From Publishers Weekly
Former academic Setterfield pays tribute in her debut to Brontë and du Maurier heroines: a plain girl gets wrapped up in a dark, haunted ruin of a house, which guards family secrets that are not hers and that she must discover at her peril. Margaret Lea, a London bookseller's daughter, has written an obscure biography that suggests deep understanding of siblings. She is contacted by renowned aging author Vida Winter, who finally wishes to tell her own, long-hidden, life story. Margaret travels to Yorkshire, where she interviews the dying writer, walks the remains of her estate at Angelfield and tries to verify the old woman's tale of a governess, a ghost and more than one abandoned baby. With the aid of colorful Aurelius Love, Margaret puzzles out generations of Angelfield: destructive Uncle Charlie; his elusive sister, Isabelle; their unhappy parents; Isabelle's twin daughters, Adeline and Emmeline; and the children's caretakers. Contending with ghosts and with a (mostly) scary bunch of living people, Setterfield's sensible heroine is, like Jane Eyre, full of repressed feeling—and is unprepared for both heartache and romance. And like Jane, she's a real reader and makes a terrific narrator. That's where the comparisons end, but Setterfield, who lives in Yorkshire, offers graceful storytelling that has its own pleasures.

I don't even know what to say about this book. It was fabulous. I loved the story line and I loved the writing. Thanks to my SIL (sage) who sent it to me for my birthday. She always send the best books.

I loved how Margaret learned so much about herself by learning about Miss Winter. How the whole story just melded together in the end was wonderful.

Sending off to ZZZ who won this one in the Annual Fortholder's Swap over on BookObsessed.com

It's here (actually it arrived long time ago but since you used my addy in Zitiste and I was in Belgrade all this time I couldn't journal it earlier).
alsgal thank you so much!
Hugs!

Gosh I never wrote a journal about the book. I did love it. In spite it's a "big" book written in foreign language I've read it in only a few days.

I've wanted to read this since I first saw it's beautiful cover in Borders!!! I had to fight for it in a recent swap, but was so pleased to end up with it..I'd like to know what ZZZ tought of it though, but no review?

Also thanks for the beautiful sepia postcard of old Belgrade (((zzz))) & (((Alsgal))) for getting this copy started on it's travels!!

What to say? I loved this book. I am an only child so I'm always fascinated by books which deal with sibling relationships anyway, but I adored everything about it.

I can't say too much without spoilers, but I did not guess the twist at all!

Nw off to Candy s Dandy who I hope loves it too!

Woo-hoo! This looks good. Thanks very much sunny.

Ooops, I didn't realise I was logged in as my daughter - she can't have it!!

Read this (at last) as it was chosen as my bookgroup read, to mixed reviews though in the main people enjoyed it. Some weird characters in a highly dysfunctional family. An imaginative and interesting story. Enjoyed it though didn't love it.

Taking to a bookcrossing meeting at The Blue Egg. It may end up on the shelf in the cafe or travel further with another bookcrosser.