Review: Music and strange happenings
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2012
Zuleika Rathbone has travelled from America to Yorkshire to study a grimoire - collection of spells - found inside a stone pillar in the cloisters of Beauregard Abbey. The Abbey is now a prestigious public school though the current head of the Beauregard family lives in the grounds. Zuleika is a scientist who studies the brain in connection with esoteric beliefs and practices. Zuleika discovers an old friend teaching at the school and soon gets to know and like many of the staff there but the Abbey itself and its Venetian inspired eighteenth century wing gives her the creeps.When she is asked to stay on and research and write a history of the Beauregard family Zuleika is in two minds about doing so. There are things going on at the school that she is dubious about and her discovery of an old violin with a malevolent feel to it almost makes her turn down the offer. A catalogue of accidents and strange happenings, abrupt changes of character and behaviour among the pupils and a planned school production of Shakespeare's `A Midsummer Night's Dream' which acquires some very dark overtones all add to the ominous atmosphere which pervades the Abbey and all who live and work there.I enjoyed this atmospheric and well written novel. There are many interesting characters such as Zuleika herself, Wyndham Tilbury - an art expert, Sylvia - the charismatic actress suffering from Bell's palsy and currently teaching drama at the school, Sylvestra - a new pupil with her ever changing hair colour and her visions. Then there are the unpleasant ones - the cold and vaguely evil headmaster - Odo Fitzhoward, Arabella - the pupil who behaves like the devil incarnate, Jack Mallins - another unpleasant pupil.If I have a criticism of the book I felt that the ending was a little rushed though the Epilogue was well done. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books by such authors as Phil Rickman or Barbara Erskine and to anyone who has enjoyed Elizabeth Edmondson's books published under the names of Elizabeth Aston and Elizabeth Pewsey.