Hold My Hand - Hardcover

Serena Makcesy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845296397 ISBN 13: 9781845296391

Publisher: Constable, 2008

Synopsis

It was the answer to their prayers: a cash-in-hand residential job in the country, in a place where no one would know them. To Bridget Sweeny and her daughter it meant a fresh start, with new names and hope for the future. But Rospetroc House, the manor house Bridget has agreed to caretake, has its own secrets: a history of high staff turnover and a reputation in the village, and it's not long before she begins to feel uneasy. Rising star Serena Mackesy's new novel tells intertwining tales of Lily, a nine-year-old East End child evacuated during the Great War and left in the unwelcoming arms of the dysfunctional Blakemore family, and of Bridget Sweeny and little Yasmin, who have their own urgent reasons for leaving London. This title presents the lives of the three connect across the decades in a chilling tale of murder and revenge on Bodmin Moor. Praise for Serena Mackesy: 'Brilliantly observed...a gripping read' - "The Times". 'Fresh, sparky, funny and sadly poignant' - "Big Issue". 'Perhaps the biggest gasp since A Kiss Before Dying...say no more, except - More!' - "Independent".

About this title

About the Author

SERENA MACKESY is a journalist and novelist. Her journalism includes features and travel writing, mostly for The Times; her Independent column was published as a novel, The Temp, which soared into the Sunday Times Top 10, and was followed by the critically acclaimed Virtue and Simply Heaven. Although born in Oxfordshire, she now lives in London.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—What is the common ground between a nine-year-old Word War II evacuee from London and a present-day abused woman and child running from a violent past? An old family estate in Cornwall provides the common ground in this mystery in which past and present collide. Lily is sent to Rospectroc during the war, where she is supposed to be cared for, but instead finds abuse and mistreatment at the hands of the dysfunctional Blakemore family. When things go horribly wrong for her, she vows revenge on both the family and the house. Years later, Bridget and her daughter, Yasmin, are seeking a safe place away from a violent ex-husband and father and they end up at Rospectroc as caretakers. There is a reason none of the locals will go near the house and, as questionable activities occur, Bridget begins to wonder whether she has done the right thing by going there. The abuse suffered by Lily and by Bridgett and Yasmin is slowly revealed as the book progresses, and readers will be determined to find out if Lily gets her revenge, if the ex-husband finds his wife and daughter, and if the sins of the past can be forgiven. The British phrases may slow some readers down, but overall this is a compelling mystery that satisfies in the end.—Janet Melikian, Central High School East, Fresno, CA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Constable
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1845296397
• ISBN 13: 9781845296391
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288