess that is what the author was after - a place that possibly stopped in time? Although I wished for some characters to be developed further, it really is an impressive debut that will keep you guessing as to how events will ultimately unfold. Embrace both the gothic and thrilling premise of what could possibly be going on behind elitist closed doors. 

‘Sometimes as women, we have to rescue ourselves, instead of expecting someone else to.' Rose sat forward. She realised she felt bolder with the storm still in her skin. That's the best thing a woman can do - learn how to rescue herself, without the need of a man; without the need of anyone.’               

                                                                                                               

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Sargasso

Title: Sargasso

Author: Kathy George

Publisher: 3rd February 2021 by Harlequin Australia & MIRA

Pages: 387 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: mystery, contemporary, gothic

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

An empty house, a lonely shore, an enigmatic, brooding man-child waiting for her return ... a trip to the dark lands of Australian Gothic, for readers of Kate Morton and Hannah Richell.

Last night I dreamt I went to Sargasso again ...

As a child, Hannah lived at Sargasso, the isolated beachside home designed by her father, a brilliant architect. A lonely, introverted child, she wanted no company but that of Flint, the enigmatic boy who no one else ever saw ... and who promised he would always look after her.

Hannah's idyllic childhood at Sargasso ended in tragedy, but now as an adult she is back to renovate the house, which she has inherited from her grandmother. Her boyfriend Tristan visits regularly but then, amid a series of uncanny incidents, Flint reappears ... and as his possessiveness grows, Hannah's hold on the world begins to lapse. What is real and what is imaginary, or from beyond the grave?

A mesmerising Australian novel that echoes the great Gothic stories of love and hate: Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and especially Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca.

My Thoughts

 ‘Not everything in life is meant to be shared. Some things shouldn’t be spoken about. They should be kept secret, close to your heart.’

How wonderful to add another author’s name to the Australian Gothic list. Kathy George has all the necessary ingredients in her new novel with an isolated location, a mysterious house and a visitor that you are never really sure of. 

When Hannah returns to Sargasso, this isolated home her father built when she was a child, strange things begin to happen. With the loss of both parents and her grandmother, she has to decide whether to reside or sell the infamous ‘Sargasso’. This is a house that is certainly full of memories but the added mystery that accompanies will have you wondering what is real and what is not right throughout.

This clifftop home is a character within itself and provides the perfect backdrop for this Gothic style novel. Eventful weather and the ever changing sea just add to the whole feel of the story. Told from alternating timelines - then and now - Hannah shares her childhood memories with the enigmatic Flint ‘then’ and also of his return in the present day with the ‘now’ storyline. Who is Flint? What is his secret and what is this hold he has over Hannah?

Kathy will have  you guessing every which way as you are unsure what is real and what isn’t. Some aspects you will begin to make educated guesses about, however, she will keep you wondering regarding the final resolution right up to the very end. If the mysterious Gothic is a genre you read, you are sure to find this a haunting and fulfilling tale. 

 ‘Why am I always here? What draws me to this quiet, tucked-away corner of Sargasso? It’s like a puzzle - only, I’m missing a piece.’  

     

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Jane Steele

Title: Jane Steele

Author: Lyndsay Faye

Publisher: 22 March 2016 by Penguin Group - G.P. Putnam's Sons

Pages: 432 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, gothic, retellings, mystery

My Rating: 2.5 cups

Synopsis:

A reimagining of Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer, from the author whose work The New York Times described as “riveting” and The Wall Street Journal called “thrilling.” 
 
“Reader, I murdered him.” 
 
A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement.  Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess.
 
Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito, and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past? 
 
A satirical romance about identity, guilt, goodness, and the nature of lies, by a writer who Matthew Pearl calls “superstar-caliber” and whose previous works Gillian Flynn declared “spectacular,” Jane Steele is a brilliant and deeply absorbing book inspired by Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre.

My Thoughts

As readers to this blog will know I am a huge Bronte fan. I was unsure about this title with its gothic, dark theme but was swayed when a favourite author of mine highly recommended it. I should have gone with my first instinct. It proved an interesting interpretation of a classic story, but to my mind it definitely had some issues - not my cup of tea here at Great Reads & Tea Leaves. 

Firstly, I found the writing style most convoluted. It was so wordy at times that I got confused and had to read the same passage over to try and comprehend it's true meaning. It just did not work for me - overtly descriptive, robust in presentation, which all proved a distraction. 

"In a mansion, blessings are lost amidst bric-a-brac; in a pit, they shimmer like the flash of dragonfly wings."

As a positive, I actually liked the main character of Jane. The murders fit the story, rather than the nature of the character which I had been expecting.  They were not ruthless killings, but rather justified in some respects, resulting from threats to herself or those she cared for. She was bold, righteous and strong, kind to those she cared for.

Strangely though I found the book took a perplexing turn for the worse once Jane become governess for Mr Thornfield and the story lost momentum. From a promising start, the pacing suddenly slowed and it became far less compelling. I was not swept up in the romance with Thornfield as I would have wished. This becomes the tale of a different Jane and one far less appealing.

Goodreads reviews would beg to differ from my account here, so maybe this was just not the book for me. I enjoyed the first third, so perhaps Jane should have just kept on murdering to keep this reader engaged!?!?

"I hope the epitaph of the human race when the world ends will be: Here perished a species which lived to tell stories."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.