'This brooding tale of obsessive love, teenage jealousy and hidden desire has a dark charm' The i paper 'Atmospheric, creepy, tense and utterly absorbing' Harriet Tyce 'Clean prose, subtle characters and intrigue to keep the pages turning' Mike McCormack ___________________ Power. Jealousy. Desire. Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace... When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite catholic boarding school, she quickly finds herself drawn to ...
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'This brooding tale of obsessive love, teenage jealousy and hidden desire has a dark charm' The i paper 'Atmospheric, creepy, tense and utterly absorbing' Harriet Tyce 'Clean prose, subtle characters and intrigue to keep the pages turning' Mike McCormack ___________________ Power. Jealousy. Desire. Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace... When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite catholic boarding school, she quickly finds herself drawn to sophisticated fellow pupil Victoria and their young bohemian art teacher, Mr Lavelle. The three of them form a bond that seems to offer an escape from the repressive regime of the nuns who run the cloistered school. Until Louisa and Mr Lavelle suddenly vanish. Years later, a journalist with a childhood connection to Louisa determines to resolve the mystery. Her search for the truth will uncover a tragic, mercurial tale of suppressed desire and long-buried secrets. It will shatter lives and lay a lost soul to rest. The Temple House Vanishing is a stunning, intensely atmospheric novel of unrequited longing, dark obsession and unintended consequences. 'Chilling' Christine Dwyer Hickey 'Exquisite' Jo Spain ___________________ Perfect for fans of Emily M. Danforth's's Plain Bad Heroines...
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New. 'This brooding tale of obsessive love, teenage jealousy and hidden desire has a dark charm' The i paper'Atmospheric, creepy, tense and utterly absorbing' Harriet Tyce'Clean prose, subtle characters and intrigue to keep the pages turning' Mike McCormack___________________Power. Jealousy. Desire. Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace...When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite catholic boarding school, she quickly finds herself drawn to sophisticated fellow pupil Victoria and their young bohemian art teacher, Mr Lavelle. The three of them form a bond that seems to offer an escape from the repressive regime of the nuns who run the cloistered school. Until Louisa and Mr Lavelle suddenly vanish. Years later, a journalist with a childhood connection to Louisa determines to resolve the mystery. Her search for the truth will uncover a tragic, mercurial tale of suppressed desire and long-buried secrets. It will shatter lives and lay a lost soul to rest. The Temple House Vanishing is a stunning, intensely atmospheric novel of unrequited longing, dark obsession and unintended consequences. 'Chilling' Christine Dwyer Hickey'Exquisite' Jo Spain___________________Perfect for fans of Emily M. Danforth's's Plain Bad Heroines...
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
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Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
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Louisa didn't know that attending Temple House boarding school would change her life, just that it would take her away from her dull neighbourhood, and her separating parents. Victoria changed everything. From the moment she saw her in the summer house, Louisa's life changed course and she became something new, different.
This beautifully atmospheric dark drama is full of moody setting and passion-filled youth. I immediately get Rebecca vibes from the writing, and from me that is a sublime compliment. The Gothic tones and corrupt understory both blend into an artistically thrilling piece of fiction. As I read this story, other works which came to mind were The Talented Mr Ripley, Twin Peaks and The Dead Poet's Society, although The Temple House Vanishing is neither derivative nor overdone in any aspect.
The story is simple, but the writing is so rich and the characters so enigmatic that you don't waste time worrying about the complexity of plot. Louisa is written with such a deft hand; I think all young dreamers who once thought that their life could be a decadently tragic poem will relate to her. The feeling of bohemian glamour that clings to both Mr Lavelle and Victoria is almost Gatsbyan in it's smoked-filled gilded glory.
Lavelle is a beautifully flawed character, and I found the question of his responsibility and personal character to be one of the most intriguing aspects of this book. It is so easy to look on cases like the disappearance of Lavelle and Louisa and assume, no - know that the man is the predator; after all, he was a teacher in his twenties and she a 17-year-old student. However, I love that this book brings into question whether that is always the case, without also making him blameless and perfect. There is no question that as a teacher Mr Lavelle crossed boundaries, not clever with how far he took his artistic interests with the students. But was he a monster?
If I absolutely had to make a complaint about this book, I would say that I would have like more time with Victoria and Louisa at the school, and less with the journalist. To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed the book solely in the 90's timeline. However, I liked the suspense that was added with the knowledge that no one would know what had happened to Louisa and Mr Lavelle for over 20 years.
The physical book is beautiful as well, and I adore the size, shape and feel of this hardback. The cover is eye catching and the whole book is high quality, from the slipcover to the rich end-papers.
I would absolutely recommend this book to any reader of modern literature, especially those who loved Rebecca and other poetic Gothic classics. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.
KindigBlog
Feb 24, 2020
Beautifully sad read
Some people were not meant to be together. They weren't good for each other. They cancelled each other out. And everything that once was good became twisted.
The Temple House vanishing is a story that hit me harder than I was expecting. It's a nicely written novel which has some good quotable lines in it. The plot is split over two perspectives - Louisa's story set in the past which details her life at a new school, and a journalist trying to find out what happened to her. The story doesn't jump too often between them so you get a solid chunk of 5/6 chapters written in each perspective which means you have a chance to really get to know and empathise with each character before moving on.
The story itself is actually quite sad and the epilogue really hit me and also tied everything together nicely. Although the novel itself doesn't feel very pacey as there's no stakes to finding out what happened, you do get a sense of foreboding and suspense as the perspective switches back to the present. This leaves you room to guess what might conclude from the events you have 'witnessed' in the past before it switches back again to show you if you were right.
Overall I enjoyed Temple House Vanishing, it's a sad story but a beautifully written read. Thank you to NetGalley & Atlantic Books - Corvus for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
liccyh
Feb 22, 2020
Modern Gothic
Twenty five years ago, Louisa won a scholarship to the elite Catholic Temple House boarding school, run by nuns. She and another student Victoria formed strong friendships with the bohemian art teacher Mr Lavelle. One day, though, Louisa and Mr Lavelle just vanished. What became of them? Fast forward to the present day, and a journalist is now investigating whether they ran off together, or whether tragedy struck. As she interviews witnesses, the true story slowly unravels. The result is a gripping analysis of social classes, romantic obsessions and friendship cliques. The dark tone (and creep setting of the sinister school) are a perfect match of the tale. And the achievement is even more impressive when you bear in mind that this is the author's debut novel - definitely one to watch out for in the future!
