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Available
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Collection
Publication
Ace Hardcover (2008), Edition: 1, 288 pages
Description
Sealey Head is a small town on the edge of the ocean, a sleepy place where everyone hears the ringing of a bell no one can see. On the outskirts of town is an impressive estate, Aislinn House, where the aged Lady Eglantyne lies dying, and where the doors sometimes open not to its own dusty rooms, but to the wild majesty of a castle full of knights and princesses. Scholar Ridley Dole comes to the village fascinated with Aislinn House as he believes the place is under a spell where the inhabitants are regimented like puppets whose strings are being pulled. Ridley's ancestor Nemos Moore used magic to link the Aislinn Houses; he hopes to undo his work to save the people, but is unsure how and remains unaware of the presence of a malevolent person hiding in plain sight who will kill him to insure the status quo remains.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
I've long been a fan of the lyrical and lovely Patricia McKillip, and I've been looking forward to her latest book, The Bell at Sealey Head, with high hopes. This anticipation was also fueled by several friends who peer-pressured me into bumping this to the top of my to-read list. I'm glad they
For as long as they can remember, the people of the small coastal town of Sealey Head have heard a mythical bell tolling out of thin air. At least, most of the people can hear it; there are a few who can't. It tolls at the same time every evening, and various legends exist to explain it. When a scholar arrives from the city to research the bell he heard tolling, several young people from the town's three most prominent families — the Sproules, the Blairs, and the Cauleys — become involved in the strange happenings at Aislinn House. The past and present seem to run side by side there, and a strange ritualistic captivity echoes through the sleeping corridors.
Like many of McKillip's stories, this one has a lot of characters, each experiencing the unfolding story in a different way. I found the writer Gwyneth's tale for the bell, scattered in bits and pieces as she wrote it throughout the book, to be quite fun; perhaps it was a half-discarded plot of McKillip's that was picked out of the wastebasket?
The romantic relationships are understated and perfect in their few words. There is nothing explicit in this book; indeed, the charm of her romantic scenes is their brevity. It feels real because there is a lot happening under the surface of a few sentences. In one part two characters steal off for a walk on the beach, and all we hear about it is, "When they returned..." It adds such a lovely touch to the story, and I get the impression that McKillip respects her characters. The romantic tension reminds me of Robin McKinley's style in The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. Stirring, I think one reviewer called it. In this story McKillip ventures into almost Austenian situations and characters, which is unusual for her. I enjoyed it, but I think I need to reread to fully adjust to it.
McKillip loves to write about the worlds behind the everyday physical world, the fantasy counterparts to our familiar realities. Too often the entry to the other side is bricked up, as happens in Aislinn House in this story. What I love about McKillip is her ability to find a way around those bricked doors, to lead us into the beautiful and perilous places of her imagination. Recommended.
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did, because I enjoyed it quite a bit. But I'm not sure I can rave quite as unreservedly as those friends might like. I like the book, but do not adore it — at least, not yet. I think I will reread it in a few months.For as long as they can remember, the people of the small coastal town of Sealey Head have heard a mythical bell tolling out of thin air. At least, most of the people can hear it; there are a few who can't. It tolls at the same time every evening, and various legends exist to explain it. When a scholar arrives from the city to research the bell he heard tolling, several young people from the town's three most prominent families — the Sproules, the Blairs, and the Cauleys — become involved in the strange happenings at Aislinn House. The past and present seem to run side by side there, and a strange ritualistic captivity echoes through the sleeping corridors.
Like many of McKillip's stories, this one has a lot of characters, each experiencing the unfolding story in a different way. I found the writer Gwyneth's tale for the bell, scattered in bits and pieces as she wrote it throughout the book, to be quite fun; perhaps it was a half-discarded plot of McKillip's that was picked out of the wastebasket?
The romantic relationships are understated and perfect in their few words. There is nothing explicit in this book; indeed, the charm of her romantic scenes is their brevity. It feels real because there is a lot happening under the surface of a few sentences. In one part two characters steal off for a walk on the beach, and all we hear about it is, "When they returned..." It adds such a lovely touch to the story, and I get the impression that McKillip respects her characters. The romantic tension reminds me of Robin McKinley's style in The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. Stirring, I think one reviewer called it. In this story McKillip ventures into almost Austenian situations and characters, which is unusual for her. I enjoyed it, but I think I need to reread to fully adjust to it.
McKillip loves to write about the worlds behind the everyday physical world, the fantasy counterparts to our familiar realities. Too often the entry to the other side is bricked up, as happens in Aislinn House in this story. What I love about McKillip is her ability to find a way around those bricked doors, to lead us into the beautiful and perilous places of her imagination. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member ncgraham
Patricia McKillip's fantasy novels must act like some kind of tonic for me, because since last summer I have inevitably picked up a new one every time I have been given a break from school. To begin my summer, I turned to her most recent work, The Bell at Sealey Head. It is so reassuring to find
Every once in a while people find pieces of literature that seem to have been written for them, and for me The Bell of Sealey Head is one such book. Besides becoming convinced that Mrs. Quinn must work in my school cafeteria, I found it spoke to me as both a reader and a writer. Books have been an important part of McKillip's fiction ever since Sybel tried to call the Liralen in The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, but never has she explored the love of books as she does here. Judd, an avid reader and collector, and his actions are the primary butt of McKillip's jokes. There's a hilarious passage in which, hurrying Ridley inside from the storm, he asks, "How could you leave your books out in this weather? ... You should have come in earlier." Not to mention the funny and convicting opening to Chapter Four:
"The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more. Judd knew that about himself: just the sight of Ridley Dow's books unpacked and stacked in corners, on the desk and dresser, made him discontent and greedy. Here he was; there they were. Why were he and they not together somewhere private, they falling gently open under his fingers, he exploring their mysteries, they luring him, enthralling him, captivating him with every turn of phrase, every revealing stage?"
Similarly, Gwyneth's writing nook is described in humorous terms, "where the slanting walls made the place unfit for anything but brooms or a writer." She was also in love with reading as a child, and imagined that writing her own story would be "the pinnacle of bliss." But now, she says, "it's a hundred fits and starts, sputtering ends going nowhere—like being a spider, most likey, on a windy day, tendrils always sailing off."
But this book contains more than philosophical ramblings. There is a truly Austen-like tangle of romantic relationships, a strong dash of intrigue and mystery, and a dark figure of the past who seems to have doomed our young heroes and heroines forever. I love all of these characters; they are intensely realistic and likable. About three-quarters through McKillip transforms one of them from an icy, rather forbidding stranger into a conscientious and rather frightened young woman. It works beautifully. It is true that one of the villain's disguises is rather easy to see through, and I did find the ending rather rushed—but that might have had less to do with McKillip's writing than the fact that it was one o'clock in the morning! My only real criticism is that it should have been longer. I could easily spend another hundred page or two with my new friends at Sealey Head.
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that she has maintained the quality of her writing through thirty-four years of success, but even more, it is exciting to see her expanding her horizons ever so slightly in this latest endeavor. Deborah J. Brannon of The Green Man Review tantalizingly described it as "part mystery, part fairy tale, all flavored by a Jane Austen sensibility." The titular coastal town of the Sealey Head is purely imaginary, but the culture McKillip invokes is that of nineteenth-century England. Few of the town's inhabitants believe in magic, and only the young and imaginative hear the mysterious, disembodied bell that tolls at sundown every evening: people like Judd Cauley, the young innkeeper, and his childhood friend Gwyneth Blair, who writes a number of fanciful stories about it. Up at Aislinn House, housemaid Emma Wood has discovered doorways that lead to another, more savage world, and makes a friend with one of its inhabitants, Princess Ysabo, who is trapped in an endless, inexplicable ritual. When a traveling scholar named Ridley Dow comes to Sealey Head, he brings with him exotic notions of magic and theories that could explain both the invisible bell and the dual existence of Aislinn house.Every once in a while people find pieces of literature that seem to have been written for them, and for me The Bell of Sealey Head is one such book. Besides becoming convinced that Mrs. Quinn must work in my school cafeteria, I found it spoke to me as both a reader and a writer. Books have been an important part of McKillip's fiction ever since Sybel tried to call the Liralen in The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, but never has she explored the love of books as she does here. Judd, an avid reader and collector, and his actions are the primary butt of McKillip's jokes. There's a hilarious passage in which, hurrying Ridley inside from the storm, he asks, "How could you leave your books out in this weather? ... You should have come in earlier." Not to mention the funny and convicting opening to Chapter Four:
"The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more. Judd knew that about himself: just the sight of Ridley Dow's books unpacked and stacked in corners, on the desk and dresser, made him discontent and greedy. Here he was; there they were. Why were he and they not together somewhere private, they falling gently open under his fingers, he exploring their mysteries, they luring him, enthralling him, captivating him with every turn of phrase, every revealing stage?"
Similarly, Gwyneth's writing nook is described in humorous terms, "where the slanting walls made the place unfit for anything but brooms or a writer." She was also in love with reading as a child, and imagined that writing her own story would be "the pinnacle of bliss." But now, she says, "it's a hundred fits and starts, sputtering ends going nowhere—like being a spider, most likey, on a windy day, tendrils always sailing off."
But this book contains more than philosophical ramblings. There is a truly Austen-like tangle of romantic relationships, a strong dash of intrigue and mystery, and a dark figure of the past who seems to have doomed our young heroes and heroines forever. I love all of these characters; they are intensely realistic and likable. About three-quarters through McKillip transforms one of them from an icy, rather forbidding stranger into a conscientious and rather frightened young woman. It works beautifully. It is true that one of the villain's disguises is rather easy to see through, and I did find the ending rather rushed—but that might have had less to do with McKillip's writing than the fact that it was one o'clock in the morning! My only real criticism is that it should have been longer. I could easily spend another hundred page or two with my new friends at Sealey Head.
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LibraryThing member beserene
Patricia McKillip is my favorite living author and I was so surprised and pleased to find a new book by her at my local B&N that I sucked all the oxygen out of the store with my gasp. I had to purchase the book IMMEDIATELY, and had every intention of reading it right away, but a week passed, and
I would be curious to know if McKillip was inspired by the Pacific shore, because there is a distinct sense of place here that seems more grounded in reality, even with the magical elements, than in previous novels. Overall, though this will not be be my favorite novel from her bibliography, it is a welcome return to many of the tropes and styles of classic McKillip, with just enough new and different to intrigue, if not entrance.
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then nearly another, before I had the time to dedicate to it. This delay occurred because I know that, once I start it, I generally don't put a McKillip book down until I am done. With The Bell at Sealey Head, however, that rule was broken. I found myself able to pause, and was perhaps not so absorbed into the narrative as with some of her other novels. That is not to say that there was anything wrong with the book -- McKillip's "good" is wonderful by anyone else's standards -- and though it did not have the emotional and philosophical intensity of my absolute favorite, In the Forests of Serre, or the entrancing characterization of The Changeling Sea, the novel was charming. It retains the fairy-tale flavor of so many of McKillip's books -- though with this one I could not identify a particular cultural heritage from which the text was drawing, so I may need to do more homework or that touch might have been simply tone this time around -- and genuine, appealing characters whom the reader naturally likes. The adventure -- the challenge which is usually the centerpiece of any good fairy tale and therefore any Patricia McKillip novel -- felt a little thin this time, perhaps because several of the characters one likes best sit out the final action in a closet, but the ending was satisfying anyway. The descriptive language and resulting images are lush and vivid and, much to my deep satisfaction (since the covers were what drew me to read McKillip in the first place years ago), perfectly complemented by the gorgeous cover art of Kinuko Craft. I would be curious to know if McKillip was inspired by the Pacific shore, because there is a distinct sense of place here that seems more grounded in reality, even with the magical elements, than in previous novels. Overall, though this will not be be my favorite novel from her bibliography, it is a welcome return to many of the tropes and styles of classic McKillip, with just enough new and different to intrigue, if not entrance.
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LibraryThing member turtlesleap
Set in an unspecified fishing village in an unspecified locale during an unspecified time period, this novel deals with the day to day lives of a small group of residents and a large group of high-born guests who mingle much more freely than they would be expected to do during the implicit time
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period (18th, 19th Century). Their lives are touched by magic from another era, although this goes unnoticed by all but a very few. The book was sweet although pretty predictable. Show Less
LibraryThing member silentq
A friend gave this to me for my birthday, as she was aghast at my neglect of McKillip. I'm a convert now. :) This is a lovely magical story about a house on a sea cliff with another house hidden behind it's doors. Only the maid can open the doors to the other house. The lady of the house is dying,
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her niece comes from the big city to wait upon her death, a scholar comes to investigate the mystery of the bell that tolls once at sundown. The denizens of the town are richly characterised, the inn keeper with his blind father, the merchant and his daughter, the young people who live at the manor across the harbour from the magical house. The princess who lives in the hidden house has befriended the maid, stealing conversations through open doors when the rituals that govern her movements through the day can spare her for a few words. The final resolution, evil sorcerer and all, was anticlimactic, but I think it was because I didn't pick up on some of the hints scattered for me earlier in the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member phoebesmum
Patricia McKillip is one of my favourite authors; I adore her dreamy, luminous prose, and her real-seeming and likeable characters. She does, however, tend to fall down on plot – or maybe not at plot so much as at plot resolution. There are many threads to 'The Bell at Sealey Head', and at least
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two worlds, and although all are tied up more-or-less tidily there are many questions left unanswered, and a number of plot points that seem to go nowhere. I loved it nonetheless; her writing really is that good, and her people really that charming. Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
I love fantasy, especially fantasy which creeps up on a non-fantasy world. I enjoy mysteries, and stories of deception and hidden identities. I like reading Victorian-esque tales of amusing familial drawing-room discussions, balls and courtship. I love stories about magical doorways and gateways,
Sealey Head is a small, rustic town by the ocean, where at sunset an unseen bell can be heard ringing - a mystery most take for granted. As his father has become blind, Judd Cauley is the innkeeper of an inn with limited custom and a terrible cook they can't afford to replace, but has no ambition beyond reading all the books he can find. Gwyneth, a merchant's daughter, is (to her aunt's delight) being courted by the wealthy Raven Sproule, but Gwyneth would much rather spend her time writing stories which speculate about the mystery of the bell. Emma is the housemaid at Aislinn House, where she often opens doors not to find the rooms and cupboards she expects but to the other Aislinn House, the castle where Princess Ysabo lives, unable to go outside and with her life dictated by the ritual.
Aislinn House's owner, Lady Eglantyne, is dying, and so her heir is sent for. Suddenly Aislinn House is full with the heir and her entourage, there are guests at the inn and strangers in town. The characters find themselves caught up in a mystery about ancient magic and an old bid for power - and the reason for the ringing bell.
It doesn't have the same epic brilliance as the Riddle-Master trilogy, nor the lyrical fable quality of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, but it is beautifully written, with insight, wit and humour. The plot is complex, but without being confusing, and many of the characters' interactions are delightful. I laughed, I insisted on reading bits aloud to whoever happened to be in the room at the time - and put real life on hold until I had finished it. There's just something immensely satisfying about this book. :)
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parallel dimensions and secret friends. I like books about book people; characters who read - or write. I love picturesque, rustic settings. I enjoy reading about inns, and innkeepers, too. The Bell at Sealey Head manages to combine all of these things successfully. Furthermore, its narrative skips around four main protagonists without bothering me in the slightest. Sealey Head is a small, rustic town by the ocean, where at sunset an unseen bell can be heard ringing - a mystery most take for granted. As his father has become blind, Judd Cauley is the innkeeper of an inn with limited custom and a terrible cook they can't afford to replace, but has no ambition beyond reading all the books he can find. Gwyneth, a merchant's daughter, is (to her aunt's delight) being courted by the wealthy Raven Sproule, but Gwyneth would much rather spend her time writing stories which speculate about the mystery of the bell. Emma is the housemaid at Aislinn House, where she often opens doors not to find the rooms and cupboards she expects but to the other Aislinn House, the castle where Princess Ysabo lives, unable to go outside and with her life dictated by the ritual.
Aislinn House's owner, Lady Eglantyne, is dying, and so her heir is sent for. Suddenly Aislinn House is full with the heir and her entourage, there are guests at the inn and strangers in town. The characters find themselves caught up in a mystery about ancient magic and an old bid for power - and the reason for the ringing bell.
It doesn't have the same epic brilliance as the Riddle-Master trilogy, nor the lyrical fable quality of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, but it is beautifully written, with insight, wit and humour. The plot is complex, but without being confusing, and many of the characters' interactions are delightful. I laughed, I insisted on reading bits aloud to whoever happened to be in the room at the time - and put real life on hold until I had finished it. There's just something immensely satisfying about this book. :)
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LibraryThing member aprillee
Sealey Head is a quiet and seemingly ordinary village, save for the mysterious Bell that tolls at sunset. The townsfolk have made up tales to explain it (a lost ship beneath the waves), but truly no one knows what it is.
Judd Cauley runs an Inn overlooking the sea. He has a love of books and is
The mystery seems to involve Aislin House, where the elderly Lady Eglatyne lies abed, waiting to die. There is a hesitancy to call the heir living the high life in Landringham. There are rooms that sometimes open to another place that only some of the House's inhabitants can see. One of these is the maid, Emma, whose mother is the village's wise-woman who lives in the woods in a house made from a living tree. Emma can see the Princess Ysabo, from that other world, who seems caught in a strange enchantment.
There is a nice mix of Austenian drawing-room romance and classic fairy tales with beautiful Princesses and handsome Knights, along with an evil sorcerer and dark enchantment. The characters are sympathetic and well-drawn, even if we don't really become intensely involved with them due to lack of on-stage time. McKillip is an old hand at creating fantasy with a magical, fairy-tale feeling, and this certainly shows well here.
Judd Cauley runs an Inn overlooking the sea. He has a love of books and is
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happy when his often vacant Inn gains a visitor, Ridley Dow, who is a scholar with many books who is interested in the mystery of the Bell. Ridley is stylish for a bookish researcher, having come all the way from the great and bustling city of Landringham.The mystery seems to involve Aislin House, where the elderly Lady Eglatyne lies abed, waiting to die. There is a hesitancy to call the heir living the high life in Landringham. There are rooms that sometimes open to another place that only some of the House's inhabitants can see. One of these is the maid, Emma, whose mother is the village's wise-woman who lives in the woods in a house made from a living tree. Emma can see the Princess Ysabo, from that other world, who seems caught in a strange enchantment.
There is a nice mix of Austenian drawing-room romance and classic fairy tales with beautiful Princesses and handsome Knights, along with an evil sorcerer and dark enchantment. The characters are sympathetic and well-drawn, even if we don't really become intensely involved with them due to lack of on-stage time. McKillip is an old hand at creating fantasy with a magical, fairy-tale feeling, and this certainly shows well here.
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LibraryThing member ronincats
I very much enjoy the quality of McKillip's writing. Since first reading The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, which won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1975, and then her fantastic Riddlemaster Trilogy, her lyrical writing immediately transports me into another world.
This book deals, as her
This one is nearly as good as Od Magic, my favorite of her books of this decade.
This book deals, as her
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books so often do, with multiple levels of reality, from the interesting and ideosyncratic nature of our characters in the "now" (think English coastal village in the early 1800's), to the hidden society of Aislinn House, to the stories coming off of Gwyneth's pen. The different stories intertwine and support and enrich each other as a mystery is discovered, a wrong is set right, and our characters grow into themselves. Highly recommended.This one is nearly as good as Od Magic, my favorite of her books of this decade.
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LibraryThing member amaraduende
I really liked this! This is the first McKillip I've read where I didn't feel like there was something she wasn't telling me the whole time. I think I've mentioned before - I can like that - but when she does it's like none of the ideas in it are spoken, no one completes a sentence in dialogue, and
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I'm left feeling like I'm dumb and can't figure it out. This book was nothing like that. It reminded me very much of Robin McKinley. Show Less
LibraryThing member shaunesay
A gentle, mysterious fantasy. I'm still not sure I understand why there were two Aislinn houses, how that came to be. Maybe I just missed it. Still a pleasant read.
LibraryThing member macha
lovely, of course. both worlds bear some similarity to Susanna Clarke's worlds in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, and the lesson perhaps is also similar, though Clarke's book is much bigger. also both are charming, and otherworldly in interesting ways.
LibraryThing member castiron
Gorgeous language and a mysterious world.
LibraryThing member WintersRose
I had made it a goal to buy all Patricia A. McKillip's books, but I'm going to give this one a pass. Although her characters are easier to connect with than in some of her recent books, the women are barely distinguishable and the writing is subpar. Several times a character "felt herself" doing
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something. However, the portion of the plot having to do with they mystery of unexplained and unending ritual was novel. The book makes good, gentle bedtime reading, but is not one of McKillip's best. Show Less
LibraryThing member SherryThompson
(I started reading this back in May. As I progressed through the book, I jotted down impressions of what I had read up to that point.)
I've only read the first three chapters of this, so I really shouldn't be offering any opinions.
But here's my opinion. ;-) Or my first impression anyway.
Lots & lots
Have finally reached p.60 (I read s-l-o-w-l-y) I want to find out why the bell rings only at sunset and who the mysterious visitor (Ridley) is at the inn. Gwyneth and her tiny garret writing space in her family's house are cool--I'd like to shove my bad writing under the bed too. The snippets from the Aislinn alternate universe or other time-line are fascinating. I loathe the "knights" & have yet to even see them. The crows are menacing but I can't put my finger on why that is.
I've finished. Wow. I mean ... uh, wow. I had forgotten what a great writer McKillip is.
Eventually, I was able to keep all of the characters straight. And then a couple began to ... overlap? In my opinion, the scenes which take place at Aislinn Hose (& its alternate) and at the inn are the best. The Sproule siblings were people I had to bear with in order to get through the story--not unlike poor Gwyneth. I disliked any scene in which they appeared. Emma and Ysabo are marvelous--and so is Ridley if for different reasons.
If you like fantasy, please consider reading this!
I've only read the first three chapters of this, so I really shouldn't be offering any opinions.
But here's my opinion. ;-) Or my first impression anyway.
Lots & lots
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of characters for what is supposed to be a very small coastal town that has, presumably, been losing population in recent years. We focus on two families and the servants and staff of a dying lady, and that means we focus on virtually -everyone- in these three disparate groups. Right now, I'm a little overwhelmed by this. I am having considerable trouble keeping people's names straight & am trying to resist actually making a cheat sheet with names and personality quirks. (Suddenly, I sympathize with people who read my books. :0 )Have finally reached p.60 (I read s-l-o-w-l-y) I want to find out why the bell rings only at sunset and who the mysterious visitor (Ridley) is at the inn. Gwyneth and her tiny garret writing space in her family's house are cool--I'd like to shove my bad writing under the bed too. The snippets from the Aislinn alternate universe or other time-line are fascinating. I loathe the "knights" & have yet to even see them. The crows are menacing but I can't put my finger on why that is.
I've finished. Wow. I mean ... uh, wow. I had forgotten what a great writer McKillip is.
Eventually, I was able to keep all of the characters straight. And then a couple began to ... overlap? In my opinion, the scenes which take place at Aislinn Hose (& its alternate) and at the inn are the best. The Sproule siblings were people I had to bear with in order to get through the story--not unlike poor Gwyneth. I disliked any scene in which they appeared. Emma and Ysabo are marvelous--and so is Ridley if for different reasons.
If you like fantasy, please consider reading this!
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LibraryThing member SilverShip
This is a great fireside read. After reading several intense science fiction novels in a row, I took solace in Sealey Head. This was the first McKillip novel I read, and she immediately won me over with her delicate magic, lyrical prose and diverse characters (as she has several times since). If
Honestly, it surprised me that I liked this book so much. For example, I usually have a hard time keeping up with as many characters as McKillip usually includes in a book. By the fifth page, I started making a list in the blank pages of the back of the book of every family – but part of me enjoyed the challenge. I'm also not usually drawn to books with slow paces—but, again, it was such a relaxing read that I got pulled in. The entire plot builds up to a stirring conclusion and a very satisfying end in which all questions are answered.
The only aspect that I didn't like was that one character, Ridley Dow, made me wonder several times if I were reading a sequel. There seemed to be an awful lot of back-story about him (and his friends) that that we weren't privy to – but that just might be my nosiness talking.
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the idea of a ghost bell tolling in a sea village that is otherwise non-magical does not spark your imagination, then this may not be the book for you.Honestly, it surprised me that I liked this book so much. For example, I usually have a hard time keeping up with as many characters as McKillip usually includes in a book. By the fifth page, I started making a list in the blank pages of the back of the book of every family – but part of me enjoyed the challenge. I'm also not usually drawn to books with slow paces—but, again, it was such a relaxing read that I got pulled in. The entire plot builds up to a stirring conclusion and a very satisfying end in which all questions are answered.
The only aspect that I didn't like was that one character, Ridley Dow, made me wonder several times if I were reading a sequel. There seemed to be an awful lot of back-story about him (and his friends) that that we weren't privy to – but that just might be my nosiness talking.
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LibraryThing member bookgirl59
I found this book a delighful page turner. I couldn't wait to find out why the mysterious Bell at Sealey Head rings every night at sunset. I loved the characters and the refreshing romances. My only complaint is that the ending seemed fragmented to me. It left me a little too mystified still. I was
I give it four out of five stars and say, even with the ending a little frustrating, it is still worth reading.
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as if the author herself didn't quite know how the other Aislinn house existed. Unless I missed it, the book never really explains it, only how it went wrong. Maybe she's planning a sequel? I give it four out of five stars and say, even with the ending a little frustrating, it is still worth reading.
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LibraryThing member kmaziarz
The small coastal town of Sealey Head is touched with magic—every evening, just as the sun dips below the horizon, a bell peals. No one knows where the sound is coming from, who is ringing it, or why it always rings at sundown, and, in truth, most of the town’s inhabitants are hardly aware of
The magic of the bell draws in an outsider to the town, too, the scholarly Ridley Dow. Dow seems to believe that the bell has some strange connection to Aislinn House, the town’s oldest manor and home to what passes for gentility in the countryside. His innkeeper, Judd, isn’t sure why Dow would think so…Aislinn House is old and ill-kept by a handful of servants, and ancient matron Lady Eglantyne lies on her deathbed in an upper room. The house holds a secret, however…as young housemaid Emma goes about her duties, she frequently finds herself looking through opened doors into another version of Aislinn House, in which young Princess Ysabo and the other women are bound to endlessly perform rigid and meaningless rituals throughout their days.
When the heir to Aislinn House, worldly city-bred lady Miranda Beryl comes to town and another stranger in town proves to be more than he seemed, the two worlds of Aislinn House collide in fantastic ways and the secret to the bell’s tolling is finally revealed.
With a light hand and touches of magic and romance, McKillip has crafted an elegant and deceptively simple fairytale.
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the sound anymore. But Gwyneth, a bookish and lovely young woman and daughter of the town’s richest merchant, is enchanted by the bell, and spends her free time writing stories to explain its mysterious tolling. The magic of the bell draws in an outsider to the town, too, the scholarly Ridley Dow. Dow seems to believe that the bell has some strange connection to Aislinn House, the town’s oldest manor and home to what passes for gentility in the countryside. His innkeeper, Judd, isn’t sure why Dow would think so…Aislinn House is old and ill-kept by a handful of servants, and ancient matron Lady Eglantyne lies on her deathbed in an upper room. The house holds a secret, however…as young housemaid Emma goes about her duties, she frequently finds herself looking through opened doors into another version of Aislinn House, in which young Princess Ysabo and the other women are bound to endlessly perform rigid and meaningless rituals throughout their days.
When the heir to Aislinn House, worldly city-bred lady Miranda Beryl comes to town and another stranger in town proves to be more than he seemed, the two worlds of Aislinn House collide in fantastic ways and the secret to the bell’s tolling is finally revealed.
With a light hand and touches of magic and romance, McKillip has crafted an elegant and deceptively simple fairytale.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
For fans of Patricia McKillip, this book will feel familiar in style. It is mainly a fantasy romance with a little magic and adventure on the side. The residents of the very small coastal village of Sealey Head live in their own little world where very little changes. Reflected in miniature within
Things start to slowly change when a young researcher and possible wizard arrives from the big city, soon followed by the inheritor of Aislinn house, her entourage and all that goes with it. For me, the key to understanding this book was when I realized that this could have just as easily been called 'The Bell at Seelie Head', as in the Seelie Court of the fairies.
We mostly follow the action here from the point of view of the common people of the village, the innkeeper's son, the merchant's daughter and Emma, the servant girl. As always with McKillip's books the writing is excellent, the story is engaging and the characters are clever and magical. There's nothing not to like about this short novel.
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that town is Aislinn House, where the ancient lady of the house sleeps the days away and nothing changes - but behind some doors a young servant girl gets glimpses of another world. Things start to slowly change when a young researcher and possible wizard arrives from the big city, soon followed by the inheritor of Aislinn house, her entourage and all that goes with it. For me, the key to understanding this book was when I realized that this could have just as easily been called 'The Bell at Seelie Head', as in the Seelie Court of the fairies.
We mostly follow the action here from the point of view of the common people of the village, the innkeeper's son, the merchant's daughter and Emma, the servant girl. As always with McKillip's books the writing is excellent, the story is engaging and the characters are clever and magical. There's nothing not to like about this short novel.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Adult Literature — 2009)
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2009)
Locus Recommended Reading (2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
288 p.; 8.22 inches
ISBN
0441016308 / 9780441016303
Local notes
On the outskirts of Sealey Head, a small ocean-side town haunted by the ringing of a bell that no one can see, is Aislinn House, a large estate whose elderly owner, Lady Eglantyne, is on her deathbed and where mysterious doors sometimes open to reveal a colorful fantasy castle populated by knights and princesses.