The Phantom Tree
Nicola Cornick
Graydon House, Aug 2018
384 pages, kindle, paperback, audiobook, audio cd
Historical Novel, Time Travel
✭✭✭✭✭
Provided, NetGalley
The cover is so appropriate for this story of partial history and partial time travel. I loved this historical novel, using what is known and adding a good ending is always fun, especially with the twist of time travel to tie it together. Have you lived in the past, another life? Did you know important people in history? If you could go back, would you recognize your former life?
So many characters and not enough time to do them all justice, even some of the main characters might have been a bit thin. Adam for one. Though most of the historical characters were quite well done, fleshed out and explained enough to give you a good idea of what they were like.
The pace was steady. The tension built at each peak nicely and slowly built throughout the whole story.
The main character, Alison Bannestre/Bannister wasn’t explained so much as experienced. We got to know her as the story went on. It didn’t take long. She was a nasty child, mostly because she had never really felt the security of been treated well or with love. This was typical of the time and her situation. Political families had children to trade off for better position, wealth, or favor. And being from the former political family certainly wasn’t an enviable position to be in, if you lived past the change of office.
There is a highlight to this story and that’s when Alison sees the portrait of Mary and she accepts the connection to Adam.
Query: What is the secret of Richard? Read this wonderful historical novel with time travel twists and find out.
Highly recommended.
a thoughtful reveal 