Set in Stone

Synopsis: When Samuel Godwin, a young and naive art tutor, accepts a job with the Farrow family at their majestic home, little does he expect to come across such a web of secrets and lies. His two tutees are as different as chalk and cheese - the beautiful younger sister Marianne, full of flightiness and nervous imagination, and Juliana, oddly sensible and controlled. Assisted by their elusive governess, Charlotte Agnew, Samuel begins to uncover slowly why Marianne is so emotionally fragile. But his discoveries lead to revenge and betrayal - and lives all around are turned upside down as life and death combat each other for supremacy. Linda Newbery has written a novel in diary style, combining different voices and a different century with her usual brilliance and ease. These are characters full of the same passions as our own today, while living in a less familiar and fascinating time.

Review: This book won the Costa Childrens Book of the Year and it's easy to see why (though there are some dark themes so I'm surprised that it's classed as a children's book), it's a real page turner. It's set in 1898 somewhere near the South Downs in a beautiful country mansion named Fourwinds (not a crumbling mansion for a change .. a very beautiful, newly built mansion) and the narrative alternates between Samuel Godwin, a young artist who has been employed as tutor to the two young ladies that live at Fourwinds (Marianne and Juliana) and Charlotte Agnew, their governess and companion.

The story begins with Samuel travelling to Fourwinds to take up his post as artist and tutor. Darkness has fallen by the time he arrives, and as he opens the gates to enter the grounds he hears a shrill cry and soon after see's the cloaked figure of a young girl running towards him. She's in great distress and seems to be searching for someone, when Samuel enquires who she is looking for, she eventually answers

'the West Wind ... he must be found, captured and secured'.

This young lady turns out to be Marianne, one of his pupils. She's sixteen, very beautiful, passionate and wilful. Her sister Juliana is nineteen, small, delicate and recently returned from convalescence. Samuel learns that their mother is lately dead and their father is doing his best to provide a secure home and proper education for them.

Samuel finds that the inhabitants of Fourwinds are hiding some secrets, one involves the sculptures that adorn the house walls. There are three sculptures on three walls, the North Wind, the South Wind and the East Wind, but the West Wind sculpture is missing. Samuel learns that the sculptor was dismissed, as was the girls previous governess, what could the reasons be behind this?. Also it would seem that the girls mother fell to her death from an upstairs balcony, was it an accident?

Charlotte, is very prim and proper, she has grown very fond of the girls and is quite jealous of any mention of their former governess. She is hiding some secrets about her own life but like Samuel she is curious to know the answers to some of the mysteries at Fourwinds. Like all good literary characters, instead of minding their own business, they go digging around (seperately) for clues and answers.

It's very atmospheric, quite Jane Eyrish (though to compare the writing to Charlotte Bronte would be pushing things a bit) and gothic in style. There's a bit of a nod towards Jane Austen's 'Sense & Sensibility' too with the two girls .. one passionate and wilful (called Marianne), one quiet and serious (though it was only the slightest of nods, a mere incline of the head really). There are twists and turns a plenty including one pretty shocking one which I totally failed to see coming, but then I am a plotline twist-ignoramus.Definitely recommended for young adults (and old adults), but not for children.