Magpie was a strange book for me. I found it long and dragged out in places but that’s just the writing style and something I personally don’t enjoy but for others it might be something that they look for in a book. I was going to give up at the half way point but something made me go back and read on. I’m glad I did because the twist was amazing and turned everything on it’s head.
3.5 stars but only because I didn’t enjoy the writing style. The story is very good

Claire and her husband Duncan seem to have the perfect life but under the cracks there is much wrong with their marriage. Claire is compelled to move away from the family home in order to pick up the pieces of her life, however, this transition does not go smoothly and there are other dramatic complications, particularly surrounding Claire's son, Joe, which greatly affect how Claire reacts to some catastrophic changes.

Initially, I found the narrative to be a little bit slow and as it moves both forwards and backwards in time it becomes important to keep a firm grip on the plot just so you can keep track of where this complicated family drama is heading. Using both Claire and Duncan's individual stories in separate chapters allows their different stories to be heard, and I must admit to finding one rather more compelling than the other.

The author seems to be developing her niche in this particular genre and I enjoyed reading her debut novel, Cuckoo, earlier in the year. Magpie is something of a slow burner in comparison but it stands on its own merits as an interesting look at the minutiae of family life. I especially enjoyed how the author interpreted some local mystical qualities, which pattern the landscape, and her imaginative description of places and situations certainly helps to create an atmospheric edginess.

Magpie is an interesting family drama which gets stronger as it goes along. I look forward to seeing what this talented writer does next.

Magpie is Draper's second novel after Cuckoo, which was published in 2018 to rave reviews. Magpie begins as a psychological thriller about the Hendersons, a family with relationships that we're all familiar with: a cheating husband, a paranoid wife, and a wayward son. Yet, it soon becomes clear that Draper is playing with genre as the book is simultaneously a mystery, a folk tale, a domestic noir, and a Gothic tale. In fact, the book's setting is strongly reminiscent of Wuthering Heights as Claire lives in an isolated cottage in the midst of an atmospheric and haunting landscape complete with tales of a ghostly church that was submerged when the nearby reservoir was built and an abandoned village. These are important motifs of the past coming back to haunt the present. The often heavy focus on the setting could have stagnated the story but I found it very well written and very successful in conjuring images of the otherworldly. In addition, Claire feels like she is going mad looking for her missing son Joe and she questions her own sanity, again reminiscent of Wuthering Heights. It's also a book about how we deal with grief and guilt, both in the distant past and in the more immediate past. The book isn't a typical high-concept thriller with a very high-paced narrative, which contemporary readers have become accustomed to. Instead, Magpie is a very refreshing and satisfying read because of its slower pace and its focus on atmosphere rather than action.

The book is told in chapters that are set before and after the night that Joe disappeared from both Claire and Duncan's point of views. The various timelines and perspectives are easy to follow and are never confusing with Claire's chapters written in first person past tense and Duncan's in third person present tense which offers a nice stylistic shift. The 'before' chapters describe Claire and Duncan's turbulent marriage and their unhappy home life with their 18-year-old son. Claire is planning to leave Duncan and suspects him of having several affairs. The chapters often go back further in time to describe when Claire first met Duncan. The 'after' chapters are beautifully written as Claire is living on her own in a rundown house not too far from her family home. She was hoping to bring Joe with her but he disappeared when she was making her escape and she has no idea where he is. There's also a storyline about a puppet rider coin that Joe found near the house that ends in a revelation that is quite sensitive and unexpected particularly as it's an event that a lot of readers, including myself, have experienced for themselves. However, the topic is dealt with in a sensitive manner.

Magpie is a cleverly written and utterly engaging book unlike anything else I've read in a while. The title of the book is also quite clever as it not only refers to the motif of taking that which isn't ours and being attracted to shiny objects, both of which are important themes in the book. This is the first of Draper's books I've read but I can't wait to read Cuckoo next.

#Magpie #NetGalley
Breathtakingly chilly.
Claire and Duncan's, a not so happy married couple live in Debyshire with their son Joe who's keen about finding coins with metal detector. Duncan is a vet while Claire is a housewife. Then something happened, something bad and it tears their lives. Now they both hate each other so much that they want to live seperately. Claire found about his husband affair and twists started coming one after the other until you turn the last page.
Told from two POV's of Duncan and Claire, before and after, this story is breathtakingly chilly with an ending you won't see coming.
All the characters were awesome as they should be in a psychological thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me an advance copy of this awesome psychological thriller.
A must read.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.
It was very confusing and it felt disjointed. I just couldn't get into the story. It was very slow paced.

However Just because I couldn't connect with the story, doesn't mean others won't love it and I would hate for my review to put someone off.

This book wrecked me so much. It will be in my heart and head for a long time. Magpie lured me into a false sense of security, gradually leading me to the conclusion I was reading a sad, often dark book about a marriage falling apart and secrets between spouses only to yank the rug from under me, toppling me flat on my back and completely winding me. I loved the way the book is narrated and structured, alternative first person narrators from Claire and Duncan’s point of view which move back and forwards in time. This works really well, revealing piece by piece the secrets, lies and eventually horrors of their marriage and offers two different views of the events. I felt such sympathy for Claire, struggling to win the love of her odd son Joe and coming to terms with the fact that whatever love she once had for Duncan and vice versa has been erased. I really didn’t like Duncan. He swans around like he’s hot shit and treats his wife and daughter with indifference. My heart was in my throat as Claire frantically wonders what’s happened to Joe, why he didn’t come to the cottage with her and where he is now. The twist at the end completely stunned me. I didn’t expect it at all. You find out the truth about Joe’s disappearance and the true function of the cottage. Utterly heart-breaking.

Claire lives with her husband Duncan & their son Joe in a designer house. Joe has his issues & his only interest is in metal detecting. Claire is unhappy & is tired of trying to ignore her husband's infidelity. She is working up to leaving him. The story is told from both Claire & Duncan's point of view, before & after a momentous event- we are not sure what that is.

I enjoyed Cuckoo so I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately I was disappointed in it. The characters didn't 'grab' me. I found a lot of it boring. I was tempted to give up but plugged on till the end & the revelation- that I think I'd guessed. Sorry, not one for me.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

3.5-4*
Something has happened – we know not what!

Duncan and Claire married young, straight after University. They have a son Joe. He’s a difficult character, Claire thinks he may be on the autism spectrum. Still she loves him, he’s just turned eighteen and obsessed with history, especially old coins, and metal detecting.

We read the story from two points of view – Duncan and Claire; from two times – before and after.

Duncan is a very successful vet, Claire gave up her career to be a mother and wife.

Their marriage has been deteriorating for years, they ‘put a show on’ in public. Claire realises it’s time to go. She has made plans. She wants Joe to go with her and Arthur, their dog. She and Duncan are always arguing it’s no wonder Joe feels the need to go off. He’s gone missing before. Claire is so worried this time. Duncan says he’ll be back, he always comes back.

Then something happens.

This book is very evocative of its setting around Derbyshire which is lovingly drawn by Sophie Draper, it has a very eerie atmosphere and a deep sense of sadness, of loss. What happened we don’t know and it gives this book a tension and keeps you hooked wanting to know what it was, what will happen, how will things be resolved and then there’s a twist! What you have been reading is put into a different perspective and, after an intake of breath, you will understand. This book leaves you with a slightly creepy feeling but mostly with a lingering sense of sadness.

Thanks

My thanks to Avon Publishing for an eCopy of Magpie by Sophie Draper via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own, I have not received any payment for this review.

Blog Tour

Thanks to Sanjana Cunniah at Avon for the invitation to review Magpie and join the BlogTour. Like to read more? – then take a whirl around this incredible list…. https://lovebooksreadbooks.com/2019/12/04/magpie-by-sophie-draper/

Having read Sophie Draper’s book ‘Cuckoo’ and enjoying the writing style, I was keen to read ‘Magpie’. It did not disappoint.

Claire and Duncan in a fantastic house and seem to have everything but they don’t! They have a tempestuous relationship due, in the main, to Duncan’s philandering. After another argument between them, their eighteen year old son goes missing. The hunt for him takes us on a mysterious and thrilling ride. This book held my attention and the characterisation was excellent.

Magpie is a haunting, eerie and incredibly atmospheric novel set in rural Derbyshire. The author has clearly spent a great deal of time in this part of the country as she writes extremely eloquently about the landscape and wildlife, giving the reader a vivid sense of place.
Setting is important in general but particularly so here since this novel combines elements of folklore, the supernatural, domestic angst and a little bit of mystery. Please don’t be fooled though; this is NOT a psychological thriller which I was expecting. There is a pervading sense of unease throughout, as the reader is introduced to Duncan and Claire and teenager son Joe. Their marriage is in tatters with Duncan, local vet, preferring to indulge in extra marital dalliances than domestic bliss with Claire. Quite why she has stayed by his side all these years is beyond me, especially as she hates The Barn where they live, very much isolated. Metal detecting addict Joe completes this sad trio of individuals. Both Duncan and Claire aren’t characters I could warm to which meant that from the very beginning I struggled to maintain any interest in the unfolding storyline. It pains me to say it as this very rarely happens to me but I found reading this book a chore rather than a pleasure. For me there wasn’t much of a plot and at times I became confused as to whether the scenes featuring Claire were real or delusions on her part. Subsequently there was no flow to the narrative giving the novel a disjointed feel.
As events unfold it is easy to guess the mystery element so there are no twists and turns in this tale. The ending I thought was good and unexpected and made sense of previous chapters but by that point I was relieved to reach the end!!
My thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately on this occasion I have to say Magpie was not my cup of tea.

The Magpie is the twisted, dark, haunting story of a couple whose marriage and world is falling apart around them. I had already known that a Magpie was a bird, but after I finished the book, my curiosity as to other meanings got the best of me. I looked the word up in the dictionary and was intrigued to find a few other explanations; someone with mischievous habits, a collector of things. I had an aha moment!

Claire and Duncan have been married for over 20 years. Having met in veterinary school they fell in love and immediately married. While both did graduate, Duncan was the one to pursue the career. Claire stayed home and took care of their son Joe. Over time, Duncan was able to open his own practice. To make a good living.

The resentment they have for each other is palpable. The bitterness in their marriage awful. The routine of their lives bitter.

Joe was a difficult child from the beginning, always the odd child, prone to tantrums and with not too many friends, and Claire had been the protective parent. Now that Joe was 18 and not in school any longer his one aspiration was to spend time with his metal detector scouring the ponds and highlands surrounding their secluded house.

Claire knows that Duncan is cheating on her. This has been the pattern of their marriage. She just can't figure out who it is this time. Until she does. And she decides now is the time to take Joe and their dog and move into a cottage across the pond.

Then Joe goes missing and Claire is beside herself living in the cottage alone with their dog and trying to find her son. What has happened to her? What has happened to Joe? And what will happen if people find out the secret she and Duncan share?

This is a heartbreaking story of lies, infidelity and sorrow. But it is also haunting in so many ways. Draper's scenic writing skills are both breathtaking and grand, perfectly woven into this shocking tale.

Thank you to #NetGalley #Avon #Magpie #SophieDraper for the advanced copy.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The writing was decent, told from multiple points of view and in the vein of before and after something. It had very slow build suspense but maybe a little too slow for me. When I was reading it, it held my interest enough but was too easy to walk away from an not pick up for a bit. Others might love it, this was just my personal experience.

I found this book quite difficult to read and a little disconcerting.
The way the story was told felt at times quite confusing.
However I did finish it and felt very sad at the end.

I was provided with an ARC of this title from the Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This compelling tale of suspense drew me into a world of hard-kept secrets, buried emnity and the downward spiral of a marriage on the rocks. There were multiple threads of mystery woven throughout the story that kept the plot engaging and intriguing.

Claire and Duncan have a marriage based on obligation and possession. Claire gave up her promising career to raise their autistic son, and Duncan became a serial cheater. When their son turns 18, Claire moves out and files for divorce, convinced their son will move in with her. But Joe is on a mad chase for hidden treasure, and beyond her reach.

Then Joe disappears, and a body is discovered on the grounds of their farm. You will be riveted by this descent into orchestrated chaos.

I am honestly torn about this book. I found the first half slow and quite boring yet the second half improved. I don’t want to post any spoilers so I can’t really explain what I didn’t enjoy. I will say the characters were not described well enough in the first half to be able to like them. I didn’t like Duncan at all throughout the book while Claire I wanted to like but I just couldn’t. The storyline is confusing and instead of enjoying the twists I was relieved for it to be over. Perhaps others will enjoy this book but it just didn’t resonate with me.

I found this book a bit of a slow starter and then felt the ending wasn't much of a shocker. I did enjoy how the book was laid out and as the book is set in my home town it was enjoyable to read. I will still pick up another book by this author and give it a try.

Once I got into this book, mainly because of the before and after storyline, I really enjoyed it. It’s not a psychological thriller but a mystery with a unhappy marriage at the centre of it. I certainly didn’t guess how it was going to end which was even better!
Sophie Draper is becoming one of my favourite author’s.

I finished reading this story feeling incredibly sad, the ending is haunting, full of loss and wasted opportunity, and what if…

This story begins like the domestic thriller, I thought it would be, but it is essentially a suspenseful family drama. Claire’s home life is materially perfect, but under the surface, it is a maelstrom of claustrophobia, discontent and simmering hatred. She wants to escape, from her house’s emotionless perfection, and her empty marriage.

The story is told from Claire’s point of view, before and after Joe’s disappearance; her story is full of resentment, and as it is in the first person, intensely personal. Duncan’s point of view is after Joe’s disappearance, except for one later chapter. This is told in the third person, so his point of view is more objectively portrayed.

This is a family drama, interwoven with strange occurrences that echo what Claire is experiencing. She is an unreliable protagonist, tortured by a past secret, which has dominated her future life. Duncan is essentially an unlikeable character, abusive, and a serial philanderer. It is only when the reasons for this emerge that his behaviour becomes easier to understand. Joe their son is autistic, and he finds the coldness of his parent’s marriage hard to cope with, choosing solitude and the company of his dog in preference to theirs.

This is an unhappy, but believable story. The pace, for the most part, is slow, and the events ordinary and repetitive, because it portrays their life. The twists when revealed have more impact because of this.

The setting is atmospheric and described in detail. The folklore surrounding Claire and Duncan’s home provides an interesting strand of the story, and Claire is haunted by it, in her precarious emotional state.

Guilt and secrets underpin this drama, which is suspenseful, but not in the way you may expect. The ending is well-written and devastating. It draws all the plot threads, and the main characters together in a heartbreakingly tragic way, that resonates.

Poignant family drama, with a suspenseful thread, that explodes into an unexpectedly powerful conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Magpie’ by Sophie Draper in exchange for an honest review.

Claire lives with her husband, Duncan, and teenage son, Joe, in a beautiful house in rural Derbyshire. However, things are not going well and Claire is determined to leave Duncan, who runs a busy veterinary practice.

The story is broken into chapters narrated by Claire headed as ‘Before’ and ‘After’ and chapters about Duncan, again headed as ‘Before’ and ‘After’. Though before and after what remains a mystery until the final chapters.

In the Before sections we learn of the reasons for the marriage breakdown and in the After sections Claire is living alone in an isolated cottage, hiding from Duncan, and dealing with the fact that Joe is missing. She is struggling to piece together the events that tore them apart and seeking her son.

The fact that Duncan was a vet led to a few scenes that I found difficult to read, even though it was clear however horrible a husband Duncan was, he really cared for his animal patients.

I found it a dark and atmospheric novel. The jumping back and forward in time did leave me confused about what was going on. However, with the concluding chapters it does all come together brilliantly. Indeed, so much so that I immediately wanted to reread. As such it is a novel that I feel is better served by a close reading to appreciate its multiple layers and themes.

There also is an element of folklore/folk tales running through the story, verified by the author in the Acknowledgments. This appeals to me very much. It is also very rich in its descriptions of the bleak Derbyshire landscapes.

My feeling is that ‘Magpie’ doesn’t really suit being marketed as a domestic noir/psychological thriller and this may account for low ratings from readers who were expecting a more conventional narrative.

I would place it more in the category of a dark and brooding literary suspense with Gothic elements and I hope that it will find its audience once word of its uniqueness spreads.

My current plan is to purchase its audiobook edition and to revisit it soon. I have already started recommending it to friends. I also plan to read her first novel, ‘Cuckoo’ and be in the lookout for her future projects.

Centred around Claire and Duncan whose marriage has disintegrated, Claire has been waiting for their son Joe to turn 18yrs old before she left and now finally ready, he has disappeared.
I loved the authors first novel Cuckoo, it was such a dark and twisty tale but Magpie was much tamer. It has been described as a thriller but I would think it’s more domestic noir.
The story is told in alternating chapters of Claire and Duncan, before and six weeks after Joe’s disappearance. Even though the chapters are titled, I found it hard to follow because a lot if it seemed repetitive. A couple of times I wondered what time frame I was actually in.
I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and it was actually Joe and his metal detecting that I found most interesting but it seemed rather a side point.
That said, it was a slow burn but the author sets the atmospheric scenes very well. There was enough to keep my interest but it wasn’t till the last few chapters where there was some tension and it moved more quickly.
I will certainly look out for the authors next title.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.