Fyneshade: A Sunday Times Historical Fiction Book of 2023

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Marta finds herself drawn to him, despite the warnings of the housekeeper that Vaughan is a danger to all around him. Though the house’s master is suspiciously absent, Marta is a companion to his daughter, Grace, and soon becomes intrigued by Grace’s older brother, Vaughan.

When she arrives, she is told the girl's mother is dead and the master is away for the unforeseen future. Give me a governess, a little haunting, revenge, little bit of witchiness, revenge, secrets and set it in a massive Victorian mansion (a plus that one corridor is "abandoned" and locked up), and it's a masterpiece. She was calculating and ruthless and I kept wondering until the very end who was the real villain of this story. I loved Fyneshade's clever reworking of Jane Eyre's gothic tropes, it's wicked anti-heroine and immaculate plotting.It’s quickly clear that the staff at Fyneshade all love and care for Grace, that she’s a talented sketch artist, wilful, definitely not dumb, and possessed of a certain guile. There were moments when I caught myself rooting for her (I feel low-key guilty about it) but generally she was not a character you want to relate to. So when things take an unexpected turn, like me, you may find yourself stifling a small smile as Marta gets her comeuppance.

Our protagonist, Marta, was raised as an orphan by her grandmother, a cunning woman versed in ancient and secretive occult knowledge. I was reminded of classic books like Jane Eyre and Rebecca at first, but as the story unfolded and the characters revealed deeper layers, the story also brought to mind Philippa Gregory’s Wideacre series (but with an even less sympathetic narrator than Beatrice Lacey! Beautiful Marta finds herself in a house full of very unlovely servants, a housekeeper who clearly has a few guilty secrets of her own, an ancient crone of a nanny, and a child who may possibly have Down Syndrome.

There were some real gut retching moments where the pit of your stomach drops because you know what’s coming and cannot bear to read on- yet must! The house of Fyneshade itself holds even more troublesome secrets, some hidden deep within its walls. Seriously, I’m having a hard time convincing myself Fyneshade was not in fact written just for me, it’s just so up my street it’s pretty much on my doorstep with one foot already inside.

Fyneshade is a very well-written gothic novel which held my attention from the first word to the very last. Thankfully, Marta doesn’t have to rely on the unpredictable girl since she has her witchcraft to fall back on. Marta’s Grandmere dies, and Marta’s relations want the bewitching young woman out of the way, as do the parents of the wealthy young man who is in thrall to her, so they send her off to a remote house to look after a troublesome young girl. I was drawn to this book by the brooding, Gothic cover and blurb, then realised whilst reading that it was inspired by Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw – I won’t give away how, but readers of that story will spot the link! Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is my favourite classic, and when it comes to gothic literature, for me it’s the one to beat.This gothic novel is also about a governess who ends up having a questionable relationship with the heir to a large house. After her grandmother dies and after an affair with a young gentleman ends badly, Martha has little choice but to become a governess. Marta is tough as nails, self-assured and witchy in a wicked sort of way, which is just so much fun. Using the dark gift her Grandmere taught her, Marta intends to discover the secrets the crumbling house keeps behind its locked doors and secret passageways.

A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF 2023 * 'A gloriously foreboding Gothic tale' - HEAT 'A thrillingly dark page-turner' - MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Marta is Jane Eyre's black-hearted alter ego' - THE TIMES Many would find much to fear in Fyneshade's dark and crumbling corridors, its unseen master and silent servants. This truly interesting, entertaining, and slightly sickening novel is told through an usually aloof tone which is one of the most compelling reasons I was captivated in the first place. It seemed very obvious that she was being played rather than being the manipulative player she rather stupidly considers herself. Halfway through the novel, however, my attitude towards Marta changed as I noticed how evil and manipulative she acted.Scourned by her aunt and deemed undesireable by the family of the man she loves, Marta is placed at Fyneshade as governess to Grace.