The year is 1925 and Sadie has had a particularly bad time of it. Her mother has died and her fiance has broken off their engagement.
Feeling very alone she finds that her great-aunt is in need of a live-in assistant.

It’s been ages since Sadie visited the grand mansion in Arkansas, high on a bluff. Some of the grandeur has eroded since then. The house is huge, dark, and very odd. But so are the people who live there.

Marguerite has moments of lucidity and moments of madness. Working hard to paint eerie scenes and people who seem to come to life and beckon you into the painting. Especially one painting of the same man who keeps showing up in Sadie’s room. Is this insanity?

Oh my what a story this is. I loved every bit of it.


NetGalley/ Lake Union Publishing May 01, 2025

This is such a well-done gothic story. It’s set in the 1920’s and that isn’t a time period I read about often. I really enjoyed how atmospheric this one was. It was very immersive and unsettling at times. This book is full of family secrets which I love to read about, and this one was so much fun. The worldbuilding in this book was so good and really sucked me in. I needed to keep turning the pages to find out what was going to happen, it was just that good. The amount of research that went into this book shined through and it was obvious that it was done. This book was also so creepy and unsettling at times and I just loved it. This book was a whirlwind in the best possible way, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you’re looking for a fun gothic book set in the 1920’s then check this one out.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange
by Paulette Kennedy
Pub Date: May 01 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the summer of 1925, the winds of change are particularly chilling for a young woman whose life has suddenly become unbalanced.

Devastated by her mother’s death and a cruel, broken engagement, Sadie Halloran learns that her great-aunt Marguerite, a renowned artist now in the throes of dementia, needs a live-in companion. Grasping at newfound purpose, Sadie leaves her desolate Kansas City boardinghouse for Blackberry Grange, Marguerite’s once-grand mansion sitting precariously atop an Arkansas bluff. Though Marguerite is a fading shell of the vibrant woman Sadie remembers, Marguerite is feverishly compelled to paint eerie, hallucinatory portraits of old lovers—some cherished, some regretted, and some beastly. All of them haunting.

With each passing night, time itself seems to shift with the shadows at Blackberry Grange. As truth and delusion begin to blur, Sadie must uncover the secrets that hold Marguerite captive to her past before reality—and Marguerite’s life—slips away entirely.

We meet Sadie in early 1900s America, where class structure and propriety is strictly enforced. Sadie has made many choices in her life that made her an outcast and she’s desperate to escape the trappings of life she’s found herself in. So she goes to her great-aunt Marg’s mansion in Missouri to assist in caring for her becomes more and more ill with dementia.

But there’s a curse on the family and Marg’s paintings have their own kind of magic. Sadie finds herself time travelling to Marg’s past and in doing so reveals the messy knot of family secrets.

There are many threads to this story. The main story of Marg making peace with her past and becoming closer to Sadie in the process is very sweet. There’s some modern takes on historical notions on race and class that are semi-pointed but fine (there’s one black woman who is a maid/nurse for Marg), many opinions about the Irish, and a pretty messy romance plot on Sadie’s end. The romance felt a bit forced and fast to make a happy ending, but overall was fine.

All in all, it’s a fine read. Well written if lacking anything spectacular that would make me recommend or reach for another of this authors work.

Kennedy continues to outdo herself with a haunting tale that is both fresh in its takes on beloved tropes, as well as true to her oeuvre and the Gothic literary tradition. With gasp-out-loud twists, heartfelt characters that jump off the page, and soft and beautiful magic around the edges, The Artist of Blackberry Grange might be my favorite Paulette Kennedy book so far. I cannot wait to see where she takes us next.

Paulette Kennedy has become one of my favorite authors, and The Artist of Blackberry Grange is her best work yet. With a deftness for blending gothic themes in unexpected ways, Kennedy has spun a tale of generational trauma and its lasting effects through her unforgettable characters, all within the unique setting of 1920s Eureka Springs. Readers familiar with her prior work will find one particularly delightful cameo, but it’s Sadie and Marguerite who are the beating heart of this story, and it’s their strength and love that leads to a most satisfying and bittersweet ending.

Atmospheric and layered in its hauntings, Kennedy’s latest follows a young woman at loose ends in her life who goes to live with her great-aunt in 1920s rural Arkansas during her great-aunt’s declining health. While there, she discovers the house is haunted and her great-aunt’s nostalgic portraits may be the only way to discover why. With a clear and admiring nod to The Picture of Dorian Gray, the portraits are more than paint and canvas, blurring lines between past and present, seductive and sinister. While allowing ghosts to inhabit the house, they also draw the heroine into the past where she can witness her family’s history, which turns out to be full of secrets and animosities that have affected generations since. Through this device, Kennedy explores the impact of family trauma, and the questions we ask about what, if anything, we can change about our past, and how we use our knowledge of our family history to avoid repeating the errors and cruelties of our ancestors. Thoughtfully and briskly rendered, with a strong sense of time and place, a delightfully flawed and relatable heroine, a charming but malicious villain to overcome, and an unfolding mystery to keep pages turning, this one’s a good fit for historical readers who enjoy a twist of magic and the sheer fun of a drafty corridor that leaves shivers on the back of one’s neck.

What an engrossing book! Sadie starts out as a depressed and desperate woman who has nowhere to go and jumps at a chance to find a place at her aunt's. It seems she is not really able to handle all the responsibility and then she meets the 'man' in the attic. This story has vibes of Anne Rice's Mayfair witches, but then branches out away from it. There's lots of suspense, twists, and good old fashion haunting in it.

This novel takes place in 1925 and follows Sadie, who after a broken engagement, decides to return to a mansion known as Blackberry Grange, where her great aunt Marguerite lives. Marguerite has been ill for sometime and requires a live-in companion, and Sadie immediately sets off to the Ozarks for a new start.

When she arrives, she meets Harriet, Marguerite’s nurse, and Beckett, the gardener. Marguerite herself tends to spend her time painting landscapes and portraits of those from her past. These are not typical portraits however, as each one seems more haunting and more intriguing than the last.

The longer Sadie stays at Blackberry Grange, the more she discovers that things are not as they appear. When the past and the present begin to blur together, it is up to Sadie to discover the truth before it is too late.

This book was fantastic and had me hooked from the first page. This was my first time reading a book by this author but it will not be my last. The writing was very good and the characters all well done. The story and the concept itself were original and well executed. I couldn’t help but be a bit sad when the book ended, as I wanted more of the characters and their lives (but in a good way!)

Thank you to the author and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review an ARC!

This book made me cry!! I've read all of Paulette Kennedy's books, and this one is tied as my favorite along with Parting the Veil. I loved the way Kennedy utilized art in the story, and the way Marguerite was portrayed. It's an excellent premise, with such a great exploration of family, generational trauma, and of course, Gothic elements. Kennedy is a master of the genre and I highly recommend this book!

I loved Paulette Kennedy's The Devil and Mrs Davenport and was really excited to see this one on netgalley. Kennedy does ghosts really well. I generally don't like books that are gimicky and the ghosts attempt jump scares. However Kennedy's books make the ghosts seem real as they build relationships with real people. With The Artist of Blackberry Grange I started to get a little bored as some of it seemed repetitive and nothing huge was happening. It almost seemed like the book was ending midway through. Overall I did enjoy this story and reading about the power of love and letting go of of those you have loved.

.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

This was not a typical book for me, but I grew into it and enjoyed reading it. Part Southern Gothic, part ghost story, part time travel, part feminist manifesto, the story, set mostly 100 years ago in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was successfully able to combine many styles and still remain readable and enjoyable.

I'd read more from the author. Well done.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

I loved this so much. Kennedy always does an amazing job weaving elements of magic/fantasy into a grounded historical setting, and it was so well-done here. The book felt really well-researched, which helped to sink into the setting and time period(s). Sadie was a super interesting MC, and went from being a bit unlikeable to someone who felt real and understandable. I also really appreciated the queerness woven into the story.

Paulette Kennedy has done it again! I was already a huge fan of Kennedy's work, thanks to her earlier books, but that feeling has been cemented with The Artist of Blackberry Grange. This new book has so many wonderful elements of a great Gothic story: dark family secrets, an enigmatic ghostly figure, an intriguing setting, and even a dreamy romance. I absolutely loved the world of painting, and the way the author surrounds those paintings in a veil of magic and mystery. Sadie, the main character, is interesting and so relatable. Her story takes place in the 1920s, at a time when women had so little independence, and we understand why Sadie makes the decisions she does. This timeline provides such a great backdrop for this type of story, and Kennedy has done amazing work in researching and presenting this unique history. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ghost story. The worldbuilding, as in Kennedy's previous books, is outstanding and delightfully creepy. An excellent read!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. This book is outside what I normally pick up. It's gothic and ghosty so felt like a good book to read in October (or any time really). It is well-written and the story displays the anguish of dealing with dementia as well as an evil spirit.

I absolutely loved this book. Mysterious and captivating, Kennedy kept me reading and guessing until the final page.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange is an inter-generational story about the haunting power of memory to conceal and reveal one's deepest darkest secrets in this new eerie tale by Paulette Kennedy.

Set in the 1920s, the story begins with Sadie Halloran, reeling from the recent death of her mother and end to a scandalous relationship, she learns that her aunt Marguerite requires a live in companion due to her dementia. Sadie travels to Arkansas to her aunt's estate, Blackberry Grange and discovers spooky paintings of people from Marguerite's past that begin to pull Sadie into the secrets and mysteries of her aunt's life. The past, present, and future begin to smear like paint on a canvas, threatening Sadie's existence and the truth about the devastating events that continue to haunt Marguerite.

I declare Paulette Kennedy Queen of the Appalachian Gothic. Her psychological mysteries with supernatural elements and rural settings conjure beguiling stories about family, women, and love that traverse all of her books. The spectral parts of this book captured my attention and told a very interesting story about trauma and its far reaching effects. I loved the cameos of the characters from The Witch of Tin Mountain which was my favourite Paulette Kennedy book to date, and it's the sinister atmosphere of this story that adds the right amount of thrills and chills to the plot. This was a different take on the time-slip genre which I think could have been explained a little more within the story, specifically how was it that Marguerite could do what she did with her paintings?

Overall, The Artist of Blackberry Grange was a dark story about the power of love to create and destroy the ones we care about and just how far the imagination will go to make your dreams or nightmares come alive.

With The Artist of Blackberry Grange, Paulette Kennedy continues her streak of writing brilliant, feminist gothics. Part Dorian Gray and part exploration of the dark legacy of family trauma, I adored every twisty, gorgeously written page. So good!

This took me awhile to get into but overall an interesting read . It is little bit southern gothic and creepy but an interesting read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

I really enjoyed this book! Loved the gothic vibe of it. It took me a little while to get into the story but once Weston was introduced, I knew something was happening. Once the book had me, it wouldn’t let me go much like Weston’s character! I found myself saying just one more chapter and then I was at the end! Great read, great story, nice little twists and turns I didn’t see coming!