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River of Destiny by Barbara Erskine
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River of Destiny (edition 2013)

by Barbara Erskine

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1328205,702 (3.72)9
From the bestselling author of Time's Legacy and Lady of Hay comes a thrilling new novel, River of Destiny, an epic story that spans Anglo Saxon Britain, Victorian Suffolk and the present day. Perfect for fans of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth. On the banks of the River Deben in Suffolk are ancient barns dating back to Anglo Saxon times - within these walls lie secrets that have been buried for centuries. New arrivals Zoe and Ken move into one of the converted barns, ready to start a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. To the outside world they seem happy, but they are growing further apart by the day. Meanwhile the strange presence Zoe feels within their home and the ghostly shapes she sees through the cloying mists on the river are getting harder to ignore. Nearby, farmers are ploughing the land beside the river and human bones are found. Are they linked to the Victorian tragedy the locals whisper about? The secret of the grassy mound has remained untouched through history, but now that it's been disturbed, will there be devastating consequences?… (more)
Member:Roro8
Title:River of Destiny
Authors:Barbara Erskine
Info:Harper (2013), Paperback, 448 pages
Collections:Read and owned, Your library
Rating:****
Tags:historical fiction, ghost

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River of Destiny by Barbara Erskine

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English (7)  German (1)  All languages (8)
Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
I love Barbara Erskine's books, especially the early ones. River of Destiny is her latest. I would have given it five stars for plot and creepy "otherworldly" stuff, for which she's wellknown. However, I can't say I cared for any of the characters that much, so it was not an emotional read. But that's neither here nor there. They say you capture a reader's attention through emotions; she does it with a slowly building suspense. ( )
  MariaGreene | Jun 30, 2021 |
Present Day: Zoe and her husband Ken have moved to country Sussex, leaving the city life in London behind. The have bought a converted old barn with a private mooring so Ken can enjoy his favourite pass-time, sailing. Zoe isn't happy, there are strange noises in the house and strange things keep happening. She is struggling to find employment and she is having some issues with Ken.

1865: Dan is the smith on the farm. His wife Susan is expecting their first child. The master of the property has a new wife. A new wife that is causing trouble for Dan.

865: Eric works the forge in the village. He has been given a special commission to make a pagan sword for the chief of the village. The chief is ailing and rumour has it that he is going to die. Eric's wife is being pursued by the the chief's reeve, a man that she is wary of.

These three stories are told in turn throughout the novel, with the links being revealed throughout. The book was well planned. Each storyline is well distinguished with a unique symbol signifying the change in setting. A good book and worth a read if you like the whole time slip concept with some ghosts thrown in. ( )
  Roro8 | Apr 3, 2015 |
This is a book I got along with two others for a steal at my local book shop. The blurb intruiged me and I'd not read this author before so I thought it was a good pick. It's not a bad book, it's well-written and his intruiging scenes, it's just not for me. There is some confusion with the stories since there are three narratives going on at one time all in different times. One in the present, modern world, one in the ye olde days, and one in some fantasy land with magic and swords. Leading into each story is a symbol on the page. A boat, a sword or a horseshoe, to remind you where you are, but I still found it confusing especially given that in the fantasy and ye olde world, both protagonists are males with lowland jobs who have pregnant wives at home. I confused those stories all the time, especially given the almost identical events that occur to both characters.

The novel also left me with that unsavoury feeling I get with novels where the females never feel safe unless they are with a male. Zoe (the protag for the modern world narrative) is in a dull marriage to Ken and begins and affair with Leo who she soon must consult on every little thing that happens in her life. It bothers me, why does Zoe need his approval at all? She strikes me as very capable. There is also a slightly unrealistic storyline where a hormonal 11-year-old girl who think she's a witch basically owns the town for a few chapters.

But all in all, it was an okay read. It was slow to start but once it got going I could see the author's intentions and followed the story fine enough. I didn't flick or skim pages (much) which I thought I might do when I started the novel. I also praise its creepy factor, it did this thing with nails standing up on end that gave me an eery feeling - and I struggle to find books that do that! ( )
  littleton_pace | Jul 28, 2014 |
This was an interesting story! Three periods of history: Anglo Saxon England, Victorian England, and present day England, and their stories all intertwining and echoing down through time. The separate, yet ultimately connected stories are interesting in and of themselves, and build to a climax of tragedy--and also completion, in all three eras. ( )
  puttocklibrary | Aug 3, 2013 |
Not a classic Erskine, but written in the usual style.The story, this time, is split into three time periods - Anglo Saxon, Victorian and modern day.

I enjoyed the Anglo Saxon and Victorian stories best and wished for a little more detail on their daily lives to pad out the characters more. The modern day main characters were often annoyingly smug and somewhat unbelievable to me as a result. I had much more empathy for the historical characters. The modern day side cast (the neighbours) were two dimensional and somewhat cartoon-ish in comparison.

It was never explained why the Viking ship kept appearing, it seemed to have only an minor role in the latter stages of the plot and did not directly influence any decisions made by the main characters in any time period.

That said, it was an enjoyable read which I finished in a couple of days. ( )
  floriferous | Mar 31, 2013 |
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For Jon, who keeps the wheels on the wagon
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The woman was watching, flattened against the wall of the house, her eye to a knothole. (Prologue)
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From the bestselling author of Time's Legacy and Lady of Hay comes a thrilling new novel, River of Destiny, an epic story that spans Anglo Saxon Britain, Victorian Suffolk and the present day. Perfect for fans of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth. On the banks of the River Deben in Suffolk are ancient barns dating back to Anglo Saxon times - within these walls lie secrets that have been buried for centuries. New arrivals Zoe and Ken move into one of the converted barns, ready to start a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. To the outside world they seem happy, but they are growing further apart by the day. Meanwhile the strange presence Zoe feels within their home and the ghostly shapes she sees through the cloying mists on the river are getting harder to ignore. Nearby, farmers are ploughing the land beside the river and human bones are found. Are they linked to the Victorian tragedy the locals whisper about? The secret of the grassy mound has remained untouched through history, but now that it's been disturbed, will there be devastating consequences?

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From the bestselling author of Time's Legacy and Lady of Hay comes a thrilling new novel, River of Destiny, an epic story that spans Anglo Saxon Britain, Victorian Suffolk and the present day. An Anglo Saxon burial ground that must not be disturbed. A Victorian tragedy of forbidden love. And an ancient curse whose power grows ever stronger...On the banks of the River Deben lies a set of barns dating back to the Anglo Saxons, and within their walls secrets have laid buried for centuries. Zoe and Ken have just moved into one of the barns, ready to start a new life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. To the outside world they seem like an ordinary couple, but underneath they are growing ever more distant by the day. And the strange presence Zoe feels within their home, and the shapes she sees through the cloying mists on the river are getting harder to ignore. Whilst farmers are ploughing the land surrounding them, human bones are found and when the police arrive it becomes clear that the remains are much older than first suspected...Are they linked to a Victorian tragedy the locals whisper about? And what should they make of the grassy mound which has remained untouched across many centuries, but has now been disturbed with seemingly devastating consequences?
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