Customer Reviews

The Splendour Falls

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When emotionally hard-boiled Emily agrees to join her errant cousin Harry on an academic-treasure-hunting holiday in Chinon, France, she does so reluctantly. Yet, from the very first moment she sees the fabled chateau and senses its evocative magic, she slightly lets down her guard, becoming slowly embroiled in the events surrounding a recent murder in the village and the corresponding intrigues of her fellow vacationers at the lovely Hotel de France. As her romantic sensibilities had been dampened by her parents' divorce and now are reinforced by her cousin's no-show, Emily unsuccessfully attempts to stay neutral to the obvious charms of the setting as embodied by the handsome French vineyard owner and the German violinist with the rock star ambiance. Only when she realizes that Harry's delayed appearance has something to do with the murdered man, and she unintentionally jeopardizes the life of one of the young tourists at the hotel by confiding her ruminations, does the story quickly wind down to a satisfactory conclusion.
Kearsley weaves her story with the history of Chinon and adds some supernatural occurances to further alloy the magical tone of the tale with reality. Emily is a belivable heroine, crafted in the Mary Stewart genre of not quite damsel in distress, but rather the innocent tourist who unwittingly backs into a situation she cannot totally control. The beautiful setting, the handsome collection of men, the alluring music and olifactory descriptions of Chinon embue the book with a sensory lushness which is as delightful to experience as devouring a gourmet dark chocolate truffle.
I did not find the book overly predictable. Perhaps, I knew from the middle on with whom Emily ultimately would find favor, but even this did not detract from the overall pleasure derived from the reading as I was torn between not being able to put it down and not finishing it too quickly.
I look forward to Ms Kearsley's other offerings in the future and hope that her first two books, "The Gemini Game" and "Undertow" will be reissued.

there are few books that continue to hit me reading after reading, but this is one of them. the relationships between emily, paul and neil i find true to life. i found susanna kearsley earlier this year and am now addicted to her writing. its a shame this book isn't readily available in the states, but its become a best-seller in Germany (and in fact, i have yet to find an english copy, but had to settle for a german one).

I absolutely loved this book set in Chinon, France about the castle (of the same name) which was originally built by Henry II (and where he died) and steeped in history. Susanna Kearsley does not disappoint her readers with a little mystery thrown in. As the story unfolds, Emily heads for Chinon to meet up with her friend Harry to explore the town and the castle. When Emily arrives at the hotel in Chinon, she discovers that Harry has disappeared and no one at the hotel has seen him. The reader is drawn into the story of two Isabelles, one the wife of King John and the other a chambermaid at a hotel who falls in love with a German soldier during WWII with tragic results. So, not only is Emily searching for her friend, Harry, but also to solve the mysteries around the two Isabelles. Wonderful plot which keeps the reader interested to the end.

I liked this book. That said, I found the plot and character development a bit disappointing after reading Kearsley's other novels. The main love story wasn't well developed, at least compared to, say, The Shadowy Horses or Named of the Dragon. The plot really reminded me of a classic Mary Stewart novel. Kearsley is usually more original and unpredictable. The setting is beautiful, and the ties to the two historical Isabelles were quite nice. You can find copies of this book in English, by doing an out-of-print book search on the web. It also shows up on the Amazon auction site pretty regularly.

The Splendor Falls was ideal summer reading which incorporated an idyllic setting with characters that felt like people you'd meet on vacation. Though you might think you know the outcome of the various minor and major mysteries in plot, there are enough twists to keep you guessing, and reading, right to the end. Kearsley is an observant author who uses intense detail in a subtle manner in order to illustrate the locale bringing it vibrantly to life.

When Emily Branon's cousin Harry suggests a holiday to Chinon, France, she jumps at the opportunity. Harry, a scholar, is "potty for Plantagenets," and wants to visit the town to do a bit of research. But when Emily arrives in Chinon, she finds that her cousin has disappeared, and she makes the acquaintance of a few foreigners in the town, including a set of brothers from Canada, a German artist, and a violinist. Emily finds herself drawn in by the story of two women named Isabelle--one the wife of King John of England, the other a girl living during WWII, both of whom hid treasures beyond price.

This book is another strong one from Susanna Kearsley, who manages to draw her reader into her story. Having been in contact with the author herself, she's been influenced by the novels of Mary Stewart, and that's much in evidence here. Both authors use the settings of their novels as jumping-off places for the story, and feature strong romantic elements and a mystery. Susanna Kearsley's novels are a little bit more rooted in the history of a place, though, and her plots are a little more grounded in reality. The Splendour Falls is good, escapist reading.

With novels like these, I feel like the narrator or main character should be at least a little bit cynical; that way, the novel ends up being more believable. While I felt that Emily was a cit too skeptical at times, especially about romance, I thought that the plot moved along at a good pace (albeit a bit predictable at times). It's a little dated too (the author has one of her characters listen to music on a cassette player, but also keep in mind that this book was published 15 years ago). Still, I enjoyed this novel, and I'd recommend any of Kearsley's novels to anyone who likes to read a good story with well-defined characters.

Susanna Kearsley weaves a wonderful story full of several mysteries the reader cannot wait to solve; mysteries within mysteries. As with her other stories, there are always plenty of surprises in the end. Her historical references are good and accurate. I was disappointed that she did not mention that Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, and Queen Eleanor are also buried at Fontevrault Abbey, but then a portion of the story was more about young Queen Isabella, King John's wife. I absolutely love this author. She writes and researches her details very well.

there are few books that continue to hit me reading after reading, but this is one of them. the relationships between emily, paul and neil i find true to life. i found susanna kearsley earlier this year and am now addicted to her writing. its a shame this book isn't readily available in the states, but its become a best-seller in Germany (and in fact, i have yet to find an english copy, but had to settle for a german one).

Hmmmm Ms. Kearsley revisits "reincarnation" to some degree once more in this book, however this one took 4-EVER to wrap it self up! and there was way to much "weird" coincidences for me in this one. Maybe it's me but I really didn't care for this one.

It was not IMO one of her best work, I still like even the "Shadowy Horses" better than SF. There are several mysteries going on in this book and when they finally get around to solving them you wonder (or at least I did) what significance did it have in the storyline. BEWARE SPOILER::: Emily was overally cynical and the romance did not truly evolve until the end of the book, the whole thing with her cousin and how that was worked out as well was a little hokey?????

I would recommend reading "Mariana" after this one so you aren't dissapointed sometimes it's hard to appreciate a book when it comes after one that won the "Catherine Cookson" prize.

Respectfully Reviewed