Q/A BOOK REVIEW - THE PHANTOM TREE BY NICOLA CORNICK

"My name is Mary Seymour and I am the daughter of one queen and the niece of another."

What genre does the book belong to?

Time-slip is the first definition which comes to my mind when you ask me, but The Phantom Tree is a novel for fans of mystery, drama and romance. Perfect for readers of Philippa Gregory, Barbara Erskin or Kate Morton.

What’s the historical  setting of the novel?

There are two parallel narrative lines: one set in Tudor England and the other one in present-day England.

BOOK UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: THE PHANTOM TREE BY NICOLA CORNICK. READ A CHAPTER FROM THE BOOK!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Thrilling time-slip historical fiction about the enigmatic Lady Mary Seymour, daughter of Henry VIII’s widow Katherine Parr.

“She had not told him a single thing about her family. She had never spoken of them. But they were all there on the pages of notes she had so painstakingly compiled. The Seymour family tree linked them together, tangled as the roots of the old oaks of Savernake Forest. They were all there: she, Edward, Mary, Arthur…”

Wiltshire, Autumn 2016. Deep in a small, unassuming art shop, Alison Bannister stumbles upon a newly discovered Tudor portrait, supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better, the woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child.

Alison is not from the modern world. She has travelled a long way, waited 500 years, to find a clue as valuable as this portrait. For the painting holds the key to Mary Seymour’s mysterious disappearance and Alison’s own unhappy quest.

Alison and Mary have made an agreement which transcends time. Alison will help Mary escape Wolf Hall and Mary will find Alison’s baby boy.

BOOK REVIEW - NICOLA CORNICK, HOUSE OF SHADOWS

London, 1662 

There was something the Winter Queen needed to tell him. She fought for the strength to speak.

‘The crystal mirror is a danger. It must be destroyed – ‘

He replied instantly. ‘It will’.

Ashdown, Oxfordshire, present day

Ben Ansell is researching his family tree when he disappears. As his sister Holly begins a desperate search, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to an ornate antique mirror and to the diary of Lavinia, a 19th century courtesan who was living at Ashdown House when it burned to the ground over 200 years ago.

Intrigued, and determined to find out more about the tragedy at Ashdown, Holly’s only hope is that uncovering the truth about the past will lead her to Ben.

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I'm back reviewing and blogging after a while with a book I liked very much: House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick ( Harlequin Mira UK, 2015). It is fast paced, intriguing, well written and thoroughly researched and it includes all the elements to make it my “cup of coffee” (yes, I like coffee more than tea): fascinating historical eras, beautiful English landscapes, gripping plot and,   last but not least, passionate romance.

Three parallels narrative threads  unroll in  three different time settings keeping  the reader hooked and,  little by little, interweaving to form the tapestry that is the solution of the initial mystery: the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of  Ben Ansell.

Nicola Cornick’s  new time-slip novel champions three beautifully written heroines:  Elizabeth Stuart, James I’s daughter and queen of Bohemia, the 17th century "Winter Queen” ; Lavinia Flyte, a 19th-century courtesan who wrote a memoir,  and  Holly Ansell, a present-day woman in distress to whom is truly easy to relate. Holly is desperate after  her brother disappears and her long-lasting relationship with Guy wrecks.  

HOUSE OF SHADOWS BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR NICOLA CORNICK & BOOK GIVEAWAY

First of all Nicola welcome back! It’ s been a while since you visited last time (HERE).  It’s a great pleasure to have you as my guest again. Now, here’ s my first question for you.

Thank you so much! It’s lovely to be here.

Your novel tells the story of three women connected to Ashdown House in Oxfordshire where you volunteer as a guide and local historian. What is it like to work in such an amazing place?

Right from the start, Ashdown enchanted me. There’s something about the place that grabs you and doesn’t let you go. All my fellow volunteers say the same. Perhaps it’s the combination of the sheer beauty of the house and the fascinating story of the family who owned it – a rags to riches story of fortune and passion and scandal. It inspires me every time I step over the threshold and it feels sich a huge privilege to be allowed to work there.

How crucial was your work at Ashdown House in your decision to   write House of Shadows?

Can you briefly introduce the 3 protagonists of your book?

I’ve known for several years that I wanted to write a fictional story inspired by Ashdown and its history so it was absolutely crucial to House of Shadows. The story of Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, is a usually portrayed as a sad one because she lost her kingdom and was forced into exile, but there is so much more to Elizabeth as a person and I wanted to demonstrate her strength and the way she still campaigned for her children’s future after her husband died. Then there is Lavinia, the 19^th century courtesan whose story is inspired by that of another Craven connection, Harriette Wilson who was the mistress of the 7^th Lord Craven. In the present day, Holly is desperately trying to find her brother, and she is the one who unravels both Elizabeth and Lavinia’s story and sees the destiny that binds them together across the centuries.