Frances Hardinge

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015. The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric novel by Frances Hardinge, award-winning author of Cuckoo Song and Fly By Night.Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered. The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .

The Lie Tree

The plot was really good on this one. Sometimes Faith's actions and words were hard to follow but it was still a good book. I liked the characters and loved the unapologetic behaviour of some powerful women in the book. It was amazingly told and the author is very talented.

It took me a while to finish this book as I’ve been busy lately, but WOW this book was worth it.

Frances Hardinge is one of my new favourite authors with her amazingly beautiful way of writing. 

The Lie Tree is a fantasy adventure book set in the mid 1860s that follows the adventures of 13-year-old Faith, and her struggles when rumours emerge that her father has been selling fake fossils.

Her family moves to an island called Vane, and shortly after tragedy strikes. Faith, shaken by the disaster, later discovers a tree that feeds on lies. When you whisper a lie to the tree, the tree reveals a truth. The greater a lie, the greater the truth…

This book made me really feel for the girls and women of the 19th century. So many were shadowed and forgotten by the men around them. And makes me appreciate the opportunities I have today.

There was never a dull or boring page in this book, the lie tree wasn’t even introduced until around halfway through the book, but I still found myself gripped. 

A real page-turner, and a must-read, this was a fabulous book, and I have no complaints, apart from the fact it had to end.

If you’re looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump this could be the perfect book for you!

Selina 

It took me a while to finish this book as I’ve been busy lately, but WOW this book was worth it.

Frances Hardinge is one of my new favourite authors with her amazingly beautiful way of writing. 

The Lie Tree is a fantasy adventure book set in the mid 1860s that follows the adventures of 13-year-old Faith, and her struggles when rumours emerge that her father has been selling fake fossils.

Her family moves to an island called Vane, and shortly after tragedy strikes. Faith, shaken by the disaster, later discovers a tree that feeds on lies. When you whisper a lie to the tree, the tree reveals a truth. The greater a lie, the greater the truth…

This book made me really feel for the girls and women of the 19th century. So many were shadowed and forgotten by the men around them. And makes me appreciate the opportunities I have today.

There was never a dull or boring page in this book, the lie tree wasn’t even introduced until around halfway through the book, but I still found myself gripped. 

A real page-turner, and a must-read, this was a fabulous book, and I have no complaints, apart from the fact it had to end.

If you’re looking for a book to get you out of a reading slump this could be the perfect book for you!



Savindi Jinasena

I don't think I've read a book quite like  The Lie Tree. The prose in this book are so vivid and you can let your imagination run wild with them. I enjoyed the moral ambiguity of all the characters including the secondary ones. The women in this book are remarkable characters in their own right; each using their talents in the near non-existent space society has given to them to exercise them. I didn't see the plot twists coming at all and they took me by surprise in a good way. I'm so glad I discovered this book and I would love to read more of Frances Hardinge's work.

Sade A

Fast becoming a strong Frances Hardinge fan.
Really enjoyed this book.

Linden Stitch

Janice Hopper

Scribd had another book or two by Frances Hardinge, so I jumped right into this one.

It starts with the Sunderly family coming to the island of Vane under a cloud of disgrace, though nobody's talking about what's for a while. They've supposedly come to help with an archaeological dig, since Reverend Sunderly is well known for his work in the study of natural history.

But scandal intervenes. There's a murder, or maybe it was a suicide? Suicide had bad implications for inheritance in Victorian England. So Faith (the daughter) is pretty sure it's a murder. But how can she prove it? No one (i.e., no adult man) around her takes the ideas of a 12 year old girl seriously. 

But then there's a mysterious plant that feeds on lies. In turn, it will give you a truth, or the semblance of one. And then the story gets a bit dark, because if you want to learn a big truth, you have to feed the plant big lies. And Faith discovers she has an unexpected talent in this area.

Things get worse before they get better.

This is a very feminist book, in a GOOD way, mostly. Poor Faith has known from an early age that she is less valued than any brother she might have, in spite of how smart she is, and how determined. But she finds some power, even though it's not always a GOOD power. She comes to see that there is more than one way of being powerful. But power has costs, and sometimes you're not the one that pays the price.

This is a good book. I thought it MIGHT be hitting the feminist message a little hard in a few places, but that just makes it a little preachy. I liked it, though it's still a bit dark.

Amanda Kordeliski

This book was 400+ pages long. It has six starred reviews. It is one of the clear favorites to win the Printz. It is not my pick. It is also pretty rare that I say the middle of a book is the strongest part, but that is how I feel with this one. The pacing was very rough for me. Hardinge takes so long to set up family dynamics, the Victorian world, attitudes toward women...I had read over 30% of the book and it was just an infuriating commentary on the Victorian attitudes toward women. The heart of the book, where Faith finally becomes a dominant character and the mystery begins in earnest, is fabulous. I couldn't put it down when I was in the middle. I ran into the same pacing problem at the end of the book. Just wrap it up already! This is a title that I think many of my kids would enjoy, if I can keep them from abandoning the book in the first 100 pages. If I was awarding stars based on the lyrical writing in the middle, the excellence and originality of the writing and plot, it would be 5 stars all the way, but the excruciatingly slow beginning and winding ending knock it all the way down to 3 for me.

Jessica Guht

DNF 34 pages. 30 pages in and all this book has done is show how unfair Faith's life is. I'm not hooked enough to continue, maybe another time.

sara louise

”when every door is closed, one learns to climb through windows.”

I really really enjoyed this! wish we could’ve gotten to see more of paul and faith together because their dynamic was so much fun, but overall the mystery and atmosphere felt very much like what I’ve come to expect of hardinge.

Isabelle Irabor

Linn Jukri

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015, The Lie Tree is a dark and powerful novel from universally acclaimed author, Frances Hardinge. It was not enough. All knowledge- any knowledge - called to Faith, and there was a delicious, poisonous pleasure in stealing it unseen.Faith has a thirst for science and secrets that the rigid confines of her class cannot supress. And so it is that she discovers her disgraced father's journals, filled with the scribbled notes and theories of a man driven close to madness. Tales of a strange tree which, when told a lie, will uncover a truth: the greater the lie, the greater the truth revealed to the liar. Faith's search for the tree leads her into great danger - for where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .'Brilliant, dark, thrilling, utterly original' Patrick Ness'The Lie Tree is a wonder. I can't think of anyone who would not love this story' Matt Haig'I loved this book so much' Lucy Mangan'Complex and intelligent: a lustrous, delicious romp.' Philip Womack, The Telegraph

The Lie Tree. Celebration Edition

Anastaciya

It took me ages to read the book, as I was taking it to work trips, and rarely had time... Finally finished it. I liked The Lie Tree so much. The writing style, the historical part, the mystery, characters, all was very well done. already bought two more books by Frances Hardinge. Highly recommend.

On an island off the south coast of Victorian England, fourteen-year-old Faith investigates the mysterious death of her father, who was involved in a scandal, and discovers a tree that feeds upon lies and gives those who eat its fruit visions of truth.

Aly Valenz

I had a rough start, I was having
Problems with
Understanding what it was about. I am still a little confused on the outcome.
Overall it
Was entertaining.

Jafe

Marissa

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015, The Lie Tree is a dark and powerful novel from universally acclaimed author, Frances Hardinge, and illustrated by Children's Laureate, Chris RiddellIt was not enough. All knowledge- any knowledge - called to Faith, and there was a delicious, poisonous pleasure in stealing it unseen.Faith has a thirst for science and secrets that the rigid confines of her class cannot supress. And so it is that she discovers her disgraced father's journals, filled with the scribbled notes and theories of a man driven close to madness. Tales of a strange tree which, when told a lie, will uncover a truth: the greater the lie, the greater the truth revealed to the liar. Faith's search for the tree leads her into great danger - for where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .The Lie Tree: Illustrated Edition is packed full of gorgeous black and white illustrations by double Kate Greenaway Medal winning-illustrator, Chris Riddell, author of the Goth Girl and Ottoline series.'Brilliant, dark, thrilling, utterly original' Patrick Ness'The Lie Tree is a wonder. I can't think of anyone who would not love this story' Matt Haig'I loved this book so much' Lucy Mangan'Complex and intelligent: a lustrous, delicious romp.' Philip Womack, The Telegraph

The Lie Tree

Reviews