The house seemed to beckon her. Welcome her. As if it knew her. The light had faded, and dark, bilious clouds had taken its place. In the three short weeks I'd spent in Cornwall, I'd learned two things: that the weather was not to be trusted, and that the wind never ceased to blow. Fair weather or foul, it whistled and murmured and moaned, like a living, breathing, tortured being. It had risen since it played innocently among the foxglove blooms earlier stirring the mists along the graveyard gate. Now it was angry, driving the black clouds inland from the sea. Waterfowl raced before it dotting the sky like a blizzard over the mighty house, and I'd scarcely pulled the car to a stop when the rain came. It was just as I remembered it from my drive-by earlier, like a creature of myth silhouetted against the storm-a huge, rambling, turreted structure of stone and timbers defying its existence in such a setting. Yet, aside from a wounded turret, a few missing boards, and a good deal of broken glass, Cragmoor approached the dawn of another century remarkably intact. I tried to imagine the house as it once must have been, ablaze with light and life, surrounded by manicured lawns and courtyards and lush, fragrant gardens. Now it rose from a tangled snarl of briar, thorn, and desolation. Row upon row of darkened windows, catching stray glints of the fading light, shuddered in the wind as the gale bore down upon it. The house was asleep, and I was about to wake it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the great ones,
By A Book A Day "bkworm" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rape of the Soul (Paperback)
I have read thousands of books, most of which are quickly forgotten. This one I will never forget. For me, it ranks with Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Gone With the Wind, Rebecca, and others I will not forget. The mysteriously evil Malcolm is a twisted, perhaps supernaturally vile Heathcliffe. The gentle but psychologically tortured Vicar Elliott is the Ashley Wilkes of another time. Jean and Mary are the ultimate victims, one raped and driven mad, the other driven to explosive desperation in a climax that leaves the reader emotionally drained and really, really sad the book cannot go on forever. As for Colin, a typical Gothic hero whose maltreatment in childhood embitters an agonized man into degrading his body, abandoning his soul, and alienating his friends; yet, somehow the abused little boy is always peering from the
rejecting eyes. There are indeed stock figures of little complexity: the harsh but tender doctor, the lonely Sir John, the tarts who warm Colin's bed, the good housekeeper, the noble stablemaster; the whole creates a tale that matches the wild Cornish landscape, and an ambience part Hell and part Heaven
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A haunting story in which I doubt I shall ever forget.,
By
This review is from: Rape of the Soul (Paperback)
Present Day: Jean Fowler Maitland travels from Maine, USA, to Cornwall, England, in hope of learning whatever happened to her grandfather's sister, Jean Fowler Chapin. The Fowler family believed the woman had married Malcolm Chapin, in 1885, and fled with him to the Cragmoor Estate in Cornwall even though she had just been notified her father had died and the funeral was imminent. The Fowler family turned their back on Jean Chapin and never knew the truth. But Jean Maitland is determined to find out if her namesake had really been so horrid. To this end, she locates the owner of Cragmoor at St. Michael's church. His name is Vicar "Edward" Marshall, Esq. The vicar still has the journals of his great-grandfather, Vicar "Elliot" Marshall, in his possession. Elliot dutifully kept his journal up-to-date. However, the ending to the tragic tale the lady has come to learn is still unknown. Elliot died before he could put pen to paper. Edward decides the American has the right to know what is written within the journals. Jean Maitland would spend the next twenty-four hours as his guest and hear the tale.
London, 1863: Reverend Elliot Marshall's trap overturns on the lawn of Ramsey House, the resident of the magistrate, Sir John Chapin. Elliot remains with Sir John until his collarbone hears from three breaks. During this time he two become friends. Elliot learns about Sir John's nineteen-year-old daughter, Mary (his pride and joy), as well as the fifteen-year-old son, Colin (to whom he cannot tolerate because his wife died giving birth to the boy). Recently Sir John has received word from Amy Croft, the housekeeper at Cragmoor that Mary is dabbling with the occult and gypsies. The end result is that Sir John would build St. Michael's Church in Cornwall, near Cragmoor, and Elliot would be its first vicar. While the church is under construction, Elliot would reside at Cragmoor with Mary and Colin (when the boy was not away at school) to straighten Mary out by any means necessary. Elliot falls in love with Mary on sight, but she has become a witch in all but name. As for Colin, Elliot sees something of himself within the teen. Since Sir John refuses to be a father to Colin, Elliot becomes one in his stead. Mary dies giving birth to Malcolm, the result of a violent assault. From this first breath, Malcolm seems evil. Malcolm's birth kills more than one person at Cragmoor that night and Colin becomes master of the estate before he is ready. ***** I can neither write a short review of the book, due to the length, nor give a full synopsis without ruining the story for you. The birth of Malcolm is where the real start of the gothic tragedy begins. I now stress to you that this novel was written over twenty years ago. Back then books, especially those with a gothic flavor, did not always have "happily-ever-after" endings and violence was not always glossed over. If you cannot deal with reading some scenes of cruelty, then this novel of suspense is not for you. Enough said on the matter. You have been warned. For those of us bold enough to read it, this story is non-stop drama. There are a few typos, but seldom have I read a book without any. The paperback version is oversized (6X9) and the font is smaller than most books. Therefore, you will find this a long novel. (More for your money.) Most of the characters are well developed. "Present Day" characters are not seen often, so even though I know WHO they are in relation to the historical characters, I never came to care for them. On the plus side, not seeing the "Present Day" characters often also means the historical story is not interrupted at pivotal moments. I suspect there will be mixed feelings on the ending and can say no more bout it without ruining it. In case there are people reading this review who like to collect rare items, let me say that this title is the very first in the new Highland Press Legacy line. These will be books in which the publisher believes will still be talked about many years from now. All-in-all, this is a very haunting story that I doubt I will ever forget. Very memorable. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well done Dawn !!!!!,
By
This review is from: Rape of the Soul (Paperback)
I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. I read this book at night before falling asleep. That's perhaps not a good idea, if you're afraid of the dark. Dawn describes everything in such detail, you can almost feel the gloomy weather, hear the wind howling, be afraid of Malcolm, feel sorry for the characters who have to suffer his evil wrath. Perhaps there is too much detail at times, but then the writing style was totally different 20 odd years ago, when this novel was written.
Dawn somehow managed to make this an easy read, although one could think it might drag along. One knows how the story ends, yet it reads like a thriller and one just wants to read more, to find out, how and why and who. It is sad that Dawn never saw this book in print. I can give it 5 stars, not because Dawn was a dear friend, but because this is a brilliant story.
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