The Legacy audiobook

Un mystère intrigant, des personnages attachants, des destins tragiques et touchants, et une ambiance hivernale tombant à point nommé: c'est tout ce que je demandais à ce roman, et c'est exactement ce que j'ai eu. Je le referme avec la gorge toute serrée, ce qui est plutôt bon signe: il a réussi à m'évader. Une bonne lecture !

Dévoré en 2 jours ! J'ai adoré ce livre, l'ambiance, les secrets de famille...Je n'ai pas trouvé le gros secret avant qu'il soit révélé et j'avoue que je trouve le truc un peu "gros" mais je me suis tellement plongé dedans que je l'ai accepté facilement.Tour à tour on adore puis on déteste les personnages, on s'attache, on compatis... Visiblement l'auteure est spécialiste de ce genre littéraire donc je me laisserais peut être tenter par un autre ;)C'est mon plus gros coup de cœur du #ClubDeLectureMS depuis le début !

Dual stories (one Victorian, one modern day) about the same family. The question of "What happened to Henry?" goes on for a bit too long--or, rather, the conversations consisting of "Tell me what happened!"/"No, it's better that you don't remember!" happened a bit too frequently and had me wishing they would just get to the point in the final conversation before the Big Reveal.I wasn't actually too crazy about either Beth or Erica, and got progressively a bit more annoyed with them. However, the breaks into Caroline's story were enough that they didn't wear on me too badly. I thought the Victorian bits were very well done, as in a different book I would've been annoyed with Caroline's helplessness; here, I just felt sorry for her. Her panic and horror at what she'd done and the subsequent feeling of having no idea what to do about it was palpable. On the other hand, even as our narrator, I never felt that Erica was fully fleshed out. Also, her stated sense of not waiting for anything at the end of the novel feels most definitely like she's waiting.Some lovely writing and decent plotting kept my attention throughout.

Cette histoire de sombres secrets et de sentiments refoulés ou contrariés m'a tellement happée que je l'ai lu en une journée. Je ne pouvais pas m'arrêter, l'envie de savoir la vérité m'a dévorée. Je ne m'attendais pas du tout à la révélation finale, je ne l'avais pas vue venir. Par contre c'est clair que j'ai été secouée en chemin, et sincèrement choquée par certains passages. J'ai ressenti beaucoup de colère et autant de compassion pour les personnages ... Cet entremêlement des générations, ce triste "héritage" est bouleversant. C'est une lecture qui ne laisse pas du tout indifférent. Ça mérite bien ses 4 étoiles je trouve !

The Legacy opens in 1905 with Caroline Calcott, Lady of Stourton Manor in Wiltshire, hurredly leaving the house and making her way through the grounds and into the woods, carrying a white pillowcase over her shoulder which (unbeknown to the maids who watch her in surprise from the window) holds a small child.The story then fast forwards to the current day and passes to Erica Calcott, Caroline’s Great-Granddaughter. Erica and her sister Beth have come back to Stourton Manor after 23 years of being kept away as their Grandmother, Meredith, has passed away and left them the property in her will. The two sisters haven’t been to the Manor since 1986 when their cousin Henry, who also used to stay at the house with them every summer during their childhood, vanished without trace never to be heard of again. Erica can’t remember what happened on that day and Beth won’t talk about it. The story then goes further back in time to 1902 when Caroline was still living in New York and falls in love with a young cattle rancher from Oklahoma and once married, makes her way to her new life in the vast open prairies and overwhelming heat. From here, the book alternated between the stories of Caroline and Erica and while we start to put tiny pieces of the puzzle together to find out the fates of both children the pages just turn themselves.I have read books before with dual narratives and I have often found that I prefer one story to the other, even to the stage where I will skim over the less favoured. Not so with The Legacy. Both stories are so compelling and end on cliff-hangers (of sorts) which makes the book even more pacey and page-turning. In the contemporary story, themes of depression, discovery, nostaligia and deception are dealt with and with Caroline’s turn of the century story there is loneliness, longing, desperation and envy which all built up to an act so impulsive and shocking that its repercussion imprint themselves on the future generations of the Calcott family, including Erica’s. Within this book of long hot summers, secrets and deception there are two mysteries to solve too: the fate of both children. This is what gives the book its tremendous forward momentum. As the pages turn, we get closer and closer to the truth of what happened in both 1905 and 1986 but I have to admit that I was stunned with one of the conclusions. As a huge mystery/thriller fan I like to pride myself on being able to guess “whodunnit” early but……I didn not see this one coming! Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a thriller book, but the fact that the book steers us towards the truth through the pages means that it is one cracking, fast-paced read.In summary, The Legacy is a wonderfully crafted, beautifully written, skillfully interwoven book that is perfect for a summer read. I highly recommend.

Le livre est bien écrit, le récit est rythmé, l'histoire est intrigante et les personnages sont attachants. On se plonge facilement dedans et on s'imagine autant parcourir les prairies désertes de l'ouest américain que pattoger dans la marre fraîche d'Angleterre. J'ai aimé et je pense lire d'autre livre de l'auteure..!

Desde que comecei a ler Kate Morton (e não, não estão no livro errado) que descobri um novo tipo de livro que gosto (se bem que eu sou muito eclécica e leio de tudo um pouco): livros com mansões misteriosas que me fazem vontade de viver numa, com famílias grandes e problemáticas, com uma árvore genealógica com muitos ramos... e muitos segredos à mistura. E este livro é um desses livros. Adorei a escrita da autora e o facto de nos deixar sempre com o bichinho da curiosidade. Adorei a história em si e das personagens todas. Gostei que a autora nos contasse a história do presente e do passado, alternadamente. Fez com que sentisse que percebia um bocadinho melhor aquele presente. O segredo em si deixou-me de boca aberta porque não estava nada à espera!Muito bom!Obrigada à Tinkerbell pelo empréstimo. Livro pertencente ao blogring do My Imaginarium.

Am descoperit-o pe Katherine Webb cu acest roman și stilul ei se aseamănă mult cu cel al lui Kate Morton. Dacă nu aș fi știut autoarea, aș fi zis că citesc un roman scris de Kate. Un conac impozant. Secrete de familie bine ascunse. O moștenire. Relații de familie întortocheate. Crimă și minciuni. Regrete și sacrificii.Mi-a plăcut foarte mult romanul. Deși are descrieri ample și multe personaje care leagă relații complicate, ceea ce face lectura puțin greoaie pe alocuri, intriga te prinde imediat. Erica și Beth au o relație specială,care mi-a plăcut. Luate individual, cele două surori nu sunt niște personaje memorabile. Din contră. Beth e o persoană lașă și slabă, care nu își acceptă greșelile și se închide într-o lume a ei, iar Erica e plină de resentimente. De Caroline nu mai spun. Singurul personaj principal pe care l-am detestat și căruia nu am reușit să îi găsesc nicio scuză. Tocmai faptul că personajele reușesc să îmi transmită astfel de sentimente face din acest roman unul foarte bun, pe care îl recomand. Autorea nu încearcă să înfrumuseţeze povestea familiei Calcott, ci o prezintă așa cum e ea, plină de secrete, răutate, prejudecăți și resentimente, cu riscul ca cititorul să nu aprecieze genul de oameni care o alcătuiesc. Finalul e dulce amărui și oarecum deschis, pentru că nici în ultimul ceas personajele nu reușesc să facă alegerea corectă, sunt din nou ezitante.