Josephine Pennicott

I took a star off because I really don’t like the name given to the town in the story - Pencubitt. It just doesn’t roll well for me. Poet's Cottage is described by some as gothic fiction but I beg to differ. This is my first book by the author who generally writes in the fantasy genre. The narrative spans two time zones, 1930s and the present day and really starts to intensify about the halfway mark. By the end I was page turning! Family and strong female personalities are at the heart of it, there’s a ghost, a secret tunnel and a murder! At times not a happy story and uncomfortable to read but on the whole a good whodunit.… (meer)

An atmospheric novel of mystery, drama and tragedy, Currawong Manor has a similar tone and premise to author Josephine Pennicott's previous novel, Poet's Cottage.

Photographer Elizabeth Thorrington has always been eager to learn more about her grandfather, Rupert Partridge, a well known, controversial artist who mysteriously vanished in 1945 on the same day his beloved daughter, Shalimar, and wife Doris, met their tragic deaths. Invited by the current owners of Currawong Manor, the Partridge's former estate, to collaborate on a book about her grandfather's life and art, Elizabeth is excited by the opportunity to meet with one of Rupert's notorious muses, Ginger Flower, and Dolly Shaw, the daughter of the Partridge's housekeeper, once Shalimar's playmate. Elizabeth is convinced these women know what happened on that fateful day and hopes they will share the secrets they have kept for more than half a century... but perhaps some mysteries are best left unsolved.

The narrative moves between the past and the present as Elizabeth, along with true crime writer, and former muso, Nick Cash begin to piece together the history of the manor and its former residents, aided by Ginger's recall of her time at Currawong Manor as one of Rupert's three life models, known as the 'Flowers'. Slowly Pennicott unravels an intriguing story of love, art, scandal and betrayal that reveals the truth of the tragedy that befell the Partridge family.

The writing is evocative, with lyrical phrasing creating a haunting, oppressive atmosphere. Set in Mt Bellbird, a small village in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, there are definite gothic overtones to this novel. The grand, partially restored Currawong Manor looms from the bush, surrounded by barely tamed gardens and bordered by the forbidding Owlbone Woods, in which something unseen lurks.

An impressively crafted literary story, Currawong Manor is an absorbing and dramatic tale.… (meer)

Set in Pencubbit, a fictional fishing town in Tasmania, Poet's Cottage is a story of scandal, intrigue and family. Pearl Tatlow, an eccentric children's author, was brutally murdered in Poet's Cottage in 1936, while her young daughters Thomasina and Marguerite, played in the garden. Her killer was never identified. Seventy or so years later Marguerite's daughter, Sadie along with her teenage daughter Betty, moves into Poet's Cottage to write a book about Pearl, the woman revered by her mother but reviled by many. As the story moves between the past and present the truth of Pearl's life, and death, is revealed.

While there is a mystery at the core of Poet's Cottage, the story is about much more than Pearl's grisly end. In life Pearl was a polarising force, despised by her daughter Thomasina who was the target of her mother's physical and emotional rages, she was put on a pedestal by Marguerite, whose memories of Pearl are far more rosy. Sadie has always taken her mother, to whom she was devoted, at her word, dismissing Thomasina, who still lives in Pencubbit, as a bitter and eccentric woman. It is Birdie Pinkerton, a contemporary of Pearl, who confirms that Pearl was indeed a disturbed woman. In an unpublished manuscript, Birdie reveals a narcissistic woman who openly had affairs, scandalised the small and conservative community with outrageous behaviour and delighted in careless cruelty. Sadie is unsure if she can trust Birdie's memories, which could be biased by her relationship with Pearls husband, but it paints a damning portrait of a sadistic, albeit, mentally ill woman. Still, Pearl had a strangely magnetic personality, attracting lovers and admirers easily, many of whom were willing to forgive her her faults.
As Sadie learns more about her grandmother, Pearl's shadow seems to loom over the present. Despite the amount of time that has elapsed it seems Pearl still haunts the town.
Poet's Cottage has a touch of the gothic about it. The house, though beautifully restored, has an oppressive atmosphere, there are hidden passageways, a creepy, perhaps haunted, basement and a hooded figure lurks in the grounds. Thick fog rolls across the town which is populated by enigmatic characters, many of whom are unpleasant. There is a brusque and brooding romantic interest for Sadie, who is threatened by unseen forces, and though she may not be the fainting type, she succumbs to the unease that envelops the Cottage.

Poet's Cottage is a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery with surprising depth. A literary novel that offers many surprises, it is sure to capture your imagination and have you reading long into the night.… (meer)