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A review by thebibliophilelibrarian
The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron
3.0
“Broken-down walls and crumbled stones seemed to possess a secret language all their own. What stories would they tell, if she finally listened?”
A castle lost to time, a family mystery, a grandmother ravaged by the disease of Alzheimer’s, a girl seeking to discover her family’s history and a journey that bridges past and present to change her forever. All of these elements combine to form a beautiful story of love, loss, and war that inspires a legacy of faith that extends to now and all future generations.
This story follows Ellie Carver a young girl caring for her grandmother who is suffering from the ravages of Alzheimer’s. As she visits her grandmothers bedside one day, she expects her to be silently lost in the world of her mind, but instead her grandmother begins speaking of a secret past, a lost love, a enchanted castle and a hidden chapel that played a special role in the French resistance during WWII. As Ellie is drawn in by her grandmothers words, and the mystery surrounding the castle she embarks on a journey that will take her to the Loire valley of France and lead her to discover who she truly is.
Bridging the past and present, this story is told between three time periods, the French Revolution, WWII, and present day. Cambron is a masterful story teller whose sense of environment and place really sets the scene for the reader. Her descriptive prose and attention to even the smallest detail, really brings each historical period to life. The character development of Ellie and her journey of self-discovery was one of the best parts of this book and the way in which she weaves the historical time periods together comes together nicely in the end to deliver a satisfying conclusion.
The one main complaint I have, was also one of the things, that as far as the development of the story goes, was the most successful. The waffling between three time periods often made me loose track of where in the story I was. It also felt like every time I got interested in one plot it would switch to another. Two different plots are hard to handle, three may have just been one to many to keep track of.
Overall this story was descriptively gorgeous, and though it isn’t without its mistakes, I loved the story as a whole and thought it came together nicely in the end. I give this book a solid 4 stars.
Thank you to #netgalley and Thomas Nelson publishers for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A castle lost to time, a family mystery, a grandmother ravaged by the disease of Alzheimer’s, a girl seeking to discover her family’s history and a journey that bridges past and present to change her forever. All of these elements combine to form a beautiful story of love, loss, and war that inspires a legacy of faith that extends to now and all future generations.
This story follows Ellie Carver a young girl caring for her grandmother who is suffering from the ravages of Alzheimer’s. As she visits her grandmothers bedside one day, she expects her to be silently lost in the world of her mind, but instead her grandmother begins speaking of a secret past, a lost love, a enchanted castle and a hidden chapel that played a special role in the French resistance during WWII. As Ellie is drawn in by her grandmothers words, and the mystery surrounding the castle she embarks on a journey that will take her to the Loire valley of France and lead her to discover who she truly is.
Bridging the past and present, this story is told between three time periods, the French Revolution, WWII, and present day. Cambron is a masterful story teller whose sense of environment and place really sets the scene for the reader. Her descriptive prose and attention to even the smallest detail, really brings each historical period to life. The character development of Ellie and her journey of self-discovery was one of the best parts of this book and the way in which she weaves the historical time periods together comes together nicely in the end to deliver a satisfying conclusion.
The one main complaint I have, was also one of the things, that as far as the development of the story goes, was the most successful. The waffling between three time periods often made me loose track of where in the story I was. It also felt like every time I got interested in one plot it would switch to another. Two different plots are hard to handle, three may have just been one to many to keep track of.
Overall this story was descriptively gorgeous, and though it isn’t without its mistakes, I loved the story as a whole and thought it came together nicely in the end. I give this book a solid 4 stars.
Thank you to #netgalley and Thomas Nelson publishers for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.