The Splendour Falls

Light, easy read and the descriptions of Chinon were wonderful, as Kearsley's settings always are. However, the mystery and romance parts of the story (otherwise known as the plot) leave a little to be desired and fall short of what I've come to expect from this author. That said, a 'meh' Kearsley is better than a lot of other books, it's just never going to be one of my favourites.

Buddy read with Kim :-). ( )

A mystery with elements of romance, this is about Emily Braden, a young Englishwoman who goes to Chinon in France to meet up with her notoriously unreliable historian cousin Harry, an expert in the history of the Plantagenets. Harry is not in Chinon when Emily arrives and although initially unfazed, Emily eventually becomes concerned about his absence and starts to investigate. The plot touches on the story of Isabelle, the wife of the Plantagenet King John, who allegedly hid a treasure in or near Chinon Castle in the 13th century and also on the story of another (fictional) Isabelle, a chambermaid who is thought to have hidden a treasure in Chinon during World War II.

The best aspect of the work is the service Kearsley does for the French tourist industry. Her description of the town of Chinon and Chinon Castle is enticing. I’m planning to visit the Loire Valley early next year and I’ve wanted to see Chinon Castle for a long time because it’s the setting of [b:The Lion in Winter|279660|The Lion in Winter|James Goldman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320518029s/279660.jpg|271260]. Now I want to see it more than ever. In addition, Kearsley writes well, using clear and elegant prose.

However, the novel is not without its weaknesses. I did not find Emily particularly believable, not a lot happens for the best part of 300 pages and some aspects of the plot remain unexplained. Moreover, the villain is fairly obviously one of the men who show a possible romantic interest in Emily, Kearsley kills off possibly the most attractive male character and coincidence is layered upon implausibility to get to the resolution of the mystery. The narrative also includes stereotyped “gypsies” with an apparently uncritical acceptance of the myth that they are all thieves - even the friendly, otherwise reliable ones. In addition, I wasn’t particularly moved by the romance angle, but that may be because the description of one of the candidates reminded me a bit of this man …..




…… Julian Assange, whose looks I find rather creepy. And after having some difficulty with Kearsley’s use of dual time lines in other novels, I rather missed that factor here and would have liked to see a bit more of the historical Isabelles.

Overall, this was a pleasant, undemanding read and a good choice for the Christmas break. It didn’t knock me out, but then I’ve stopped expecting that from a Susanna Kearsley novel. An enjoyable - if fluffy - buddy read with my lovely friend Jemidar.
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Exceptional book, well worth the read. Ms Kearsley has a unique style. ( )

When Emily Branon’s cousin Harry suggests a holiday to Chinon, France, she jumps at the opportunity. Harry, a scholar, is “potty for Plantagenets,” and wants to visit the town to do a bit of research. But when Emily arrives in Chinon, she finds that her cousin has disappeared, and she makes the acquaintance of a few foreigners in the town, including a set of brothers from Canada, a German artist, and a violinist. Emily finds herself drawn in by the story of two women named Isabelle—one the wife of King John of England, the other a girl living during WWII, both of whom hid treasures beyond price.

This book is another strong one from Susanna Kearsley, who manages to draw her reader into her story. Having been in contact with the author herself, she’s been influenced by the novels of Mary Stewart, and that’s much in evidence here. Both authors use the settings of their novels as jumping-off places for the story, and feature strong romantic elements and a mystery. Susanna Kearsley’s novels are a little bit more rooted in the history of a place, though, and her plots are a little more grounded in reality. The Splendour Falls is good, escapist reading.

With novels like these, I feel like the narrator or main character should be at least a little bit cynical; that way, the novel ends up being more believable. While I felt that Emily was a cit too skeptical at times, especially about romance, I thought that the plot moved along at a good pace (albeit a bit predictable at times). It’s a little dated too (the author has one of her characters listen to music on a cassette player, but also keep in mind that this book was published 15 years ago). Still, I enjoyed this novel, and I’d recommend any of Kearsley’s novels to anyone who likes to read a good story with well-defined characters. ( )