The woman in the mirror

Review by Booklist Review

Winterbourne looms over the Cornish cliffs with its turrets and gargoyles creating dark corners and even darker secrets. Alternating between present day and 1947, the stories of two women and their obsessions with Winterbourne and all its mysteries ultimately link them over time. Atmospheric and gloomy Winterbourne tends to enrapture the women that step into its halls. In 1947, Alice Miller is the governess to the family that resides there. The longer Alice stays, the more enchanted she gets with the notion that she could be the woman of the house. But someone, or something, does not want her interfering with the household. In the present day, Rachel is brought to Winterbourne through an inheritance from a family that she never knew. She is curious to discover her family history and where she came from. Both women experience the darkness that resides in the home and find that objects that are hidden within are better left alone. This thrilling gothic endeavor keeps the pages turning with tense scenes and lush depictions.--Emily Borsa Copyright 2020 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

James's haunting, if flawed, debut centers on a mysterious manor, Winterbourne Hall, on the coast of Cornwall. In 1947, Alice Miller arrives at the house as a governess to care for the twin children of Jonathan de Grey, a moody and handsome widower who was injured during WWII. At first, Alice thinks of the placement as idyllic, but as she learns more about the family, she discovers deep and disturbing secrets. The house seems to come alive, too, and the spirits that inhabit it want her gone. Meanwhile, in the present day, New Yorker Rachel Wright, who was adopted and never knew her birth family, is surprised to learn of an inheritance from unknown English relatives--ruined Winterbourne Hall. After she arrives in Cornwall, Rachel becomes enthralled by the house and its history. Unfortunately, the plot stumbles with a too neat ending involving characters who arrive late to the story. Until then, the author maintains a scary and atmospheric mood, and the descriptions of the house and the surrounding landscape are stunning. Readers will be eager to see what James does next. Agent: Madeline Milburn, Madeline Milburn Literary (U.K.). (Mar.)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Winterbourne Hall is a large, imposing manor in Cornwall, England. In 1947, Alice Miller is the family's newest governess, charged with taking care of two children, Constance and Edmund de Gray, who are still grieving the loss of their mother, Laura. When Alice discovers a painting in which the subjects do not remain static and an old mirror that beckons her, she turns to Jonathan, the children's enigmatic father, for answers. His counsel is misleading, and Alice finds herself on an unexpected path. Meanwhile, Rachel Wright, a gallery curator in modern-day New York, learns that she is a descendant of the de Grays. She heads to the estate and discovers the same painting and that wonderfully seductive mirror that has been ignored for ages. Determined to solve the mystery of her heritage, Rachel learns that more than one entity has a claim to her inheritance. VERDICT James (Sweet Damage, Beautiful Malice) pens a delectably creepy tale. If Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre had a baby, it would be this well-crafted Victorian gothic mystery.--Tina Panik, Avon Free P.L., CT

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