Where Ivy Dares to Grow: A Gothic Time Travel Love Story
Where Ivy Dares to Grow by Marielle Thompson is billed as a “gothic time travel love story” and certainly fulfills that promise. American Saoirse Read seems to be leading a fairy tale life. While completing her Ph.D. in medieval history in London, she meets Jack Page, a member of the landed and wealthy gentry. Their relationship blossoms and the two are soon engaged, much to the chagrin of Jack’s haughty parents. Unfortunately, their relationship is tested as Saoirse suffers from an unnamed mental illness and Jack’s mother is diagnosed with a terminal illness. As the two repair to Langdon Hall, the ancestral seat of the Page family, Saoirse is literally drawn into the past where she winds up in 1818 with Theodore Page, a long-dead ancestor of her fiancé. Soon Saoirse is questioning her sanity or perhaps the toxic relationships she is surrounded by. Will Theo give her the confidence to break free?
Marielle Thompson excels at crafting an atmospheric novel populated by villainous characters and creepy houses. The descriptions practically ooze with gothic flavor as Saoirse wanders around the seemingly possessed Langdon Hall on her own, caught in her own fractured thoughts. However, while written beautifully, the sentence structure is often overburdened with extraneous details. The effect can leave the reader confused and struggling to return to the main plot line. On a positive note, Thompson treats Saoirse’s mental illness with compassion and even provides a full explanation at the end of the novel.
Readers who enjoy moody, gothic style novels or time slip plot lines, will find much to enjoy in Where Ivy Dares to Grow.
