4*’s
Quiet Dell tells the story of Harry Powers a man who made contact with a widow Asta Eicher, in 1930’s West Virginia through the personal columns of the paper and ended up being arrested for her murder and those of her three children.
Jayne Anne Phillips raises the tension by devoting the first part of the book by letting the readers view the Eichner household in the run up to the fateful meeting between Asta and the man she knew as Cornelius Pierson, one of his many aliases, as we view them through the eyes of Annabel, the youngest artistic daughter, Charles Boyle a former boarder with the family and Asta herself. Although we are aware from the synopsis that the family die, this realistic picture of the family only serves to make the outcome all that more horrifying.
The second half of the book is told from the viewpoint of the fictional Emily Thornhill, an unmarried journalist in her mid-thirties who goes to West Virginia to cover the trial. Emily’s character is a great medium, if a sometimes confusing one, as we witness her falling passionately in love and seeing ghostly visions but reacting in an entirely reasonable manner when she is confronted with the reality of the actions of the accused. Emily tries to understand why Harry Powers acted as he did but I’m not sure that she really succeeds in her quest although, neither did the Judge trying the case.
The author does a fantastic job of weaving fiction with fact in this book which is complemented by primary evidence in the format of photos and excerpts from the newspapers of the time. This book is very much written in the style of the times it is set in with period details and particularly the attitudes of the women who for the most part needed the security of marriage, at times the dialogue seems a little too precise in the effort to underline the fact that this was set over eighty years ago.
I received a copy of book in return for my honest review from the publishers Random House UK, ahead of publication date of 24 April 2014.
Cleopatra Loves Books 
Damn. That’s some personal column.
LikeLike
Yes promises marriage and gives something else entirely!
LikeLike
Now you’ve got me, Cleo. Just added Quiet Dell to my TBR list.
LikeLike
I think you’ll enjoy this one, it won’t be for everyone but despite some oddities in Emily’s character I was really drawn in to the story… It was one of the harder books to review because I liked it despite its flaws!
LikeLike
I am pretty convinced that you are right, Cleo. 🙂
Some characters give us a hard time; sometimes the author gives us a hard time and – despite all that we can still like the book in question.
LikeLike
Yes, this was one of those and it is hard to say why except that this had a good mixture of characters mainly good with the obviously bad one!
LikeLike
Those poor women in those days. Taken advantage of by a possible unknown psycho.
LikeLike
When you realise how easy it was to do this type of thing in those days and remain anonymous it is truly shocking. Asta thought she was doing the best for her family….
LikeLike
Hmm…it still sounds interesting but I think I’ll pass, given the amount of other stuff waiting. Thanks as always, Cleo, for a great, clear and informative review… 😀
LikeLike
Thank you 🙂 It was one of the more difficult reviews to write as I liked it despite having some doubts about Emily’s character… For this reason it isn’t an overwhelming recommendation as I can see it wouldn’t be for everyone.
LikeLike
Yes, they’re sometimes the hardest reviews to write – but also the most useful. Raves and rants are easy-ish but the ones where there are strengths and weaknesses are when it’s most important for the potential reader to get a good overall idea of the book. Which is what you have done here… 😀
LikeLike
This sounds interesting. And just out! That’s lucky as I’m off to a bookshop tomorrow (as usual). I like your clear reviews which say so much but are nice and short too. Have you read Wedlock by Wendy Moore? Also a book about a women who was fleeced and abused by a man – this one is real life too. Set in Northumberland in Georgian Britain
LikeLike
Thank you for your lovely comments about my reviews. I haven’t read Wedlock but unsurprisingly it is already on the TBR but as you’ve reminded me it has moved nearer to the top 😉
LikeLike
Oh and its set in lovely Gibside so you could maybe go there one day too and see the beauty of the place – makes the horrible things that happened there all the more scary!
LikeLike
I just had to look up Gibside on Google (my geography is atrocious) and it does look really beautiful. On my places to visit list 🙂
LikeLike
Looks interesting Cleo, I’ll make a mental note of this one!
LikeLike
It was interesting but as I hope I’ve adequately pointed out, as much as I enjoyed it I can see that some of the flaws could mean that others don’t enjoy it as much as I did!
LikeLike