Mistletoe

Struggling to cope with the tragic loss of her husband and son, Leah moves to Maitland Farm. Her husband found the listing and dreamed of living there and Leah, who shares ancestry with the farm, decides to make it a reality. But as she arrives at the run-down Yorkshire farmhouse, snow shrouds her new home. While it might look like a Christmas card, it’s soon clear it's not just the house that needs renovation: the land is in bad heart, too. As Leah sets to work, she begins to see visions of the farm's former occupants - and of the dark secrets that lie at the heart of Maitland Farm.I have been a fan of Alison’s since her first novel, an accomplished writer who can apparently turn her hand to not only different styles of horror but different time periods too, making it all seem easy. She does the same here, slipping from the present day back a hundred years or more, the seams blended so well it takes you a while to realise what’s happening. Maitland Farm - and her ancestors - are well described and the sequences with the unfortunate lady of the house take on a sad tinge, which is cleverly maintained. Leah is beautifully written, a grounded character so consumed by grief she’s open to supernatural persuasion, which starts small - did that really happen? - and then becomes something much more scary. With a great little supporting cast (the family over the next field), an isolated location (perhaps 90% of the book is in and around the farm), the ability to make mistletoe frightening and a measured pace, this is an excellent read and I would highly recommend it.

Initially I downloaded a sample of this book on my kindle which I did enjoy. The story started off exciting but as it developed it became a bit far fetched at times. Leah, a widow, left her comfortable life behind in Manchester. She purchased an isolated rundown farmhouse in Yorkshire and moved to it to live alone in midwinter. Strange things started to occur as the farm did have a history. The farm had once been occupied by Leah's ancestors in Victorian times. Evil deeds had taken place back then at the farm as Leah was to find out. However, I did think that Leah was so brave to take on the challenge of the farmhouse on her own.

The premise for this novel is OK, if a bit of a cliché, (bereaved woman buys an isolated farmhouse in the middle of winter, only to find that it is haunted by the terrible things that have happened in the past), but although it starts reasonably well, the plot soon becomes so silly that it is almost unreadable and humorous rather than frightening. Avoid, there are far better ghost/horror stories out there.

I won't describe the plot of the book other than to say it's a doubly bereaved young mother starting a new life in an out of the way farmhouse needing renovation.If I was to try to attribute a genre to this story I'd say it's 70% gothic,30% folk horror.I enjoyed thIs and found it easy to read. I usually struggle with plots that put characters in stressful situations (I'm still to finish The Reddening a year after starting it because of this!) but I found this just the right mixture of anxiety provoking suspense and the impetus of the narrative to keep reading.I can see this being made into a film down the road, perhaps in the style of Borderlands or similar?Anyway, good stuff and I'll probably look at more of the author's work.

Mistletoe is a wonderfully crafted book, a classic ghost story that also deals with loss, grief, love and coming-to-terms. I was gripped by it from the first page. Based on the traditions and superstitions surrounding Christmas and mistletoe, the meticulous research that must have gone into it is impressive.The sense of place and descriptions of landscape and snow are masterful, I had pictures in my head of the farm and the area around it. A beautifully written book by a skilful author.I highly recommend Mistletoe and Alison Littlewood's other books.