Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

The Echo of Twilight tells the story of ambitious ladies maid Pearl Gibson and her unconventional employer Lady Ottoline Campbell. The book begins with the world on edge anticipating the breakout of World War I. What ensues is a tale of two women whose secrets intertwine and lives are forever altered even long after the war has ended.

I was excited to read The Echo of Twilight as the cover blurb sounded like it would be right up my alley. I adore historical fiction and enjoy losing myself in another time. Judith Kinghorn definitely does a great job of creating a sense of place. I felt like I was right there with Pearl in England and Scotland. The writing style felt true to the period. However, I do think there were too many liberties taken with Ottoline’s behavior and attitudes. I seriously doubt that an aristocrat would introduce her maid to other members of the upper crust and throw a party for her like she belonged in the drawing room. Unconventionality aside, this rang completely false.

We are introduced to a handful of endearing characters. Pearl is relatable and a reliable narrator. I truly felt her loneliness and pain in wanting someplace to belong. I did not get her borderline obsession with not growing up to be like her mother. Had she actually known her mother I would have understood better. I found Ottoline and her motivations fascinating and an interesting portrayal of someone caught in a life where she does not quite fit in. Suffering from depression, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness, her thoughts and actions kept me reading. Ottoline’s cousin Ralph played in integral role in the story, and he was appealing. Though not featured much, Ottoline’s sensitive son Billy was one of my favorite characters. I wish he had played a bigger role. Butler Rodney Watts and cook Mrs. Lister added some much needed humanity to the “downstairs” life.

The book was very much about love in all forms – friendship, romantic, familial, especially maternal. Romance is where this book failed for me. Ralph and Pearl’s initial meeting (and her birthday party) provided a nice initial spark between the two, but as things progressed, I did not feel any chemistry between them and their relationship was unconvincing. The most compelling thing about the story was Pearl and Ottoline’s complicated and ever evolving relationship. The war and its repercussions were constant companions to all of the characters. There was great emphasis placed on how the war took its toll on everyone, the changing roles for women, and the blurring of the lines between society stations. All of these things helped give the story some bulk and move it along. However, the pace was never quick and became even more sluggish in the section set after the war. Also, I found the ending wrapped up a little too tidily.

Overall, The Echo of Twilight was worth reading. I recommend it to fans of World War I historical fiction.

Two women, Pearl Gibson and Lady Ottoline Campbell are the main characters in this historical fiction novel that starts at the beginning of World War I. All Pearl knows of her mother is that shortly after her birth, she committed suicide. Pearl grows up with her Aunt Kitty, living hand to mouth and when Kitty dies, Pearl goes to work with Lady Campbell. Their relationship becomes more than just servant and mistress, they become friends.

With the advent of the war, the Campbell's sons sign up to fight which does not end well. This tugs on the fragility that is Lady Ottoline's psyche and she spirals into depression. Pearl had had a relationship with Lady Ottoline's cousin, Ralph, who also goes off to fight. After he leaves Pearl finds out she is pregnant and with the help of Ottoline, she delivers a little girl, Lila, named after Ottoline. Life goes on peacefully if not tensely as everyone waits to see if their loved ones will come home from the war.
During this time, Ottoline's depression continues and she and Pearl have a falling out and Pearl and Lila leave and go back to London. There Pearl ekes out a life for her and her daughter.

This story takes place in three parts, just prior to the war, during the war and after the war. The reader becomes part of Pearl's life, the ups and downs, through love affairs and friendships. A beautifully written story that will keep the reader turning the pages, hoping that Pearl finds the love she seeks. A bit of a twist at the end was unexpected but welcomed! I loved this story that was reminiscent of stories by one of my other favorite authors, Lucinda Riley.

In London in the months leading up to the start of World War One, Pearl Gibson is a young woman with ambition--ambition to be a lady's maid, the most genteel occupation available to a young woman of her background. Her great-aunt Kitty taught her everything she could, and told her that it took "a very superior sort of girl" to be a lady's maid, and after years of work, moving repeatedly to advance herself, Pearl is interviewing with Lady Ottoline Campbell, who is looking for a new lady's maid.

It's the start of a new life for Pearl, and she has no idea just how much change this position, this particular lady, and the war will bring into her life. We see the strains and cracks already appearing in the old class system, and the hard rock it runs into with the war and all its death and destruction. But this is also a deeply romantic story. Pearl works out an unexpected friendship with Lady Ottoline, uncovers secrets of her own past, and finds love someplace wholly unexpected.

It's a beautifully developed story, with a richness of color, texture, and feeling. The cracking of the old order, the deaths and losses of the war, alongside the gains made by some as the cracks and losses created new opportunities for some, are all painfully present. At the same time, while acknowledging the costs, this is a strong, hopeful story.

Pearl and Ottoline, and those around them, are very nicely developed as characters, and our understanding of those around Pearl grows and changes as hers does. It's engrossing and satisfying.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

First let me say, I read a lot of historical fiction and it is probably my most read genre, so suffice it to say I can be a little critical of my reads in the genre, so let me say I loved this one. What an interesting way to experience the effects of war without too much real battling in the book. I loved reading through the eyes of a woman who has had to fight each step of the way for the things that she has and takes a job not knowing how much it would impact the rest of her life.

Pearl Gibson is an orphan from the moment she was born, but due to the open heart of a great Aunt she is raised beyond what she could have imagined and her Aunt instilled in her a sense of drive to better her life from how it began. From the moment she entered Ottoline's home I was glued to my seat to read how this relationship would work and where it would go. I was surprised where it went and loved it!

I am thankful for the liberties I have being a lady in the modern world, but I can't help to enjoy how living as a woman at a different time would be so limiting and hard. At the end of this book, I wanted a sequel so I could continue down Pearl's path and maybe even see where her offspring end up.

This was my second Judith Kinghorn read and she has two more in the backlist that I will have to pick up soon.

Thanks Berkley Publishing Group and netgalley for this ARC.

A saga that could easily be made into a movie. War and loss, love and passion, and everything in between make this novel a easy recommendation to all readers for a excellent experience.

Well, to say that I was underwhelmed with this book might be an understatement. When I read the synopsis, I was thrilled, excited for something that–well, wasn’t what I expected. Yet I wouldn’t say that the synopsis is misleading. There is definitely an “unlikely relationship” between a lady’s maid and her lady, Pearl and Lady Ottoline respectively but it wasn’t in the way I thought it would be and this book took some turns, good and bad, but overall, I’m afraid I can’t find much excitement in it.

And I think that’s one of the main problems I had with the book. It was dull. Pearl was incredibly dull–all of the characters were except maybe Lady Ottoline’s youngest son, Billy, whom I thought was forming quite a good relationship with Pearl until the war broke out. The romance intrigued me but I didn’t get the sweeping gestures and feelings I usually get. Nothing excited me or left me wanting more. I wanted to stop nearly halfway through reading but I pushed through because well, I was nearly to the end.

I can appreciate how Pearl becomes independent. A large part of it is due to the incredible changes the war brought and how traditional roles for women and people in general began to change. I can also appreciate the bond Ottoline and Pearl formed as two women with secrets of their own–secrets they shared with each other but no one else. Yet I couldn’t understand the odd fascination that the main character had with her mother’s choices. Maybe I would have understood if the circumstances around Pearl’s mother had happened when Pearl could actually remember, but that wasn’t the case. Pearl was incredibly determined not to be like her mother and while she accomplished that, in a sense, I still couldn’t come to terms with Pearl’s constant looking back at her mother.

While the ending was happy, it fell flat for me. I guess because I wasn’t convinced of the romance in the first place. Didn’t feel the burning passion and desire. It felt muted and grey, therefore, I wasn’t drawn to it. But I am happy that Pearl herself received her happy ending because she did go through heartache yet continued to remain strong even towards the end.

As a fan of Downton Abbey, I was immediately intrigued by the title's description and although the story itself was a bit predictable, especially towards the end, I found this to be a captivating read nonetheless and wasn't disappointed in the least. Pearl Gibson and Lady Ottoline develop a rather unconventional relationship proving that times are changing and, with the onset of World War I, life will never be the same for either woman. Kinghorn has created a story filled with secrets and betrayals, lost loves, friendships, agonizing grief, and endless hope for a better future. Often I found Kinghorn's writing style to be captivating and rather poetic filled with intrigue, creating a strong urgency to keep on reading. I was easily lost between the pages and often found myself reaching for a tissue!


This review has also been posted to GoodReads and Amazon

The Echo of Twilight is the story of two women whose lives are forever changed by circumstances beyond their control – most notably World War I. Pearl, a young woman accepts the position of Ottoline’s lady’s maid.Raised by her spinster great-aunt, Pearl never knew her parents. When her great-aunt died she had no family left and went into service. When she was hired by Lady Ottoline she found a family of sorts – with a few of the staff and the Campbell family.

The Campbells are an interesting family. The two sons are nineteen and twenty-one and ready to fight for their King and Country. When war is declared they leave the family home and go off to fight. Uncertainty and heartache will loom for those left at home in the years to follow. Ottoline, the boys’ mother, proved to be a complex woman whose character was revealed in layers throughout the novel.

The novel is divided into three parts: Before, during, and after the war. Kinghorn’s story was so addicting that I had a hard time setting it down. I’m a fan of historical fiction, especially set in the early 20th century. The Echo of Twilight is an emotional novel that I recommend to fans of the author and the genre.