My Review of

The Inheritance by Anne Allen

This is a very emotional book, filled with pain, loss, and abuse in some characters’ lives. I found that although, The inheritance is a heartbreaking read, in places it does have a few wonderful moments particularly when Tess discovers the past through Eugénie’s diary and letters written in the 1860s. This is where author Anne does a great job of portraying the past through Tess’s ancestors’ eyes. I also thought this book had a powerful message from Eugenie that if we leave a piece of what we learn in life then it might save someone from the heartbreak and sadness in the future. I also thought author Anne did a great job at blending the past letters with the modern-days of Tess without confusing the readers.

The book itself follows Tess as she is at the end of training to become a doctor. Tess then receives an inheritance from her great auntie Doris: a huge house in Guernsey. Tess returns to the house and while doing so finds her life at a crossroad. Does she stay and restore the house to its former glory? Move to Guernsey? These are the questions she must face as she discovers the old house has more to tell her than she ever thought. How does what she discovers affect her own life? You’ll have to read this book to find out.

I found Tess’s thoughts on Jack and her fears of becoming close to him related very much to the letters of the past. However, Tess has more freedom than those in the letters and therefore can choose to slow down and not live the painful life some of her ancestors did. I also thought that Sally’s story as she fought to get out of the abusive relationship was very moving and showed great strength.

I was rather captivated by Hugo in the sense he believed in spirits and that a woman looking like someone he had lost had come back to be with him. This sent chills down my arms and was a really great way to start this story because from the get-go it makes you want to learn more about him and the spirits he believes in.

This is a well-written novel with very interesting characters and a strong link with past to future events in life. I would recommend this book if you like character-driven historical stories with a modern twist and a hint of a long lost story waiting to be told.

Amazon Link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritance-Gripping-dual-time-featuring-Guernsey-ebook/dp/B07PC3F8TG/