Book Description
Once upon a time Gabrielle Price wrote and published an extraordinary novel.
But twenty years on her literary star has dimmed, her “work of genius” is all but forgotten, and no further novels have materialized. She now lives an unremarkable life: middle-aged, living alone in the sleepy village she grew up in, and working as a housekeeper for the local vicar. Her lonely existence is dominated by memories of her best friend Madeleine, who died young, in tragic and mysterious circumstances.
Gabrielle’s quiet world is turned upside down when she meets and befriends Simon – young, attractive, a would-be writer, and enthusiastic fan of the astonishing novel that Gabrielle published all those years ago. Charmed and flattered, she recklessly invites him into her home and her heart. But Simon is mysterious and manipulative, and it’s not long before he forces Gabrielle to confront the demons in her past. Gabrielle’s obsession begins to destroy her carefully cultivated life, and she comes to feel increasingly threatened by Simon’s presence.
Who is he? Why did he seek her out? And what does he really want?
Publication Details
Author: Helen Kitson
Book Title: The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson
Publisher: Louise Walters Books
Publication Date: 7 March 2019
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781999780951
Pages: 320
About the Author
Helen Kitson lives in Worcester with her husband, YA author Elon Dann, and their two children. She is a poet and fiction writer whose work has appeared in a number of literary magazines, including Ambit, The Reader, Feminist Review and Stand.
Her first poetry collection was nominated for the Forward Best First Collection Prize, and in 1996 she was joint winner of the BBC Wildlife Magazine Poet of the Year competition. She was shortlisted for the Dundee Book Prize in 2016. Helen graduated from the Open University with a BA (Hons) in Humanities in 2013 and went on to study for an MA in Art History.
Her debut novel, The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson, was published by Louise Walters Books in 2019.
My Review
Thank you to Louise Walters of Louise Walters Books and Helen Kitson for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel prior to publication.
I requested an ARC of this novel after seeing the striking cover and intriguing blurb. When I received my copy I was over the moon and the beautiful cover reflects the theme of the book perfectly.
The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson is an unsettling novel regarding a writer, the past and a haunting secret brought to attention by a mysterious fan.
I found this a wonderful yet unsettling voyage. The author has created characters with intriguing depth. This is an expertly written, captivating and convincing story that I know I will read again.
There were so many sentences, paragraphs or comments which I felt spoke directly to me and will stay with me for a long time.
MoMoBookDiary Index
- Author
- Helen Kitson
- Title
- The Last Words of Madeleine Anderson
- Publisher
- Louise Walters Books
- Genre
- Literary Fiction
- Setting
- tbc
- Source
- Louise Walters Books
- Date Read
- October 2018
- Review Shared
- Amazon
- Goodreads
MoMoBookDiary 
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