Alys, Always

by Harriet Lane

[Lianne]

I received a copy of Alys, Always through the GoodReads First Reads program. It was an interesting read, following the protagonist Frances Thorpe as she is drawn into the lives of the Kytes following the death of its matriarch, Alys Kyte. Harriet Lane's prose can be lyrical yet precise; I look forward to her future novels.

While the secondary characters came across as predictable, lacking in the amount of character development compared to other characters, the protagonist was by far the most interesting. I'm not quite sure what to think of Frances by the end of the novel or her motives but the feeling went from sympathy to unsettling for me. Overall, I recommend this novel for those who enjoy a contemporary novel, family drama or a story featuring a rather mysterious, curious main character that will leave you guessing to the end.

My complete review of the novel was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net (contains some major spoilers/highlighted in the text): http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/03/11/review-alys-always/