Why a Booktrail?
1831: Follow Amy Snow as she takes you on a literary, letter based treasure hunt from her home in Surrey across many towns and places in England in search of the truth…
Amy Snow
What you need to know before your trail
Abandoned on a bank of snow as a baby, Amy is taken in at nearby Hatville Court by Aurelia, the girl of the family. But she is not a welcome guest and is made to sleep in the kitchen and is treated with contempt. However much to her family’s despair, Aurelia takes to Amy with kindness and the two become close friends.
Happiness is hard to come by at Hatville – even Aurelia feels the pressure to marry well and please her mother. But she and Amy spend the happiest time together telling stories, playing and confiding in each other.
when Aurelia dies young, Amy is cast out, but not before her friend manages to pass on to her the start of a secret which she must follow in order to find out the truth of Hatville, her own beginnings and her friend’s deepest secret.
A trail across England awaits….
Travel Guide
Amy Snow might have humble beginnings having been abandoned in the snow next to fictional Hatville House somewhere in Leicestershire we think judging by the villages of Endeby and Ladywell which Amy visits and where news flows between on a regular basis.
The house is dark cold and unappealing but the little light which shines is Aurelia and Amy’s friendship. All the blackest crimplene and dark corridors of the house can’t put paid to that!
Sadness threatens to engulf if when Aurelia dies – their friendship is one of stories, games, wild dreams and pure joy at being together. This will serve Amy well as she myst hold on to past memories whilst unravelling those of the present.
London
Given a key and some letters following her friend’s death, she ventures to her first clue -a bookshop by the name of Entwhistles in London. Travel then wasn’t easy and certainly not for a young girl, but travel she does, ending up in a boarding house in Jessop walk, buying chestnuts from a man near St James Park. London is big, scary and intimidating for Amy and there seems to be no mention of the bookshop, she becomes afraid. Will this threaten the trail?
Clues start to appear and opportunities present themselves but Amy has to make sense from what she finds. Should she go to Twickenham, Bath, or York and what to do there? The journey is as exciting as the destinations –
but – “How can I relax when I feel myself pursued?”
Twickenham
We rattle to a halt at the bridge, pay the toll and rattle off again into Twickenham. We pass through meadows and market towns, all glimpsed in snatches and patches…
Twiiick’num! cries our driver, drawing us to a whinnying stop. The George, King Street, Ladies and gents”
Such is the language, Amy transports you right there into the sights and sounds of the places she visits and the people she meets along the way. Finding the clue in each place she visits is not always easy and for a young girl in Victorian times, she must persevere with her strength and determination.
Bath
Further into the city we go, past shops and fine homes and a small but sumptuous Abbey. Off she heads to Rebecca Street, her home for the foreseeable future. It is here where she will discover a lot about Aurelia but also about herself. The excitement of a young girl in Bath is palpable yet her anxiety at her mission is high.
York
“Tis a different world here. the city is old an beautiful in an altogether different way from Bath. The stone is darker, defense. The street are crooked and mischievous. Tiny alleys wriggle from one part of the city to another…..”
This is the mysterious York seen through Amy’s eyes and how different and magical it seems. Her final destination – where she at last learns the truth and the reasons for the trail in the first place.
A beautiful journey by walking the streets of Victorian England, travelling by train and horse and carriage to various significant places along the way in the search for the truth.
Streetview Maps
1) London St James Park
Where the story starts and Amy buys chestnuts
Where the story starts and Amy buys chestnuts
3) Bath - Queen's Square
Amy looks for clues near here
Amy looks for clues near here
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer
Loved this book! From the language to the vivid characters and of course the journey and trail, this was a stunning debut from the author who Richard and Judy picked as their winner for the Pick a bestseller competition.
Amy is like your friend – quirky and downtrodden and you root for her every step of the way. I wanted to hit out at Mrs Vennaway and scream at Mrs Riverthrope and when she tried to find the bookshop in London and ran into problems, I wanted to get the first carriage out there and help her. A very friendly and determined girl – reminded me of a young Jane Eyre just finding her way in the world and I was right behind her.
The various stops on her journey lead to more characters and more insights into Victorian society at that time. Amy’s impression of the places she visits is fun to visualise and the modes of transportation seem so tricky to navigate! From the rustling of the skirts, the hats and canes of the men and the noise of the cobbled streets, this is a vivid and stunningly evoked journey.
And the secret and final reveal? Even though this is guessable early on, no way does it detract from the final part of the story. For Aurelia had a reason for it all and Amy had to meet and discover what she did along the way.
Loved the journey and loved the charming way it was told. That Amy Snow has grown into quite the young lady!
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information:
Twitter: @AuthorTracyRees
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