Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the chance to read an advance copy of The white hare by Jane Johnson. I have been a big fan of the author since I read her book The tenth gift years ago. The white hare is just as emotional and spellbinding. While its starts off a bit slow, with a dreary atmosphere I think that is how its meant to start; the valley in West Cornwall has become dark, and foreboding. Magda, and her daughter Mila are able to buy the rundown house by the beach cheaply, hoping to turn it back to its original condition where Magda can use it as a venue for cocktail parties for the rich. Mila, just wants to raise her daughter Janey, and start a new life far from the scandal of her past. But this house has secrets, and the valley has a dark but magical past. Janey seems to feed on this magic, and with her stuffed companion Rabbit, can she help her Mother and Grandmother finally escape their own secrets? Can the White hare that has been magically appearing heal the wounds that has been festering not only in their lives, but in the town folk as well?
I LOVED this story!!! I am always a fan of historical folklore, and it is presented in such a way that it is fresh, emotional and colourful. The story flows and your emotions are caught up in anger, sorrow, and the wonder of the magic. For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, I totally recommend this book and the author Jane Johnson!!!!

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

What an enchanting story! The seaside at Cornwall sounds both magical and terrifying. I loved the folklore woven into this tale.

Mila and her daughter have been forced to leave their home and start a new life with Mila’s mother Magda. Originally from Poland, Magda has transformed herself into a starchy British woman who adores the attention of men. Magda has purchased a large home on the Cornish seaside that she plans to transform into a guest house. Magda will host and Mila will be the cook.

On their way to the new home, a large white hare appears in their path nearly causing Magda to veer off the road. It is an eerie creature. Janey’s favorite doll, a large rabbit, somewhat resembles the hare. As they settle into the new landscape, Janey begins to change into a different child. She speaks words that would be unlikely for a 5 year old to know. She starts drawing strange things. And Rabbit becomes not only a ‘she’ but also a queen.

Strange things happen around their homestead. Bright white lights and hidden staircases. Hidden drawings under the wallpaper. It’s all a bit much for Mila to absorb. Especially with all there is to do to get the house ready by the New Year. Magda rules with an iron fist, and Mila is forced to follow the rules. It’s not an easy life, yet what would she do otherwise.

As I said, this is quite the tale of magic, folklore, and reinventing yourself. The town of Eglosberyan is ancient with a lot of history, and some rather interesting inhabitants. The story will take you away to a place that has so much charm. If only the House at White Cove were a real location. It sounds like a lovely place to spend time.

Well-written, replete wirh magical realism, mother-daughter relationships and family secrets. The pace was slow for most of the book with a focus on descriptions of the beautiful Cornish countryside, The pace picked up towards the end. 3.5 stars

A darkly spellbinding story taking place in a seaside village, The White Hare tells the story of three generations of women, the old house they have fled to after a shocking secret was revealed, and a long-held village secret. The setting is atmospheric and eerie, the main characters are flawed and secretive, and the house has a tragic history that is slowly unraveled.

Things I enjoyed:

⁃ Mother/daughter relationships are examined from multiple perspectives, with some generational trauma thrown into the mix. The relationships felt realistically flawed as mothers and daughters struggled to understand each other.
⁃ Real Cornish folklore fits beautifully into this fictional tale of a seaside locale with a complicated history.
⁃ Some of the side characters were beautifully quirky and provided a support system to this family who desperately needed it.
⁃ The atmosphere was done beautifully, with a perfect blend of loveliness and haunting eeriness.


A few things I wished:

⁃ There are several instances where the young child character speaks in a way that feels far beyond what a five year old would say, and I wish parts of it felt more accurate to a real five year old. (Some of this is explained in the book, but there were instances outside of this explanation.)
⁃ There was a section of exposition near the 3/4 mark that felt forced in how it was explained to the reader. I loved what was revealed but not how it was revealed.

Overall I enjoyed the quiet magical realism of this story and the unraveling of all of the secrets!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced readers copy!

Mila has plans for the house she's bought in Cornwall. It's 1954 and she's moved her mother Magda and her daughter Jane there but it isn't what she expected. This is very much about family dynamics- the fraught relationship between mother and daughter- and a bit of magical realism. There's interesting Cornish folklore blended in, especially wrt the white rabbit young Jane sees. This is hard to describe but easy to enjoy because Johnson is a good storyteller. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good read.

I enjoyed reading this book. I found the characters easy to relate to and understand.

The end seemed to become more fantastical, and I wish that was incorporated into the story more. But I felt like it kept me guessing about what was coming next, so I like that.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great blend of historic and contemporary, fantasy and realism, and a number of other contrasts. I love Cornwall and have walked the paths and seen a number of the small villages; all those visits came alive again. Fascinating set of characters. All in all a really great bit of fiction to be enjoyed over a number of afternoons, which seemed like the best time of day to be immersed in this story. I liked that the story had mystery and drama but there was also a continuing positive narrative concerning restoring, redeeming, resolving and moving forward that was encouraging.

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this ebook.

A family of 3 move to Cornwall for a fresh start with the intent of renovating White Cove, a house with a sinister past. The community they join is closemouthed, resentful of ‘outsiders’ and hints the valley is haunted/protected by a magical creature known as the White Hare.

I enjoyed this book. The underlying tension between the primary characters, the mysterious/magical setting and the hints of White Cove’s sinister past interspersed throughout the novel all contributed to a sinister atmosphere. This unrelenting tension continued until the New Years Eve party where everything came to a head (and not in the way I was expecting it to). I’d recommend the book to any reader who enjoys murder mysteries with a splash of romance.

This is my second book by Jane Johnson, I loved her last one, The SeaGate. Her covers are an attention grabber with the mystical vibes that showcase a house on the moors with a story to tell.

The White Hare is told from the POV of Mila who along with her young daughter Jane and cranky mother Magda relocate to Cornwall. Its a time of transition and a fresh start.

This got off to a good start with the eerie country side, mysterious rabbit/hare, a house that people are afraid of and an interesting cast of characters. As the renovations begin of this manor so starts accidents, things disappearing and there is a chill in the air that promises a story with a supernatural vibe. I was sucked in and felt those vibes.

While there were things I enjoyed, I wanted to know more about Magda and what made her so darn miserable as well as more about the mysterious Jack. And while those thoughts are answered it wasn't till very late in the story. In fact I found after the first 1/4 things just flatted out.

The White Hare is a story of relationships, secrets of the past and mystical vibes. A unique plot that is intricately woven, it was atmospheric with supernatural vibes. But with the slow moving plot and underwhelming conclusion this book didn’t wow me like The Seagate did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

Set in Cornwall in the 1950's, three generations of women move into a house surrounded by the mists of local legend that hint at the tragedy locked in its walls. Magdalena and Mila have a complicated mother-daughter relationship. Migrating from Poland to England before the Second World War, there are a lot of unhealed wounds and things left unsaid. As a mother to a precocious little girl, Mila is also reeling from the shock that her relationship with her daughter's father wasn't as perfect as she expected. Then there is the mysterious Jack Lord, a handyman who helps the ladies fix up their house. He's handsome and he's kind but every man has his secrets...

I do believe that this is my 3rd or 4th Jane Johnson read and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I have come to the realization that I love her stories so much and yet, I constantly forget to recommend her books as often as I should. In The White Hare I was immersed in the tale and I liked the characters very much. Aside from the family quarrels that pop up between Mila and Magdalena, there were some very suspicious incidents with a certain rabbit. If I did have a quibble, it was perhaps that I felt Mila might have needed to own up to the fact that she was a lot more like her mother than she admitted to being.


Goodreads review published 26/09/22
Expected Publication Date 04/10/22

"For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey's rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades."

And speaking of Kate Morton-esque books...

Escaping potential scandal and definite heartbreak, three generations of women in 1954 leave London for the Cornish coast. Magda, Mila, and Janey — grandmother, mother, and daughter, respectively — have purchased a large house that has remained empty and neglected since the war and which they hope to open as a bed and breakfast the following year. However much they had hoped to start anew and leave their woes behind, they eventually discover some troubles came with them . . . and they have discovered new troubles that seem to have come with the house.

The White Hare begins interestingly enough — a strained car ride ends with the arrival of the trio to their new house. It's clear from the outset that the mother, Mila — and the narrator, and the grandmother, Magda, do not have the best relationship. As the story develops, the situation worsens, and Mila finds refuge with their new friend in the area, Jack Lord, along with a few other townspeople.

In between the family squabbles, there are some eery happenings that occur in and around the house. Johnson begins these with the sighting of a white hare on the road during that first car ride to the new house. Paired with that in the story is a stuffed rabbit, sweetly named Rabbit, belonging to the little girl, Janey, who is just five years old. After losing Rabbit and rediscovering him (completely cleaned and mended), Janey begins using Rabbit in ways that seems slightly different than her usual play. The child seems to have developed a connection to all the strange occurrences going on.

Johnson delivers all of this inexplicably in first person present tense, and while she is able to create a decent amount of atmosphere by way of plot and setting, The White Hare relies too heavily on the constant push of the narration from the main character, Mila. A giant problem with present tense narration is how it brings the idea of narrating down to the most basic terms. (I see. I turn. I walk.) The attempt to maintain that illusive moment of "now" results far too often in the author detailing nearly every single movement that main character does. Surprisingly, there ends up being a very negligible amount of story . . . or rather, no depth beyond the surface of the plot or the constant movement of the character's narration. It’s all surface level and completely gimmicky — attempting to create tension in moments when the writing has not properly developed such. While the intention is no doubt to put the reader in the middle of the action and feel the unfolding of the moment, it's exhausting trying to keep up with the pressure of being towed along slowly with this bumbling and meek narrator.

The story overall is an interesting idea, but in addition to the issues with the chosen grammatical tense, the characters lacked proper development. Again, often another issue that stems from the use of present tense. Usually this arises because of how easy it is to tell and not show the attributes of the characters, especially through the lens and observations of the single, first-person narrator. This too eventually can cascade down into the characters' arcs for the course of the book — especially with respect to romantic chemistry between characters. More often than not, with telling, suddenly the characters declare their love for each other, leaving baffled reader to wonder when this even could have occurred. Certainly not during all the constant moving about the house. On top of it all, the strange denouement that Johnson tacks onto the story felt as thought she'd hit a fork in the road and took a sharp and unexpected turn to the left into "The Goonies" (1985).

All-in-all, an almost atmospheric story with a potentially compelling concept, but where the execution misses the mark.

In a world where the first chapters of a book don't oftentimes add up, I found myself engrossed in The White Hare from the beginning. It checked all the boxes for me....Cornwall setting, old English country house, mystical, mystery, interesting characters with unexpected backstories and childhood stories that need to be told. Plus, a post-WWII time frame which is a refreshing change. Mila and her mother, Magda, acquire the big, old country house after the end of Mila's tragic marriage. They move in and bring along Janey, Mila's young daughter from the marriage. The intent is to transform the house back to its original beauty and use it as a venue for social gatherings. Janey soon sees a magical white rabbit. The neighbors warn Mila to be cautious. There are lots of local superstitions. Oh, did I mention there's a love story in all of this? All is resolved in the end, but not before a huge fist fight and much is revealed. Jane Johnson's fine writing is a big part of the mystery. I adored this story and I think you will, too. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC which will be published 10/4/22.

Johnson's The White Hare is bonkers. I had no idea what I was reading for three-quarters of the narrative. Gothic? Gothic horror? Historical fiction? I was baffled, but ultimately happily so. I quite liked this book. I enjoyed the not-so-supernatural elements and the hints of romance and the family turmoil. I enjoyed all of it and I think many library patrons would, too.

What a mystical read.

Magdalena, her daughter Mila, along with her 5 year old granddaughter Janey, travel to west Cornwall to White Cove to make a fresh start leaving a scandal behind them. In the 1950's any scandal that involves a woman is not always good. Magda and her daughter Mila's relationship is not very good so with the scandal in Milas past Magda is sure to keep throwing it up in her face. There are secrets in Madga's past that she has never came to terms with so harbored this unresolved hateful side toward Mila.

With Magda's flair for décor she has a mission to restore an old house they purchased to create an Inn as well as a lovely place to throw parties. This old house has a lot of mystical flair as well as a stranger that has a buried past. Mila meets a few unusual neighbors that becomes a large part of her life as well as her daughter Janey who has an unusual relationship with her stuffed rabbit.

This was such an enchanting read that was thoroughly enjoyable.

I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystical read .

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

In the mid fifties, amidst scandal, Mila leaves London with her daughter (Janey) and mother (Magda) to start a new life in Cornwall. Their new house, acquired at a very low cost, is surrounded by years of mystery. Magda dreams of opening their newly purchased house as a guest home. However, the once grand, stands in near ruins requiring extensive renovations before it can be restored to its former glory. Enter Jack: all-around handyman with a past. While the adults turn their eyes to the house, 5-year-old Janey gets to know the land and surrounding lore.

This book reminds me of some of favourite reads. I loved the gothic setting, interwoven with folklore and magic. This deeply atmospheric book was reminiscent of Mary Stewart and Daphne du Maurier. The pictures at the beginning and end set the right mood, nearly terrifying me but at the same time drawing me in.

This story was beautifully told: from the exploration of the environment, to the intricacies of family relationships, to the discovery of tales and histories.

Recommended for those who love a great historic, gothic mystery with an element of the supernatural.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC of this book.

The white Hare by Jane Johnson

Just as Magda, daughter Mila and granddaughter Janey arrive at their newly acquired home in Cornwall, the 5 yr old sees a giant white hare staring at the group. The presence of this Spector and the local superstitions permeate the entire book as Magda struggles to renovate the property, Mila struggles to get along with her difficult mother and Janey struggles with secrets that only she is privy to. Part gothic thriller, part love story, part fantasy, the reader is intrigued from the first chapter.

This was okay. A little slow going most of the time. Plot too meandering for me. Suspense is not a page turner. It's the kind of story you put down and pick up again. Nice writing style and fascinating story. I do not agree the Alice Hoffman comparison is accurate though. Characters were well developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The White Hare tells the story of Mila, who moves to a small village in Cornwall with her mother Magda and her daughter Janey. Her marriage has fallen apart so the family decide to get a new start, only to find that their new home has a strange history.

Although I really enjoyed Jane Johnson's writing, this book ultimately fell flat for me. The writing was atmospheric and Johnson was able to paint a vivid picture of the town and the slightly mystic forces at work there. But for me, I just didn't really feel engaged by the plot. It felt like we were just running on vibes for the first 70% and then the major conflict and development was all rushed at the end.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: October 4, 2022

When Mila moves to the English countryside with her young daughter Janey and challenging mother Magda, she expects to be leaving her recent problems behind. Little does she know that a whole new set of problems are waiting for her in White Cove. With household repairs, local superstitions, distrust of newcomers and relationship dramas, Mila must learn to trust herself, and Janey if she hopes to embrace the fresh start in her new home.

PROS and CONS:
I love Jane Johnson’s writing style - this is not a book to rush through, rather one to savour and enjoy. Very descriptive, with a somewhat slow (and at times repetitive - come on people just finish a story already) plot - when I convinced myself to slow down I really enjoyed it. A very, very talented writer - no question there, and the story really picks up steam at the end.

READ IT?
If you are into exceptional, descriptive writing, this one's for you!

4 Stars