A bibliophile named Margaret works in her father’s antique bookshop, also writing small biographies about obscure people long gone. Content in her life, she shockingly receives a letter from one of the most brilliant writers of her time, Miss Vida Winter, notorious for tormenting readers (with her unpublished Thirteenth Tale in a volume of only…
Category: Gothic Fiction
“Wuthering Heights”: Two parts of one dark soul. Book Discussion Questions and Muffin Recipe
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a classic story about two despicable creatures who are both the same parts of one dark soul, mirroring that which we all have within us. They are torn apart by stubbornness and circumstance, once they’ve inexplicably obtained your sympathy. Heathcliff, a product of the dark alleys of London, was brought…
“The House at Riverton” Book Discussion and Mini Raspberry Lemon Tarts Recipe
The House at Riverton: All the secrets a life in service can hold Grace Bradley unravels the tale of a long-ago tragedy that occurred while working for a wealthy family at the Riverton mansion in early 20th century England. First she was a maid who spent her young adult years hiding the secrets of the…
“I Capture the Castle” Book Discussion and Cherry Hot Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith This story is unlike any other coming of age tale. Subtly humorous, set in a castle inhabited by a very poor family in the 1930s, I Capture the Castle is reminiscent of other Gothic novels in that there are two sisters living in an ancient castle in the…
“The Distant Hours” Book Discussion and Mini Pear Pound Cakes
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton From the first pages of The Distant Hours, imaginations are captured, like Edie’s, by the dark tale of the Mud Man, a haunting fictional book within this one: “Can you hear him? The trees can. They are the first to hear him coming…It is moonless when the Mud Man comes.”…
“The Swan Thieves” Book Discussion and Strawberry Pie Bites Recipe
“The Swan Thieves” by Elizabeth Kostova Robert Oliver, a divorced, middle aged painter who tries to stab a painting of “Leda and the Swan” at the National Gallery of Art. Andrew Marlow, his new psychiatrist, who can learn nothing of Robert’s past from the silent man himself, leaving the doctor to question Robert’s ex-wife Kate,…