The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie Mcgill
An unforgettable story of two women linked by their roles in a tragedy at the end of the Victorian era. When Anna, the young woman she cared for as a child, announces her intention to visit the elderly Maddie, Maddie recognises her last chance to unburden herself of a story that has gnawed at her for sixty years. For Maddie, rather like the butterfly cabinet she keeps safely under lock and key, has for too long guarded a secret: that of the day a four-year-old girl died at the big house where she worked as a nanny. Finally, Maddie knows, Anna is ready to hear what happened. As Maddie's mind drifts back through the years, so too is revealed the story of Charlotte's mother, Harriet Ormond. A proud, uncompromising woman, Harriet's great passion is collecting butterflies and pinning them under glass; motherhood comes no easier to her than her role as mistress of her remote Irish estate. When her daughter dies, her community is quick to judge her, and Harriet will not stoop to defend herself. But her journals reveal a more complex truth.
'Beautifully done and thoroughly absorbing' -- Daily Mail 'An absorbing story of marriage, motherhood and murder' -- Woman & Home '.. intricately layered... McGill's assured debut is an intense exploration of maternal love and guilt. What also distinguishes it is its delicate portrait of a society that, within one lifetime, would face unimaginable change.' -- Financial Times 'An utterly compelling tale of hidden secrets and culture clashes played out against the backdrop of a large country house in Northern Ireland... it's a haunted tale, eerie with recrimination, illicit passion and frustrated motherhood. Pitch-perfect in tone, McGill captures, in counterpoint, the voices of two women as they declaim a melancholy murder ballad.' -- Marie Claire
Bernie McGill has pursued a varied career in the arts, as a theatre manager, and most recently as a playwright. Her short stories have been shortlisted for numerous awards, and in 2008 her story 'Sleepwalkers' won the Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Contest. THE BUTTERFLY CABINET is her first novel. Bernie lives in Portstewart, Northern Ireland, with her family.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780755370689 |
| ISBN 10 | 0755370686 |
| Title | The Butterfly Cabinet |
| Author | Bernie Mcgill |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Headline Publishing Group |
| Year published | 2010-08-05 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |