The Splendour Falls

by Susanna Kearsley

Chinon-chateau of legend, steeped in the history of France and England. It is to Chinon that Emily goes on a long-awaited holiday, to meet her charming but unreliable cousin, Harry. Harry wanted to explore the old town and the castle, where Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, had withstood the siege of Chinon many centuries ago, and where, according to legend, she hid her casket of jewels. But when Emily arrives at her hotel she finds that Harry has disappeared, and as she tries to find him she becomes involved with some of the other guests and learns of a mystery dating from the German occupation during the Second World War. Another Isabelle, a chambermaid at the hotel, fell in love with a German soldier, with tragic results.

Emily becomes increasingly aware of strange tensions, old enmities and new loves; as she explores the city, with its labyrinthine dungeons and tunnels and its ancient secrets, she comes ever closer to the mystery of what happened to both the Isabelles of Chinon's history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Fiction, France, Historical, Contemporary

380 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, interweaving romance and historical intrigue with modern adventure.

Her books, published in translation in more than 20 countries, have won the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize, RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, a RITA Award, and National Readers’ Choice Awards, and have finaled for the UK’s Romantic Novel of the Year and the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel.

She lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(Aka Emma Cole, a pseudonym she used for one novel, Every Secret Thing, a thriller which at the time was intended to be the first of a trilogy featuring heroine Kate Murray, and which may yet be finished, some day. Meantime, Every Secret Thing has been reissued under Kearsley's name, and the Emma Cole pseudonym is no longer in use.)

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curling up with a book by Susanna Kearsley is a bit like being with old friends: you like them, you trust them, and they're comfortable to be around. Reading a Kearsley book also holds an element of deja vu to it. You feel as though you've read books like this before; books that were descriptive, well written, well characterized and un-put-downable. And then it hits you - aha! - these books are much like Mary Stewart wrote over 40 years ago, only updated to modern times and with a distinctive flair all their own.

Splendour Falls mixes elements of the past and the present as our heroine Emily travels to Chinon, France to meet up with her unreliable but likable cousin Harry. Harry is crazy about the Plantagenet kings, and is now researching the legend of Queen Isabelle's hidden treasure, thought to be hidden in the walls or tunnels of Chateau Chinon. Upon Emily's arrival in France, Harry doesn't show up to meet her (not particularly surprising for unreliable Harry), but as the days increase, Emily begins to suspect that all it not as it seems. She meets several fellow guests at the Hotel de France (some likable, some very likable, and some not so much). She also learns of about a second Isabelle - this one from WWII German occupied Chinon. Isabelle #2, they say, took her own life after a tragic love affair, but left hidden a valuable cache of diamonds.

As Emily explores the medieval town of Chinon in search of her cousin, she begins to gain clues to the fate of both Isabelles and their respective treasures. She also finds herself drawn to 2 men who might hold the key to her cousin's disappearence.

This is a very engaging book. Having read all of Kearsley's books now, I can say that the suspense and paranormal elements aren't as strong as they were in The Shadowy Horses or Named of the Dragon, but that didn't detract from the charm of this book. I loved Kearsley's descriptions of the town of Chinon. It's a damn good writer that can entice me to want to visit France - a country that's never held much interest for me, to be honest. You feel as though you are there in the winding, narrow streets and cobblestone Chateau steps. You can "see" Chinon through the pages of this book, and I know of no other writer, (except the incomparable Stewart), that can make that happen for a reader.

This is a solid 4 to 4.5 star book, and will definitely be a keeper on my shelf.

Oh, and extra brownie points for featuring a lovable feline in the story. That always makes me happy.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like your tangents long and winded, then THE SPLENDOUR FALLS may just be the book for you. The dialogue may lack purpose and direction; the descriptions may be verbose to the point that it’ll keep your cabinet chock full of words; and you may find yourself meandering through a meadow filled with daisies and daffodils, but that’s just all part of the experience. Not parts I looked forward to, mind you, but I’m sure someone out there will just eat that up faster than a glazed doughnut.

While this may have been classified as suspense (and we all know Amazon is the authority on books *cough cough*), the only suspense I managed was if I could keep my eyes on the prize and make it all the way to the end without the aid of toothpicks or hallucinations. Instead, I’d rather see this novel classified under romance or historical or some combination thereof, with its castles and ancient letters and German occupation.

As writers, we understand the importance of place, but must we really mention Chinon (the name of the town) 108 times. I believe I received the message loud and clear after the first 107 times, thank you very much. Clos des Cloches received quite a few mentions as well—27 to be exact, or four times less than the specific town. What a shame. It was the little castle that could, but it just ran out of fireplaces.

The characters did prove somewhat interesting, but I lost sight of them amidst all the other words and phrases and tortuous plot points.

On a side note, I’d like to thank my beautiful wife for bringing to light the fact that nearly half of my one and two-star reads come from NetGalley picks, which either means I can’t pick worth shit, or when it’s free, I somehow manage to lose all sense of judgment and click that button faster than Pavlov’s dog. I promise to try and pick better in the future. In the meantime, though, we may have to deal with a few more less than glorious reads. If nothing else, I’ll do my best to bring the entertainment.

Ending with this glorious misstep of a novel, I’ll say the conclusion didn’t really do me any favors, nor did it necessarily enhance the story either.

I received this book for free through NetGalley.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is by far the most disappointing Kearsley book I have read to date. In fact I believe I have never given one of her books below 3.5 stars before. But Splendour Falls? It absolutely failed to impress.

First of all, by the end of the novel I barely recognized any point to it. The summary overestimates the historical input and the mystery included in the novel by far, in fact there was very little of either. There were very brief viewpoints told from the 1100s (I believe) with Isabelle and her "treasure" and will he/won't he rescue me from this castle. Unfortunately these viewpoints were written quite well and were the best the novel had to offer. I really question why Kearsley did not simply (or ever does in fact) write a straight-forward historical fiction novel.

This was made all the more frustrating by the fact that the protagonist of this novel in present day (almost 20 years ago now, however) is exceedingly dull. She is quite hell bent on being anti-love, her basis being her parents divorced pleasantly when she was an adult. I really cannot understand the problem? How can you be scarred from THAT? But regardless, the novel really has very little romance in it, in fact I don't understand why the author even bothered. The romance is unbelievable, forced and so awkwardly quick in the end that I don't see how I was supposed to care or be invested as a reader.

So the novel included almost no historical element, little mystery and a very ridiculous love aspect but that may not be my biggest complaint. The book was boring. BORING. The protagonist wanders around Chinon for endless pages with absolutely no purpose, events occur that have no impact on the overall story but it goes on for paaaaaaages. The descriptions and events with no impact are told with such verbosity I could not help but come to dislike this book. There was simply no redeeming quality to the book for me, which was rather surprising considering how much I've enjoyed other Kearsley novels.

If you like verbosity, wandering walks in the countryside detailed for no reason but to have words on a page and including just enough historical element to make you believe there MAY be more coming only to be disappointed--this is the book for you!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

* Sigh* It saddens me to have to put a low rating for one of my favorite authors. "The Splendour Falls" is really a 2.5 for me. I was under the impression that the book would delve into Queen Isabelle, wife of King John of England. Instead it turned out to be some type of mystery melodrama with zero chemistry between the female character and many of the interested male parties. If you have never read Kearsley, please try The Winter Sea, The Firebird or Marianna.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery with elements of romance, this is about Emily Braden, a young Englishwoman who goes to Chinon in France to meet up with her notoriously unreliable historian cousin Harry, an expert in the history of the Plantagenets. Harry is not in Chinon when Emily arrives and although initially unfazed, Emily eventually becomes concerned about his absence and starts to investigate. The plot touches on the story of Isabelle, the wife of the Plantagenet King John, who allegedly hid a treasure in or near Chinon Castle in the 13th century and also on the story of another (fictional) Isabelle, a chambermaid who is thought to have hidden a treasure in Chinon during World War II.

The best aspect of the work is the service Kearsley does for the French tourist industry. Her description of the town of Chinon and Chinon Castle is enticing. I’m planning to visit the Loire Valley early next year and I’ve wanted to see Chinon Castle for a long time because it’s the setting of The Lion in Winter. Now I want to see it more than ever. In addition, Kearsley writes well, using clear and elegant prose.

However, the novel is not without its weaknesses. I did not find Emily particularly believable, not a lot happens for the best part of 300 pages and some aspects of the plot remain unexplained. Moreover, the villain is fairly obviously one of the men who show a possible romantic interest in Emily, Kearsley kills off possibly the most attractive male character and coincidence is layered upon implausibility to get to the resolution of the mystery. The narrative also includes stereotyped “gypsies” with an apparently uncritical acceptance of the myth that they are all thieves - even the friendly, otherwise reliable ones. In addition, I wasn’t particularly moved by the romance angle, but that may be because the description of one of the candidates reminded me a bit of this man …..




…… Julian Assange, whose looks I find rather creepy. And after having some difficulty with Kearsley’s use of dual time lines in other novels, I rather missed that factor here and would have liked to see a bit more of the historical Isabelles.

Overall, this was a pleasant, undemanding read and a good choice for the Christmas break. It didn’t knock me out, but then I’ve stopped expecting that from a Susanna Kearsley novel. An enjoyable - if fluffy - buddy read with my lovely friend Jemidar.

[Jemidar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, easy read and the descriptions of Chinon were wonderful, as Kearsley's settings always are. However, the mystery and romance parts of the story (otherwise known as the plot) leave a little to be desired and fall short of what I've come to expect from this author. That said, a 'meh' Kearsley is better than a lot of other books, it's just never going to be one of my favourites.

Buddy read with Kim :-).

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to make one thing clear before I delve into what I thought of this book; Susanna Kearsley is one of my favorite authors. I'd even go so far as to say that, thanks to books like Mariana and The Winter Sea, she's my favorite contemporary female author. And while The Splendour Falls doesn't disappoint in the areas of atmosphere, dialogue, intrigue, and plot progression, it failed me in one monumentally important area; I couldn't stand the heroine. For the most part, she seems like a relatively intelligent, resourceful, pleasant person. She's quiet, which I can definitely relate to, and she genuinely enjoys being around people. All of these things were a bit overshadowed, however, by her mousey personality and ridiculously cynical outlook. At the beginning of the book, we get Emily's take on why she's so cynical:

"It was just that when one's parents, after thirty years of marriage, chose to go their separate ways, it made one view life rather more realistically. So what, I asked myself, was wrong with that? So my parents' happy marriage hadn't been so happy after all. So love was never meant to last for ever. It was better that I'd learned that lesson young, instead of making their mistakes all over again."



This is her sob story. When she was 19, her parents amicably divorced and are now both happier for it. This is what our heroine uses as an excuse to avoid relationships. It's not that I don't think there are people who become cynical after something that, in the grand scheme of things, is rather petty, and I can at least appreciate that Kearsley presents Emily's emotional retardation as a negative thing...but I have a really hard time with the fact that that was the obstacle between the heroine and the hero. He's sweet, he's talented, he's sophisticated and apparently looks like a Greek god, but hold up! Emily can't become emotionally involved because love doesn't last for ever.



I enjoyed the story overall, but I had a really hard time putting up with Emily "I'm scared of life" Brayden, and that made this less fun than I expected a Susanna Kearsley novel to be.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes when I feel a bit overwhelmed by the realities in life and too much serious literature, it is lovely to give my brain a rest with a Susanna Kearsley novel. This one is quite fun. I have never thought particularly of Mary Stewart when reading Kearsley, but this book reminded me of Stewart’s early romantic mysteries. Even if Kearsley denied the influence, I would not believe her.

Emily Bradon is meant to be on holiday with her cousin, Harry, in Chinon, France; Harry, however, fails to show. While Emily is alone at the hotel they have engaged, she meets a number of fellow tourists and several town inhabitants, among them two handsome and charming gentlemen. In true Mary Stewart fashion, we are sure one of them is a villain, but which? There has, of course, been a murder, Harry is missing, people are suspicious and there is an ancient mystery regarding a lost treasure. You get the drift…but as cliche as it sounds, it was fun and clever and enchanting.

Now, back to the reading list.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking at the reviews for this book, I had to laugh at how many people compared Kearsley’s work to Mary Stewart’s. Including myself, I’m afraid, which leaves me wondering if Kearsley embraces that or is rather sick of it by now. But truly, some of the plot things here are right up Stewart’s street, too: the moment where the villain kisses the heroine, that charged moment between them. Except that there’s something more subtle here: the villain isn’t purely villainous, but motivated by love as well. There seems something genuine in his attraction to the heroine, his interest in her.

And Kearsley is much harder on my heart. As with Season of Storms, I found myself falling for a character who didn’t make it to the end of the book. Kearsley did a great job with character, much more so than Stewart: I can believe in what happens between the protagonists, I adore a lot of the characters, and all of them have an inner life. There is something dreamlike about the whole book, with these moments of clarity where you really get to know characters and see what makes them tick, even less significant ones.

The plot itself is a bit convoluted, and I could perhaps have done without the drama of Hans and Isabelle’s story, the convenient way everything comes back together at just the right time… but then, it was exactly what I expected from the genre, and worked out with sympathetic characters and a sense of place, it doesn’t come off too badly.

Originally posted on my blog.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS


Loved this. Just as I've loved every Kearsley book I've read thus far. I only knocked off half a star, because it wasn't my favorite of her books. Still fabulous, but slightly less fabulous than a few of her others. A bit of mystery, as usual, mixed into the history of the castle and the town. Intriguing characters, romantic setting, slow burn romance, I can never get enough. Most definitely recommend anything Kearsley writes.

This was an audiobook. Narrator was Barbara Rosenblat. She did a fine job, but I have to admit, her voice sounded to old to belong to a 27 year old girl. But her range was amazing.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really should read this woman's work when I'm off haha... Each time so far I have gotten completely swept up in her work, the real world blurring and not being aware of time. She's one of a handful of writers who have put me under her spell like this (Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Kate Morton, Cat Winters... to name a few):).

This one has a bit of meandering pace to it at times but it never dawdles or stalls... there's a purpose to everything that is written. You are lead steadily down the path, everything twisting and coming together on its own. Conclusions you have drawn may be right, or wrong ;-) But it is well worth the journey.

Chinon and the people come alive on the page, I fell in love with the whole atmosphere... I wanted to keep 'walking' along the paths of the city and keep the company of my book friends. Chinon is on the list of places I will have to visit before I die :).

The one behind some of the events happening wasn't who I thought, the last person I would have suspected. I didn't share Emily's suspicions with one person but with the other I could see how the connections were made and how she could think what she did. I was proud of her for keeping her head, very brave of her.

How the events and person concerned were connected was amazing. Subtle as well, if some facts hadn't come up *shrugs* It had a feeling of fate about it at times, like an unseen hand was guiding everybody (could be just me).

There's a touch of 'something' behind everything, take it how you want but for me, it had me smiling then and now, thinking back on it. A haunting story in its own way, but a beautiful one as well.

Would highly recommend, pure magic it is <3

Nothing to complain about here, adding her to my 'book family' list *waves* Happy reading!
---

Quotes:
"It was a lovely night for late September, crisp and clear, filled with the drifting scents of autumn-- pungent leaves and petrol fumes and slowly burning coal. My watch read ten past eleven, but there were still people passing me by on the pavement--young people mostly, in boisterous clusters, making their way to the lively bar on the nearest corner. "

"We were all silent a moment, reflecting on the wreckage of a war that none of us had lived through. For me, the war meant only Granddad's faded ration book and the neighbor's horrid bomb shelter and musty gas masks gathering dust in the cupboard under the stairs. It all seemed so distant from me, really--an hour or so of film in black or white, and stories told by old men at the local, "

"We kept to the river walk. There were plane trees here,too--not as ancient or peaceful as those of the Promenade, but nearly as tall, and the breeze blowing through them was idle and cool. It had blown the mist from the murmuring river that danced past in sharp sparkling ribbons of light, and the pavement was dappled with shadow and sunlight, both shifting in time with the whispering leaves."

“Hindsight, I thought, was like a punishment, remorseless in its clarity and painfully unable to change what had gone before.”

“I don't know--is happiness a thing we choose, I wonder? Or is it something handed out to some, and not to others?"

"A bit of both, I should think."

"...I'm not so sure... I think we all make choices in our lives that set us down the road to happiness or disappointment. It's just that we can't always see where the road is leading us until we're halfway there.”

“I think we all make choices in our lives that set us down the road to happiness or disappointment. It’s just that we can’t always see where the road is leading us until we’re halfway there.”

“...he raised a hand to touch my face, a touch of promise, warm and sure, and as I struggled to smile back at him he kissed me. It felt so very right, so beautiful; tears pricked behind my lashes as life flowed through all my hollow limbs, and I lost all sense of place and time. It might have been a minute or an hour...”

A lovely review of the book here:
Brittain (Tara Belle Talking)'s Review

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite Kearsley. Took a bit too long to get the story moving and a few more characters than my sleep deprived brain could keep track of. Still, like Jemidar says, an off Kearsley is better than the rest of the genre.

Kindle copy obtained via library loan.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chinon, France - with Château de Chinon on the hill

Okay, I know I've been shouting "SUSANNA KEARSLEY!" for a few weeks now, but you'll have to put up with some more as I gush over The Splendour Falls. This lady can write, peoples. She's one of the best authors I've read at making locations come alive for the reader, and I think that's because she's visited most, if not all, of the locations in her novels. I fell in love with Chinon through her descriptions of it, just as I've fallen in love with Exbury (fictional village inspired by Avebury, Wiltshire from Mariana), Polgelly (fictional village inspired by Polperro, Cornwall in The Rose Garden), Eyemouth (actual town in southeast Scotland from The Shadowy Horses), and Cruden Bay (actual village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland from The Winter Sea.


Hotel de France, Chinon

Unlike the majority of her novels, The Splendour Falls is set entirely in the present, with only brief glimpses into the past through the imagination of the main character, Emily. Likewise, this is the only work of hers I've read without a real element of fantasy or supernatural. There's a hint of it, true, but only enough to give the book a strong Gothic feel. I've made the comparison to Mary Stewart before, but it's more evident here than ever.


Clos de l'Echo, Chinon - the real Clos de Cloches

Of course, the real reason I love Kearsley so much - and the reason I keep coming back for more - is not her locations or her mysteries, but her characters. And Emily - who doesn't believe in happy endings, has a soft spot for strays, and "has a thing" about being underground - was perhaps my favorite protagonist to date. The supporting characters, most of whom were Emily's companions at Hotel de France, were all developed well and vividly drawn. I could hear their voices as I read, from Clos de Cloches owner Armand, to Canadian brothers Paul and Simon, to British violinist Neil, to bartender Thierry, to German artist Christian, to Americans Garland and Jim, and more.


Chapelle Sainte-Radegonde, Chinon

If you like romantic suspense, Gothic mysteries, and the like, I'd highly recommend this, especially if you have read and enjoyed Mary Stewart or Daphne du Maurier. I can't rave enough about Susanna Kearsley and her writing and I'll be counting down the days until her newest novel, The Firebird, is released.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my least favorite book by Susanna Kearsley so far. I had a difficult time warming up to any of the characters and the story didn't spark my interest until about 200 pages in. It was hard for me to accept that Emily could become friends with so many male strangers in such a short amount of time and I found the multitude of coincidences that were blamed on "fate" a little annoying.

The story has 2 historical sub-plots, and while this is something I normally adore in her books, having 2 historic tales in addition to the modern story was a little confusing and neither was satisfactorily developed. My taste doesn't usually run to mysteries and this book had a lot of intrigue and riddles to solve and I found myself doing some skimming to get through the investigating. The descriptions of Chinon were amazing and it is obvious from the detail that the author spent time in the area.

I think this is one of Ms. Kearsley's earlier novels so I'm going to assume that is why I didn't love it as much as her more recent books. If you're a big fan like me you'll want to read it, but if you've never read a book by Susanna Kearsley I suggest you don't start with this one.

[Christine Spoors · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 7th Susanna Kearsley book I've read, and unfortunately it is probably my least favourite. I still finished this book in two sittings, devouring 300 pages in a single day because I adore her writing even when there's aspects I'm not fond of. So if you're making your way through Kearsley's books I would still recommend this, it just definitely won't be the one I recommend to people first.

In this book we follow Emily, a woman who travels to the small town of Chinon in France to go on holiday with her unreliable cousin. What follows is a slow-burn mystery with twists and turns that I never saw coming, I was being surprised by reveals right up until the final page. I do love the way Kearsley always wraps up the loose ends, even the ones you've long forgotten about. This story links to two Isabella's, the main being a woman during WWII and the second being the 13th C Queen Isabella, who unfortunately hardly featured in the story despite the impression the synopsis gives.

The main thing that I disliked about this book, enough to drop a star, was the repeated use of the word "gypsy." Now I know that this book was published in 1995 and that society as a whole has learned more about words that are considered slurs and to be avoided, but it doesn't make it any less uncomfortable to read, especially with the suspicion in which the main character regards the "gypsy", playing into every stereotype about people regarded as such. I have no doubt that were the author to write this book in 2018 that part of the story would be cut out, but it's there in black and white and impossible to read without it leaving bad taste in your mouth.

So while this book wasn't all I hoped it would be (and aspects of it haven't aged well) I am still glad I read it as Kearsley's books never fail to pull me in. I hope I have better luck with the next book of hers I read (I am 100% sure I will!)

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars for this early work by Kearsley. Fans of Mary Stewart will enjoy this one--it reminded me, in mood, of "Nine Coaches Waiting".

The time-warp phenomenon that has been prominent in Kearsley's more recent books is not present; though we do get a few scenes from the past, the heroine does not experience them.

Emily is a charming heroine, though sometimes a bit of a twit. She does tend to jump at shadows a tad too often for me. The story is from her POV, in the true gothic tradition. The secondary characters are nicely drawn--especially our brooding musician and the young Canadian men.

The mysteries are nice and twisty, the romance is low-key. Not a bad way to spend a winter's day--curled up in a comfy reading chair.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://nofeet.booklikes.com/post/1528...

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 and a half stars.

I feel the same about Susanna Kearsley as another reviewer - her books are like old friends. To a degree predictable structure, but always with beautiful settings and new twists. Having just re-read Mary Stewart for the first time in about 20 years, I found this one strangely resonant of her style, something I hadn't noticed before.

I loved the setting of this story, since I'm a complete Francophile, though I've never been to Chinon. I loved the twists and turns, and the inter-weaving of past and present, the twining of three different stories into one mystery. I read it in two gulps, as compulsively as ever with Ms Kearsley's books, and I had no idea until the end of where the story was going.

What I wanted more of was the history, both Isabelle's stories, to be more interleaved. And I wanted to know more about Emily, the narrator and heroine. I couldn't quite believe that her parents' divorse when she was, after all, an adult, had had such a devastating effect on her character. It was claimed that it changed her fundamentally, but I found it difficult to believe that someone of her age, whose character must to a degree have been set, would allow herself to be so redefined. This is a common problem with Kearsley's heroines, I find - they are interesting, there's depth to them, but it is rarely plumbed enough for me.

That said, I really enjoyed it. Sadly, I've only got one more book to read on her back catalogue now, I hope she's got something new coming out soon.

[Rosario · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems I reread this book every 10 years or so. I first read it in 2006, then I reread it in 2014, and now again this year. And each time my grade has been 4*/B+. Solid, super enjoyable, but Kearsley's got much better since she wrote it. I still agree with 99% of my original review, copied below. The only thing I'd say was different this time was that the very subtle romance didn't really work for me. It needed a bit more interaction between the two characters. Still, it was such a minor part of the book, that this really didn't matter much.

---

Original review:

I started TSF two weeks ago and drew it out as long as I could, because reading it was such a pleasurable experience. This isn't a book to read for 15 minutes between tasks, or while waiting for the bus; it's one to read in a comfy chair, feet up and a glass of good wine at your elbow. It's not really a page-turner, so I could pace myself without much trouble. A B+.

When Emily Braden's cousin Harry badgers her into accepting to come with him to the medieval town of Chinon for a holiday, she just knows it's not going to work out as planned. Harry has a history of not being where he promises he'll be, and so Emily's not surprised when she arrives and he's nowhere to be seen.

She's not too worried, either. Plantagenet-mad historian Harry's very interested in investigating the tunnels under and around the Château Chinon, in which he suspects Isabelle, John Lackland's young bride might have hidden a treasure before she escaped from the château under siege, so Emily knows he'll turn up sooner or later. She'll simply settle in at the hotel (fortunately, Harry did make the promised reservations!) and explore a bit on her own.

And she does have a lot of fun, at first. Chinon is beautiful, and she's soon settled in with the people at the hotel and even some Chinon residents. But as the days go by and Harry doesn't show up, Emily begins to get worried. And she begins to get the feeling that some of her newfound acquaintances are hiding something.

I think it's fair to say that if you've enjoyed other Kearsley books, you'll probably enjoy this one. It's got that mix of fascinating history with more contemporary drama, all set before a wonderful backdrop.

One of the best elements of TSF is its atmosphere. Chinon is a character in its own right, and provides an excellent setting. This is a constant in all this author's books: she finds unique settings (an archeological excavation in Scotland, searching for a lost Roman legion in The Shadowy Horses, a beautiful villa in Northern Italy in Season of Storms, a house built next to a ruined tower in Wales in Named of the Dragon...), and makes them come alive. She did the same with Chinon. She writes in the dedication that she actually spent some time there, and this shows in the level of detail.

But it's not just a matter of knowing exactly where each stone is set, it takes a special ability to be able to make the reader see what she's seeing, touch what she's touching and even smell what she's smelling, and it's an ability Kearsley has got, in spades. After I was done with the book, there was nothing I wanted more than to go there, stay at the Hôtel de France, as Emily did (unfortunately, the Hôtel de France, where they stay, which pops up on a search these days is now a Best Western! That kind of ruins the mood, I'm afraid), and be served drinks at the bar by Thierry. I wanted to sit under the statue of Rabelais and watch the river, and I wanted to explore the castle and go visit the Cave des Cloches and try their wine. That was one of the main reasons I didn't want the book to end: I didn't want to leave Chinon.

Something else that was interesting about TSF's atmosphere was its timeless feel. It reminded me more of Mary Stewart than of Barbara Michaels, as some of Kearsley's other books did. Even though it was published in 1995, the setting could easily have been moved to the 1960s without having to change many details. Yes, it needed to be set a certain number of years after WWII, but other than that, any changes made would have been minor.

I really enjoyed the plot. I loved the way the investigation into Harry's whereabouts intersected with the mystery of Isabelle de Angoulême's hidden treasure and the hidden treasure of yet another Isabelle, a young Frenchwoman who fell in love with a German soldier during WWII. Both were fascinating, and I appreciated the way the solutions mirrored each other.

The characters populating this book were just as interesting as the mystery. Well, other than Emily, that is. I never found her to be a particularly compelling narrator (which would be the only negative in the book), but the people around her were more than colourful enough. I liked that though they were colourful and had their faults, they were all of them basically good people. I've read a couple of books lately in which the characters were interesting but so nasty that I reached the last page feeling depressed about humanity. Not so here. Even the villain had a humanity to him/her, and you could almost understand what had led him/her to those actions.

I did end the book a little bit depressed though, but that was because a character I was half in love with is murdered. I don't count it as a negative, because I see it really was necessary to the story, to increase the stakes. Plus, it inspired one of the most touching moments in the book, which was Emily's posthumous tribute to him. So well, the ending was a bit bittersweet. There is a nice (if subtle) romance, which made me happy, but my smile at the end of the book was probably a little sad.

To close this review, a little note, probably of interest only to me: Emily's father is a diplomat, and he's living in Uruguay, of all places, working at the British Legation in Montevideo! It was such a jolt to see this; as you can imagine, it's not particularly common for my tiny country to be mentioned in anything other than football histories (we won the 1930 and 1950 World Cups) or international trade texts (because of the GATT's Uruguay Round, which gave birth to the WTO). Anyway, Mr. Braden plays a not unimportant role in the book... he and Emily actually talk on the phone a few times, and he uses some of the influence he still has to aid her investigations. I found it very funny that every time Emily phones Uruguay, it's a huge deal... they don't talk much because if she were to phone Uruguay very often she'd go bankrupt, the lines are so bad it's like talking to someone on the moon, and so on. A funny little detail for me.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I loved the setting- another place to visit someday -Chinon, France. The story ambled enough to let me succumb to the pleasures of this French town, it's history and inhabitants, along with getting to know a group of people the MC hangs with who are ensconced in a local hotel visiting the area. I liked the characters, the gothic vibe, and a little bit of history to boot!

Emily Braden is pushed into going to France by her cousin Harry, who is in search of more information on Isabelle of Angouleme and a potential treasure that she may have hidden before the castle falls to the French in 1205 AD. Someone from Chinon has written Harry that he may have something important to share. Emily finally agrees & they are to meet at the Hotel de France. She arrives but Harry is nowhere to be found, at first she is feels this is typical Harry behavior but as the days go by she begins to worry. She meets up with a group staying at the hotel and with them begins to explore the area. There has been a recent death that hangs like a shadow on some in the town & is the talk of the hotel guests. There are secrets in this town both in the distant past and in the present. How these unfold becomes the crux of the storyline. It is a slow unveiling until the last 100 pages and then the pace picks up until the inevitable climax.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lovely book brought me through a move cross country & was great entertainment. I love Susannah Kearsley’s books and hesitated on the number of stars. I wanted to give it four stars but I just didn’t love it as much as her others. It was good and even thrilling near the the end, but it lagged in places and sometimes I felt we were going nowhere slowly. So, for those reasons I rated it three stars.

[Tiziana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been a really beautiful novel, but it failed me from the 2nd chapter on and I really don't know how I managed not to abandon it.

At first glance I was captured by the cover, then reading the plot: a castle, a story dating back to Queen Isabella and John Lackland (Richard the Lionheart's brother), another tragic story back to World War II, a kidnapping, a contemporary love story and a group of friends investigating...
Wow! It looked like an amazing plot, something really engaging.
So I didn't rest until I found this 1992 book with the old cover (that of the new editions is gloomy and horrible), after a month of searching I finally found it and I was very happy.

The very long prologue tells of characters from a past time, Isabella locked up in the tower at Chinon and her hope of being saved by her husband King John of England.
This suggests that this story will have a huge influence on the plot of the book and that we will discover other things about it ... but it is not so and chapter by chapter other data of other historical episodes and legends are mentioned and the multiple characters all look like this unrelated to each other and no one is really put in the foreground, not even the protagonist!

The problem is that the author had so many ideas in her head that she was unable to find something to focus on and develop in a passionate way, she started at least 10 plots (or almost 10) with too many characters, some of them really insignificant and from one theme she passed to another and then another one and then another one again...
Eventually Kearsley, the author, looks for a way to tie the characters together, but it all feels like a stretch and there's no passion in the characters, they're flat.
Too bad, because if she had eliminated at least 4 characters (even better 5) and had developed the others in a better way, making them more vivid and profound, the book could have given strong emotions.

Until half way through the book nothing important happens and even later, some characters on which the author had focused at the beginning, are all ignored...it's as if while writing the book, the writer had changed her mind a thousand times about what she wanted to write and therefore continuously changed the path of the plot.
I wonder how an editor could have published a book that looks like a closet full of objects that belong to the same person but have nothing to do with the other objects.

---> I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a mystery, nor to anyone who is looking for a romantic story ,no romance at all, except few lines in the end.
Dialogues were flat ( especially in the first half of the book where we only read silly chatter, they were better in the second half of the book ).

As for the characters...I can't even give a definition, they were not well developed, some only hinted at (yet one of them is the one she falls in love with) others really stupid (the cousin she is looking for, who is also totally absent in the whole book except the first chapter and at the end) and insignificant and could be omitted).

The only two interesting characters: one is killed and the other turns out to be the killer. The protagonist is practically dominated by the situations and chatter of others...an apathetic young woman.
I'm sure the author wanted to describe her as a very sensitive person with internal suffering...but what emerges is only the picture of an uninteresting woman.

----> I would nor recommend it to anyone who loves history and legends, too many notions included in the book and none in depth in a fascinating way.
The setting is very interesting and charming, but the writer is so willing to insert all the historical and descriptive details of the place into the novel that she mentions and tries to describe many, too many things, but actually she fails to make the reader enjoy any of them.
Maybe the writer should have written a travel guide on Chinon, then she could have told all the attractions of the place without making it into a disjointed cauldron.

---> But I really would like another author to rewrite this book, with the author's basic idea, but developing it more emotionally and making the characters more interesting and making them interact in a more sensible and homogeneous way !

The only thing that transpires from the book is how the writer liked this place... perhaps she should have written a tourist guide on this place, or a saga made up of several novels so that in each novel she could develop a theme and a mystery.

I'm sorry to have to give 2.5 stars rounded to 3 (only because I gave 3 stars to worse books and all in all there was potential here) but the writer did a really bad job, she had a nice starting idea for a novel, but then she wanted to put a little bit of everything in it and the novel turned into a tasteless soup!
The ending was meant to be sensational, but that too was really ill-conceived.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading three of Ms. Kearsley’s books, I’ve come to a sudden and decided realization: I like her writing style. I like the way her words flow like warm water, one sentence into another and the whole prose full of beautiful imagery and nuance.

Which, if I’m being honest, is probably why I’ve read three of her books so far.

Her writing is good. Which makes it easy for me to forget that her plot and character development isn’t exactly very good.

It hurts me to say it — it really does.

I keep reading her books, hoping to be caught and transported - to fall in love - the way I did after reading the first book of hers I read ("The Rose Garden"), but it just doesn’t end up happening. However, the writing is so smooth that I sort of forget about it until I’m thinking about what I’ve just read once I reach the end.

So, it has happened with "The Splendor Falls".

Let’s start with the characters:

Main Character, Emily: I never REALLY felt myself akin to her. From the very beginning, when it’s explained that she is so lacking in hope and where she’s lost her faith in love and believing and all things romantic and magical…because her parents divorced…when she was in her twenties. This might’ve had a bigger impact on me as a reader had it been explained that they were such a loving couple or she thought they were Romeo & Juliet with their ending written by Jude Devereaux instead of Will Shakespeare, but nope…we got none of that explanation. She was just traumatized and lost all hope in love and hope because her parents divorced and went their own separate ways. I could never really understand where she was coming from, so it kept me at a distance from her throughout the whole book. The fact that her loss of hope and belief was such a big deal in terms of her interactions with everyone to the point people kept making a point of saying it probably added to my disconnect with her. She also wasn’t sure if she wanted to be smart or absent minded or friends or aloof. I just couldn’t really connect with her.

Secondary Characters: None of them were truly fleshed out, I felt. I liked her cousin, Harry, but when he went missing (no spoiler there, it’s in the description), I didn’t find myself particularly invested in that either. I liked Paul, though and Simon, too. So, his complete and utter disappearance three-fourth’s of the way into the book felt like bad writing to me. Like the author didn’t know what to do with him at that point or didn’t feel like dealing with his feelings, so we didn’t see him at all after a point. (I’m trying not to spoil things, so I’m being purposefully vague here…)

The Plot:

First of all, the author also did a few things writing wise that annoy me :
1 She started the book with a story that wasn’t even really a main plot point
2 She told rather than showed

The bottom line is that I think the author really just didn’t put enough effort into writing out a cohesive plot. She injected the story with like multiple plots and then had to dedicate two or three chapters at the end, after the BIG THING is resolved just to tie up the loose ends she couldn’t tie up as an organic natural progression of the plot. No, instead, she ties up like three of them through narrative explanation - she has the characters sitting around talking about it all.

It honestly felt like lazy storytelling.

Maybe if she hadn’t had as many plots…

Okay, I have to count them out, actually (I will try to list them as they turned up in the book)….

1. Queen Isabel
- sub a: Love Affair with King John
- sub b: Isabel’s Treasure

(neither subplot was enough to be a full blown plot of its own)

2. Emily and her lack of love/faith/belief, etc etc

3. Harry’s obsession with the Plantagenets

4 Didier’s death

5 Jim/Garland’s reason for being in Chinon

6 Neil’s reasons for being in Chinon

7 Paul’s finishing up the book

8 Martine’s love life

9 Harry’s disappearance

10 Isabel the village girl
Sub a - Isabel & Hans
Sub b - Isabel’s diamonds

Ok, I’m going to stop now…there are others, but I’m getting close to spoiling things and I’d rather not.

Overall: was it a chore to read this book? No, not really. Would I read it again? No. Would I recommend it to someone who liked a good mystery? No. Would I recommend it to someone who liked a realistic romance? Um…no. A fantastical romance? No, not really. Would I recommend it to someone who wanted to get lost in the descriptive tour of Chinon, France? Sure, ok.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's much to critique in this novel but first let me talk about what I did like. First, I'm going to need to visit Chinon, France as soon as possible because it sounds amazing. The setting is such a huge part of this story and I was completely enamored. This story had less of a paranormal element than I'm used to in Kearsley novels. It was much more subtle, if it was there at all. Overall I really enjoyed the present day storyline and this was largely due to Chinon and the people Emily meets along the way.

Emily has a rather lucky go of things, aside from her cousin not picking her up from the airport as planned. I would like to have some of her luck in meeting meeting handsome men, while on vacation. Everywhere she turned there was some man paying attention to her, which felt a wee bit convenient, even if some of them are too young to be romantically involved with her. The love story was rushed at the very end, going from kissing to the first time to assuming she'll be moving to be with him. I really liked the guy she ended up with but I did not like that aspect.

The Splendour Falls was written in 1995 and it shows. There are some problematic elements that I'm relatively certain Kearsley would either not include or write differently were this story publishing today. And yet I'm grappling with the story through the lens of 2019 so I have to note these things all the same.

The most troubling was the prejudice and stereotypes about the Romani. Characters make a number of disparaging comments about the Romani characters throughout the story. Emily notices a Romani man watching her while in a busy square and feels uncomfortable, noting his unkempt clothes and the dog at his feet. Later in the story she goes so far as to suggest him as a murder suspect, simply because he's made her feel uncomfortable and she knows he's a Romani. That's problematic on many levels. And of course, later in the story, we learn he's been trying to help her all along and she was wrong about him. But she never pays any consequences for complicating his life with a false allegation.

There are two brief past storylines, one set in Chinon during the Plantagenet reign in the 12th century. The other takes place in Chinon during WWII between a French resistance worker and a Nazi soldier during the German occupation of Chinon. I'm not here for Nazi heroes in any timeline. More than that, the people in the present day storyline romanticize Isabelle and Hans's relationship. Never mind that it's less than 50 years since the war and therefore the German occupation ended there. That's a huge stretch for me, for one, even if I could somehow suspend disbelief that a French resistance worker would fall for a Nazi. (Which I couldn't.) The whole thing made me feel sick and I was glad there was only a brief flashback, even if Isabelle and Hans come up at other places in the present day storyline. Let's not perpetuate the idea of "good" Nazis! They supported a vile regime, whether they were soldiers on the line or Hitler's right hand men. I can't support any kind of happily ever after for someone like that.

While this was not a perfect story and deserves to be critiqued for the problematic elements, I still really enjoyed reading it. I can still lose myself in her worlds, even in lesser Kearsley novels.

CW: murder, anti-Semitism and xenophobia (which is countered), prejudice and stereotypical representation of Romani, Romani slurs, past war and Nazis

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very lyrical story, this novel is slow and introspective. On occasion, the narration rambles aimlessly among medieval streets and their denizens or stops altogether to contemplate a mystical treasure or a human folly. Personally, I prefer more action and less woolgathering, but in case of this novel, the author took the only possible approach. She invested most of her skills in her characters.
They’re alive and diverse, a fascinating bunch, each one with his or her distinct personality, although none of them appeared substantive to me. Like the novel’s situational landscape, the characters are dreamlike. I’ve never met such people in real life. They’re all a bit too literary, indigenous to the fictional world the author had created, but not the world I live in. Maybe I live in the wrong world? Or maybe the protagonist��s worldview is decidedly different from mine.
The plot of this novel seemed unnecessary, almost accidental. Emily, the protagonist, is a young British woman, on vacation in France. The entire story revolves around her leisurely stay in an old hotel and her wandering around the small tourist town of Chinon. There is a mystery there too and a couple of murders as well, but those lines didn’t seem organic to the story. The integrity of the novel would’ve been served better without them.
On the other hand, the historical vignettes grafted into the modern day tale feel natural. They enrich the story and deepen its emotional impact, and so do the numerous poetic descriptions of people and locations.
The only description that is lacking is that of the protagonist. Unlike most of the secondary characters, who are portrayed in detail: clothes and eye color, mannerisms and professions, Emily is an enigma. I don’t know how she looks or what she does for a living. I don’t know her back story either, and my lack of knowledge hampers my understanding of her inner conflicts. Sometimes, Emily’s dilemmas feel as obscure and incomprehensible as the problems of another, minor character – a French queen who died 700 years ago.
Despite this little quirk, the writer’s language is beautiful, inviting the reader to relax and enjoy the muted, pastel flow of her story. And I did enjoy this novel, although I won’t ever re-read it.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mixed bag I'm surprised to finish so soon. Susanna Kearsley is either unconscious of superfluous description or doesn't want readers flitting through, even though mysteries and adventures ought to be pulse-racing. My delight with her originality, like close cousin protagonists, approximates five stars. Regrettably, one feels like flapping the reins of a horse that keeps pausing and rarely galloping forward. In 1995, Susanna was not of the school of avoiding adverbs so that action words burst out. She has expired her quota on "I decided", "frowning", and the adjective "great". Tacking it onto "big" is excessive like many sentences. We have definitely heard enough about shadows, light, and cigarettes.

A queen's escape and a hotel's fifty year-old legend are fascinating. It's inspiring to know you truly could follow their trails in old ground like France. However the conclusion must hold up. Like most authors, Susanna deflated a vibrant atmosphere by adding a present crime, instead of leaving characters to solve ancient questions in the region we are visiting. Why do authors have trouble believing these are exciting without modern embellishment? She excelled with twists and turns because her personages are complex. I loved most of the surprises and layers that are revealed. Unfortunately, the explanation of Harry's disappearance was stupid. Contact could work in a million other ways.

Four stars weren't possible with decorative segues holding back the power of such intriguing treasure legends, which Susanna connected superbly. Thus I'm settling upon three. Writing, atmosphere, and pace matter even with fantastic contents and Susanna can be counted on for enthralling, mysterious content. "The Splendour Falls" was only her second novel and it was noticeably less sluggish and descriptively overdone, so I continue to believe her next and next will be better. I certainly enjoyed this novel's mysteries.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. I've kind of been in a book-rut lately...seemingly reading good - ok stories but nothing that seemed to just capture me. Splendour falls did! Wonderful descriptions of a place I'd love to visit and quirky characters with mysteriousness surrounding them. Very atmospheric. It's also an easy read.

It is a bit different from the other 2 Kearsley books I've read, but in no way inferior. That being said, I was shocked to see low reviews on this one from lots of people. That makes me sad. If you are on the fence about trying it, ignore all that and definitely give it a go. I'm so glad I didn't look at the reviews before reading.

It is also a "clean" story!! Yea!

[Deana White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not necessarily a mystery fan, but this had so many elements that i love in a book. Loved most of the characters and the historic content. And Susanna Kearsley's writing.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a very difficult time putting this book down to prepare for Christmas, and I finished on Christmas! Now to the kitchen to cook, but first Susanna Kearsley’s The Splendour Falls is a enthralling book. Emily Braden and her cousin, Harry, go on holiday to Chinon, France. In Chinon are the ruins of a castle that belonged to King John of England and his second wife, Isabelle of Angouleme. Emily arrives, but where is Harry? The author’s characters are beautifully drawn. I feel as though they are friends of mine! The story is so cleverly weaved together that it touches all of the characters. Definitely a 5 star book! Highly recommended! Now to the turkey.

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Splendour Falls by Susana Kearsley.

Mass Market Paperback, 380 pages
Published April 1st 1996 by Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction

So I don't know what to really say about this book. It was an interesting book, but not at all what I expected. Sometimes that can be a good thing. I read one of Ms. Kearsley's books before, "The Winter Sea" and really loved it. I had hoped that I would love this book as much as I did that one.

The main character of Emily just seems a bit lost throughout this whole book. Going to Chinon in order to treasure hunt along with her cousin Harry seems like a way for Emily to get back involved with people and places after her parent's divorce. FYI Emily is not a teenager, she is a grown woman acting as if the entire world has gone crazy.

She finds herself drawn to a man, but doesn't want to be pulled in by him because she can tell with one look into his eyes that he would be about real love and commitment. Yes, us women hate those things.

I don't really know what to make of Emily. At times she just seems to find herself wandering aimlessly around Chinon or with her fellow companions from the hotel. She always seems to find hidden meaning in everything that she sees and she feels like something terrible could have maybe happened to Harry, though there's no evidence that anything did.

The plot of the book I thought initially would tie in better to the history of Chinon and King John (yes that King John) and his Queen Isabelle. I have no idea why there was even a prologue dealing with them and their "treasure". Once you find out what the treasure is I think you may roll your eyes. I did. A few times. Additionally, a French girl named Isabelle who lived in Chinon during World War II is part of the present day plot and has more to do with the story than the one dealing with King John and Queen Isabelle. Mystery sets in when Emily is still searching for her cousin and starts to become afraid that something happened to him once he reached Chinon.

The pacing was all over the place too. I think that because we had so many cast of characters and each one had their own motivations, issues, that a lot of pages were just wasted with a character talking to Emily about something and she would say "ahh I understand it all now". No not really, but it started to seem that way. For example, when Emily somehow clues into one of the characters having an affair with someone else I was just baffled at her reasoning. It made no sense to me and I am still wondering how this one character managed to do so since his "partner" on this trip was a stage five clinger.

I had a problem keeping up with what this book was supposed to be. I found myself getting bored with the book and honestly don't know what it was supposed to be really. A romance book with a mystery or a mystery book with just a hint of romance? The overall mystery of where was Emily's cousin Harry was just nonsensical when we get to the final reveal. I can't even with the other mystery that Emily got involved with and the final denouement with that as well. This book changed halfway through from being what I thought would be an exploration of Chinon and the history of King John and Queen Isabelle to a murder mystery plot that I think even Poirot would have passed on as being too simplistic.