I really struggled to get into this one. It was a well-written story, but the timeline was a bit chaotic and I felt it dragged a bit in the middle.

I wanted to like this and parts of it were funny but ultimately I found it confusing and chaotic. The timeline was all over the place and I couldn’t keep track of what happened when.

I read Windmill Hill expecting a crime novel or thriller. The cover featuring a windmill has impact but perhaps this type of read needed a quirkier cover design to target its intended audience. Overall this was an unusual and enjoyable read - warm, witty and quirky without ever slipping into mawkish sentimentality.
The two old women are terrific characters. Astris is frail due to her age but has enormous strength of character and Mrs Baker knows how far to push to keep the relationship functioning. Both women are survivors of bad treatment by the men in their lives.
There were things about this book which reminded me of Sarah WInman's excellent Still Life - quirkiness and people finding their own "family" outside of the conventional family.
I'm very keen to read Magpie Lane now. Thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this enjoyable novel.

Hi and welcome to my review of Windmill Hill!

I fell in love with Lucy Atkins’s writing when listening to Magpie Lane. That book really blew me away and made me buy The Night Visitor, which I loved almost as much. Both of these created expectations, which unfortunately, Windmill Hill never really lived up to.

I should have read the blurb more carefully, or interpreted it differently, because my expectations were way off, and that definitely impacted my reading pleasure. I expected more historical fiction elements, as well as more thriller elements, much more of a mixed bag of genres, but this is really just general contemporary fiction. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, except that that is not one of my preferred genres, and I have to be in the right mood for it, and clearly, I was not. My favourite part of Windmill Hill were the letters written by its original owner around 1920, even if I did think they contributed little to the story.

While I do like elderly protagonists and I did like Astrid well enough, I found myself not caring as much as I felt I should to properly enjoy reading about her. (I did love her dogs, though!). Also, my own scatterbrain couldn’t quite keep up with Astrid’s 😬 I love windmills so I totally expected to love the setting, and while I did learn a few things, the setting was not quite as atmospheric as I’d hoped it would be.

Starting out, I had no idea where this book would lead me, and I was happy to follow, but about halfway through, I noticed I’d started to lose interest, which got worse the further I got. Secrets are hinted at, but their reveals were not much of a surprise, and I don’t know, maybe I’m jaded, but it all felt a little been there, done that. Which kills me cos I really wanted to love this book and I never got beyond “it’s an okay read”.

Look, Windmill Hill is not a bad book, not at all. It’s not the book, it’s me, it just wasn’t the right fit for me. So please don’t let me stop you if you’re interested in reading it. Odds are you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

Windmill Hill is out in digital formats, audio and hardcover on 25 May, with the paperback to follow next year.

Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I liked this but didn't love it. The premise was a bit odd as were the characters but the fact its all set in a windmill was actually fascinating! That was the bit that stood out for me and I discovered that I would love to spend time in a real one.

A beautifully written, gentle storyline, Charming, emotive and utterly captivating. Such a satisfying read. Loved it.

I loved Lucy's previous book, Magpie Lane (I haven't read any of her others, though really need to remedy that at some point). So I was keen to read Windmill Hill. It was a slow burn for me, however, and took a while to grab me. The timelines were a bit confusing and it took time for the story to emerge, though it's undoubtedly very well written. About halfway through, I started to really enjoy it.

The characterisation is terrific - main character and windmill-owner Astrid, a former stage actress, is in her eighties and lives with her friend, Mrs Baker, and several dogs, all with gin-related names.
I loved the relationship between the women. (And I loved the dogs.)

Astrid sets off on a hazardous journey from the south coast of England to Edinburgh, on a mission to see her ex-husband Magnus, a very famous actor, now terminally ill. The narrative does skip about a bit between the present and the recent and more distant past, with references to an Awful Incident which occurred several months earlier, and an even worse one decades ago - the last time Astrid saw Magnus. A memoir of Magnus's life threatens to bring it all back up again, but which version will be told?

Lucy does a great job of building atmosphere and the windmill almost feels like a character in its own right, with glimpses of a scandalous history via letters from a previous owner, Constance Battiscombe. It's one of those books which kind of made me want to read it again once I'd figured things out, as I felt there was a lot I'd probably missed.

Many thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy!

Windmills and dachshunds ★★☆☆☆

Eccentric octogenarian and ex Hollywood actress Astrid lives in a dilapidated windmill cottage in Sussex with longterm friend Mrs Baker and three misbehaving shorthair dachshunds.

Having left acting in shame after an ill-fated night with her actor husband, his director, and a young actress, Astrid has withdrawn from the world.

However, after an accident at the windmill which Astrid and Mrs Baker must keep secret, and the announcement of an ill-timed memoir by Astrid’s ex husband, all of the women’s secrets and truths risk bring brought to light and Astrid must leave her seclusion to travel to Scotland and confront her ex husband and their past.

This is an eccentric novel with oddball characters which speaks of the depths of female friendship. There is a capacity for great humour at times but for me it was too quirky in both characters and plot.

I do recommend Lucky Atkins’s previous novels The Missing One (2014), The Other Child (2015) and Magpie Lane (2020).

Astrid and Eileen. Two elderly women living in a remote windmill with a lot of history.

Astrid once an aspiring actress gave up everything for the love of her life, Marcus Fellowes. At 82 she is determined to stop him publishing his memoir. A journey to Scotland ensues.
Eileen Baker arrived 20 years previously to do cleaning and never left. What does her history hold?
This story tells all and reveals how their history has unfolded.
I did find the story telling a bit confusing and had to remind myself which part of their story I was reading.

I thought this was a terrific read. A ramshackle windmill, two aging companions, a long held injustice, wonderful detail and back story. Highly recommended .,

One night in a remote hunting lodge with a Hollywood director causes an international scandal that wrecks Astrid's glittering stage career, and her marriage. Her ex-husband, the charismatic Scottish actor Magnus Fellowes, goes on to find global fame, while Astrid retreats to a disintegrating Sussex windmill.

Now 82, she lives there still, with a troupe of dachshunds and her long-suffering friend, Mrs Baker, who came to clean twenty years ago and never left. But the past is catching up with them. There has been an 'Awful Incident' at the windmill; the women are in shock. Then Astrid hears that Magnus, now on his death bed, is writing a tell-all memoir. Outraged, she sets off for Scotland, determined to stop him. 

Windmill Hill is the story of two very different women, both with painful pasts, and their eccentric friendship - deep, enduring, and loyal to the last.

I’m a big fan of Lucy Atkins and I love the multi-faceted female characters she creates and Windmill Hill is no exception. Astrid is in her eighties and shares her rather unique home with her friend Mrs Baker and several dachshund’s named after brands of gin. They live in a cottage attached to a windmill which has a quite a history but is now derelict and badly in need of renovation. We find the women in the aftermath of a terrible incident, something that is referred to but not explicit. A young writer is on her way to talk to Astrid about her ex-husband’s memoir. Nina has been hired by Magnus’s son Dessie and it’s Dessie who is shaping his father’s story and perhaps censoring the less palatable aspects of his life. Nina’s visit is about a party that took place in an old Tudor Lodge, where one thing happened between Magnus, the director Rohls and an aspiring young actress called Sally. Astrid was present and was blamed by the tabloids for the whole thing, it ruined her reputation, her career and her marriage. Dessie wants Nina to stick to the ‘official’ story, but Nina knows it’s not the truth and would like to hear it from Astrid. There’s also the fact that Magnus is dying and he would like to see Astrid one final time. Will she travel all the way to Scotland to confront him?

The more recent ‘incident’ that took place only a few months ago is only hinted at and involves Mrs Baker. She has always been mysterious, coming to the cottage as a cleaner, with no family or friends to speak of, then staying. I was immediately intrigued by her past, what was she escaping from? There are hints of a man called Alan, possibly a violent ex and I wondered whether her past had finally caught up with her. We’re seeing this through Astrid’s eyes and having it all replayed through Astrid’s memory. It didn’t take long for me to wonder whether Astrid’s memory was reliable. There’s an opacity to her recollection and the information comes in fits and starts. At one point I wondered if we were delving into magic realism, because she almost seems to slip back into the past like a time traveller. I think it was the intensity of the memories that drew her back. Some of these memories she avoided for a long time, popping them in a lockable box and tucking them to the back of her mind. So, once she did open the box it was like reliving the memory all over again. By dropping these little nuggets of information, the author kept me reading and wanting to know more too. However, Astrid also learns what can happen when these locked memories are addressed and let into the open. Lucy has a brilliant grasp of psychology and complicated relationship dynamics. We often see our ‘self’ as the constant, never changing core of us, but Lucy has been so clever here by showing us how fragmented, fleeting and changeable the self can be. There are maybe some core traits, but our sense as self can be eroded, altered by experience and through these women she shows that life has seasons.

The women’s relationship is the real strength of this novel and I loved that these two women lived together and are each other’s significant person. They’re not in a sexual relationship, but they are each other’s support, strength and companionship. These qualities are seriously underrated and when I look back in my own life it’s women who have kept me standing and helped me survive some of life’s hardest experiences. Some of the happiest times in my life have also been with my women friends. There’s also the fact that both women are survivors and that has created a strong bond between them. What better way to live your later years than with your best friend? Soul mates don’t have to be lovers. Men don’t come across well in this novel, although age and perspective have mellowed some of them and allowed them to be vulnerable and honest. Nina is a lovely character who I really warmed to soon after her arrival. The fact that she’s giving Astrid a right to reply speaks well of her, because she could have taken the money and written the book Dessie wanted. She’s more honest than that and is risking her contract by travelling to the windmill and asking awkward questions. She’s also open to friendship with these eccentric older women and their various dogs in wooly jumpers. A lot of people overlook friendship with people older than them, but they can be the richest relationships and I’ve learned so much from friendships with older men and women. Nina also wants to help the women with the windmill, a character in it’s own right. Through letters that Astrid finds in the windmill she’s let into the world of Lady Constance Battiscombe who owned the windmill in the 1920’s. I loved her antics and how they scandalised the village. It felt like the windmill also had a life of many seasons from the terrible story of the little girl killed by one of the sails, to Lady Constance’s bohemian scandals. Now, with the help of Nina, the windmill will shelter Mrs Baker, Astrid, the dogs and Tony Blair the taxidermy stoat, but will last beyond them too into another season. Full of wit, warmth and fabulous characters this is a great addition to Lucy’s body of work.

‘Nothing is but what is not ‘

A dilapidated but much loved windmill in Sussex, two adorable ageing occupants in Astrid Miller and her friend Mrs Baker, their dachshunds, ‘Tony Blair’ a taxidermy stoat, a Kit Cat clock and a taste for Jim Beam. Intrigued?? Let’s add in Lady Constance Battiscombe, the eccentric owner of the windmill in the 1920’s, a huge scandal in the 1970’s that wrecked Astrid’s promising acting career and her ex-husband Magnus Fellowes now on his deathbed and writing a tell all memoir. Oh, and let’s not forget ‘The Awful Incident’. Eighty two year old Astrid is incandescent with rage at Magnus as he seems about to detonate her life yet again so she decides to set off to Scotland, determined to confront him and put a stop to the nonsense of a memoir.

I’m totally in love with the characters Lucy Atkins has created here in Astrid and Mrs Baker but also in Nina who is helping to write the memoir. The two elderly ladies are some of the most colourful, eccentric and wonderfully portrayed characters I’ve come across in a long time, they are truly unforgettable. As for the dialogue between them- oh yes! It’s clever, funny, witty, at times laugh out loud and sometimes sad and very moving. What can I say about the dachshunds? They’re like fantastic characters in their own right as I chuckle at lazy Juniper, grimace at taciturn Hendricks and wish to cuddle insecure Gordon. Although we don’t actually meet Lady C her bohemian world is vividly captured in letters which intersperse the narrative and I love how she scandalises the 1920’s village world. The other major character is of course, the windmill, who knew they could be so ‘sweep’ingly fascinating! It is used to glorious effect in the storytelling, it’s there constantly throughout the drama, it’s still standing up against everything that is thrown at it although it’s distinctly rough around the edges.

The plot is vibrant and marvellously complex and via Astrid's mind which drifts backwards and forwards in time the truth about the scandal and The Incident emerges. I love the way it arrives at this, it feels hazy at times as you just catch hold of fleeting glimpses, it’s almost as if your viewing events down the wrong end of a telescope! What is undoubtedly true is that Astrid and Mrs B keep you delightfully entertained throughout. At the core of this wonderful novel is female friendship demonstrating just how important this is and how lives are enriched by it. This emerges as the strongest message demonstrating that powerful men can control and silence women but not forever. Ultimately they’re rightly found out. The ending is brilliant and a perfect way to round off a magical reading experience. Thank you Lucy Atkins, I love it!

Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is definitely a female heavy book, and all the better for it.
Brimming with charm, and humour.
The relationship between Astrid and Mrs Baker was very endearing.
Despite some of the darker storyline, the whole thing gave warm vibes, and I won't be alone in now wanting to ditch normal life and live in a windmill.
The letter to/from Constance were a nice touch, to provide a dual timeline.
Astrid and Mrs Baker were characters to treasure.

"Windmill Hill " by Lucy Atkins is such a beautifully written and endearing book. I've fallen in love with Astrid, Mrs Baker and their 3 miniature dachsunds who all live in a windmill. It is such a quirky set up, and although light-hearted in nature, the main plot does centre around two dark and serious incidents. The first happened in the 1970s that ended Astrid's acting career whilst her husband, Magnus, goes onto have a very successful career in film and theatre. The second being more recent, resulting in not only the windmill crumbling but also Astrid to some extent. The timeline does jump back to the early 1920s, and through letters written by Constance, we learn of her time in the windmill. We then of course learn more about Astrid and Magnus's relationship and the build up to that incident. Then there is the present timeline which sees Astrid preparing for her trip to Scotland to silence Magnus's autobiography. Just a wonderful book.

At the centre of ‘Windmill Hill’, unsurprisingly, is a wreck of a windmill that looks out across the Sussex Downs. Now in her 80s, Astrid has lived in the run-down cottage next to the windmill for several decades, buying it with the proceeds of the Hampstead flat that her famous actor ex-husband, Magnus Fellowes, gave her. Now she resides there with her friend, Mrs Baker, who came to clean and never left, and her beloved dachshunds. Although physically frail, she is galvanised into drastic action when she reads that the dying Magnus is writing a ‘tell all’ autobiography. She MUST travel to the Scottish boarders to put a stop to his plan.
Lucy Atkins takes us back and forth from the current day to the early twentieth century when another woman, Constance Battiscombe, owns the windmill. Like Astrid, she is utterly content living there but she, too, earns the sobriquet of ‘mad woman’ through her association with bohemian types and her impromptu parties. Atkins manages the time shifts adeptly, and the comparisons prompt us to appreciate that it can be tough to live unconventionally, particularly as a single woman. However, perhaps the clearest theme permeating the narrative is the power of female friendship; that it is to be treasured, even when it comes in the unlikely form of a survivor with a ‘big, tender, courageous heart buried inside the hard-won defences.’ She also learns to trust and value Magnus’ ghost writer, Nina, who is kind and compassionate and can see beyond Astrid’s brittle exterior. Over the years Astrid has learnt to suppress thoughts that ‘are ugly, or do not serve.’ However, it’s clear that this technique for a peaceful life is not going to work forever and, when she finally faces her demons, it is her female allies that rally to support her.
If readers begin by thinking that ‘Windmill Hill’ is slow-paced and a little dull, as I did, they shouldn’t abandon this tale. It gathers momentum as we learn more and more about the characters, their imperfections, and their situations. This novel is also a love letter to windmills and dachshunds. I was fascinated to learn about the former, the latter not so much!
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.