I love Susan Hill's writing. Not the detective books she seems to be well known for now (at least, I've not read those ones) but her other quiet, sensitive, rural stories.

The Beacon is a house in rural north of England. May, who was the child who stayed at home with her parents through adulthood, is facing a new beginning as the last of her parents dies. As she contemplates the future, we're drawn into the missed chances of her youth and a mystery surrounding her brother Frank.

This isn't a book that's going to be on my best of the year list, but sometimes I'm just really in the mood for these quiet books which are all about the setting and memorable characters.

4 stars - not one I'm likely to think about too much in the future, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. ( )

Held the attention thanks to Hill's style, but a thinly drawn story. ( )

Wow! This short novel was amazing.

This is the story of four siblings....one of whom moves to the city and writes a memoir of childhood abuse. Only it isn't true. This novel tells of the impact on the author and on his siblings. The ending...the very last line...hits like a punch to the heart. ( )

This story had sinister undertones from the start but I was totally thrown by the last sentence which made me re-think my assumptions. ( )

It is a very interesting family story. It’s starting with the death of their mother. One of the daughters is living with her at the old family place where a lot of ancestors had lived. The family’s secrets and their lives are told as jumping throughout all the times but always coming back to the present. During this travel I became familiar with all the characters. As in every family there is also in this one a ‘black sheep’ and when the other siblings tried to avoid him mother’s last will is keeping them together and on the other hand separating them for ever.
I can strongly recommend this book. ( )