The Glass House: The spellbinding Richard & Judy pick to escape with this summer

4 stars. This was the first book by Chase that I'd read and it was a Richard and Judy Book Club (UK) Selection for Winter 2020, which brought it to my attention. The book is also known as "The Daughters of Foxcroft Manor". This book had multiple narrators all telling the story from different timelines and perspectives. I found this somewhat confusing to keep track of. Rita is a nanny to a wealthy family. She's very tall and the children call her "Big Rita" and she loves them dearly. The Mother, Jeannie, is grieving the death of her newborn daughter and the Father, Walter, is a distant and absent man. He sends the family and the nanny to their country place, Foxcroft Manor, to recover from the loss and to keep Jeanie away from his friend, Don, who is too close to Jeanie. While they are there, the daughter Hera discovers a newborn baby girl left near the house. The arrival of the infant, who they name Baby Forest, brings Jeannie back to life and the family decides they are going to keep her. Rita wants to call the authorities but she is over ruled. Rita takes care of the baby and the baby watches her and loves her. They all live in this little bubble in the woods away from reality until a body is found in the woods and the outside world, Police and Child welfare authorities, come to them. The story is an interesting one although I did find the flipping back and forth between narrators and time periods to be quite confusing. It was a good read all in all.

It was intriguing. A little slow in places but gripping .Amazingly written bringing everything together in the end answering all the reader’s questions.

Eve Chase is one of my favorite writers and Stephen Sondheim is one of my favorite composers. What do they have in common? Both believe in the mystic power and mythology of a journey through the woods. Toss in the mystery of a Daphne du Maurier suspense novel and you have the alchemy of The Glass House. This novel take the reader on two journeys, two time spans, one the present, the other in 1971. Slowly and deliciously the truth unveils itself at the old house and the woods surrounding it. Mothers and babies. Life and death. Responsibility and dereliction. Lies and truth. This is a powerful read that lingers like the scents and cracklings of the forest in your mind.

Can't get into this at all. Confusingly written, story does not flow in my opinion. Just irritating me so am now abandoning ship. My apologies to the author because I respect and appreciate authors but this is just not for me.

Lo sto leggendo in inglese perché in italiano non è stato pubblicato. Amo molto lo stile dell'autrice che conoscevo già.