Customer Reviews

Lost Ladies of the Windswept Moor

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An excellent read! Janet Clark is determined to prove herself as a capable restorer of Lord Rathbone's priceless collection of paintings.The position at Cheviot Chace will prove to be a dangerous one; the dimly lit stone mansion will be the setting for a series of sinister events. Where is the missing Lady Rathbone? The love story between the haunted Lord Rathbone Janet is also endearing.

Published in 1990 LOST LADIES OF WINDSWEPT MOOR is a story written similar to JANE EYRE. A gloomy house, mysterious secrets, and a brooding man haunted with a dark past is married to a madwoman. Enter Janet (Jane) who is to refurbish some paintings that Lord Rathbone (Rochester) owns. Janet, nineteen, is mesmerized by John, Lord Rathbone, and Cheviot Chase (Thornfield Hall). The lord is a much older man who has been married twice; his first wife passed away under mysterious circumstances and his second current wife is insane. He is often moody but I still felt compassion for him.

It has been awhile since I've read a gothic but LLOWM was pretty good. Written in the first person the story is closer to 3 1/2 stars. I had a bit of a problem with the infusion of some modern ways. Some characters call each other by first names and the relationship between Janet and Sarah (the housekeeper): one minute Sarah is a friend, the next she is a subordinate. Lastly, there were some moments when Janet had some doubts about John; those times were peppered toward the last third of the book when she LOVED him intensely.

If you have ever read a gothic romance before you know the anguish and consuming, burning sensations between those who love each other. Still, it was a good mystery/romance. Janet and John are slowly drawn together despite their different social stations. A possible secondary romance, bickering among other guests at Cheviot Chase, and the shallow upper class and deception. What more could you ask for in a gothic?

"You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say." ~~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

This book is an amazing read. It's not your typical damsel in distress, it has intrigue. I owned this book and read it some much that it literally fell apart. It's definitely a must read.