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The Somnambulist [Paperback]

Essie Fox (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Book Description

Publication Date: 5 Jan 2012

'Some secrets are better left buried...'

When seventeen-year-old Phoebe Turner visits Wilton's Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, she risks the wrath of her mother Maud who marches with the Hallelujah Army, campaigning for all London theatres to close. While there, Phoebe is drawn to a stranger, the enigmatic Nathaniel Samuels, who heralds dramatic changes in the lives of all three women.

When offered the position of companion to Nathaniel's reclusive wife, Phoebe leaves her life in London's East End for Dinwood Court in Herefordshire - a house that may well be haunted and which holds the darkest of truths...

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Orion; Mass Market Paperback edition (5 Jan 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1409121194
  • ISBN-13: 978-1409121190
  • Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 2.9 x 19.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 104,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Vividly compelling, dark and dazzling (Katherine Webb )

Paints a vivid picture of Victorian times (STAR MAGAZINE )

Finishing THE SOMNAMBULIST feels like coming back (somewhat regretfully) from time-travelling to Victoria's England. Essie Fox's descriptions of places are just wonderful. This writer has the neat knack of recapturing the mystical eccentricity of Victorian time and place without caricaturing it. I was totally drawn in. I look forward to the next book from this writer (Michelle Lovric )

Essie Fox transports us to the Victorian squalor of London's East End for a tale of illegitimacy, incest and theatricality with so many twists that you'll want to read it in one sitting (COSMOPOLITAN )

I am currently reading THE SOMNAMBULIST, a novel which I am enjoying so much that I was up at six this morning to relish it in the peace of my still sleeping household. It has taken me to new worlds, is riven with suspense, has made my imagination wander, and my fingers itch to turn the last page (Jojo Moyes )

A tale of complicated thespian lives, old secrets and many a twist and turn...an absorbing read, well worth recommending (BOOKSELLER )

This is a gutsy page-turning novel with a delightful heroine... larger than life Dickensian characters and generous supply of plot twists and turns. But it is no pastiche. It is an affectionate and knowledgeable homage to the genre and a thumping good read (HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW )

Book Description

Every heart holds a secret... The stunning debut from an incredibly talented new author
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably dreary 29 Feb 2012
By Lois Yorke
Format:Paperback
I wanted to like this book. It seemed to promise so much, a Gothic tale of dark secrets and mystery.

Unfortunately, it failed to live up to its promise.

I won't precis the whole story here, as other reviewers have done that. Suffice to say, 17 year old heroine lives with awful Mother and lovely Aunt, until Aunt dies, and then Things Happen.

My main gripe is that the whole thing is so dull. The characters are dreary and formulaic; Mother has to be awful and religious, Aunt has to be free spirited, heroine has to be rebellious, mystery man's wife has to be mad etc. But worse than this it was just hard work reading the book. The language was way too overdone and clunky, you were always aware that you were reading, whereas with the best books, you are so into the story that you are not aware you are sat there reading - it's just all going on in your mind. With this book, I felt too bogged down with the language and the structure and the rather weak plotting.

And the central character, Phoebe, was a miserable little Madam. Come to think of it, they were all a pretty joyless bunch!

As I say, hard work.

So much so that, half way through, I realised I didn't care about any of them and didn't care what was going to happen to any of them.

So I gave it up, which I very rarely do. In this case, I felt there were much better books out there.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Was not the thrilling Gothic masterpiece it promised to be - sorry! 26 May 2011
By Brida TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I love dark, moody novels and historical settings can often intensify these aspects. However, I was bitterly disappointed. For me, the pace of the book was far too slow. Being a Gothic novel, with a mystery at its heart, I was expecting to be taken on a suspenseful ride by the narrator, Pheobe Turner. Instead, I felt as though I was fumbling around, a little bit a sleepwalker. The main driving force of the plot is that Pheobe's aunt, Cissy, dies and following this death, Pheobe moves from London to Herefordshire. Her new role is that of companion to Mrs. Samuels. Apparently, there was meant to be mystery, love, madness and other things thrown in for good measure, but I have to admit that I struggled to engage with this book. I managed to read to page 180. By this time, not that much has happened. Unlike so many Gothic novels that I have read, there was not the building of suspense, dread or atmosphere. I finally gave up because I realised I didn't really care what happened to Pheobe.
It is a great shame. And reading reviews by others, it seems that I am in the minority here. But we all have different tastes. Unfortunately, THE SOMNAMBULIST failed to live upto mine.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Ups and downs 9 Oct 2011
By Nicola TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This book covers the story of Phoebe Turner, a young woman who lives with her puritanical mother, and her glamorous singer aunt, Cissy. To say much more would give away key facts about the story, but it's basically about Phoebe finding out who she really is.

This is quite a classic style Victorian gothic novel, with the ubiquitous seances that seem to pop up in every Victorian story, together with music halls, a painting by a Pre-Raphaelite, and a good dose of melodrama.

I felt it got off to a slow start, but picked up again and then dipped to the point where I was quite bored by it and wanted it to end. It's a book of ups and downs for me, as I enjoyed some parts and not others. I don't think it's a particularly strong story really, and it maybe lacked something because it was all in the first person, so lost a bit of the emotion.

It wasn't a total disaster for me, hence the three stars, but certainly not a book I would rave about.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Quite atmospheric.
This book had quite a good plot, well descibed characters and good atmosphere.
The plot was well structured if a little 'telegraphed'.
Published 4 days ago by Dawn B
1.0 out of 5 stars The real mystery is....how did this get published?!
While I feel like I'm reiterating the disappointments already expressed by a few other reviewers, I couldn't not write a review as I just felt so let down by this book. Read more
Published 11 days ago by H Berryhill
1.0 out of 5 stars why is this popular?
The back of the book makes it look like a Gothic mystery with a strong focus on the music halls of the era. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Scarlett
3.0 out of 5 stars "Feathers are forbidden at Jewish graves": Really? Interesting but...
I feel mean giving this book only three stars, as there's much to enjoy about this book (even if it's derivative at times, bringing to mind the ideas of Sarah Waters and Joanne... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Goth lady
2.0 out of 5 stars Overheated Nonsense
The best thing about this feeble novel is the title: it implies a soporific quality that's amusingly absent. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr Blue Sky
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Really liked this Novel more than I thought I would.
Unexpected twists and turns.
Really Nice story overall an instant favourite!
Published 3 months ago by Rich1987
3.0 out of 5 stars The Somnambulist
Enjoyed reading the story and would make ideal holiday reading, but I figured out quite a lot of the story quite a long time before the author revealed it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Janice Wendy Hawkins
3.0 out of 5 stars The Somnabulist - Essie Fox
Review: I'm not really a fan of gothic horror so I could have done without some of the more supernatural elements of the plot but they weren't such a major part that they spoiled... Read more
Published 4 months ago by BlueAngelCV
1.0 out of 5 stars sorry
one word boring..... I found this book uninteresting and could not wait to get to the end of it. boring read.
Published 5 months ago by MRS DA MCMILLAN
5.0 out of 5 stars loving this book
Great book, really don't want it to end, looking forward to the next one, it's already on my xmas list, the book arrived quickly & in great condition, thank you
Published 5 months ago by kelly
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