Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace...
In an elite Catholic girls' boarding-school, the pupils live under the repressive, watchful gaze of the nuns. Seeking to break from the cloistered atmosphere, two of the students - Louisa and Victoria - quickly become infatuated with their young, bohemian art teacher, who encourages their flirtation. Then, he and Louisa vanish.
Years later, a journalist uncovers the troubled past of the school and determines to resolve the mystery of the missing pair.
The Temple House Vanishing is not just a tale about a missing girl and her teacher but a journey of friendship, love and self discover, and at times this can be quite melancholy and dark.
There are four main characters: Louisa, the model academic student with a willing to please. Unliked by other students for her outstanding grades and newness to the school, more so due to her companionship with Victoria.
Victoria: A lackadaisical approach towards school and life in general. Carefree, naive and judged by others because of her ways.
Helen: Head pupil with abiding fellow students and parents who have a charitable input in the school's well-being.
Mr. Lavelle: A charismatic enigma, young, handsome art teacher.
A journalist, with a personal reason, wanting to uncover the truth of how and why they disappeared and where they are now 25 years later.
The narrative is told from the perspective of Louisa and the journalist and as much as I loved the synopsis I wasn't drawn in as much as I had anticipated.
The book had a slow sombre and it really took me a while to get to grips with where this story was leading, but when I got there I adjusted my reading to a more frequent pace. I wouldn't say this was a page turner of a read, but there were parts that held my attention and I thought Yes, now this is interesting and could see it going somewhere good, just to be brought back to a slower pace, with parts that just seemed too dull that could have been so exciting.
Unfortunately I was also a little disappointed with Mr. Lavelle's character, being such a big influence in this book but then having such little participation. I didn't get a real sense of who he really was or where his intentions lay. Maybe I was expecting more than I should have.
Another uncertainty is in who the audience of this book is meant for. At first look this could be your general mystery, thriller but after reading ,it seems to lead towards more of a young adult read. However, the author writes with an advanced, perhaps ornate style for the majority of a YA reader.
Nevertheless, harsh as my review may sound, this was Rachel Donohue's first novel. It was an enjoyable read, and I still had the desire to read to the end, which was beautifully written, and discover the mystery of The Temple House Vanishing.
Thank you to Reader's First and Corvus publishing for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book so that I could give an honest review.
In an elite Catholic girls' boarding-school, the pupils live under the repressive, watchful gaze of the nuns. Seeking to break from the cloistered atmosphere, two of the students - Louisa and Victoria - quickly become infatuated with their young, bohemian art teacher, who encourages their flirtation. Then, he and Louisa vanish.
Years later, a journalist uncovers the troubled past of the school and determines to resolve the mystery of the missing pair.
The Temple House Vanishing is not just a tale about a missing girl and her teacher but a journey of friendship, love and self discover, and at times this can be quite melancholy and dark.
There are four main characters: Louisa, the model academic student with a willing to please. Unliked by other students for her outstanding grades and newness to the school, more so due to her companionship with Victoria.
Victoria: A lackadaisical approach towards school and life in general. Carefree, naive and judged by others because of her ways.
Helen: Head pupil with abiding fellow students and parents who have a charitable input in the school's well-being.
Mr. Lavelle: A charismatic enigma, young, handsome art teacher.
A journalist, with a personal reason, wanting to uncover the truth of how and why they disappeared and where they are now 25 years later.
The narrative is told from the perspective of Louisa and the journalist and as much as I loved the synopsis I wasn't drawn in as much as I had anticipated.
The book had a slow sombre and it really took me a while to get to grips with where this story was leading, but when I got there I adjusted my reading to a more frequent pace. I wouldn't say this was a page turner of a read, but there were parts that held my attention and I thought Yes, now this is interesting and could see it going somewhere good, just to be brought back to a slower pace, with parts that just seemed too dull that could have been so exciting.
Unfortunately I was also a little disappointed with Mr. Lavelle's character, being such a big influence in this book but then having such little participation. I didn't get a real sense of who he really was or where his intentions lay. Maybe I was expecting more than I should have.
Another uncertainty is in who the audience of this book is meant for. At first look this could be your general mystery, thriller but after reading ,it seems to lead towards more of a young adult read. However, the author writes with an advanced, perhaps ornate style for the majority of a YA reader.
Nevertheless, harsh as my review may sound, this was Rachel Donohue's first novel. It was an enjoyable read, and I still had the desire to read to the end, which was beautifully written, and discover the mystery of The Temple House Vanishing.
Thank you to Reader's First and Corvus publishing for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book so that I could give an honest review.