Book Synopsis:
1939: On the eve of war, young English heiress Grace Grey travels from London to the wilderness of Tasmania. Coaxed out of her shell by the attentions of her Irish neighbour, Daniel – Grace finally learns to live. But when Australian forces are called to the frontline, and Daniel with them, he leaves behind a devastating secret which will forever bind them together.
1975: Artist Willow Hawkins, and her new husband, Ben, can’t believe their luck when an anonymous benefactor leaves them a house on the remote Tasmanian coast. Confused and delighted, they set out to unmask Towerhurst’s previous owner – unwittingly altering the course of their lives.
2004: Libby Andrews has always been sheltered from the truth behind her father Ben’s death. When she travels to London and discovers a faded photograph, a long-buried memory is unlocked, and she begins to follow an investigation that Ben could never complete. But will she realise that some secrets are best left buried . . .?
My Review:
The Moon Gate is a hugely enjoyable, addictive multiple timeline book from one of my favourite authors.
The story is told from the point of view of three different sets of characters; Libby in 2004 who is trying to discover more about the father she never knew, Libby’s parents Ben & Willow who inherit a house in Tasmania unexpectedly and Grace and Rose who are evacuated to an intriguing house in Tasmania. I loved following all three timelines, though I particularly liked the war time story as it was interesting to learn more about life in Tasmania during the war.
The author does a great job of setting the scene so I really felt like I was there watching everything develop alongside the characters. The descriptions of the wonderful sounding Towerhurst were brilliant and I loved exploring the house and discovering more about its secrets. I was intrigued by the house’s tower with the wonderful waterfall in the grounds and found myself wishing I could explore it in real life.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and found myself quickly absorbed into the story. There are lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing – including one amazing one that I didn’t seem coming. The ending was brilliant and I liked finding out what had really happened. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I have loved both of them so I’m now hugely excited to read more from her.
Huge thanks to Isabelle from Headline for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
About The Author:
I have always loved dual-timeline novels, where stories from the past weave with those of the present day. I want to write books that transport you to another time and place, where secrets lie just beneath the surface if only the characters know where to look.
My new novel, The Moon Gate, is set across three locations I ADORE: Tasmania (my home state), London (where I rented a houseboat for many years) and County Kerry, Ireland (where I now live with my family). Each of these places is special to me and I hope you’ll feel you’re entering the temperate rainforest with Grace, opening the door to Towerhurst with Willow, walking through London’s layered history with Libby and stepping out to the heather-clad hills of County Kerry with … well, with several characters, the names of who I won’t reveal here!
The inspiration for my first novel, The Midnight House, appeared in the rafters of our Irish home, a two-hundred-year-old stone building perched on the edge of the Atlantic. Hidden there was a message, scratched into wood: ‘When this comes down, pray for me. Tim O’Shea 1911’. As I held that piece of timber in my hands, dust clinging to my paint-stained clothes, I was humbled that a person’s fingerprint could, in a thousand ways, transcend time, and I wanted nothing more than to capture that feeling of discovery on the page.
I’m also a geologist who loves to explore the world’s remote places. Luckily for me, writing novels provides a similar sense of wonder and discovery; but the warm office, fresh food and a shower in the evening make the conditions rather more comfortable!
It’s also the perfect excuse to regularly curl up by a fire with a great book (often by the wonderful authors who write in my genre). I treasure my reading time, and I know you do too, so thank you for taking a chance on my books.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
I’ve not seen this book around, Jo, but it sounds interesting. I do enjoy a good multiple timeline story. Great review.
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