WOW! I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, Leah had had a tragic time recently losing both her son in a terrible accident and then her husband. Leah purchases Maitland Farm, in a rush to get away from her past, although it was considered as a purchase when Josh was still alive.

As soon as Leah moves in eerie things start happening, she sees past residents of the farm, but they seem to be edging into her present life too, strange things start happening, Mistletoe popping up around the house for one. What secrets are hidden in Maitland Farm?

This was a spooky read and I was hooked, I honestly couldn’t put it down it was so captivating.

This is the first book I have read by Alison Littlewood but after reading this, it definitely won’t be the last. It was well written and absolutely brilliant!
( )

Alison Littlewood’s previous novels, particularly The Hidden People and The Crow Garden, show her mastery of what one could call “neo-Victorian” fiction. Besides successfully evoking the atmosphere of the era, these novels reference the popular genres of the time, particularly the “Gothic” and “sensation” novels of Wilkie Collins and others.

Littlewood’s latest book, Mistletoe, appears at first to be quite a different proposition – an atmospheric ghost story set over the Christmas period in modern-day, rural Yorkshire. Then again, the custom of telling ghost stories around the fire during the festive season is a long-established one. It hardly needs reminding that Dickens’ Christmas books – such as A Christmas Carol and The Chimes – are seasonal supernatural tales. Mistletoe taps into this rich tradition.

The initial chapters of the novel introduce us to young widow Leah Hamilton. Having just lost her husband and son, Leah feels she must honour a project her late husband had been planning – that of acquiring and converting a farm in remote, rural Yorkshire which might actually have belonged to Leah’s ancestors.

Leah wants to avoid the stress of a city Christmas: “the gaudy shop windows, the ever-repeating chirp of carols, the cheerfulness of her colleagues that faded when they saw her watching…” She rushes through the move from Manchester to Yorkshire, even though Maitland Farm still needs a lot of hard work for it to be made comfortably habitable. Leah arrives to a scene of picture-postcard (or should I say Christmas card?) prettiness: fields covered in snow and a sense of expectation “hidden in the spaces between snowflakes, almost visible through their flicker and dance”. Quite soon, however, Leah discovers that the house harbours dark secrets. Barely into the second chapter, she must face unexplained happenings such as snowballs thrown by invisible figures, disembodied voices, strange visions and upsetting discoveries.

In its first part, Mistletoe presents us with many typical “haunted house” tropes: the “naïve” city dweller who relocates to the country; the overeager estate agent; the pangs of ‘buyer’s guilt’; restless spirits awakened by new residents; neighbours who clearly know more about the house’s past than they are willing to let on.

Once the scene is set, however, the novel comes into its own and reveals some pleasant surprises. Firstly, although subtitled “A Ghost Story”, Mistletoe is more of a time-slip novel. As the barrier between past and present crumbles, Leah starts having increasingly detailed visions related to heinous deeds connected to the house. The book retains its supernatural bent, but the scenes set in the past take us into the realm of uncanny historical fiction at which Littlewood excels.

Another distinctive feature of the novel is that it weaves into its plot strong elements of folklore, particularly plant lore related to Christmas. The “mistletoe” of the title, of course, features heavily, but there are also references to holly and ivy, and other seasonal traditions such as wassailing. In other words, Christmas and its customs are not simply a convenient “frame” for the story but play a central role in the novel.

Because of its plot, Mistletoe is best savoured opposite a fireplace on a long winter’s night, preferably accompanied by hot punch and mince pies. However, its delightful brand of spookiness ensures that, like Dickens’ seasonal novels, it can be enjoyed all the year round.

For the full review including an (early) playlist of carols and folksongs for Christmas, head to:

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2019/10/alison-littlewood-mistletoe.html ( )

Alison Littlewood’s previous novels, particularly The Hidden People and The Crow Garden, show her mastery of what one could call “neo-Victorian” fiction. Besides successfully evoking the atmosphere of the era, these novels reference the popular genres of the time, particularly the “Gothic” and “sensation” novels of Wilkie Collins and others.

Littlewood’s latest book, Mistletoe, appears at first to be quite a different proposition – an atmospheric ghost story set over the Christmas period in modern-day, rural Yorkshire. Then again, the custom of telling ghost stories around the fire during the festive season is a long-established one. It hardly needs reminding that Dickens’ Christmas books – such as A Christmas Carol and The Chimes – are seasonal supernatural tales. Mistletoe taps into this rich tradition.

The initial chapters of the novel introduce us to young widow Leah Hamilton. Having just lost her husband and son, Leah feels she must honour a project her late husband had been planning – that of acquiring and converting a farm in remote, rural Yorkshire which might actually have belonged to Leah’s ancestors.

Leah wants to avoid the stress of a city Christmas: “the gaudy shop windows, the ever-repeating chirp of carols, the cheerfulness of her colleagues that faded when they saw her watching…” She rushes through the move from Manchester to Yorkshire, even though Maitland Farm still needs a lot of hard work for it to be made comfortably habitable. Leah arrives to a scene of picture-postcard (or should I say Christmas card?) prettiness: fields covered in snow and a sense of expectation “hidden in the spaces between snowflakes, almost visible through their flicker and dance”. Quite soon, however, Leah discovers that the house harbours dark secrets. Barely into the second chapter, she must face unexplained happenings such as snowballs thrown by invisible figures, disembodied voices, strange visions and upsetting discoveries.

In its first part, Mistletoe presents us with many typical “haunted house” tropes: the “naïve” city dweller who relocates to the country; the overeager estate agent; the pangs of ‘buyer’s guilt’; restless spirits awakened by new residents; neighbours who clearly know more about the house’s past than they are willing to let on.

Once the scene is set, however, the novel comes into its own and reveals some pleasant surprises. Firstly, although subtitled “A Ghost Story”, Mistletoe is more of a time-slip novel. As the barrier between past and present crumbles, Leah starts having increasingly detailed visions related to heinous deeds connected to the house. The book retains its supernatural bent, but the scenes set in the past take us into the realm of uncanny historical fiction at which Littlewood excels.

Another distinctive feature of the novel is that it weaves into its plot strong elements of folklore, particularly plant lore related to Christmas. The “mistletoe” of the title, of course, features heavily, but there are also references to holly and ivy, and other seasonal traditions such as wassailing. In other words, Christmas and its customs are not simply a convenient “frame” for the story but play a central role in the novel.

Because of its plot, Mistletoe is best savoured opposite a fireplace on a long winter’s night, preferably accompanied by hot punch and mince pies. However, its delightful brand of spookiness ensures that, like Dickens’ seasonal novels, it can be enjoyed all the year round.

For the full review including an (early) playlist of carols and folksongs for Christmas, head to:

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2019/10/alison-littlewood-mistletoe.html ( )

Leah buys Maitland Farm after losing her husband and son. The farm did belong to Leah's ancestors and as she settles in the ghosts of the past start to appear.

I really enjoyed this book. I wanted to read an atmospheric Christmas book and this one did the trick.

I story takes place mostly on the farm. Covered in snow and isolated the story has that closed in feel. The author I felt did a really good job making the story atmospheric with her descriptions.

The story also has a ghostly feel to it. Rather than a creepy tale, it's more of a time slip. Leah sees the past play out and finds out what really happened on the farm. Again I think the author did this really well.
The story did have a couple of twists in the plot which made the book interesting.

I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author. Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book, although I'm really late doing so. ( )