A Woman Made of Snow - Elisabeth Gifford

 I became familiar with Elisabeth Gifford’s style when I read the Good Doctor of Warsaw which I admired greatly. The Lost Lights of Kilda is on my TBR list so I was delighted when Readers First sent me a copy of her latest book, A Woman Made of Snow.

It’s historical fiction at its best. It’s well researched and the narrative flows authentically and plausibly. The scenes aboard a whaling ship are heart in the mouth moments but that is only achieved through the authenticity of the writing and research. However it’s  more than “just“ a history story. It’s a novel that examines the relationships between people and the conflicts and misunderstandings that can arise. It’s also a mystery story that requires the untangling of a complicated past and how that past can come to define not just a present but also a future.

With dual time frames between a 1940’s Northampton and Fife and an 1874 Fife Ms Gifford weaves an intriguing tale of failing fortunes, affairs of the heart, a mystery body, life in the Arctic, all of which could be crucial pieces in the jigsaw mystery of Kelly Castle and its past and the relevance of that on it’s continued existence. As the plot develops and we start to peel the layers and get to the truth the complexities are fascinating.

 Caro Gillan is the lead character who is determined to seek out the truth of the past history of her husband’s family castle and to seek her own truths in her post war world. Many strong characters populate the novel with a perception and understanding of people and their various stations within life and the world, prejudices borne out of ignorance and the lengths folk will go to satisfy that ignorance and discrimination. There are some truly heartbreaking moments in this book. But it is balanced with a great deal of positivity too.

I thought the title was ingenious. I’m sure the writer had an intention for exactly who the woman made of snow is but I found various interpretations and therefore more than one candidate who could be described thus! I’d be curious to know if other readers felt the same.

I found it to be a most satisfying read, a very enjoyable story.