Changes

The writing is rich and complex but never overly purple. Thorpe's descriptions of the farmhouse and the landscape and of French rural life are both recognisable and quietly impressive. As a fan of his earlier work, [[Ulverton by Adam Thorpe|Ulverton]], I have come to expect a real understanding of place and I wasn't disappointed. Anyone visiting rural France will recognise the omnipresent evidence of history, through monuments, plaques and cemeteries, and the feeling of timelessness and of scores not quite settled. That feeling of unease behind what we as visitors see as a rural idyll is palpable and made more complex for not having a full grasp of what has gone before. I have also stayed in similar rented properties (without a handyman!) and have experienced the ''pleasant woody smell, along with a hint of mice'', cool powdery walls, strange animal rustlings outside and the enveloping darkness and quiet of the deep countryside.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag. We also have a review of [[Hodd by Adam Thorpe]].