The Artist of Blackberry Grange
BOOK BY Paulette Kennedy
For a young caregiver in the Ozarks, an old house holds haunting memories in a ghostly novel about family secrets, sacrifice, and lost loves by the author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport. In the summer of 1925, the winds of change are particularly chilling for a young woman whose life has suddenly become unbalanced. Devastated by her mother's death and a cruel, broken engagement, Sadie Halloran learns that her great-aunt Marguerite, a renowned artist now in the throes of dementia, needs a live-in companion. Grasping at newfound purpose, Sadie leaves her desolate Kansas City boardinghouse for Blackberry Grange, Marguerite's once-grand mansion sitting precariously atop an Arkansas bluff. Though Marguerite is a fading shell of the vibrant woman Sadie remembers, Marguerite is feverishly compelled to paint eerie, hallucinatory portraits of old lovers--some cherished, some regretted, and some beastly. All of them haunting. With each passing night, time itself seems to shift with the shadows at Blackberry Grange. As truth and delusion begin to blur, Sadie must uncover the secrets that hold Marguerite captive to her past before reality--and Marguerite's life--slips away entirely. The author’s use of language emphasizes precision and readability. Word choice supports clarity while still allowing for expressive nuance, enhancing narrative quality. The story’s development reflects careful planning, with each event building upon what came before. This sense of progression gives the narrative direction and purpose, ensuring that readers remain invested throughout the book.