I have long been waiting to read a book by Susanna Kearsley and I savored this novel page by page. Although the story build-up is slow, it's what ended up making me like this book all the more. Best of all, I loved the Canadian history and how it unfolded to reveal how the Colonial Wars between the British and French colonies affected the local people. The setting was familiar to me as I live in Montreal, Quebec and have been to some of the places mentioned in this book.

Bellewether is a dual timeline story alternating between the present and 1759, with exactly the same setting and events unfolding in the same house but during two different time periods. In the present we have Charley who is the new curator of the Wilde House Museum. She has a "meh" relationship with her boyfriend and has moved in with her college-age niece who is now alone since Charley's brother died. Charley loves researching the history of the Wilde house and her discoveries follow the story that takes place in 1759 when the Wilde family take in two enemy French officers, POWs on parole of honour.

Lydia Wilde is the only daughter in a house of men (her mother died) and she and French-Canadian lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran are not happy to be in the same house together. The presence of the French officers further strains the already tense atmosphere by Lydia's youngest brother who also fought in the war against the French.
This is where Kearsley's writing talent comes into play. She creates a tense situation and realistically builds on how the family and the officers had to learn to co-habit even as the war is still raging and they do not speak the same language. I loved how the relationship and eventual love between Lydia and Jean-Philippe builds, like a slow burn. Kearsley shows how even during war, or despite it, people have the same fears, needs and compassion no matter which side they are on. She peels back the layers of their personalities during this highly conflicting time, which only adds to the pleasure of their relationship.

There is a ghost in this story, which I tolerated as I do not like or read ghost stories. As with most dual timeline stories I have read, I seem to find one timeline more interesting than the other. In this case, the historical timeline or Lydia's story was more interesting to me, even as I enjoyed the present day story. I loved how Kearsley brings both stories together by the end of the novel and how she built the mystery of what really happened between Lydia and Jean-Philippe. Is there any truth to their tragic legend?

If you are a fan of Kearsley's novels then you will enjoy this new story. If you are reading her work for the first time, this novel has her signature mystery/paranormal/historical richness evident in all her books. This was an enjoyable and highly satisfying read for me.

A new Susanna Kearsley book is cause for celebration. As Bellewether was a long time coming, I was tickled all the colours of the rainbow to read it. It is, at least initially, a novel that felt quieter than others Kearsley has written. I thought the first half of the narrative meandered, like a ship unmoored, like the ship it’s named after and like the bopping ghost-light in the Long Island forest that beckons to Kearsley’s contemporary heroine. Bellewether felt deceptively benign, but Kearsley’s hand steered the narrative ship on a sure course and it sneaks up on you how masterfully she does so when you experience the novel’s last third. It’s not as visceral a read as The Winter Sea, or as gothic-y and deliciously-Mary-Stewart-ish as Named Of the Dragon, but it sure is wonderful.

Signature Kearsley, Bellewether is a double narrative: made of a contemporary heroine in search of discovering something of the past, a past that is meaningful and significant to her in a more-than-scholarly way. And there is a historical narrative, centred on people caught up in a particular era meeting, loving, and redeeming the losses and griefs of their pasts. The most wonderful idea that I took away from Bellewether is that we should never allow historical circumstance, the sweeping canvas of power and politics, to blind us to the possibility of HEA.

Kearsley is a master at the double narrative, reminding me of Byatt’s Possession (without the pretension, though). The novel opens with the story of a house, or rather the house seems to tell the story of its inhabitants. The Long-Island-set Wilde House has seen war, suffering, the loss of one country and making of another. Our contemporary heroine, Charlotte “Charley” Van Hoek arrives at the Hall-McPhail Museum to act as curator, to raise the museum’s profile by renovating it and unearthing what she can about the house’s great revolutionary hero, Benjamin Wilde, ” … daring privateer, a dashing hero of the Revolution, and – if one could trust the portraits – devilishly handsome”. As Charley notes, “The house, when I first saw it, seemed intent on guarding what it knew within its walls as long as it stayed standing; but we all learned, by the end of it, that secrets aren’t such easy things to keep.” It isn’t long after Charley’s arrival that she learns of the house’s eighteenth-century-hailed ghostly presence, a lantern that sways with the movement of one walking through the forest at night, reputed to be a French officer leading his love, Lydia Wilde, down to the water to their escape. That officer, Jean-Philippe de Sabron, had apparently been shot by Lydia’s brother, Joseph, a man who’d suffered from what we’d understand is PTSD after seeing battle at the Fort of Oswego during the French and Indian War.

Charlotte has additional reasons for taking this curatorial work. Niels, her brother, died recently and Charley wants to look after Rachel, her niece, to grieve together, eat together, normalize things as much as they can and get Rachel back to college. Kearsley balances Charley’s historical sleuthing with Charley’s complicated family history, as well as the goings on in the Wilde household, circa French and Indian War, especially the love between daughter of the house Lydia and the French officer captured in war, who is brought into their household until an exchange is settled between British and French powers-that-be.

Other than the snickeringly hilarious goings-on of museum board politics, which Charley navigates beautifully, a gorgeous man walks into Charley’s life in the form of one of the the famous Mohawk sky-walkers, the iron workers of Kahnawake et. al. (near Montreal, my native town!). Sam Abrams is a warm, gently humorous man, a fixer of doors, meticulous workman, architect, and rescuer of anxious dogs. His beagle Bandit, who needs doggy daycare until a resident labradoodle picks on him and he needs to be babysat by Charley’s niece, Rachel (which is secretly Sam’s healing scheme for both) is a hoot. Sam works renovating the museum, Charley researches, plans events, and fund-raises, and they fall quietly, gloriously in love, thanks to proximity, temperament, compatibility, and attraction.

In the end, however, Kearsley’s duo-narrated and narratived novel, despite its ghostly presences and characters caught in war, family strife (Charley’s own dad, like so many, left the US for Canada to protest going to the Vietnam War), and the realpolitik that every era brings, are people who want to live with integrity, love and be loved, build with their hands and hearts in sync their own small version of paradise. Kearsley’s book, as Charley notes, thinking how to market the museum, is a wonderful meta-romance, “The only thing people liked more than a ghost story was a good love story. This one was both”. Kearsley’s Bellewether is a superb ghost-and-love story!

Kearsley’s historical hand is loving and true, her understanding of how the past bears on the present doesn’t bog down her characters. She’s able to show them in their time and place, but she also lets them breathe, make choices of love and connection, without compromising duty. I loved that Kearsley’s characters, at least the ones I loved the most, have such integrity, never shirk place and responsibility, but still get their well-deserved HEAs. (And she only made me cry once, with the phrase, ” ‘Montreal has been taken. Vaudreuil has surrendered.’ “) We live with history’s legacies and are caught within its constraints, but, says Kearsley, with this her most hopeful, loving book, we don’t have to be trapped by it: forgiveness, love, loyalty, and integrity, goodness can light the way, can make it better. Miss Austen and I say that Bellewether is proof “there is no charm equal to tenderness of heart,” Emma.

Susanna Kearsley’s Bellewether is published by Simon and Schuster Canada. It was released on April 24 and may be found at your preferred vendors. I am grateful to Simon and Schuster for an e-ARC, via Netgalley.

Susanna Kearsley's "Bellewether" is a wonderful novel that splits its time in a historic home during 1759 and it's current reconstruction as a museum dedicated to the Wilde's. The stories are told from the perspectives of Lydia and Jean-Phillipe in 1759, and Charley now. I loved how the stories flow along so smoothly together, filling in each others blanks until the final unanticipated conclusion. I found it a tad slow in the beginning, but it was just the laying of backstory and introductions for the many key characters in this lovely historical romance that bridges the centuries. Highly Recommended!

This is the first book that I’ve read by Susanna Kearsley, and although it took me a little while to get into it, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. I really enjoyed the dual timeline storyline set in present day and the late 1750s during the Seven Years War. It is a well written and well researched novel and I would recommend it to any historical romance buff.

This is my 4th Susanna Kearsley book, she is a Canadian author and one of my favorites. Her experience as a Museum curator and love of history is evident in her writing. Her books have unique storylines with some romance and a touch of the supernatural mixed in. I have yet to be disappointed in anything she has penned.

That being said I found Bellewether to be more of a quieter book, there isn't a lot of action, it's pacing was slow but still a story that kept my attention while peaking my interest into historic facts on both sides of the border. Honestly I had never heard of the Seven Years War, billeted war prisoners or residential schools (that last one left me rather shocked). It's one of the reasons historical books are my go to, being educated at the same time as being entertained.

Bellewether is told from 3 different POV's, present day Charley and from 1759 we hear from Lydia and Jean Philippe. It's always a treat hearing from the male characters, I feel it adds much to the story. The romance part played out nicely with no 'insta love' and mushy 'best looking guy I've ever seen' comments, it was realistic and believable.

Bellewether is a story of war, grief, love, secrets, mystery, reconciliation and so much more. Susanna Kearsley brings to light an era loosely based on her own family history, the author's notes are well worth reading with many book recommendation of further interest.

My thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an advance earc in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Kearsley's previous work will enjoy this. I enjoyed the story and setting, both underrepresented in fiction, and Kearsley's sensitive portrayal of characters was welcome (especially in the sections of the book set in the 18th century). Unfortunately, both love stories felt underdeveloped to me, and it was hard to get a sense of just why the characters fell for each other. The resolution in both cases was rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC, now here is your honest review.

I'm really struggling to describe what this book was about. The plot curve was pretty much a straight line and I didn't find a great deal of depth in the characters. At about 85% in, I was still waiting for something momentous to happen and those moments that could have produced drama were glossed over.

There were times when I did enjoy the writing. I thought it was clever how Kearsley linked the chapters, even those that spanned the time frames.

I knew this was a bit of a risk. I am not typically a fan of historical fiction, but I had heard good things about this author and I felt it was worth the risk.

As usual with Kearsley’s books, I was immediately swept into the story. Kearsley knows how to craft interesting, rich stories full of unique characters. As is common with her books, part of the story is set in the present day, and part of it is set in the past. Sometimes I did want more of the present day plot, but other than that the switching time period didn’t bother me.

This book is a ghost story. Let me just say that. And since I was reading this at night, in the dark, I’m not above telling you it did creep me out a bit. Kearsley crafted creepy encounters so well that my imagination got the better of me.

Charley is a fantastic protagonist and I loved seeing her thrive, overcome obstacles, and interact with her family. It felt like a real family, and that’s what I loved. The depiction of grief was also done well, something which is personally very important to me. Lydia is sometimes a less sympathetic character due to her discrimination against the French, but you do understand why she might feel that way.

The romance from both time periods is lovely, though very slow burning. They are definitely quiet romances, so I do wish we’d gotten a little more from them. But the ending is rewarding and sweet.

What I love about Kearsley’s books, and Bellewether is no different, are the mysteries the present day protagonist has to solve. In this case, it’s finding out what happened to Lydia and Jean-Philippe. I appreciate the attention to historical detail, and that topics like slavery and discrimination are handled pretty well.

Honestly, "Bellewether" was a book I didn’t want to put down, even when I grew too tired to hold the book. The story is a quiet one of family, love, and loss. It’s about building a life again after tragedy. Sure, the romance was very subtle and quiet, but the end was nevertheless lovely. This book reminded me why I love Kearsley’s work, and made me want to read more.

Past and present plots are well woven together in this tale about American colonial history in the 1750s during the conflict between Britain and France. The story of the Wilde family is now an embellished legend in the 21st century used to attract tourists when the new curator of the Wild House Museum sets about unravelling the facts from fiction.
Feathers are ruffled, strange things happen, and families are upset.
If you enjoy historical fiction and a love story, Bellewether will deliver both in a well-researched and -written book with good characters and plenty of angst.
Recommended.

April 24th, as I stated in my reviews of both Come from Away and The Husband Hour is going to be an epic day for all of us Canadian book readers and now I have to add Bellewether to that book buying list. This is my 10th Susanna Kearsley in a five year period and let me tell you that this Canadian novelist is a powerhouse that you cannot afford to pass by.

Meticulously researched, this triple narrative that volleys readers between the contemporary period and the 18th century is a highly recommended historical fiction.I absolutely loved the characters and didn't feel that the dual timelines tried to hijack one another as both were very fascinating.

If I had one quibble about the story, it is the feeling that SK had a difficult time wrapping up the story because I had a hard time as a reader trying to say goodbye to Lydia, Jean-Phillippe, and Charley.

Highly recommended!

I was torn about this book.

This is a historical novel that jumps back and forth within the present day and the Seven Year War - between the French and English colonies in North America. Susanna Kearsley did a good job at interweaving the two story-lines: having Charley as a Museum curator who is assembling facts on what happened during the Seven Year War, and then the other plot of Jean-Philippe and Lydia - two characters who shouldn't have ever met, much less fallen in love.

What I really liked about this book:

Jean-Philippe's character was great. Kearsley did such a wonderful job bringing this French - Canadian to life. Her description of his life in Quebec was excellent.

Charley (aka Charlotte) was a great character as well. As mentioned above, Charley really moved along the plot but discovering details about the past, that were then revealed in the historical narration.

I felt that Kearsley did a really solid job on ensuring that the historical facts made sense, and stayed as true as possible to what could have been.

What I didn't like so much -

Part of Charley's story line wasn't really so necessary. It didn't add value to the story, nor did it move the plot along. Without giving too many spoilers, I don't think there was a need to have her relationship with her niece, or honestly even the one with her grandmother. Not that they ruined the story, they just didn't feel necessary.

I didn't love Lydia's character. I actually would have preferred to have had more alternating points of view within the historical context - Hazel, Benjamin, French Peter (aka Pierre), etc. There were so many other characters that could have moved the story along, and if Jean-Philippe had been the "main" narrator, we still could have gotten his love story across. I just felt that Lydia spent too much time distrustful and she wasn't a super interesting character. (Sorry Lydia!)

That said, this was a good read - would I recommend it? Sure. Especially if you are interested in historical fiction that takes place during the Seven Years War and like a little romance tossed in for good measure.

This was my first Susanna Kearsley read and I would give her another shot - so this book didn't put me off her writing style.

I really enjoyed this story. Susanna Kearsley really knows how to keep readers wanting more. She has used both fact and fiction within this story. Ghosts, slavery, prisoners of war, history lessons and a love story, what more can you ask for!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I am a newcomer to Susanna Kearsley’s books, but anyone who receives high praise from Diana Gabaldon is bound to be a good writer so I was drawn to this book. I was pleased to see that the author had experience as a museum curator which could only add to the authenticity of the story which features a museum curator, and then I read her dedication… “This is for Violet, Newport, Cesar, Crown, Dinah, Boston, Dick and Jack; and all the other women, men and children – held in slavery by my ancestors – whose names I have not yet learned. I can’t repair the damage done, nor wipe the ledger clean, but with my whole heart I apologize, and honour you in memory.”

I knew I was going to love this book. The question then was, can I write a review that really does it justice and I have taken my time thinking on this.

The story told within its’ pages transcends time It is set in The Wilde House Museum, an old home built on the shores of Messaquamick Bay, Long Island first built in 1862 by Jacob Wilde. There are floor plans for the reader to help imagine what the building was like and a quick trip through family history including a legend of a light that shines in the forest which is occasionally seen by visitors. No one knows the secrets behind the light or what it might mean.

Each chapter in the book is told from a different perspective. The first full chapter is told from Charley’s perspective in the present day. Charley has come to the area following the recent death of her brother to live with her niece and provide emotional support. She is also working as a curator at the Wilde Museum. Not everyone wanted her to work there and she faces challenges in trying to bring the story of the home into the mission of the museum.

Then we move into the past to 1759, a time of conflict between the British and the French when loyalties are tested. Some captured French soldiers are surprisingly billeted in the home of Zebulon Wilde and his sons and daughter Lydia. The next part of the story is told through her eyes.

We also get to hear from Jean-Phillipe one of the captured French officers. He is a man well-respected by his men. Born in North America, he cares for his men the way most of the officers from France never do.

The story is told through these three characters and while the reader must skip back and forth through time, the author makes the transitions smooth and seamless. I never felt confused as to where I was while reading. The book is a story of an era, a love story, a ghost story and so much more. As a reader I learned more about the slavery which was so common at the time. I saw what PTSD (although not then known by that name) could do to a man. I learned how stories get twisted over time and how eventually the true story would win out even though it might not be a comfortable one for all concerned.

This particular story is fictional, but the author has interspersed real characters midst her fictional ones and done her best to stay true to their stories. It has clear she has put much time into her research before she began writing and it adds to the realistic feel of what the reader will experience.

In her post notes, Kearsley references “ In the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, entered into the public domain in 2015, the commissioners state: The reconciliation process is not easy. It asks those who have been harmed to revisit painful memories and those who have harmed others – either directly or indirectly – to be accountable for past wrongs.”

“It’s an ongoing process, for all of us. But as a writer, I also feel strongly that, as the commissioners promise, “The arts help to restore human dignity and identity in the face of injustice.” And that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

I strongly feel that Kearsley has achieved what she set out to do and more.. I feel this book would be an excellent choice for classroom curriculum at a high school level, but also strongly recommend it to anyone who loves a well-written story with a sense of history. You will not be disappointed. I will certainly be looking for more books by this author.

Bellewether is a detailed historical read set in the late 1700s during Seven Year War between the British and the French on American, and Canadian soil. I hadn't heard of the billeted war prisoners staying in peoples' homes, as a mark of their honour and rank, instead of jails but I found it really interesting.

The story is told in the present day as Charley, a newly hired curater of the Wilde house being renovated and opened as a museum. Through her research of the Wilde family and particularly a ghost that is said to inhabit the house, we are taken back to the 1700's and the love affair between Lydia Wilde and Jean-Philippe, a french officer who is one of two officers billeted to live with the Wilde family. I enjoyed the present day story the most that included Charley, Sam who was the renovator and the many board members of the museum. It was great how the story unfolded and eventually explained the story of the ghost that Charley was determined not to believe.

ARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've been looking forward to this book since I finished the last one from this author, before I knew anything about it. That will tell you how much I love Susanna Kearsley's books. Sometimes when you've been anticipating something for quite a while it can be a let down when you actually experience it, but I can tell you that was not the case at all with Bellewether. In fact, Bellewether is probably my favourite book by Kearsley since The Winter Sea, which is honestly one of my favourite books ever.

Like most of Kearsley's books, Bellewether takes place during two separate time periods. In this case the setting is a village on Long Island in the present and during the Seven Years War (French and Indian War, for you Americans). I can honestly say I loved the characters and stories of both time lines equally. I loved seeing Charley, the main character in the present, discover things about the Wilde family of the past. But I also loved that she had her own family story to deal with and a sweet romance, as well. For the past storyline I loved seeing Lydia and Jean-Philippe fall in love so slowly and I also enjoyed learning about a different part of the Seven Years War that I hadn't really heard about.

Overall I just adore Susanna Kearsley's books. She does such a great job bringing history and just a bit of the fantastical to life. I love her characters and the slow burn romances that she writes. They may not be romance heavy books, but there are always satisfying love stories intertwined in the rest of the plot. Bellewether was such a lovely read and I highly recommend it.

Beautifully written, well researched book.
I loved the story and the characters.
This is the first time I've read one of Susanna Kearsley's novels, but won't be the last.
Charley is the new curator of a small museum. A story from the 7-years war leads her to investigate the possibility of a doomed romance.
It had mystery, romance, and great story telling.

I had already preordered this book, as I love everything I have ever read by Susanna Kearsley, but was very excited to have the opportunity to read this one as an ARC through NetGalley.

I have to be honest though, this one took me a while to get into. It was pretty slow going for me until the 25% mark. At that point I was hooked.

In the usual Kearsley style, there are 2 story lines. One present day and in this story, the other takes place in Long Island during the Seven Years War. The book goes between 3 narrators. Charley in present day is the new curator for a museum that is in the historic home of the Wilde family, more specifically Benjamin Wilde who was a famous privateer.

The other 2 narrators are Lydia Wilde (sister to the famous Benjamin), and a French Canadian Lieutenant who is staying with them as a prisoner of war.

Like I mentioned before, I had a hard time getting into this one and found going between the 3 storied awkward at first. But as I got to know the characters and as the characters got know each other I was so drawn into it. As a Canadian, I really appreciated the historical accuracy of the time period and learned some new things about my country's history.

I always love the way this author weaves the 2 story lines together and the little details that gradually fall into place. Usually, I find myself more invested in the historical timeline, but this time I enjoyed them both equally.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I Tought at first that the story was a little slow to start, we follow the lives of Charley, Lydia and Jean-Philippe. The story of the house Charley is renovating into a museum is at the center of the story and with are brought back and forth trought time to understand the story of that house. I ended up loving the slow pace, the people in the story and the writing was so beautiful i just could not stop reading it.

I am a big fan of Susanna Kearsley and have read and loved most of her books. Unfortunately, I could not get into this one probably due to the subject matter which was unfamiliar. Unlike her other books which are set mostly in Europe where I am familiar with the history and locations I couldn't make the connection.

I was almost half way through before I started to enjoy the story, and it became more interesting as it flowed towards the end. I loved the scenes in Charley's office which made me shiver and the unexpected twists in the tale at the end. The characters of Lydia and Charley were beautifully written but I thought that there might have been more of a connection between them.

The story was written in typical Kearsley style with meticulous attention to detail and the history of the period. She has presented a book with well researched details interwoven with a beautiful love story. Time shift fans and lovers of Susanna Kearsley's books will love this one.