By Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
**Finalist in the 2022 American Writing Awards**
Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular Outlander books and television series, but few know that Gabaldon’s fictional Castle Leoch was inspired by a real Scottish castle, Castle Leod. The two sisters who lived there at the turn of the twentieth century were among the most fascinating and talked-about women of their era.
Lady Sibell Mackenzie is a spiritualist, a believer in reincarnation, and a popular author of mystical romances. Petite and proper, she values tradition and duty. Her younger sister Lady Constance, swimming champion and big game hunter, is a statuesque beauty who scandalizes British society with her public displays of Greek-style barefoot dancing. The differences between the sisters escalate into conflict after Sibell inherits their late father’s vast estates and the title 3rd Countess of Cromartie. But it is the birth of Sibell’s daughter that sets in motion a series of bizarre and tragic events, pitting sister against sister and propelling Sibell on a desperate mission to challenge the power of fate.
Sisters of Castle Leod, by award-winning author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, is the emotionally charged story of two sisters torn apart by jealousy and superstition, and the impossible leap of faith that could finally bring them together.
Sibell and Constance had always been at odds with each other. For sisters growing up together, they are very different, Sibell preferring her own company, and a book to keep her occupied, and Constance very outgoing and an excellent sportsman. Constance always seemed to be favoured by their father, and most people around them, but still, Sibell finds herself as named heir to the castle and lands when their father passes away.
Sibell struggles in the job of Countess, she is young and unsure what she must do. The title and lands quickly become a subject of contempt between the two sisters, for Constance was left with nothing but a tidy sum of money to become her dowery, and feels entitled to much more. More and more things start coming between them, and it seems they can never truly forgive and forget.
I will start by saying, I have never heard about Sibell Mackenzie, 3rd Countess of Cromartie, and her younger sister, Lady Constance. They are people who have been hidden in history for me until now. But, reading this book, they came back to life, and I was glad to have been introduced to them.
Sibell is a character I absolutely adored reading about, she goes through so much throughout the course of the book, and she is still so young through everything. She finds the responsibilities of being the Countess difficult, especially being a young woman, for her Uncle is initially in charge until she turns twenty-one, and she is not taken seriously about a lot of matters. Nevertheless, she finds herself managing to get by, and plenty of people, such as the tenants of the land, grow to admire her. She is not an outgoing individual, she finds small talk awkward and boring, and is very relatable in this sense, although she has little choice when it comes to conversing with others due to her important role.
While Sibell had my full attention and support, I simply could not bring myself to like Constance even the slightest bit. She was spoiled growing up, made to think she was the best at everything, and being the ‘favourite’ daughter led her into adulthood with the opinion she deserves all there is. She is simply awful to Sibell, for things that Sibell cannot help, such as the lands being left to her, and not having more for herself. While Constance is very skilled at many things, she appears to not understand responsibility and caused many a scandal. I can see quite clearly why the siblings did not get on, for I couldn’t stand Constance while reading, but I didn’t have to live with her!
There is a strong theme in this book about spiritualism, and what might lay beyond this physical realm. As children, Sibell and Constance went looking for one of Castle Leod’s ghosts, the Night Watchman, but when they found him, only Sibell could see him. Her connection to such spiritual things accentuates her ability to slow down and see what others cannot, while Constance never believed, and didn’t have the patience to sit around and open her mind to see what might happen. Sibell’s journey with legends, and subjects such as reincarnation and life after death is led by many different people, and she finds herself among many spiritualists, who are not necessarily able to give her the answers she so desperately seeks. I am not sure how closely this book follows the true lives of Sibell and Constance, at times the way Sibell interacts with the spiritual world give this book an almost fantasy feel, although I have never looked into the different paths of spiritualism to know whether these moments are simply fantastical, or an actual possibility.
From the first few pages, I couldn’t stop reading this book. The historical detailing drew me in and I was entranced by the words. Sibell lived over 100 years ago, but she comes back to life among these pages. I think Sibell would be an incredibly interesting person to sit down and have a cup of tea with, even though neither of us would be incredibly comfortable with the social interaction. After reading this book, I have a great admiration for her, and all she achieved in her life, although this book only follows a small portion of her life, and I know for certain that there is much more to learn. I have searched online and come up with very little, which simply proves how much the author has researched the lives of the sisters to find the original newspaper articles and documents to tell their story with accuracy.
This is an absolutely amazing novel, and one I greatly enjoyed. I know I will be reading this book again, and will keep an eye out for the author!
A former touring musician/songwriter and public relations professional, Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is the author of two Amazon bestsellers: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR, "a compelling historical novel steeped in mystery with strong elements of a medical thriller" (Readers' Favorite, 5 stars), and TEMPTATION RAG: A NOVEL, a "resonant novel ... about the birth and demise of ragtime ... luxuriously crafted" (Publishers Weekly). Her books have been finalists for the Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Awards, and Arizona Literary Contest; they have received 5-star ratings from Readers” Favorite, Book Readers Appreciation Group, and historical fiction Discovered Diamonds. Elizabeth and her family live near Phoenix, Arizona.
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Thank you so much for hosting Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard today, and for your wonderful review. I couldn't agree more. xx
ReplyDeletePosting on behalf of Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard who would like to thank you very much for your wonderful review.
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