By Lucy Foley
A UNIQUE STORY with BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
⭐️⭐️⭐️
SUMMARY
June 2025. It’s the opening night of The Manor, an upscale manor house turned into a hotel on the Dorset coast of England. The Manor touts cliffside ocean views, a beautiful infinity pool, and a luxury wellness atmosphere. No expense has been spared, and this boutique hotel caters to the ultra-wealthy.
Bella is staying in one of the expensive Woodland Hutches for the weekend, right on the forest's edge. The guests are there to eat, swim, and have fun, but not Bella; she is there on a mission, but she is not exactly sure what that mission is. Someone anonymously summoned her here. She had been at the manor house over 15 years ago, and she knows the current owner, Francesca Meadows, but they haven't been in touch. She had thought they had been friends for a moment in time, but not really.
Francesca inherited the manor house from her grandparents. Now, Francesca and her new husband, Owen, have transformed it into a beautiful, restorative luxury hotel. The locals are unhappy with what she has done and plans to do to the woodlands on either side of the manor house. The townspeople will stop at nothing to let her know how important the forest is to them. The hotel opening is the perfect opportunity for them to show her just how they feel.
REVIEW
Dorset and The Manor is a perfectly beautiful and atmospheric setting. You couldn’t ask for a better place than this for a book. The book also has some lovely atmospheric writing that envelops you as you read about the harp playing, the lanterns burning, and the mysterious woodland setting. Author Lucy Foley’s writing is immensely descriptive.
The Midnight Feast is told from five points of view: Francesca, Owen, Bella, Eddie, a local and a manor employee, and finally, a detective. The story also includes excerpts from a summer journal dated late July 2009, written by a 16-year-old girl staying at the caravan park in Dorset near the manor house. With six points of view and alternating timelines, the story can, at times, be challenging to follow.
Character development is fairly good, but no one particularly pulled me into or made me care about the story. Francesca, with her arrogance and egotistic nature, was definitely someone you’ll love to hate. Bella tries to draw us into the story but is a little too mysterious, and initially, it is hard to figure out her role. I like the girl’s summer journal and felt it was a very strong and necessary part of the story.
Overall, I thought the story was good; it was unique, and the writing was wonderfully descriptive. Although it was a little difficult to read from multiple points of view and the varying timelines, I particularly appreciated the conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher William Morrow
Published June 18. 2024
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
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