Bellewether

by Susanna Kearsley

• ISBN10: 1492687863
• ISBN13: 9781492687863
• Publish Date: 7 August 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 12 June 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Landmark
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[kalventure]

Some houses seem to want to hold their secrets.

I had such high hopes for Bellewether but unfortunately I have fallen victim of another book whose blurb is more interesting that the story itself. I'm disappointed and to be honest a little angry. I haven't read anything by Kearsley before so I was not aware of her formulaic approach to historical fiction (always multiple POVs that span different time periods being my main issue; see Amber's review for a breakdown). This is definitely a beach read and if you go in expecting a light beach read I think you will enjoy this; but if you are looking for higher-level than a prettily written story with minimal romance and minimal character development you will likely be disappointed.

The writing of Bellewether is poetic and beautifully written. I will admit that the first chapter pulled me in immediately as I was taken in by the lyrical prose and flowery descriptions, and I thought it was really clever to set up an info dump via an interview with a reporter. Kearsley did a good job of establishing the present day storyline in an engaging way and setting up the mysteries of the past.

The narrative is told in three points of view from two different time periods (which from the blurb was not expected):
➡️ Charlotte (Charley) Van Hoek is the present-day perspective and new curator of a museum dedicated to the Civil War local hero Benjamin Wilde (the museum is going to be housed in the family home that was built by Benjamin's father).
➡️ Lydia Wilde is Benjamin Wilde's sister and the rumored lover of French-Canadian soldier Jean-Philippe. She speaks no French and harbors resentment towards the French for the war and the lives lost.
➡️ Jean-Philippe de Sabran is a captured French-Canadian officer from the Marines (a group that trained with the Native Americans). Through some weird political posturing, he and another French officer are brought to the Wilde home for their Parole of Honor while they await a prisoner transfer. He speaks no English.

Despite the strong start I found myself quickly becoming disengaged from the story. One of my early notes was "so many POVs... ugh. Also I resent being told the same story in triplicate," which I think succinctly sums up the odd shift I felt with that time jump. When the perspective first shifts to the 1750s I found it jarring and duplicative, and I would have much rathered either had the focus on either the present day or the past. While I did appreciate learning what really happened versus local legend ahead of Charley, I didn't find the dual time period perspectives overly engaging.

I really liked that the POV shifts were anchored by something happening... a button found in the present day shifts to when the button was lost... the rain in present day moves into rain in the past. It was a really beautiful and unique way to tell the story but unfortunately even with these parallels I struggled to stay with the story and found myself largely bored. The jumping of time periods and perspectives didn't work for me.

Initially appreciative of the descriptive narrative, as the book carried on I found the descriptions to be distracting and uninteresting, finding myself skimming pages in search of character dialog and interaction. I struggle with books that tell rather than show, and I think that is the root of my struggle with the writing style of this book.

The only thing people liked more than a ghost story was a good love story. This one was both.

The love story that unfolds is... weird. Lydia and Jean-Philippe have minimal interaction during the near-year that he spends with Lydia's family during his Parole of Honor. This is largely in part to not sharing a common language and the fact that they are on opposite sides of the Seven Years War. There is no buildup or development of their romance; they just kiss once and suddenly are together forever. At like 90% I was wondering how the book was going to wrap everything up: deus ex machina. I honestly feel robbed here by the random person that comes to explain everything. I felt that the entire book up to that point was a boring lead-up to the conclusion and am bitter that I was cheated out of actually seeing what happens to the historical characters in their own POVs.

And then there is the "ghost." I think I was most disappointed by the paranormal aspects of this book. Don't read this expecting much of Magical Realism or the ghost stories being focused on at all... it almost felt like an afterthought and more of a way to add validation to the weird ending.

The book felt a lot longer to me than 448 pages and I found myself skimming the book quite a bit. I am not really one for romance novels but even this left me sorely disappointed because there is a lack of character development and interaction and the book is like 430 pages of flowery lead-up to a disappointing ending. While I really did not enjoy this book, I was interested enough to finish and see where the characters wound up. I think fans of Kearsley's writing overall will enjoy this book, as well as people that are looking for a fun, flowery beach read.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an electronic ARC of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. Quotations were taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication.

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[Kate (Blogging with Dragons)]

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Bellewether is a quiet, moving story that I really enjoyed reading. It is like slipping into bed after a long day—soothing, comfortable, and relaxing. Author Susanna Kearsley effortlessly creates a homey feel that allowed me to place myself in both timelines easily. As such, I loved both narratives in this book, both that of Lydia's in the past and Charley’s in the present. Each character and her story was highly believable. The only things I did not care for in the novel were a big buildup that went nowhere, a ghost, the lack of a real villain, and the little too-perfect-for-my-taste endings.


During the past timeline in this book, which took place during the Seven Years War, I learned so much. It is clear that the author heavily researched this novel. I also really adored main character Lydia’s quiet strength and her ability to take over her deceased mother’s place in the family as peacekeeper among her brothers and father, as well as the two soldiers that were placed in her house. Though Lydia was very angry and prejudiced against the soldiers at first, I loved the slow burn of her softening feelings toward Jean-Philippe, who was clearly a cut above his counterpart staying in their house. At the peak of the novel, when Jean-Philippe decides to cut ties with Lydia in order to ultimately prevent her from getting hurt, her bravery to write him a letter despite their lack of any real communication—due to a large language barrier—was really poignant and beautiful. I felt truly proud of how far her character came throughout her character arc. Their romance was my favorite of the two in the novel.


Charley, a researcher dedicated to restoring Lydia’s family’s home as part of a new museum exhibition dedicated to her famous brother, is also a great character. I loved how interesting her job was, her dedication to getting more funds and recognition for the exhibit, and her own issues with her personal life. Charley’s dedication to her now orphaned niece, mirrored that of Lydia’s role in stepping up as the surrogate mother to her own family. It was fun to read the more modern take of a similar role. Charley’s own love interests are also interesting. The whole thing with Tyler, her initial boyfriend was irritating, but I enjoyed how realistic it was! It was so great delightful that the author had everyone come out and express to poor Charley how much they hated the guy after they broke up. This feels very true to what happens in life after a breakup and Kearsley excels at small details like this. But luckily, Charley soon has another romance with a far better suitor named Sam, who like, Jean-Phillipe in Lydia’s home, quickly becomes a mainstay in Charley’s home life.


While I loved the stories of the two main characters, I did not like some other parts of the story quite as much overall. I was dismayed that what we knew as a truth from Charley in the present—that Joseph, one of Lydia’s brothers, shot Jean-Phillip—amounted to almost nothing. Sure, there was a bit of a scene that was prevented from escalating, but after expecting a tragic Romeo and Juliet-esque type of romance, I felt a little let down. However, I think most readers will actually be happy that this tragedy did not occur and I am just in the minority that likes her characters to suffer. Conversely, I could have done without the addition of the ghost in the present altogether. Though I guess its unearthly presence was supposed to add suspense and intrigue to the novel, I found it more of a nuisance, as I just wanted to read more about the characters rather than a mystery ghost and who it’s true identity was, which I sadly also found a bit disappointing, but also somehow fitting when revealed.


In addition, the ending of the novel and both its storylines—those of Lydia’s and Charley’s—were just a little too perfect for my taste. Everything was tied up so neatly that it did not feel very realistic. I realize that most people do not read romantic novels for realism, per se, so this may not even be a factor for other readers. Though for my fellow cynical readers, I’ve included a list of things that may be a little too neat for you as well. Spoilers ahead:



•Charley and her grandmother worked out the differences of the family without much ado at all—despite the issue starting with Charley’s father being disowned.
•Charley’s grandmother just happens to be the Chairman of the Board of the organization to whom Charley is giving a speech and trying to convince to support their cause.
•Charley’s grandmother coincidentally owns a ballroom in her mansion and happily allows Charley to hold a party for the museum.
•Rachel, Charley’s niece, easily discovers niche/career after dropping out of college and it just so happens to include apprenticing to Sam, Charley’s love interest.
•Most people Charley needs priceless artifacts from easily part with them.
•Lydia and Jean-Philippe’s descendant shows up from Paris (instead of, I don’t know, calling or emailing) to talk to Charley *right* before the beginning of the exhibit. She is then able to answer all of Charley’s questions and *offers* to bequeath a lot of Lydia and Jean-Philippe’s belongings to her.
•Sam and Charley kiss for the first time and then immediately buy a house together. (I guess stranger things have happened, but this seemed very out of the norm).
•Jean-Philippe is able to switch sides at exactly the crucial, convenient moment.
•When Jean-Philippe goes back to Lydia, he sees her standing at the spot he saw her at for the very first time.
•It is worth mentioning that the entire premise of Lydia and Jean-Philippe managing to fall in love without being able to communicate to each other is really impressive, especially with Lydia overcoming her resentment and prejudice.

Ultimately, though I have some issues with some parts of novel being a little too perfect for my tastes, I do not think this will be an issue for the majority of readers, who will enjoy the happy romances of the novel without over-analyzing them. And despite these issues that I had with a few things, I still really enjoyed this quiet, heartwarming, book with beautiful prose. Also, I think it was masterful how Kearsley managed to mirror the lives of Lydia and Charley without making them feel too similar.


In fact, I did not realize how similar their storylines even were until writing this review. Truly a unique storytelling method that offers the readers the best of both worlds in a single novel—both a historical and modern romance. It was also interesting to me that Kearsley used her family history as inspiration in this novel. I loved in her author’s notes how she stated that she was dedicated to giving real people that lived happy endings through her stories. She refers to these people in history as “quiet voices with good hearts.” It is clear from this novel and the happy endings the author gives both people from history and her characters that Susanna Kearsley has a good heart of her own.


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