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The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by [Maggie O'Farrell]

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Maggie O'Farrell

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox Kindle Edition

by Maggie O'Farrell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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From the Costa Award winning, bestselling author of THIS MUST BE THE PLACE and I AM, I AM, I AM, comes an intense, breathtakingly accomplished story of a woman's life stolen, and reclaimed.

'Unputdownable' Ali Smith

Edinburgh in the 1930s. The Lennox family is having trouble with its youngest daughter. Esme is outspoken, unconventional, and repeatedly embarrasses them in polite society. Something will have to be done.

Years later, a young woman named Iris Lockhart receives a letter informing her that she has a great-aunt in a psychiatric unit who is about to be released.

Iris has never heard of Esme Lennox and the one person who should know more, her grandmother Kitty, seems unable to answer Iris's questions. What could Esme have done to warrant a lifetime in an institution? And how is it possible for a person to be so completely erased from a family's history?

Print length

290 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Tinder Press
Publication date

12 November 2009
File size

2857 KB
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Product description

About the Author

Maggie O'Farrell is the author of four previous novels, including the acclaimed The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and After You'd Gone. Born in Northern Ireland in 1972, she grew up in Wales and Scotland. She now lives in Edinburgh with her family.

Anne Flosnik, a seasoned audiobook narrator, has over four hundred titles to her credit and several awards and distinctions, including three AudioFile Earphones Awards, a USA Today Recommended Listening, and the American Library Association's Special Services to Children Award. She has twice been an Audie Award finalist. She is an accomplished actress with lead credits on stage, on television, and in commercials and voice-overs.

--This text refers to the mp3_cd edition.

From AudioFile

What a haunting story is that of Esme Lennox, a flighty girl locked in an Edinburgh insane asylum by her family for being troublesome. All kinds of things happen when shes released 60 years later into the care of a great-niece who never knew of her existence. Anne Flosnik does an excellent job with a story that shifts time periods and is told in a range of voices. She reads in a clear Scottish accent, shading character with subtle changes in pacing and modulation rather than creating a range of voices. Her flow of words creates a powerful story-current that pulls the listener along inexorably. Once begun, its hard to turn this book off. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

A "Wall Street Journal "BestsellerA "Washington Post Book World" Best Book of the Year
"I found this actually unputdownable, written with a gripping dramatic insidiousness reminiscent of classic writers like Rebecca West and Daphne Du Maurier." --Ali Smith, author of "The Accidental"Esme Lennox is a dreamy child, an odd, bookish young woman, the kind of girl who stares and listens and won't flirt with boys at dances. And then, in the space of a moment, Esme Lennox is gone.Years later, a stunning phone call breaks the silence at Iris Lockhart's vintage clothing shop: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital after more than sixty years. Iris's grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme's papers prove she is Kitty's sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme's face. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, sure to bring life-altering secrets when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?
"Haunting. O'Farrell is a feminist avenging angel who wields the modern Gothic like a gleaming sword." - "The Boston Globe ""Think Kate Chopin's "The Awakening," Charlotte Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper' or Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea" . . . It's a breathtaking, heart-breaking creation . . . In O'Farrell's fierce, engrossing novel, the crimes of the past rear up with surprising vengeance." - "The""Washington Post Book World"Maggie O'Farrell is the author of three previous novels, including her acclaimed debut, "After You'd Gone." Born in Northern Ireland in 1972, Maggie grew up in Wales and Scotland. She now lives in Edinburgh. Visit www.HarcourtBooks.com/EsmeLennox. Discussion guide available at www.HarcourtBooks.com. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

O'Farrell's fourth novel brilliantly illustrates her talent for gradually revealing her characters' inner lives by jumping back and forth in time and juxtaposing different narrative points of view. Iris Lockhart, a young Scottish woman, is suddenly informed that she has the power of attorney for her great aunt, Esme Lennox—who Iris never knew existed. Esme has been locked away in a mental institution for over 60 years—a fact never mentioned by her sister Kitty, Iris' grandmother, who now has Alzheimer's. In compelling prose, O'Farrell gradually pieces together the puzzle of Esme's life up to the age of 16, when her cold and repressive parents sent her away to the hospital that is now closing down. Esme had a bold and independent spirit, unseemly for a girl at that time. That as well as a younger brother who died in her arms and a never-mentioned rape contributed to her lost life—a life "half strangled by what-ifs." A gripping read with superbly crafted scenes that will blaze in the reader's memory long after the novel is returned to the shelf. Donovan, Deborah --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital—where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years.

Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face.

Esme has been labeled harmless—sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?

A gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox will haunt you long past its final page.|In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital?where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years.

Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face.

Esme has been labeled harmless?sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?

A gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox will haunt you long past its final page. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Book Description

An impassioned, intense, haunting family drama from the author of AFTER YOU'D GONE and INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

An intricate, eloquent novel of family malice, longings, and betrayal.... --Publishers Weekly (starred review) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0036AS062
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tinder Press; 1st edition (12 November 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2857 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #138,290 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #7,072 in Historical Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #8,185 in Contemporary Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #10,141 in Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
7,887 ratings

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Maggie O'Farrell

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Maggie O’Farrell, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU’D GONE, MY LOVER’S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

7,887 global ratings

5 star		48%
4 star		31%
3 star		14%
2 star		4%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from India

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DoonOracle

Intriguing story of apparent schizophrenia and sibling jealousy

Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 30 March 2016

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An intriguing mystery novel, accentuated by O'Farrell's style of intercutting past with present to convey the schizophrenia that Esme is apparently slipping into. You are left wondering what is truth and what is imagination. Until the climactic ending. My first O'Farrell novel and sufficiently appealing to look forward to another.

One person found this helpful

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Vandy

good condition

Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 11 October 2018

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goid condition of book and original print

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Mia

A must read book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 29 May 2020

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Loved this book , Maggie O’Farrell writes from the heart , making the characters come alive in such a way you feel that you know them, She has incredible talent , her perspective on people, relationships and life is extremely insightful.

As a young girl, Esme Lennox is taken from the family home and committed into a mental asylum 61 years later, the hospital is shutting down and the now elderly woman is released, The story is set between the 1930s and the present day and It’s so Shocking that a person, especially a female, back then could be institutionalised so easily by a family member or spouse .....
Please take a moment to push the helpful button and make my time typing up and reviewing worthwhile 🥰

257 people found this helpful

El

A beautifully written book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 11 May 2021

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As I've become to expect from Maggie O'Farrell this is a beautifully written book, I read it in less than 48 hours, it was a gripping page turner and easily the best book i've read this year.

The book centres around the lead character Esme who has been in a mental hospital for 61 years, the hospital is now being closed and Esme has to leave as she has passed her assessments. Iris is the second main character who didn't know Esme existed until she was contacted as Esme's next-of-kin upon the closure of the hospital. (I don't wish to say much more about the storyline as i'm conscious of giving away spoilers.) The reader is taken slowly through Esme's backstory starting with her childhood years, there is a side story centring around Iris but I personally found this a little pointless as I felt it wasn't really necessary to the main story. The reader also hears from Kitty, Esme's elder sister who has dementia and is now in a care home, Kitty tells her version of Esme's story as well as her own backstory. It is very quickly apparent that Esme should never have been in the hospital and the reader is drip-fed clues as to what actually happened to lead to Esme being admitted. There are a few twists and turns along the way but it is an otherwise linear storyline where the reader picks up clues piece by piece until the big reveal. It was gripping and I couldn't stop reading. I had guessed the truth before it was revealed to the reader but the beauty of Maggie O'Farrell's writing made up for this. The character of Kitty in particular was wonderfully written and her dementia was tackled sensitively.

If I were to find criticism with this book it would be that there were no chapters, this doesn't usually bother me but in this story it meant there were no logical pauses, it also meant that it wasn't always clear where one characters narration of the story had finished and another had began. You were able to quickly find your bearings again but initially it did cause confusion a few times until you were used to the character's voice and I think dividing the character sections into chapters of their own would have remedied this. I also felt that the story itself is at parts a little far-fetched, such as when Iris attempts to return Esme to the hospital but finds she cannot because it is only open Monday-Friday office hours, however If you can overlook these minor things it really is a wonderful book.

I debated giving this book 4 stars because of my few criticisms of it but it's rare for me to get so engrossed in a book that I don't want to stop reading and I really loved this book. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery storyline, it reminded me of Elizabeth is Missing in terms of how the clues were slowly fed to the reader so fans of that book would also enjoy this.

18 people found this helpful

Butterfly

Stunning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 17 March 2018

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This book is simply stunning. The first Maggie O'Farrell I've read, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was enchanted. The use of language is lovely. And, despite the subject matter (made all the more poignant by the fact that this sort of thing routinely happened to some girls not so long ago) and the fact I wanted to weep for the title character's stolen life, I very much enjoyed it.

It took me a while to let these characters go and pick up another book. I didn't want to say goodbye.

51 people found this helpful

Lynda Kelly

Made Me Think Of Rosemary Kennedy.....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 February 2016

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What a terrific and lovely story in many ways and also terribly sad and a real tragedy in others......it made me think of Rosemary Kennedy. I so liked Esme both when she was younger and older. She was so interesting and had a tragic life which is pretty heartbreaking to read about.
Her family just didn't appreciate nor try to understand their youngest daughter's spirit and zest for life. Nor why she changed or bother to find out what really changed her. Such a great shame. She was sixteen and apart from other things that happened to her she was also just......heartbroken.
Iris, the great-niece is another nice character although I wasn't keen on her always referring to the dog without giving him a name. Though she did look after him properly, I suppose.
I chuckled at the lefthanders' fact that was mentioned-I had no idea ! I liked the passage about inherited features as well.
I did get very confused when we encountered Kitty the grandmother but once I realised who was talking I managed to figure her speech patterns out just fine. It just threw me a bit when she popped up. Another couple of things I never really understood were the significance of the school blazer or the beach incident.
I was very angry by something mentioned near the end and really quite upset on Esme's behalf but I can't say more as I won't do spoilers and it's very hard not to here. It was a strange ending. I hadn't realised I'd finished till it asked me to Tweet my review !!
I also need to point out that were no mistakes !!! So even more of a pleasure for this reader. I'll certainly be putting more of her stories in my wishlist.

32 people found this helpful

M. J. Bryan

Not sure why this was so highly rated

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 4 August 2020

Verified Purchase

Generally I felt it was unnecessarily slow, to the point where I had guessed all the twists by the time they arrived. At first I was a little put off by how awfully she portrayed ever single man, without exception, but by the end I realised the females weren't showered with glory either (but for men it was unrelenting). Finally on the negatives, I didn't enjoy the flashback thoughts to start with from Esme and latterly the sister Kitty. I mean I liked the narratives, just not the way they were randomly placed in half sentences without introduction or knowing who was doing the musing. It felt very contrived and they interrupted rather than enhanced the story. On the plus side, the injustice was infuriating, the story was also an interesting concept and once it got going (well over half way through) you were intrigued to find out where it would end up.

If you have lots of books to read I would probably read this one towards the end and then only if you have something a little less sombre to follow it.

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