Skip to main content

Blog Tour: The Legacy of Old Gran Parks by Isobel Blackthorn

 


SYNOPSIS

Southern Australia, 1983. While Middle-aged stalwart Miriam rolls into town in her broken-down car, Frankie - a deer hunter - is up in the forested hinterland with her gun.

Meanwhile, fisherwoman Old Pearl sits on her front deck with her dog, a glass of whisky in her hand, and Emily, the English backpacker, scrubs out the pie-encrusted kitchen at the roadhouse.

But all is not well.

Gran Parks is stirring.

Four troubled women. One restless spirit.

Who will survive?

REVIEW

This tale lures you to the edge of your seat like you would around a campfire. You don’t know how, you don’t know where or what, but you do know something big is about the happen. Almost as though you are bracing yourself as go down the first fast decline on a rollercoaster.

Old Gran Parks is different in the sense that you know something is not right in a small town, but you don't truly know or understand what is really going on until it presents itself at that moment in time when everything is revealed. Truly, I wasn't expecting anything that actually happened. But I do know one thing, don't always trust what you see. Sometimes things happen in places that you never expect.

Most of all it is an interesting take on the human mind and how we look and take note of certain people and situations. As someone who loves to read literature that goes beyond just the written page, this did excite me. It gave me that basis to look at how we are as humans and how we sometimes make our own problems when we shouldn't have to. 

If you want something that is a bit darker and challenges the deepest and darkest aspect of your soul, you should add this book to your TBR list very soon.

RATING: *** 1/2 (THREE AND A HALF STARS)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of unique and engaging fiction. She writes across a range of genres, including gripping mysteries and dark psychological thrillers.

Isobel won the Finalist Award in the Readers' Favourite Book Awards 2020 for her novel A Prison in the Sun. Her short story 'Nothing to Declare' was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. Isobel won a Raven Award in 2019 for her dark thriller A Legacy of Old Gran Parks. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018.

Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Her engagement with Alice Bailey's life and works has culminated in the biographical novel The Unlikely Occultist and the full biography Alice A. Bailey: Life and Legacy.

Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. Four of her novels are set on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These standalone novels are setting rich and fall into the broad nature of travel fiction.

Isobel has led a rich and interesting life and her stories are as diverse as her experiences, the highs and lows, and the dramas. A life-long campaigner for social justice, Isobel has written, protested and leant her weight to a range of issues including asylum seekers and family violence. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives in rural Victoria, Australia.

BUY LINKS


FOLLOW THE BLOG TOUR




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

  I’ve been following Ashley Poston’s work for a while. At first it was the comic con series back in 2020 when she first became known to me during COVID. After I read the series I forgot about her for a while. It was only when I went into my local Waterstones to pick up The Dead Romantics she came back under my radar. She is now one of my must buys if a new book comes out. Her take of the romantic genre has always been fresh and interesting with some form of magical realism. A Novel Love Story follows our heroine Elsy, otherwise referred to as Eileen. Unlucky in love she struggles to try new things. Instead, she is comforted by her favourite book series by her favourite author, Rachel Flowers. On her way to a cabin retreat by herself, she finds her car broken down in a town that is somewhat familiar to her favourite book series. I’m not going to lie, compared to Poston’s earlier novels this book took some time for me to get into. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve had to...

My Favourite Books... So Far

I have only really been reading seriously since I was thirteen years old, but I sure have found some books which I believe have really entertained and changed my perspective of life. Here are a few that I have rounded up that might be of interest to you. 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Yes, this is pretty much a staple in any young reader's bookshelf, but not for me it wasn't. I didn't get to read this treasure until I was nineteen and I was so annoyed that I left it so long. Seriously, who doesn't love the idea of winning a golden ticket to a chocolate factory? It's the perfect little read for any age. Don't get me started on the writing! Oh, I could talk all day about it. It's simply perfection. 2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell I know I'm basic. This is already such a popular book already, but I just couldn't resist. This book personally came at the right time for me. I read it just as I was going round and researching universities t...

Heiress Apparently (Daughters of the Dynasty) by Diana Ma

  SYNOPSIS Gemma Huang is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Illinois, having abandoned plans for college to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now she is living with three roommates in a two-bedroom hovel, auditioning for bit roles that hardly cover rent. Gemma's big break comes when she's asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing. When she arrives, she's stopped by paparazzi at the airport. She quickly realises she may as well be the twin of one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations, in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from - one her mother would conceal from her daughter at any cost.

Thoughts of a Bookworm #2: I am a book addict

Throughout my reading life, there has always been something that has made me happy beyond measure. It's the feeling which I get from buying and collecting and placing new books on my shelf. It is even that great excitement when I have gone into my favourite bookshop and be able to walk around to buying that book that I've been eying up after half an hour browsing. But then the pandemic happened and my reading habits changed for the worst.  At first, when the lockdown was first announced, everything was fine. I still had my last year studies at university, which were coming to a close and I had my sister with me. So, I would say I was pretty lucky compared to some of the other people that were facing the same problem of the pandemic. It is only when I finished my degree and began looking for a new job it seems my life took a little spiral and I have only come to realise this in the last few months. Then the book requests started to enter my inbox. The inbox that I haven't lo...

The Snow Song by Sally Gardner

Synopsis : 'Women imprisoned by superstition, chained by guilt. Perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests is a village, rife with secrets. Cut off from the outside world it is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all. Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her. As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech. And it is this enchantment that will have far-reaching consequences, not only for Edith but for the whole village.'