Friday, August 16, 2013

A Half Forgotten Song - Book Review


Zach is a young artist and gallery owner who is determined to write a new biography on the famous artist Charles Aubrey who died in his prime during World War II. Zach's grandmother regularly alluded to her own love affair with Aubrey and Zach has often wondered if he is actually the grandson of the great artist. Determined to find something new for his scholarly work and wondering about his own family connection, Zach travels to the village of Blacknowle where Aubrey spent his summers.

Dimity was fourteen years old when she first met the artist Charles Aubrey, his stunning and exotic mistress Celeste and their two daughters at the summer cottage in Blacknowle. The chance meeting will change Dimity's life as she becomes one of Aubrey's favorite models and falls deeply in love with him.

Atmospheric and mysterious, the novel's setting on the misty and moody English coast is perfect for this novel. Complete with ghosts, eccentric characters and a hidden cottage, the plot moves forward with nice foreshadowing, a hint of danger and secrets long buried.

Reminiscent of novels by Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier, A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb was a welcome read this week. I loved the moodiness, the rich details of the English coastline and Morroco; and the twists and turns of the mystery as Zach is able to unravel the hidden truths.

The pacing of the novel is fairly slow which in some ways adds to it's effective moodiness thought it becomes a little drawn out towards the end. Overall, I enjoyed it. Katherine Webb is an accomplished story teller.


A Half Forgotten Song by Katherine Webb was published by William Morrow in May of 2013. I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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