The Butterfly Cabinet

McGill, Bernie

ISBN 10: 0857142232 ISBN 13: 9780857142238

Publisher: Magna Story Sound, 2012

Synopsis

Now in paperback--"An emotionally bracing, refreshingly intelligent, and ultimately heartbreaking story" (Kirkus Reviews) of two women linked by a tragic, decades-old secret.

When former nanny Maddie McGlade receives a letter from the last of her charges, she realizes the time has come to unburden herself of a secret she has kept for more than seventy years: the truth behind the death of Charlotte Ormond, the four-year-old daughter of the wealthy household where Maddie was employed as a young woman. Based on chilling events that actually took place in the north of Ireland in 1892, The Butterfly Cabinet is a sterling example of dark, emotionally complex fiction.

About this title

Review

"A kind of gothic "Upstairs! Downstairs" . . . Chilling and gripping."

"--Booklist "

"A dramatic and haunting novel that tells the tale of two women whose lives are linked by an appalling tragedy. Inspired in part by the true story of events surrounding the death of the daughter of an aristocratic family in Ireland in the late 19th century, this is an enthralling and beautifully written debut."

--"Good Housekeeping" (UK)

."..an exquisite series of painful revelations... McGill easily recreates the lives of the Castle's owners and servants and the intricate connections between them. As both Harriet and Maddie's stories emerge, the tale becomes a powder keg of domestic suspense that threatens to explode as long-kept secrets surrounding Charlotte's death are teased out."

"--Publishers Weekly"

"McGill's rare, hypnotic gift for writing fills every page. The substance of her tale explores class, religion, politics and everyday life in upper class Ulster towards the latter end of the 19th century and brings us well into the twentieth. It has the best non-salacious description of sex from a woman's point of view that I have ever come across and contains no end of sentences you want to remember."

--Eugene McCabe, author of "Death and Nightingales"

"A haunting, often lyrical tale of quiet, mesmerizing power about the dangerous borders of maternal love."

-- Rachel Hore, author of "The Glass Painter's Daughter"

"An emotionally bracing, refreshingly intelligent and ultimately heartbreaking story."

"-Kirkus Reviews"

"An absorbing story of marriage, motherhood and murder."

--"Woman & Home"

"An utterly compelling tale of hidden secrets and culture clashes played out against the backdrop of a large country house in Northern Ireland . . . a haunted tale, eerie with recrimination, illicit passion and frustrated motherhood . . . Pitch-perfect in tone, McGill captures, in counterpoint, the voices of the two women as they declaim a melancholy murder ballad."""

--"Marie Claire "

"Intricately layered . . . McGill's assured debut is an intense exploration of maternal love and guilt. What also distinguishes it is its delicate portrait of a society that, within one life-time, would face unimaginable change."

--"Financial Times"

"[B]eautiful and languorous and wild... in the end, we are caught and held tight"."" --The Huffington Post

"[C]ompelling ... a densely textured plot. The interplay of the voices of two exceptionally different personalities is perhaps the book's major achievement... While "The Butterfly Cabinet" is an intense exploration of maternal failure and a haunting illumination of cruelty and guilt, it also plays out against an authentic backdrop of defining moments in Irish history."--"Minneapolis Star Tribune"

"A fantastic novel. It drenches us in gothic sensibilities as it haunts us."--USAToday.com""

My novel [of the year] would probably be "The Butterfly Cabinet" by Bernie McGill, which is based, I think, on a true story, about the darkness inside all of us, and how politeness and education will not always prevent us hurting even those who need us most. McGill has the ability to enter into the brain and heart of her characters and so to make us sympathise with people who commit acts we abhor.--Julian Fellowes, actor, novelist, and creator of Downton Abbey "The Guardian "

My novel [of the year] would probably be The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill, which is based, I think, on a true story, about the darkness inside all of us, and how politeness and education will not always prevent us hurting even those who need us most. McGill has the ability to enter into the brain and heart of her characters and so to make us sympathise with people who commit acts we abhor.--Julian Fellowes, actor, novelist, and creator of Downton Abbey "The Guardian "

Book Description

A secret shared. Two lives entwined. Finally the past must come to light.

About this edition

• Publisher: Magna Story Sound
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0857142232
• ISBN 13: 9780857142238
• Binding: Audio CD