Widow’s Lace
By Lelita Baldock
A hundred year old mystery, the widow left behind, a fallen soldier, the abandoned fiancée, an unnamed body and the young student determined to find the truth.
In 1886 famous English poet Edward Barrington moves from Derbyshire, England to a farm on the Finniss River, in South Australia. Two years later he disappears.
25 years later Archie Hargraves abandons his fiancée Clara and travels from England to meet with Edward’s widow, Rosalind. He plans to write a biography and make a name for himself, independent from his wealthy father. Returning to England in 1914 he abandons his work to join the war in Europe. His journal of notes from Australia is never released.
Ellie Cannon, a young PhD candidate at Sydney University, is writing a thesis on one of Barrington’s last known poems, The Fall. It’s not going well. Struggling with her relationship with her mother and loss of her father, Ellie is on the brink of failure.
Then a body is found by the Finniss River, 130 years after Edward’s disappearance. Could it be the famous poet?
The discovery draws Ellie into the worlds of Edward, Archie and Clara, taking her across Australia and England in her search for the truth.
Covering life in remote South Australia, the social pressures of 1900s Britain and the historical role of women, Widow’s Lace is an historical fiction, mystery cross-over dealing with themes of obsession, fear, love, inner-secrets and regret. But also the hope that can come from despair.
Well, this book blew me away! I stayed up way past my bedtime so that I could finish it. Widow's Lace is an enthralling mystery that had me guessing right up until the end, and wow, Lelita Baldock knows how to write a great plot-twist!
This story is set in two very different times - modern-day (2018) and the latter part of the 19th century. In 2018, Ellie's life is falling apart, and she has no interest in her studies. But that all changes (I will not give away any spoilers as I don't want to ruin this marvellous book for anyone). Needless, to say Ellie finds herself in the middle of a compelling - who done it, and who is it, adventure!
The historical setting was wonderfully portrayed. I must admit, I don't know a great deal about Australia in 1886, so I was really interested in what it must have been like to live there and how vastly different it was from old Blighty. I really sympathised with Rosalind and Edward because, due to Rosaline's health, they had no choice but to up sticks and make a new life on the other side of the world. It must have been a terribly traumatic experience to leave everything and everyone you knew, knowing that you would probably never see them again. I could understand Rosaline's misery, but I also admired Edward's determination to make the best out of the situation.
I am trying to be really careful in what I say, as it would be so easy to give away the plot. But let me end this review by saying that there are secrets aplenty in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book, and I think you will too.
She hopes to tell interesting stories that people will find themselves drawn into. Stories that are for entertainment and escape, and hopefully a little thrill of the unexpected. She truly enjoys the experience of writing, exploring human traits and reactions as well as the darkness that can lurk unexpectedly inside anyone.
Born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Lelita holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and History from the University of Adelaide and a Bachelor of Education from The University of South Australia. During her twenties she worked as an English teacher in both Australia and the United Kingdom, working with the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
Now Lelita and her husband run a web development business, and she makes time for writing after hours and on weekends. It can mean long days and late nights, but she doesn’t mind, stories are her passion.
Lelita’s long term goal as a writer is to be able to publish her stories regularly and hopefully appeal to a wide range of readers.
Lelita currently resides in the United Kingdom with her husband Ryan and beloved rescue-cat, Jasmine.
Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
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