Hestor Fox’s Gothic Mysteries: The Witch of Pale Harbor, The Witch of Willow Hall, and The Orphan of Cemetery Hill

10 Dec

Hestor Fox is now known for her lush, historical fantasies. But, before that? Gothic mysteries. The former museum curator and historical archaeologist built her career on tales woven through the macabre. Let me point to the original three that launched her career – The Witch of Pale Harbor, The Witch of Willow Hall, and Orphan of Cemetery Hill. These are all excellent novels that express the dreaded and dreary themes of the Gothic genre alongside the macabre tones of Edgar Allan Poe. 

  1. The Witch of Pale Harbor: Psychological suspense mixed with the foreboding of an isolated New England town in the 1830s. Fox captured me with her spirited language and vivid imagery – from one of the very first scenes when the protagonist finds himself exploring his new parish. The sense of claustrophobia intensifies as suspicion grows around a reclusive governess. Small-town judgment and hysteria blend well here.
  2. The Witch of Willow Hall: Critically, the best-rated of her original three gothic stories. Three sisters flee scandal and take refuge in their family’s retreat, Willow Hall. Guess what? It’s haunted with a terrible curse that sustains the sisters with palpable dread and a psychological toll that bellows heavy like a grandfather clock. 
  3. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill: Rich with the Victorians’ death obsession and an intense psychological terror mystery. We move on to Boston in the 1840s. What could possibly plague someone who works as a medium and facilitates seances? It’s all about helping others…until someone from her past appears as a result of this activity. The protagonist must now confront secrets of her own. What transpires is a confrontation of the dark secrets of her own identity.

Eerie whispers of a classic Gothic tale mixed with atmospherically convoluted moral struggles that thrust characters into conundrums and challenge their own code – that’s what you get here.

Which novel will you be checking out? Each title is linked to their BCCLS page, so go ahead and make your reservation. 

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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Toy Stories for the Young at Heart: Barbieland and Toys That Built America

3 Dec

Barbieland: The Unauthorized History
by Tarpley Hilt
Barbie was always my favorite toy as a little girl; I still remember fondly the Western Barbie who could wink as one of my first dolls and recently I purchased a Camping Fun Barbie for my niece, who loves to go rock climbing, (Barbie can do anything). So I was interested to read more about how the famous doll got her start and evolved over the years. As the title states Barbieland isn’t authorized by Mattel, which means Hitt was limited in some of her access to the company and current goings on, but what readers get instead are some juicy details that an “approved” version might leave out. Barbieland is Hilt’s first book, but I hope she writes more pop culture histories in the future since she has a great voice that made this book fun as well as informative to read; even if you aren’t a Barbie fan this insight into the inner workings of toy manufacturing should be riveting and if you do love Barbie than this is a must read. It is interesting to view the last 50 years of feminist and capitalist history by the path of one tiny pair of high heeled feet.

The Toys that Built America Documentary Series
I always enjoy the History Channel series about significant innovations and innovators that helped shape America from TV Icons like Johnny Carson to food like Dunkin Donuts. They always add a sense of drama and intrigue with their recreations of significant moments. Season 1 of Toys that Built America is available from Kanopy which includes topics like Ruth Handler’s creation of Barbie and the competition between Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers in the creation of board games. Season 2 of Toys that Built America is available from Hoopla which looks at all American creations like Cabbage Patch Kids and some toys that got their start oversees like the Super Mario Brothers; fittingly for this time of year there is one episode specifically about Christmas Crazes. I thought Lego especially has an interesting back story. This is a fun show to watch with the family and feel nostalgic and learn some interesting facts about what it takes for toys to go from ideas to store shelves.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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