The Angel Tree

Author/Guide: Lucinda Riley

Why a Booktrail?

1945, 1965, 1985: The story of three women and a mysterious house that links them all

ISBN: 978-1447288442
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery

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What you need to know before your trail

Marchmont Hall, Monmouthshire, Wales

Greta returns to her home in Wales after thirty years following a tragic accident in which she lost her memory and her memories. Her recollection of what happened to her daughter and her granddaughter are full of holes and shadows but as the picture starts to clear, the view is far from clear.

This is an epic tale of three women, bound by family blood but separated by tragedy and circumstance. A daughter Cheska who was the victim of circumstance, Ava who holds the key to the future and in the garden an Angel Tree where all the roots of the family are intrinsically intertwined.

Locations

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Travel Guide

Monmouthshire, Wales

Oh for Marchmont hall to be real:

“Of Elizabethan origin, the house sat low and gracefully against the skyline of undulating foothills that graduated into the majestic peaks of the black mountains beyond. Beyond it, the River Usk”

This is the home of David, good friend to Greta who brings her home to recuperate following a nasty accident and this is the beautiful home where she is to recuperate and try to recollect her memories. With David’s help, she revisits London during the war and during the 1960s as her life with Cheska takes one unexpected turn after another.
It’s Marchmont Hill, which in its winter splendour really shines. The woods nearby where the Angel tree sits, and the undulating setting of serenity and secrets. The family eat goose and vegetables grown on the estate and the rooms are warm and wood pannelled but it’s the secrets that the house reveals that really give the house its character. The three women came to the house and left their mark in more ways than one.

London life 1945 and 1965

“The atmosphere in London had changed since VE Day, just five short months ago”

From 1945 and the story of Greta’s early story, War time London comes to life. A city of soldiers and of war, heavy with the euphoria that war is over yet uncertainty as to what the government of Clement Attlee will bring to the country and its people.

Cheska’s story is one of theatre and intrigue. Starting out life in London she leads a privileged life before events spiral out of control . Her world is one of drama in every sense of the word. From Soho to the more sedate side of Green Park, her London is a world away from Monmouthshire. Her world is one of music, late nights and excitement but the voices of Marchmont Hall whisper to her across the miles..

Meanwhile, the angel tree sits in rural Monmouthshire and looks over everything and everyone. Greta, Cheska and Ava’s future are tightly bound up in this place but not all roots are good ones and that some need to be weeded out.

Booktrailer Review

Susan:

There are some stories that just reach out and sweep you into their world and this is one of them. Each page, each thread of the story paints such an interesting and evocative image that you can see, smell and feel each and every one of the places, rooms, dishes on the table and trees on the branches of that Angel Tree. This book was full of surprises and there were many things I did not expect at all yet I never felt that what happened to Greta and Cheska was rushed or unbelievable. I became so invested in their story and the time slips back and forth from the various women made for a novel which wove its magic round and round as I read. The locations and sense of place are just amazing and I shall secretly be looking to spend some time in Marchmont Hall if I ever stumble into Abergavenny any day soon.

Cheska’s story really fascinated me and once you realise what’s going on, things become even more interesting and past events you have already learnt of become even clearer. I did feel sorry for David on many an occasion and LJ too but Cheska fascinated me the most. I could see each one very clearly and I feel as if I know them now. What an amazing plot and character development. And Marchmont Hall with its angel tree just has to be the place I would love the chance to visit for real to read this book in its wood pannelled rooms.