Review of Florence and Giles by John Harding

This book was successful before it was published. It is obvious that after publishing, the book became a bestseller. We are referring to “Florence and Giles”, the mystery book written by John Harding. This tale begins with a murky atmosphere set in New England during 1891. Inside an old and abandoned manor, called Blithe House, two brothers live along with the housekeeper Mrs Grouse. They are the 12 year old Florence and her younger brother Giles. Their tutor is the uncle who, however, lives in New York. Florence spends her days in a tower filled with every type of book. The girl was forbidden to learn reading because her uncle believes that reading is dangerous for women. Because of this forbiddance, Florence is forced to go to the tower secretly. Her readings are often interrupted by a young neighbour, Theo Van Hoosier, who keeps Florence company when Giles is sent at school for very long. It is at this stage of the tale that the book takes a surprising turn! The life and the readings of Florence are, indeed, shaken from the arrival of the new governess, Miss Taylor, a strange woman that looks like the previous governess, mysteriously drowned in the lake of the town. Very soon, Miss Taylor reveals strange powers that make Florence scared and frightened, such as, for instance, the malevolent face of the woman reflected in all mirrors of the house. Meanwhile, Giles, the brother of Florence, arrives home and makes friends with Miss Taylor. Rather, the governess shows to be more interested in him and to hate Florence. One night, the girl notices that Miss Taylor entered into the bedroom of Giles and is bent on him whispering these awful words: “"Ah my dear, I would eat you." This fact scares Florence even more. The girl also discovers two tickets for France in the bedroom of Miss Taylor and a baggage with the clothes of Giles. From this moment, Florence realizes that Miss Taylor wants to kidnap Giles. From this moment, Florence also begins a hard fight against Miss Taylor, asking Mrs Grouse and the policeman who investigate on the death of the drowned governess, to help her send away Miss Taylor. The governess figures out that Florence and Mrs Grouse want her away from the house and this triggers a murderous attack of Miss Taylor against the housekeeper. Furthermore, Miss Taylor knows that Florence can read! In short: Miss Taylor is very dangerous for Florence, who fears her uncle may discover he learned reading. The final stages of the book are very rich of turns of events. At last, it will be very hard understanding who is more astute and wicked between Miss Taylor and Florence. In this book, the author managed to create not only a high level of mystery and suspense, but also a great style of writing. Thank to her lectures, Florence learns a new language, indeed, using adjectives like nouns and vice versa. John Harding is excellent when he describes Florence’s words and sentences. The author is also great when he tells about the war between Miss Taylor and Florence. Through the right dose of mystery, Harding could also erase the subtle border between a horror tale and a psychological thriller. At a certain point, indeed, readers will wonder: Who is the bad guy in this tale? Miss Taylor or Florence? To find the answers, we advise you to read the book! Buy here.