Taut domestic thriller set in Derbyshire's Peak District on a wintry New Year's Eve. 'The Dawning' explores the danger that can arise even at the heart of a family, over the course of one dark night.
The Dawning
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Review
A beautifully written, tightly controlled and intricately construncted novel - extremely rich and evocative --Nicholas Royle
Compelling, enthralling, ensnaring. Megan Taylor spins each character into life and then she makes us wait, breath held, as they unravel.... This writing is fearless, is full of heart, is very, very good --Caroline Smailes
Compelling, enthralling, ensnaring. Megan Taylor spins each character into life and then she makes us wait, breath held, as they unravel.... This writing is fearless, is full of heart, is very, very good --Caroline Smailes
About the Author
Megan Taylor lives in Nottingham. 'The Dawning' is her second novel. 'How We Were Lost' was published by Flame Books in 2007.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
New Year's Eve is generally a time of hope and celebration, a chance to say farewell to the old and welcome in the new. In The Dawning we're introduced to the Haywood family where there's little chance of hope or celebration. Over the course of one night each member faces the truth of their situation, with a dawning realisation that nothing is as they would like it to be.
The mother Stella is battling severe depression, the father Philip is entertaining fantasies of freedom, their eleven-year-old son Zachary (Zac) is busy avoiding the vicious school bully, while their teenage daughter Nicola can't quite believe how lucky she is to have a friend like Christine. Throughout this entire night baby Mia is an ever present after thought in the background.
The opening page describes a house in the Peak District that offers an illusion of warmth from the outside only to reveal an inner core that's a pressure cooker of tension. Zac feels `caught between two worlds' and rushes outside into the dark garden in search of relief.
"The air zips right up into the top of his nose and crackles there like tinfoil. The garden is freezing. Even the shadows look cold; the bushes are shivering, bristling as though with secrets."
The garden is full of secrets, and fear, as is the house. At first this scenario feels familiar, and then Taylor delivers a chilling shock that will knock the breath out of you, and then the shocks keep coming.
The writing is taut, visual and evocative as each member of the family falls apart. Some find an inner strength they hadn't realised they possessed; others are helped by unexpected sources, others sink even lower into a pit of self-inflicted misery.... Read more ›
The mother Stella is battling severe depression, the father Philip is entertaining fantasies of freedom, their eleven-year-old son Zachary (Zac) is busy avoiding the vicious school bully, while their teenage daughter Nicola can't quite believe how lucky she is to have a friend like Christine. Throughout this entire night baby Mia is an ever present after thought in the background.
The opening page describes a house in the Peak District that offers an illusion of warmth from the outside only to reveal an inner core that's a pressure cooker of tension. Zac feels `caught between two worlds' and rushes outside into the dark garden in search of relief.
"The air zips right up into the top of his nose and crackles there like tinfoil. The garden is freezing. Even the shadows look cold; the bushes are shivering, bristling as though with secrets."
The garden is full of secrets, and fear, as is the house. At first this scenario feels familiar, and then Taylor delivers a chilling shock that will knock the breath out of you, and then the shocks keep coming.
The writing is taut, visual and evocative as each member of the family falls apart. Some find an inner strength they hadn't realised they possessed; others are helped by unexpected sources, others sink even lower into a pit of self-inflicted misery.... Read more ›
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Fiona Robyn
Format:Paperback
I much enjoyed Megan Taylor's novel 'How We Were Lost', and I wasn't disappointed by 'The Dawning'.
The author has an amazing ability to take us into her character's world - we can feel the gravel under their feet, and smell the frost in the air. As the story unfolded, I was gripped. Highly recommended.
The author has an amazing ability to take us into her character's world - we can feel the gravel under their feet, and smell the frost in the air. As the story unfolded, I was gripped. Highly recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Annie Try
Format:Paperback
Pick up 'The Dawning' and you will probably be unable to put it down until you have followed a family through one incident-filled night. The tension is tight, the description vivid and the tales of each family member are all equally enthralling. Then, just as you think the night has finally resolved, there is one more discovery . . .
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Dee J Kirkby
Format:Paperback
The Dawning by Megan Taylor is an indulgent and very focused read. The story unravels over the space of about 12 hours from New Years eve onwards.
One family's secrets overflow from the first page and they sweep the reader along. Unfolding with perfect symmetry, the plot is as unsettling as the approach of a summer thunderstorm and as irresistible as the warm summer rain that follows.
I stayed up late reading this and would then wake during the night thinking about it. It's a great novel and one which I will read again.
One family's secrets overflow from the first page and they sweep the reader along. Unfolding with perfect symmetry, the plot is as unsettling as the approach of a summer thunderstorm and as irresistible as the warm summer rain that follows.
I stayed up late reading this and would then wake during the night thinking about it. It's a great novel and one which I will read again.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'The Dawning' follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of one family during the course of a New Year's Eve in the Peak District. From the POV of some outsiders, the new Deputy Head, with his wife and children, settled in an attractive old house in a picture postcard setting, appear to be comfortable and content, even smugly so.
The separate internal worlds of mother, father, son and daughter are beautifully described and each one is convincing. This reader certainly could relate to them all, even as the tale reached 'East Enders' heights in its melodrama.
This is not the place to spill the beans on the plot's resolution. A story that encompasses post natal depression, schoolboy bullying, adolescent insecurity and a career crisis, in barely 200 swiftly moving pages, cannot be too highly recommended.
The separate internal worlds of mother, father, son and daughter are beautifully described and each one is convincing. This reader certainly could relate to them all, even as the tale reached 'East Enders' heights in its melodrama.
This is not the place to spill the beans on the plot's resolution. A story that encompasses post natal depression, schoolboy bullying, adolescent insecurity and a career crisis, in barely 200 swiftly moving pages, cannot be too highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A story about a family on New Years Eve, Mum, Dad, teenage son & daughter & baby. Each chapter from the point of view of a different member of the family, all the usual hopes & fears & worries & traumas & problems of family life! One of those stories where you can see where its going, you can guess what's going to happen & you really hope it won't but of course there's nothing you can do to stop it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By J. Evans
Format:Paperback
A brilliant book, that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The whole story takes place over one New Year's Eve night, and describes the thoughts and actions of the four members of the Haywood family in fascinating detail.
The writing is extraordinary, full of amazing images that resonate and remain long after you've finished reading it. And you'll never guess the end....See also, by Megan Taylor, another great story How We Were Lost
The writing is extraordinary, full of amazing images that resonate and remain long after you've finished reading it. And you'll never guess the end....See also, by Megan Taylor, another great story How We Were Lost
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love Megan Taylor's descriptions, she brings the world around her characters - and the characters themselves - vividly to life (the 'cocoa-and-biscuits' smell of a tiny baby). What I wasn't expecting was the level of tension she creates in The Dawning. I found myself rooting for each member of the family in turn, praying they'd cope with what she throws at them, terrified they wouldn't. I couldn't get to sleep until I'd got to the last page - and then! Another event finishes off the tale with an unexpected bang.
This is an author whose writing goes from strength to strength. Can't wait for the next one!
This is an author whose writing goes from strength to strength. Can't wait for the next one!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't get into
I like most genres of literature and downloaded this book based on other readers reviews, however I am sorry to say that I just couldn't get into it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by LLHBOOKWORM
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring
I have never ever given up on a book - sometimes I wish I had, but this was the first time and I am glad I did! Read more
Published 11 months ago by I don't know!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and haunting
Megan Taylor's `The Dawning' is a story about a family, the Haywoods, on the verge of a collective breakdown. The newborn, Mia, forms the lynchpin to the story. Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2010 by Chicafiore
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