Hester Fox

A town gripped by fear. A woman cast out. Can he save Pale Harbor from itself? Maine, 1846. Gideon Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife's death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor. But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the decaying Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband. As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a madman inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gideon must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe's darkest tales.

The Widow of Pale Harbor

Colleen

2.5 Stars 

*A maudlin story that spends more time building angst than suspense*


Last year, I read Fox’s debut novel The Witch of Willow Hall which I enjoyed. I was excited to read her new book, The Widow of Pale Harbor, both because it is set in Maine and because the spooky Gothic story sounded perfect for an October read. Although the story had good bones, the majority of the story was bogged down by hopeless agnst.

Set in 1846, the story starts with Gideon Stone moving to a small, remote town in Maine to become the town’s new preacher. His spiritual mission quickly falls by the wayside when he becomes obsessed with the town’s mysterious widow, Sophronia Carver. Bad things start happening around town, and typical of any stereotypical superstitious small town, Sophronia is blamed and suspected of witchcraft.

I wanted to like Sophronia. Her fierce independence in a time when it was so hard for women to be self-sufficient should have been more rousing. But she was such a depressing, frustrating character. Gideon was hopeless from the start. Nothing about his character rang true. And when I finally found out what triggered his self-appointed exile, I was blown away by how ridiculous it was! No spoilers, but I have zero pity for anyone so hell-bent on martyrdom over something that ludicrous.

Far too much time in this book was taken up by the two main characters self-flagellation over their guilt towards their deceased spouses. They each feel guilty for different reasons, but it is undeniable that their moping takes up a significant portion of this book. By the end, I disliked both of them. And that made it impossible to enjoy the book. The constant push and pull of their inexplicable obsession with each other battling against their self-reproach was exhausting to read. The whole thing had this judgmental, preachy feel to it and not just because of Gideon being a minister or the oppressive restraint of the time period.


  “Take this as a warning: if you are not able or willing to control yourself, it will not only be you who suffers the consequences but those around you, as well.”

Although the romance in The Witch of Willow Hall was slightly on the cheesy side, the level of angst stayed at a tolerable level. I liked the characters and was able to root for the lovebirds. Part of that was because the main characters of the first book were younger, so their impetuous love was understandable. But in The Widow of Pale Harbor, Gideon and Sophronia were like two self-exhiled Prometheuses hellbent on being miserable. I expect a certain amount of gloominess in Gothic stories, but I prefer it to come from the atmosphere not the characters’ personalities. 

If you can back away from all the puritanical penitence, there is a good story underneath. There is a suspenseful mystery inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. If a bit more time had been spent on the mystery and less time on the annoying characters, then I would have enjoyed this story much more. I really did want to like it, but the characters ruined it for me.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 2 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Elaina 

It wasn’t what I was expecting. There were some surprising plot twists and overall I didn’t not like the book, it just wasn’t really what I was envisioning when I picked it up.

Renee Delcourt

I enjoyed Hester Fox's debute novel and was really excited for the novel's release. I enjoyed it, but had a lot of trouble getting into the plot line. There is some things you need to suspend belief for, like the kind of insta love aspect and some of the things done to scare Sophronia or the fact that that a person can just show up at a church and take over sermon there? I think that some of the characters were a little on the flat side, but I really enjoyed Sophronia's character a lot. Overall I definitely think it was an alright book but not one I would necessarily read again.

A town gripped by fear. A woman accused of witchcraft. Who can save Pale Harbor from itself? Maine, 1846. Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him in Massachusetts after his wife’s death, so he moves to Maine, taking a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbor. But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with a spinster maid in the eerie Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband. As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a twisted person inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbor will suffer a fate worthy of Poe’s darkest tales. Hester Fox comes to writing from a background in the museum field as a collections maintenance technician. This job has taken her from historic houses to fine art museums, where she has the privilege of cleaning and caring for collections that range from paintings by old masters to ancient artifacts to early-American furniture. She is a keen painter and has a master’s degree in historical archaeology, as well as a background in medieval studies and art history. Hester lives outside Boston with her husband.

Heather Harrington

Gabriel Stone is desperate to start over after the death of his wife, so he takes a minister position and moves to the small seaside town of Pale Harbor. He soon finds out the town isn't as quaint as it seems. Strange and unsettling occurrences fit for an Edgar Allan Poe story have been plaguing the town, and the villagers are convinced they know who's behind it: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives with her stoic maid in the looming Castle Carver. To the townspeople, Sophronia is the witch that haunts their town, and she most definitely killed her husband. When the incidents start to turn deadly, and Gabriel and Sophronia both find themselves targeted, and with emotions and passions high, the two band together to find who the true culprit is before it's too late.

I really enjoyed this. It was so fast-paced that before I even knew it, I was already halfway through. I loved how atmospheric it was, and the crimes and clues all relating to Poe really lent to the whole Gothic vibe. One thing I particularly liked was how I couldn't figure out who was behind the deeds, there were a few different characters who definitely had a motive, so I was pleasantly surprised when the reveal came. I thought Gabriel and Sophronia bounced well off each other and complimented the other so nicely. Fox really impresses me with her writing and the choices she makes. If you're a fan of mysteries or historical fiction, this is definitely one to pick up.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Heather Fox (author of The Witch of Willow Hall), The Widow of Pale Harbor follows Sophronia, whom the town believes to be a witch, and Gabriel Stone, the new minister in the town who has a history he is trying to hide.

This novel was well written and flowed, keeping the reader entertained. This is a historical fiction novel. With that, this has far less fantasy elements (one character seems to do magic, but it isn’t like her other novel) and is pushed forward by the characters.


 
I enjoyed the two main characters a lot – it is a romance after all – and kept reading because of them. The mystery in this story is dark, and there is some violence at the end. But, with that, I really enjoyed this novel overall.

If you enjoyed her last novel, you may like this novel. If you like historical fiction set in the USA. There is a very sweet romance in this novel. Very much a historical fiction novel, so if you don’t like that genre, you probably won’t like this novel.

I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Cris

Callisone Dozier

Charlie Semaan 

Lucha

HESTER. FOX

Her secret will tear the town apart.Maine, 1846.Gabriel Stone is desperate to escape the ghosts that haunt him after his wife's death, so he takes a position as a minister in the remote village of Pale Harbour. But not all is as it seems in the sleepy town. Strange, unsettling things have been happening, and the townspeople claim that only one person can be responsible: Sophronia Carver, a reclusive widow who lives in the decaying Castle Carver. Sophronia must be a witch, and she almost certainly killed her husband. As the incidents escalate, one thing becomes clear: they are the work of a madman inspired by the wildly popular stories of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. And Gabriel must find answers, or Pale Harbour will suffer a fate worthy of Poe's darkest tales.

The Widow of Pale Harbor

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