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The Last Days of Leda Grey
A bewitching novel about an enigmatic silent film actress, and the volatile love affair that left her a recluse for over half a century - for fans of Sarah Waters and Tracy Chevalier.
The Sunday Times selects Leda Grey as their Historical Book of the Month in October 2016. The review calls the novel "luminous... with a sensuousness to the prose ... Leda Grey's world is utterly beguiling."
The Sunday Times selects Leda Grey as their Historical Book of the Month in October 2016. The review calls the novel "luminous... with a sensuousness to the prose ... Leda Grey's world is utterly beguiling."
360 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2016
16 people are currently reading
1,859 people want to read
About the author
Essie Fox
7Ìýbooks342ÌýfollowersMy latest novel is called Dangerous, and it will be published by Orenda Books in April 2025. It's a slight change from my normal style of novels in that it's a historical crime mystery - but still very gothic. It's the story of Lord Byron in Venice, when a novel called The Vampyre is fraudulently published under his name, and he is then suspected of murder when several women of his acquaintance are found dead with wounds to their throats.
The Fascination which was published in HB in 2023 is set in the world of Victorian rural fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres and an anatomy museum in a shop on Oxford Street - based on one that really did exist! It's a book about deception, obsession, and what it is to be ''different'.
The Last Days of Leda Grey is about an Edwardian silent film actress who has lived in a crumbling cliff top house for more than half a century, until she confides her story to the journalist, Ed Peters ... who rapidly finds himself immersed inside her dark and eerie world.
I've also written three Victorian novels, the first of which - The Somnambulist - was shortlisted for the UK National Book Awards, featured on Channel 4's TV Book Club, and has been optioned for TV/film.
Elijah's Mermaid, features the hypocrisy in Victorian art and literature. It has brothels, asylums, and freak shows...not forgetting the mermaids!
The Goddess and the Thief is an 'oriental gothic', with Indian Maharajahs, Hindu gods and sacred diamonds ... including candlelit seances which are held in English drawing rooms.
My website is:
I blog as The Virtual Victorian.
The Fascination which was published in HB in 2023 is set in the world of Victorian rural fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres and an anatomy museum in a shop on Oxford Street - based on one that really did exist! It's a book about deception, obsession, and what it is to be ''different'.
The Last Days of Leda Grey is about an Edwardian silent film actress who has lived in a crumbling cliff top house for more than half a century, until she confides her story to the journalist, Ed Peters ... who rapidly finds himself immersed inside her dark and eerie world.
I've also written three Victorian novels, the first of which - The Somnambulist - was shortlisted for the UK National Book Awards, featured on Channel 4's TV Book Club, and has been optioned for TV/film.
Elijah's Mermaid, features the hypocrisy in Victorian art and literature. It has brothels, asylums, and freak shows...not forgetting the mermaids!
The Goddess and the Thief is an 'oriental gothic', with Indian Maharajahs, Hindu gods and sacred diamonds ... including candlelit seances which are held in English drawing rooms.
My website is:
I blog as The Virtual Victorian.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
October 13, 2016
This novel begins in the sweltering summer of 1976 (seemingly so beloved of authors in recent years), with young journalist Ed Peters visiting Brightland � a vaguely disguised Brighton. However, the disguise works, as everything about this book feels as though it is being glimpsed out of the corner of your eye, rather than looked upon clearly.
I really recognised the era that the author writes about � that never ending summer, filled with ladybirds that swarmed everywhere. Ed’s mother committed suicide when he was young, but her happiness seemed to be linked to this seaside place and so he is drawn there. Her love of old black and white movies leads him to a shop, owned by Theo Williams, who sells stage and film memorabilia. When he comes across a photograph of a beautiful, young actress, she turns out to be Theo’s sister, the former silent movie actress, Leda Grey.
Sensing a story, Ed sets out for White Cliff House, where Leda has lived as a recluse for many years. Theo gives him a message for her � it is time she told the truth� We follow Ed as he heads to the house on the cliff, which seems to be literally crumbling into the sea; with no water or electricity supply. Leda is elderly now, but her house is a museum to her time as muse to the enigmatic Charles Beauvois. Ed also meets a local woman, Lucy, whose grandmother worked for Leda. In Leda’s sepia world, Ed begins to piece together what happened so long ago with Leda and the mysterious Mousier Beauvois, who disappeared like the faded films and props that she surrounds herself with.
This is a very atmospheric read. I enjoyed being immersed in this world of dissolving glamour; where you just sense that everything is slowly and surely, waning away. This is a novel of secrets, jealousy, love and obsession. A very good read and an interesting historical novel. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
I really recognised the era that the author writes about � that never ending summer, filled with ladybirds that swarmed everywhere. Ed’s mother committed suicide when he was young, but her happiness seemed to be linked to this seaside place and so he is drawn there. Her love of old black and white movies leads him to a shop, owned by Theo Williams, who sells stage and film memorabilia. When he comes across a photograph of a beautiful, young actress, she turns out to be Theo’s sister, the former silent movie actress, Leda Grey.
Sensing a story, Ed sets out for White Cliff House, where Leda has lived as a recluse for many years. Theo gives him a message for her � it is time she told the truth� We follow Ed as he heads to the house on the cliff, which seems to be literally crumbling into the sea; with no water or electricity supply. Leda is elderly now, but her house is a museum to her time as muse to the enigmatic Charles Beauvois. Ed also meets a local woman, Lucy, whose grandmother worked for Leda. In Leda’s sepia world, Ed begins to piece together what happened so long ago with Leda and the mysterious Mousier Beauvois, who disappeared like the faded films and props that she surrounds herself with.
This is a very atmospheric read. I enjoyed being immersed in this world of dissolving glamour; where you just sense that everything is slowly and surely, waning away. This is a novel of secrets, jealousy, love and obsession. A very good read and an interesting historical novel. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
August 28, 2016
I have just read The Last Days of Leda Grey and have woken up in a haze of incense with a beaded shawl over my head and black and white photographs falling out from the book...this is not just a book, it's a fully immersion into another world. A world of Silent Films, Leda Grey who is now living the live of a recluse - A Miss Haversham descendant if ever there was one.
What happened when she starred in the silent movies of the iconic Charles Beauvois and is the adage true that if you speak of the dead, you bring them back to life? What about the idea that a film can steal your soul and leave you living in the shadows of your own life?
Essie has recreated the bygone era of the silent films, the flickering images, the shadowy figures and the ghostly backdrop of Brighton - (Well Brightland in the novel) . Read this by flickering candlelight for maximum effect as the gothic chills will tingle and chill you in equal measure.
Full review nearer the time
What happened when she starred in the silent movies of the iconic Charles Beauvois and is the adage true that if you speak of the dead, you bring them back to life? What about the idea that a film can steal your soul and leave you living in the shadows of your own life?
Essie has recreated the bygone era of the silent films, the flickering images, the shadowy figures and the ghostly backdrop of Brighton - (Well Brightland in the novel) . Read this by flickering candlelight for maximum effect as the gothic chills will tingle and chill you in equal measure.
Full review nearer the time
September 27, 2016
I received an advance review copy of The Last Days of Leda Grey from Netgalley and Orion in return for a full and honest review. Which leaves me with a conundrum - How do I start to review this book?
One thing I already know about Essie Fox from previous novels is that she has a unique way of describing scenes and situations that immerse you completely into her exquisite stories - quite akin to lowering yourself into a steaming hot bath. You know it's probably going to rob you of all your sensibilities for the foreseeable future, but you know it's going to be so good that you won't care. The Last Days of Leda Grey is no exception. Once you're in, you're in and you won't want to come out of the world she has created without reaching the conclusion. I devoured this book in two sittings.
The story centres around Ed, a journalist who, during the long hot summer of 1976, happens across an intriguing photograph in a junk shop in Brightland. Finding himself enchanted by the beautiful young actress in the photograph, and after chatting to the shop owner, he sets out find out what became of her.
Enter Leda Grey. Or rather, enter Ed into Leda's home - a house atop a cliff that is literally, bit by bit, tumbling into the sea. He finds Leda old but still emphatically wanting to tell her story. And what a story she has to tell.
Throughout the course of his interviews and screenings, Ed finds more than he expected. He becomes familiar with her family history, her relationship with the wildly talented, but disturbed filmmaker Charles Beauvois and her mesmerising beauty in front of the camera, and through doing so, becomes completely immersed in Leda's world, desperate to find out the correlation between the woman he sees in front of him and the actress in the silent films she shows him.
Elements of the distant past merge with Ed's reality as he unveils a shocking and upsetting series of events, which he must pursue if he is to discover the truth - How did this beautiful girl with stars in her eyes and the world at her feet end up a tragic shadow of her former self, shuttered in a cliff top prison?
Ed is determined to find out, but will the answers he find be what he was hoping for?
This is a wonderfully atmospheric book from a writer who knows her subject and knows how to make it come alive.
One thing I already know about Essie Fox from previous novels is that she has a unique way of describing scenes and situations that immerse you completely into her exquisite stories - quite akin to lowering yourself into a steaming hot bath. You know it's probably going to rob you of all your sensibilities for the foreseeable future, but you know it's going to be so good that you won't care. The Last Days of Leda Grey is no exception. Once you're in, you're in and you won't want to come out of the world she has created without reaching the conclusion. I devoured this book in two sittings.
The story centres around Ed, a journalist who, during the long hot summer of 1976, happens across an intriguing photograph in a junk shop in Brightland. Finding himself enchanted by the beautiful young actress in the photograph, and after chatting to the shop owner, he sets out find out what became of her.
Enter Leda Grey. Or rather, enter Ed into Leda's home - a house atop a cliff that is literally, bit by bit, tumbling into the sea. He finds Leda old but still emphatically wanting to tell her story. And what a story she has to tell.
Throughout the course of his interviews and screenings, Ed finds more than he expected. He becomes familiar with her family history, her relationship with the wildly talented, but disturbed filmmaker Charles Beauvois and her mesmerising beauty in front of the camera, and through doing so, becomes completely immersed in Leda's world, desperate to find out the correlation between the woman he sees in front of him and the actress in the silent films she shows him.
Elements of the distant past merge with Ed's reality as he unveils a shocking and upsetting series of events, which he must pursue if he is to discover the truth - How did this beautiful girl with stars in her eyes and the world at her feet end up a tragic shadow of her former self, shuttered in a cliff top prison?
Ed is determined to find out, but will the answers he find be what he was hoping for?
This is a wonderfully atmospheric book from a writer who knows her subject and knows how to make it come alive.
October 31, 2016
This is the first book I have read by Essie Fox and have to admit that I didn't even properly read the blurb when I requested it because I just wanted to possess that beautiful cover! It is so incredibly enticing and evocative of the books period setting that I feel in love and totally judged a book by its cover!
Now anyone who knows me also knows I am a HUGE film buff. I was brought up to love old black and white films whilst watching them with my grandparents and am obsessed by the old silent films from the golden age of Hollywood. It was a time before this "celebrity culture" we live in now, where the stars of the silver screen were true glamour icons. And even now they have maintained a certain mystical quality not seen since. They, like me and that cover, were also judged by the way they looked and many lost that mystique once talkies came along and people heard their voices. But those silent stars have always remained fascinating especially to me (the Clara Bow lips as a teenager were not a particularly great success though!)
This story is mainly set in 1976 when a young reporter Ed Peters comes across a shop selling old movie memorabilia, amongst other things, and goes inside to purchase a Bette Davies photo, a favourite actress of his recently deceased mother. Once inside he meets Theo and also discovers photos of a beautiful silent film star who had only made 3 films before disappearing from that world. Theo turns out to be the brother of that enigmatic actress who's screen name was Leda Grey and who lives locally, rarely venturing from her home. Ed goes up to the house with the intention of interviewing a woman he has developed a sudden and strange fascination with and ends up spending days talking to Leda about her past life and sinking deeper under her spell.
This book drew me in and weaved its magic within the first few pages, once I'd got used to the authors rather unique writing style. It was a spine tingling tale that delivered a real sense of time and place with a darkly atmospheric undertone. I just loved the gothic feel and how White Cliff House, with its lack of electricity and phone line, was practically a character in itself! I also found Ed's fascination with Leda to be totally plausible as there have been cases well documented of younger men being captivated by beautiful older film stars. Leda herself was an unconventional, almost mythical figure, with her eccentric personality. I especially loved the way that mirrors dominated her flashbacks as again they encouraged us to think that maybe things were not being reflected truthfully.
This was definitely an eye opener for me and I am very keen now to read other books by Essie Fox to see how they compare to this one. She certainly has me intrigued-rather like the enigmatic Leda Grey! Her love of cinematography and the film industry comes across very strongly here and any examples of classic films used show a deep affection and knowledge of them. So, for once in my life, judging a book by its cover had worked out rather well for me!
Many thanks to the publisher Orion for my review copy of The Last Days of Leda Grey.
Now anyone who knows me also knows I am a HUGE film buff. I was brought up to love old black and white films whilst watching them with my grandparents and am obsessed by the old silent films from the golden age of Hollywood. It was a time before this "celebrity culture" we live in now, where the stars of the silver screen were true glamour icons. And even now they have maintained a certain mystical quality not seen since. They, like me and that cover, were also judged by the way they looked and many lost that mystique once talkies came along and people heard their voices. But those silent stars have always remained fascinating especially to me (the Clara Bow lips as a teenager were not a particularly great success though!)
This story is mainly set in 1976 when a young reporter Ed Peters comes across a shop selling old movie memorabilia, amongst other things, and goes inside to purchase a Bette Davies photo, a favourite actress of his recently deceased mother. Once inside he meets Theo and also discovers photos of a beautiful silent film star who had only made 3 films before disappearing from that world. Theo turns out to be the brother of that enigmatic actress who's screen name was Leda Grey and who lives locally, rarely venturing from her home. Ed goes up to the house with the intention of interviewing a woman he has developed a sudden and strange fascination with and ends up spending days talking to Leda about her past life and sinking deeper under her spell.
This book drew me in and weaved its magic within the first few pages, once I'd got used to the authors rather unique writing style. It was a spine tingling tale that delivered a real sense of time and place with a darkly atmospheric undertone. I just loved the gothic feel and how White Cliff House, with its lack of electricity and phone line, was practically a character in itself! I also found Ed's fascination with Leda to be totally plausible as there have been cases well documented of younger men being captivated by beautiful older film stars. Leda herself was an unconventional, almost mythical figure, with her eccentric personality. I especially loved the way that mirrors dominated her flashbacks as again they encouraged us to think that maybe things were not being reflected truthfully.
This was definitely an eye opener for me and I am very keen now to read other books by Essie Fox to see how they compare to this one. She certainly has me intrigued-rather like the enigmatic Leda Grey! Her love of cinematography and the film industry comes across very strongly here and any examples of classic films used show a deep affection and knowledge of them. So, for once in my life, judging a book by its cover had worked out rather well for me!
Many thanks to the publisher Orion for my review copy of The Last Days of Leda Grey.
November 29, 2016
A soon as I started reading this novel, I was immediately sucked into Fox's world of both a seaside town in Edwardian England and Ed Peter's thoughts during the swelteringly hot summer of '76.
This is a tale of obsessive love, jealousy, the early days of film, and the effect of mind altering substances. It is a story about identity, ambiguity and lives lost to dreams that have turned to nightmares.
Leda Grey is a mesmerising character, who we see as a young and beautiful girl and an old, disillusioned woman. Fox slowly draws the picture of her life through Ed reading her diaries, and as the novel takes us deeper into both of their worlds, we question what is real, what is a dream, or an illusion. It is so cleverly fabricated, the plot and emotions, and never does the author lose the believability of the story she is weaving.
I rushed through the final quarter of the book, desperate to piece together the information from the opening page. I wasn't disappointed. This is a beautifully written and gripping story of a woman tormented, and a man so drawn into her world that the reader can believe Ed has fallen in love with the image on a postcard. His own obsession with Leda is as strong as Leda's addiction to her director, and lover Beauvois.
The denouement of the novel is perfect.
An excellent read.
This is a tale of obsessive love, jealousy, the early days of film, and the effect of mind altering substances. It is a story about identity, ambiguity and lives lost to dreams that have turned to nightmares.
Leda Grey is a mesmerising character, who we see as a young and beautiful girl and an old, disillusioned woman. Fox slowly draws the picture of her life through Ed reading her diaries, and as the novel takes us deeper into both of their worlds, we question what is real, what is a dream, or an illusion. It is so cleverly fabricated, the plot and emotions, and never does the author lose the believability of the story she is weaving.
I rushed through the final quarter of the book, desperate to piece together the information from the opening page. I wasn't disappointed. This is a beautifully written and gripping story of a woman tormented, and a man so drawn into her world that the reader can believe Ed has fallen in love with the image on a postcard. His own obsession with Leda is as strong as Leda's addiction to her director, and lover Beauvois.
The denouement of the novel is perfect.
An excellent read.
March 22, 2017
A real let down - the premise was great and I wanted to love it, but it just felt clunky, disjointed and as if it were trying to hard...
It wanted so much to be gothic and intriguing and seductive - and yet I felt no atmosphere or any love for the characters.
I haven't read any of the writers work before and I'm not sure now if I'll try anymore.
Shame..
It wanted so much to be gothic and intriguing and seductive - and yet I felt no atmosphere or any love for the characters.
I haven't read any of the writers work before and I'm not sure now if I'll try anymore.
Shame..
November 2, 2016
The Last Days of Leda Grey is rather an unusual book with probably one of the most stunning covers I have seen in a long time�.truly beautiful!
Published by Orion, Essie Fox’s latest novel, is released this month (November 2016) and is one that will transport you, the reader, to a very different time and place!!
Please read on for my full review�..
Ed Peters is a journalist disillusioned with the life he is leading. The partying and excesses of his lifestyle are taking their tole
‘I hardly recognised myself. So much gaunter than the glam-rock boy whose photograph and byline were displayed on the ‘Hip and Happening� page of London’s City magazine. My mornings spent in Fleet Street with the clatter and bash of typewriters, writing reviews on rising stars promoted on the London scene. Longer lazy afternoons with all the other boozed up hacks who lushed in antiquated bars, until the evenings spent at gigs or films, or parties after shows � before it all began again.�
Ed, packs up his things and takes a journey that will forever change his life.
He finds himself in the seaside town of Brightlands. A place full of history and tragedy.
It’s not long before Ed is swept up in a story that is straight out of another era. As a reader we are transported back to the silent movies of the early 20th Century and to a time of magic and wonderment.
In an old curiosity shop Ed becomes transfixed with a photograph he sees of an actress from the early movies. Her eyes, her hair, her alluring beauty seem to call out to Ed. To his utter amazement he discovers that her name is Leda Grey and she still is in residence, living as a recluse, at her home, White Cliff House, at nearby Cuckham Sands.
Intrigued and fascinated by the possibility of something new and different for his newspaper column, Ed seeks to investigate the full story behind the enigmatic and elusive Leda Grey.
Ed makes his way to White Cliff House and discovers the most fascinating story. Surrounded by memories and paraphernalia of a long gone era, Ed is almost transported through time.
Leda unveils truths from her past, slowly drip feeding information to Ed, as he struggles with the enormity of what he finds.
‘How strange that in our times of grief, we try to see what isn’t real, when the hopes and dreams we cling to are no more than scraps of fantasy�
Leda is a starlet from a time when adventure and creativity were what made the silent movie so exciting. The use of such dramatic sets and lighting made the viewer unsure of the reality of a scene.
Ed Peters finds himself completely caught up in this reality of Leda Grey’s. He is consciously aware that something very strange is taking place, yet he is completely obsessed with her story and continues his search to uncover the truth.
Leda Grey, even as an old lady, radiates a sensuality that Ed finds hard to resist.
‘I felt such abject misery, to be yearning for a woman’s youth which no longer existed in any form but the two dimensions of her film�
She exudes an almost ethereal aura, surrounded by a haunted otherworldliness that draws Ed in.
Essie Fox writes in a manner I haven’t read before, an old style in a current book. This is Essie’s first venture into the Edwardian period, as her previous novels have been set in the Victorian era.
Although The Last Days of Leda Grey opens in 1976, we are soon immersed in the mesmerising world of cinematography in it’s infancy. Essie Fox takes us back to a time reminiscent of the great American actresses of the Silent Screen like Louise Brooks.
One of my favourite movies in recent years was ‘The Artist�, directed by Michael Hazanavicius. For me it was a movie that portrayed the essence of the life of an actress in the silent age when it was all about the eyes and the expressions that the actress used, almost hypnotizing the viewer and drawing them into the fictitious world on screen.
In The Last Days of Leda Grey, Essie Fox has captured all this and more.
Ed Peters is bewitched and captivated by the haunting story Leda Grey alludes to. Her life was tragic, a bright flame who never truly got to shine. Ed finds himself unearthing ghastly events that had remained hidden from the world for over half a century.
Does Leda Grey get her opportunity to shine again? Will her story finally be told?
It is up to you the reader to purchase a copy of this rather unique and enthralling novel to find out.
Published by Orion, Essie Fox’s latest novel, is released this month (November 2016) and is one that will transport you, the reader, to a very different time and place!!
Please read on for my full review�..
Ed Peters is a journalist disillusioned with the life he is leading. The partying and excesses of his lifestyle are taking their tole
‘I hardly recognised myself. So much gaunter than the glam-rock boy whose photograph and byline were displayed on the ‘Hip and Happening� page of London’s City magazine. My mornings spent in Fleet Street with the clatter and bash of typewriters, writing reviews on rising stars promoted on the London scene. Longer lazy afternoons with all the other boozed up hacks who lushed in antiquated bars, until the evenings spent at gigs or films, or parties after shows � before it all began again.�
Ed, packs up his things and takes a journey that will forever change his life.
He finds himself in the seaside town of Brightlands. A place full of history and tragedy.
It’s not long before Ed is swept up in a story that is straight out of another era. As a reader we are transported back to the silent movies of the early 20th Century and to a time of magic and wonderment.
In an old curiosity shop Ed becomes transfixed with a photograph he sees of an actress from the early movies. Her eyes, her hair, her alluring beauty seem to call out to Ed. To his utter amazement he discovers that her name is Leda Grey and she still is in residence, living as a recluse, at her home, White Cliff House, at nearby Cuckham Sands.
Intrigued and fascinated by the possibility of something new and different for his newspaper column, Ed seeks to investigate the full story behind the enigmatic and elusive Leda Grey.
Ed makes his way to White Cliff House and discovers the most fascinating story. Surrounded by memories and paraphernalia of a long gone era, Ed is almost transported through time.
Leda unveils truths from her past, slowly drip feeding information to Ed, as he struggles with the enormity of what he finds.
‘How strange that in our times of grief, we try to see what isn’t real, when the hopes and dreams we cling to are no more than scraps of fantasy�
Leda is a starlet from a time when adventure and creativity were what made the silent movie so exciting. The use of such dramatic sets and lighting made the viewer unsure of the reality of a scene.
Ed Peters finds himself completely caught up in this reality of Leda Grey’s. He is consciously aware that something very strange is taking place, yet he is completely obsessed with her story and continues his search to uncover the truth.
Leda Grey, even as an old lady, radiates a sensuality that Ed finds hard to resist.
‘I felt such abject misery, to be yearning for a woman’s youth which no longer existed in any form but the two dimensions of her film�
She exudes an almost ethereal aura, surrounded by a haunted otherworldliness that draws Ed in.
Essie Fox writes in a manner I haven’t read before, an old style in a current book. This is Essie’s first venture into the Edwardian period, as her previous novels have been set in the Victorian era.
Although The Last Days of Leda Grey opens in 1976, we are soon immersed in the mesmerising world of cinematography in it’s infancy. Essie Fox takes us back to a time reminiscent of the great American actresses of the Silent Screen like Louise Brooks.
One of my favourite movies in recent years was ‘The Artist�, directed by Michael Hazanavicius. For me it was a movie that portrayed the essence of the life of an actress in the silent age when it was all about the eyes and the expressions that the actress used, almost hypnotizing the viewer and drawing them into the fictitious world on screen.
In The Last Days of Leda Grey, Essie Fox has captured all this and more.
Ed Peters is bewitched and captivated by the haunting story Leda Grey alludes to. Her life was tragic, a bright flame who never truly got to shine. Ed finds himself unearthing ghastly events that had remained hidden from the world for over half a century.
Does Leda Grey get her opportunity to shine again? Will her story finally be told?
It is up to you the reader to purchase a copy of this rather unique and enthralling novel to find out.
October 23, 2016
What remains behind the crumbling façade of White Cliff House in 1976 is its solitary resident and ageing star of the silent movie, Leda Grey. As time passed the strange and alluring artefacts of many a movie set are all she has for company. Yet she seems content to be alone, sweeping the dusty floor with the hem of her fraying skirt as it trails behind her.
Leda has one advantage over the bricks and mortar as she is destined to live forever after being immortalised on film by a ‘special effects� pioneer and director, Charles Beauvois. With many an infectious spark of genius enticing her further into his possessive, artistic lair, Beauvois became her lover and captured the essence of his leading lady in more ways than one.
The parts she played during her life are sealed in metal film reels just waiting for someone to release her by feasting their eyes upon the startling, flickering imagery once more. That someone would be Ed Peters, a restless arts� journalist who first learned of Leda Grey when her penetrating eyes meet his from behind a shop window. He is instantly attracted to the young subject in the old black and white photograph and is desperate to learn more about this spectral beauty of the silent screen, as he feels compelled to write her story.
What follows is a surreal relationship and the obscure manner in which Leda to choses to share the knowledge of her captivating early life with this young and welcome stranger. As she allows Ed into her world, I found myself immersed in an ethereal fantasy which is both seductive and tragic.
As I continued, I found an eeriness settling upon White Cliff House. It has become the polar opposite of the serenity captured by a camera lens decades earlier; a solitary candle burns low, the hands of the clock no longer turn, and the redundant props in the studio in the grounds look positively ghoulish, adopting a sinister connotation.
It’s as though after the last film was made, Leda chose to become an integral part of the decaying set while the memories of the long gone cast stir around her. During Ed’s captivating visits, he witnesses a peculiar wildness between twilight and reality, until he becomes utterly distracted by this eccentric recluse and begins to question his own sanity.
The intensely sensual and untamed echoes of the past come alive in The Last Days of Leda Grey . It is an exquisitely written, tantalising mystery heaving with imagination, atmosphere and drama. And as I have experienced when reading Essie Fox’s previous work, the techniques she applies when conveying her mesmerising stories provide so much more than I could ever dream of. Bravo!
Actual rating: 4.5/5
(I received an advanced digital copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley, and this is my unbiased opinion.)
Leda has one advantage over the bricks and mortar as she is destined to live forever after being immortalised on film by a ‘special effects� pioneer and director, Charles Beauvois. With many an infectious spark of genius enticing her further into his possessive, artistic lair, Beauvois became her lover and captured the essence of his leading lady in more ways than one.
The parts she played during her life are sealed in metal film reels just waiting for someone to release her by feasting their eyes upon the startling, flickering imagery once more. That someone would be Ed Peters, a restless arts� journalist who first learned of Leda Grey when her penetrating eyes meet his from behind a shop window. He is instantly attracted to the young subject in the old black and white photograph and is desperate to learn more about this spectral beauty of the silent screen, as he feels compelled to write her story.
What follows is a surreal relationship and the obscure manner in which Leda to choses to share the knowledge of her captivating early life with this young and welcome stranger. As she allows Ed into her world, I found myself immersed in an ethereal fantasy which is both seductive and tragic.
As I continued, I found an eeriness settling upon White Cliff House. It has become the polar opposite of the serenity captured by a camera lens decades earlier; a solitary candle burns low, the hands of the clock no longer turn, and the redundant props in the studio in the grounds look positively ghoulish, adopting a sinister connotation.
It’s as though after the last film was made, Leda chose to become an integral part of the decaying set while the memories of the long gone cast stir around her. During Ed’s captivating visits, he witnesses a peculiar wildness between twilight and reality, until he becomes utterly distracted by this eccentric recluse and begins to question his own sanity.
The intensely sensual and untamed echoes of the past come alive in The Last Days of Leda Grey . It is an exquisitely written, tantalising mystery heaving with imagination, atmosphere and drama. And as I have experienced when reading Essie Fox’s previous work, the techniques she applies when conveying her mesmerising stories provide so much more than I could ever dream of. Bravo!
Actual rating: 4.5/5
(I received an advanced digital copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley, and this is my unbiased opinion.)
November 16, 2016
The Last Days of Leda Grey opens in the summer of 1976, when Ed Peters, a pretty boy arts journalist, is drawn to photographs of alluring and vampish Leda in a down-at-heel junk shop. From the very first line the sense of foreboding is delicious: Ed is a rootless and aimless figure, the lucky winner of a journalism competition, formerly dominated by a suicidal mother, and we soon come to learn, attracted to oblivion and the macabre. Ed’s voice is instantly beguiling, intercut with ominous quotes from ‘the Scottish play�, Leda’s memories and snippets from newspapers and other ephemera. In true gothic style, he is led up the crumbling cliff path to remote and mouldering White Cliff House and becomes captivated by elderly Leda � in whom he often glimpses flirtatious young Leda�
Like a female Ancient Mariner, Leda’s claw-like hand and mesmerising memories bring her young admirer under her spell. Ripples in time, like jerky unspooling of celluloid, give enjoyable hints that something rather strange is happening in the space and time. The novel skilfully references film history � for example, the ventriloquist’s dummy in The Dead of Night and the terrifying house in The Haunting - making the reader want to know far more about this fascinating period of silent movie-making.
Throughout, Fox’s prose style sparkles like diamonds laced with cobwebs, building a uniquely opulent world of the imagination. This is her best novel yet � with two timelines as focussed as twin spotlights, dazzlingly decadent imagery and a small cast of vivid and disturbing characters. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a delightfully immersive and imaginative spell in the past�
Like a female Ancient Mariner, Leda’s claw-like hand and mesmerising memories bring her young admirer under her spell. Ripples in time, like jerky unspooling of celluloid, give enjoyable hints that something rather strange is happening in the space and time. The novel skilfully references film history � for example, the ventriloquist’s dummy in The Dead of Night and the terrifying house in The Haunting - making the reader want to know far more about this fascinating period of silent movie-making.
Throughout, Fox’s prose style sparkles like diamonds laced with cobwebs, building a uniquely opulent world of the imagination. This is her best novel yet � with two timelines as focussed as twin spotlights, dazzlingly decadent imagery and a small cast of vivid and disturbing characters. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone looking for a delightfully immersive and imaginative spell in the past�
October 26, 2016
The story begins in Brightland, an English seaside town. It's the long hot summer of 1976 and journalist Ed Peters finds himself drawn to a dusty old junk shop when he spots in the window, some old postcards of Hollywood legends including Bette Davis who was his mother's favourite. Once inside, it is a picture of a young, unknown girl that really captivates him, along with Theo Williams the shop owner.
The girl in the picture is Leda Grey, an actress from the days of the silent film, and Theo's sister. When Ed learns that Leda is still alive, and living as a recluse in White Cliff House, he is determined to learn more, and to hear her story.
Ed visits White Cliff, with a message from Theo and it is there that the story really begins. Essie Fox's writing flows so beautifully, she skilfully traps the reader. making you feel as though you too are sitting in the old, crumbling mansion. Listening to Leda tell her story, learning about her relationship with Charles Beauvois, a talented yet troubled film producer and discovering just why she lives alone, with no friends and no family around her.
Essie Fox writes with passion and authority. Her interest and love of cinema is clear throughout the novel, she brings to life some of the film stories of yesteryear, giving the reader a tantalising glimpse into the intriguing world of cinema history.
Evocative and haunting, this story is beautifully told, it is multi-layered and hugely engaging. The characters are rich, mysterious and surprising and the setting is fabulous. The old house almost steals the show from Leda and Ed. The author has created a stifling atmosphere, and White Cliffs House is firmly at the centre of it.
The Last Days of Leda Grey is so inventive, so surprising and quite enchanting. One last word must go to the cover designer - it is absolutely beautiful and reflects the story inside so perfectly
The girl in the picture is Leda Grey, an actress from the days of the silent film, and Theo's sister. When Ed learns that Leda is still alive, and living as a recluse in White Cliff House, he is determined to learn more, and to hear her story.
Ed visits White Cliff, with a message from Theo and it is there that the story really begins. Essie Fox's writing flows so beautifully, she skilfully traps the reader. making you feel as though you too are sitting in the old, crumbling mansion. Listening to Leda tell her story, learning about her relationship with Charles Beauvois, a talented yet troubled film producer and discovering just why she lives alone, with no friends and no family around her.
Essie Fox writes with passion and authority. Her interest and love of cinema is clear throughout the novel, she brings to life some of the film stories of yesteryear, giving the reader a tantalising glimpse into the intriguing world of cinema history.
Evocative and haunting, this story is beautifully told, it is multi-layered and hugely engaging. The characters are rich, mysterious and surprising and the setting is fabulous. The old house almost steals the show from Leda and Ed. The author has created a stifling atmosphere, and White Cliffs House is firmly at the centre of it.
The Last Days of Leda Grey is so inventive, so surprising and quite enchanting. One last word must go to the cover designer - it is absolutely beautiful and reflects the story inside so perfectly
December 20, 2016
Mesmerising tale of a reclusive silent film star living in 70s England and the young journalist determined to discover the truth about her life. Evocative and vivid it explores destructive love, addiction, obsession and the creative impulse. Wonderful.
March 18, 2018
It's not very often I'll give a book a 5 star rating but I think this book deserves it. I absolutely love the writing style, with the intricate descriptions it's easy to conjure up images of the characters and scenes within the story. I also love the way that, although it is set in a fictional town, you can easily identify the place of inspiration as well as subtle nod to films not listed in the bibliography. However, at times I did lose track of the chronology of events and had to keep reminding myself that Leda's story is set at the beginning of the 20th century whilst being narrated in the very hot summer of mid 1970's. But this detracts little from my overall enjoyment of this story.
July 20, 2018
3.75*
I loved parts of this book but found some of the writing quite opaque. A good, enjoyable read but felt as if just a smidge of something was missing. What wasn't missing though was one of the oldest theatrical murder cliches in the book - did a little inward groan at that, I must admit.
I loved parts of this book but found some of the writing quite opaque. A good, enjoyable read but felt as if just a smidge of something was missing. What wasn't missing though was one of the oldest theatrical murder cliches in the book - did a little inward groan at that, I must admit.
April 13, 2019
I wasn't sure about this book as I read the first few pages but I ended up really enjoying it.
June 2, 2017
The words 'haunting,' 'mesmerising' and 'enchanting' have been used frequently to describe this exquisite book - and now I know why. It deserves every bit of this praise. Just as Ed is pulled into Leda Grey's mysterious web, I was addicted to the beautiful prose, to the meandering tale of days gone by, of magic, of trickery and film-making, of love and passion. I won't forget this for a long time.
October 27, 2016
The words used by critics and reviewer are "sensuous", "beguiling", "mesmerising" and "surreal". I would have to agree with all of these.
The opening is very factual and indicates that ultimately we can expect some tragedy and misdemeanours by the end of the story, but then we are led into a narrative voice that sounds so very unlike a thriller or mystery and much more like literary fiction.
The protagonist, Ed Peters, reminded me of a more grown up Leo from L P Hartley's "The Go Between" as we meet him when he is "lonely, restless and bored" in the "summer's endless heat". He finds a photo of the actress Leda Grey whilst browsing in a shop and
"when the sunlight dazzled on the glass it gave her the look of a living skull. It was such an odd illusion, and it lasted no more than a moment or so but I felt a prickling jolt of fear, a sense that if I stepped too close that girl might reach out through the frame and try to drag me into it. .....When I looked back up again the natural features were restored, so perfect and alluring......"
The shop keeper's riddles ("The light of attraction between lost souls. Do you also see between the veils?") made me wonder if I was wandering into a kind of 'Tales of the Unexpected' story or whether there would be a supernatural twist emerging along the way. Then he begins to reveal more about the mysterious life of Leda Grey, the girl in the photo, and explains how she is locked away in a house, tucked away from everyone and everything.
"The way she hides herself away like a doomed princess in a fairy tale. I used to visit, every month, as regular as clockwork. But my health, and these drugs I have to take, mean I can no longer drive. Even if I could, the cliff side road has grown too perilous. They've closed it off. The path's still there, but I'd never manage such a trek."
Now I was beginning to think of Miss Havisham, or someone out of a Susan Hill novel as the man continues by saying:
"My sister keeps many secrets. Many skeletons in her closets.....those ghosts may rise to haunt us all."
Ed decides to go and meet Leda and find out more about her story and her past. He is intrigued by her and sets off to locate the house, buried deep in the overgrown countryside, mystified at how a woman can survive there for so long without visitors and without needing to leave the house. He description of the inside of the house is even more like something from Miss Havisham or 'The Woman in Black':
"....zigzag cracks riddled through the ceiling, all the corners where large spider's webs were dangling down to reach the floor......stained with years of mould and penetrating damp. The paper fell away in folds."
And later on, the location reinforces this more ghostly and malicious atmosphere when Ed is warned of riptides; he glances back to see the "silhouette of a woman who stood beneath the wall, as vague as a photo negative."
But Leda is not frightening or unkind, not malicious or cruel. She openly begins to chat with Ed and appears very normal. She welcomes his company. Her conversation is lively and full of imagery as she her thoughts tumble out without any sense of restriction, only openness.
"Such a tumble of memories in my mind, like the tinkling beads of coloured glass that you find in a child's kaleidoscope. Which patterns are the prettiest? how to know which random arrangement of shapes might be the best with which to start?"
I love her speech. I love Fox's use of language and her beautiful, lyrical prose.
Each chapter begins with a quote from Shakespeare and very cleverly create an ominous sense that something deeply unpleasant lurks in the shadows of the house and of Leda's past. The quotes were very effective in creating suspense and tension to the unraveling story.
Fox then switches to italics and we are privy to Leda's story. Her voice is strong and provides a good contrast to that of Ed's. Again, Leda's passages are exquisitely written. They are engaging and intriguing as well as full of metaphors, connotations and analogies.
"My soul had been stolen. Or was it cursed? I only know, from that day on, my fate would be forever bound to the man who'd filmed the promenade. Who didn't even know my name."
The story continues with the same compelling and mesmerising pull as it delves into themes of love, control, obsession, power and relationships. It is a very original piece of writing with passages that deserve recognition for their lyrical detail and imaginative choice of adjectives. It was not quite the story or style I was expecting but it was enjoyable and absorbing. I was impressed with the prose (as you can tell from the number of quotes I've used) and thought the characters were well crafted.
I have not read anything else by Essie Fox but I am now tempted!
"The Last Days of Leda Grey" will publish on 3rd November 2016.
I received an advanced copy of this novel through NetGalley.
February 26, 2017
What a pleasant surprise this book was! I'd never heard of this author nor this novel, but I'm glad I ran across it. Part ghost story, part movie history, part love story, all with a gothic overtone and complete with an entrancing version of Miss Haversham and her house. I loved the intertwining of the MacBeth theme, with each chapter named with a line from the play. Can't wait to read this author's other books.
November 1, 2016
'Leda Grey' is told from the male perspective of journalist, Ed Peters who in 1976 walks into a shop to look around when he sees an old photograph of a silent film actress. He falls instantly in love with this coal black eyed, raven haired beauty. When the store owner tells him that Leda Grey is still alive and living nearby in a cliff-top house called, White Cliff he is off in a shot to find his enchantress.
There is much more to the store owner and his relationship with recluse, Leda Grey. As for Ed Peters, well, his curiosity to find this beauty, now old, grey haired and withered by time, will change both their lives forever.
What I just adored about this story was meeting old recluse Leda Grey. What must have happened during this young, teenage girl's short film career to result in her locking herself away for years? Why would a young woman choose to live alone, isolated in her crumbling abode with rarely any human contact instead of venturing out into the real world? Even with the past of a brief acting career, some secrets should be left alone undisturbed only to be viewed on celluloid or on a movie screen in a crowded movie house stinking of stale oiled buttered popcorn with nothing but the echoes of the hum of the projector running upstairs in a locked room.
Author, Essie Fox has done something truly impossible. She has taken the persona of a well-known movie actress, transported her back into 1976 aged and mentally effusive. Having three male counterparts, one an old ghostly lover, Charles Beauvois to tell aspects of her film career. It is brilliant I tell you. Also, Leda Grey herself unlocks her past secrets through clues hidden within her silent films made with Charles Beauvois. Journalist, Ed Peters is along for the ride as he pieces together this once beautiful woman's hidden past. Now, what is discovered and what occurs is beautifully written through journalistic interviews between Ed Peters and Leda Grey.
The Last Days of Leda Grey is Essie Fox's best written work yet! I cannot convey this enough how much I fell in love with her characters, the setting, the music of the nineteen seventies, her descriptions, her words, the story is ethereal in nature, Gothic in tone and dripping with gorgeous prose.
There is much more to the store owner and his relationship with recluse, Leda Grey. As for Ed Peters, well, his curiosity to find this beauty, now old, grey haired and withered by time, will change both their lives forever.
What I just adored about this story was meeting old recluse Leda Grey. What must have happened during this young, teenage girl's short film career to result in her locking herself away for years? Why would a young woman choose to live alone, isolated in her crumbling abode with rarely any human contact instead of venturing out into the real world? Even with the past of a brief acting career, some secrets should be left alone undisturbed only to be viewed on celluloid or on a movie screen in a crowded movie house stinking of stale oiled buttered popcorn with nothing but the echoes of the hum of the projector running upstairs in a locked room.
Author, Essie Fox has done something truly impossible. She has taken the persona of a well-known movie actress, transported her back into 1976 aged and mentally effusive. Having three male counterparts, one an old ghostly lover, Charles Beauvois to tell aspects of her film career. It is brilliant I tell you. Also, Leda Grey herself unlocks her past secrets through clues hidden within her silent films made with Charles Beauvois. Journalist, Ed Peters is along for the ride as he pieces together this once beautiful woman's hidden past. Now, what is discovered and what occurs is beautifully written through journalistic interviews between Ed Peters and Leda Grey.
The Last Days of Leda Grey is Essie Fox's best written work yet! I cannot convey this enough how much I fell in love with her characters, the setting, the music of the nineteen seventies, her descriptions, her words, the story is ethereal in nature, Gothic in tone and dripping with gorgeous prose.
November 7, 2016
I first heard about this book from another book blogger and loved the cover and description of the book.
I find the Edwardian era and particularly silent movies fascinating so this was one I had to read.
The book is set in the hot summer of 1976 in Brighton but the author gives it the fictional name of Brightland which all adds to the whole evocative and ethereal other worldly feel to the book.
A young journalist Ed Peters finds an old dusty shop in The Lanes full of photographs of old silent movie stars and associated ephemera and props. He enters with the intention of buying a photo of Bette Davis, one of the idols of his deceased mother who had committed suicide. Inside the shop Ed is drawn to a photo of another silent movie star which the proprietor, Theo a rather eccentric and arthritic elderly man, informs him is his sister Leda Grey once a star of silent films. Ed learns from Theo that his sister is still alive and living the life of a recluse up in an old house on the crumbling cliffs. Ed buys the photo and intrigued decides to pay the old lady a visit to research what he feels might make a good story.
He eventually climbs his way up a crumbling weather-worn path where he finds the old Leda Grey living in a crumbling, decaying and damp old mausoleum of a house surrounded by the reminders and keepsakes of her time as the young and captivating star and muse for the late film director Charles Beauvois.
Leda Grey, in shades of Miss Haversham, dresses in dusty old gowns whose hems sweep the floor and collect dust and crumbs. She welcomes the young journalist into her home that has no electricity or other utilities, frozen in time and filled with echoes and ghosts of the past. Slowly and tantalisingly drawing him (and us the readers) in, she reveals the story and her mysterious past with details of the secrets and traumatic events that led her to cut herself off from reality and the rest of the world.
A fascinating story, which at times gave me the cold chills. Very cleverly written in a unique and insightful way by someone with a real feel for that era and the gift of conveying atmosphere into words.
I obtained my copy from NetGalley with thanks to them and the publishers Orion books.
I find the Edwardian era and particularly silent movies fascinating so this was one I had to read.
The book is set in the hot summer of 1976 in Brighton but the author gives it the fictional name of Brightland which all adds to the whole evocative and ethereal other worldly feel to the book.
A young journalist Ed Peters finds an old dusty shop in The Lanes full of photographs of old silent movie stars and associated ephemera and props. He enters with the intention of buying a photo of Bette Davis, one of the idols of his deceased mother who had committed suicide. Inside the shop Ed is drawn to a photo of another silent movie star which the proprietor, Theo a rather eccentric and arthritic elderly man, informs him is his sister Leda Grey once a star of silent films. Ed learns from Theo that his sister is still alive and living the life of a recluse up in an old house on the crumbling cliffs. Ed buys the photo and intrigued decides to pay the old lady a visit to research what he feels might make a good story.
He eventually climbs his way up a crumbling weather-worn path where he finds the old Leda Grey living in a crumbling, decaying and damp old mausoleum of a house surrounded by the reminders and keepsakes of her time as the young and captivating star and muse for the late film director Charles Beauvois.
Leda Grey, in shades of Miss Haversham, dresses in dusty old gowns whose hems sweep the floor and collect dust and crumbs. She welcomes the young journalist into her home that has no electricity or other utilities, frozen in time and filled with echoes and ghosts of the past. Slowly and tantalisingly drawing him (and us the readers) in, she reveals the story and her mysterious past with details of the secrets and traumatic events that led her to cut herself off from reality and the rest of the world.
A fascinating story, which at times gave me the cold chills. Very cleverly written in a unique and insightful way by someone with a real feel for that era and the gift of conveying atmosphere into words.
I obtained my copy from NetGalley with thanks to them and the publishers Orion books.
November 10, 2016
In the scorching summer of 1976, Ed Peters, a journalist, chances upon an Edwardian photograph in a junk shop hidden way in an old part of the seaside town of Brightland. This discovery leads him to an elderly woman, the reclusive Leda Grey, who used to be a silent film actress at the very beginning of the industry in England. This act of curiosity leads Ed into a strange and mysterious world, where everyone plays a part like a character in a film.
Leda Grey is a story which reeks of atmosphere, of times gone by, of dust and decay, and what might have been. It is a story within a story, a book within a book. It is like standing in a room of opposing mirrors where you can see yourself reflecting off to the distance, growing ever smaller until you wonder if you are really there. This layering creates a real depth to an engaging book, which is a fictional insight into the transition from static photographs to moving pictures. The characters too make their own transitions, in ways that have a dramatic effect on the shape of their lives.
There is also a mystery to be solved as Ed reads Leda's journal and communes with the enigmatic actress in her once elegant but now decaying home, allowing the novel to shift from past to present and back again, as well as change in pace and tone. This makes it possible to see the young Leda, the real Leda, beneath the layers of harsh life experiences that have built up until her delightful wide-eyed innocence becomes something only visible on the ephemeral medium of celluloid.
In the reading of Leda Grey you feel as if you should have a laudanum bottle by your side to drop into your glass of water as you slip ever deeper into the decadent world of the birth of film making, and Leda's strange existence.
Leda Grey was courtesy of Orion via NetGalley
Leda Grey is a story which reeks of atmosphere, of times gone by, of dust and decay, and what might have been. It is a story within a story, a book within a book. It is like standing in a room of opposing mirrors where you can see yourself reflecting off to the distance, growing ever smaller until you wonder if you are really there. This layering creates a real depth to an engaging book, which is a fictional insight into the transition from static photographs to moving pictures. The characters too make their own transitions, in ways that have a dramatic effect on the shape of their lives.
There is also a mystery to be solved as Ed reads Leda's journal and communes with the enigmatic actress in her once elegant but now decaying home, allowing the novel to shift from past to present and back again, as well as change in pace and tone. This makes it possible to see the young Leda, the real Leda, beneath the layers of harsh life experiences that have built up until her delightful wide-eyed innocence becomes something only visible on the ephemeral medium of celluloid.
In the reading of Leda Grey you feel as if you should have a laudanum bottle by your side to drop into your glass of water as you slip ever deeper into the decadent world of the birth of film making, and Leda's strange existence.
Leda Grey was courtesy of Orion via NetGalley
February 11, 2017
Those of you who read my reviews regularly tell me that I have a few overused favourite words � two of them are “mesmerising� and “enchanting� and I make no apology for using them again while writing about this wonderful book. How could I not? Leda’s young life, the experiences that shaped the lives of Leda and her brother Theo, the passions that changed them both and the love affair that had such a massive impact and aftermath all make for an amazing read. There’s an immense depth of detail in the descriptions of and images from the world of early film � plainly written by someone with a love for the medium � bringing the whole process vividly to life. The book’s setting too is wonderful. White Cliff House becomes another character from the moment Ed � in the 1970s � begins to approach it through the encroaching undergrowth, and the studio in its grounds simply fascinating. I loved Leda’s “mirrors� as the device for revealing the story � and I was totally transported into the world they created.
I’ve seen so many comparisons to “early Sarah Waters� � yes, equally excellent and I can see it, but Essie Fox’s style is really entirely her own, with a particular talent for creating an all-consuming atmosphere and suspenseful feel that I just haven’t come across before. And the ending, as the layers of long kept secrets unfurl and the book reaches its really unexpected � but quite perfect � climax, is superb. I loved this book � and perhaps the best bit of all is that I still have Essie’s three earlier books to catch up on�
(And I really must add that although I’m not a particular aficionado of book covers � I think maybe reading on kindle has damaged my appreciation of the art � this one was absolutely perfect for the content and exceptionally beautiful.)
I’ve seen so many comparisons to “early Sarah Waters� � yes, equally excellent and I can see it, but Essie Fox’s style is really entirely her own, with a particular talent for creating an all-consuming atmosphere and suspenseful feel that I just haven’t come across before. And the ending, as the layers of long kept secrets unfurl and the book reaches its really unexpected � but quite perfect � climax, is superb. I loved this book � and perhaps the best bit of all is that I still have Essie’s three earlier books to catch up on�
(And I really must add that although I’m not a particular aficionado of book covers � I think maybe reading on kindle has damaged my appreciation of the art � this one was absolutely perfect for the content and exceptionally beautiful.)
November 26, 2016
Eerie look back into the days of silent movies!
I just finished The Last Days of Leda Grey and am very enthusiastic about Essie's latest novel. I like the storyline, starting in 1976 with a journalist named Ed Peters and ending in the here and now. Marvelous descpritions of an old antiques shop where Ed got the picture of Leda from her brother, his talks to Leda, her journal, her life told by herself and in form of her diary. The setting in that old run down house by the sea is great. What a compelling mysterious story full of tension and surprise! Reading Leda's story was like watching a brilliant mystery movie. I was very sorry when the book ended. The character of Leda Grey follows Theda Bara, the famous silent movie queen and first "vamp" in movie history. You will also find echoes of "She" by Rider Haggard in that exceptional female main character haunting you ever since. Leda is an alluring mystery Ed can't resist. Ed is traveling back in time to the young irresistable Leda Grey playing fantastic roles in the early days of filmmaking and wearing daring costumes. The now is blurring, the past is overshadowing and finally dominating the presence. In the end Ed will have to pay the price for his magic trip into a living past and revealing a case of murder (don't worry I won't tell any details here). The past clings to things and sometimes bites. As a conclusion, this novel is a clear recommendation to every reader interested in a gripping tale. You can't stop reading this page turning mystery thriller. Splendid story, Essie, hats off!
I just finished The Last Days of Leda Grey and am very enthusiastic about Essie's latest novel. I like the storyline, starting in 1976 with a journalist named Ed Peters and ending in the here and now. Marvelous descpritions of an old antiques shop where Ed got the picture of Leda from her brother, his talks to Leda, her journal, her life told by herself and in form of her diary. The setting in that old run down house by the sea is great. What a compelling mysterious story full of tension and surprise! Reading Leda's story was like watching a brilliant mystery movie. I was very sorry when the book ended. The character of Leda Grey follows Theda Bara, the famous silent movie queen and first "vamp" in movie history. You will also find echoes of "She" by Rider Haggard in that exceptional female main character haunting you ever since. Leda is an alluring mystery Ed can't resist. Ed is traveling back in time to the young irresistable Leda Grey playing fantastic roles in the early days of filmmaking and wearing daring costumes. The now is blurring, the past is overshadowing and finally dominating the presence. In the end Ed will have to pay the price for his magic trip into a living past and revealing a case of murder (don't worry I won't tell any details here). The past clings to things and sometimes bites. As a conclusion, this novel is a clear recommendation to every reader interested in a gripping tale. You can't stop reading this page turning mystery thriller. Splendid story, Essie, hats off!
December 4, 2018
Here is a story of obsession and passion, set in the hot summer of 1976 but harking back to 1913 when a bright young starlet moved from on stage magic and photographic model to the exciting world of silent movies. Brother and sister, Theo and Leda are struggling to run their father’s photographic studio after his sudden death when two exciting figures enter their life in the seaside town of “Brightland.� Ivor Davies, a dashing actor, briefly becomes their lodger and then Charles Beauvois, a film director entrances them with promises they can’t resist.
But Leda Grey has been forgotten until young journalist, Ed Peters, enters Theo’s shop more than 60 years later. Captivated by photographs of Leda and intrigued when Theo tells him that, “she hides herself away like a doomed princess in a fairy tale,� in a cliff top home with no electricity, he resolves to interview her and write her story.
At first this slow-moving tale failed to capture my interest but as Ed came under Leda’s spell, the atmospheric account of the sordid decay of the house and Leda’s haunting description of her time as muse and lover of Charles lead me to turn the pages rapidly to uncover the mystery of these tragic characters.
Readers of Essie’s earlier novels will recognise her rich, suggestive writing but this book has an added dimension in the psychology of Ed Peters and his struggles to resist a woman at the end of her life who enters his fantasies and dreams.
But Leda Grey has been forgotten until young journalist, Ed Peters, enters Theo’s shop more than 60 years later. Captivated by photographs of Leda and intrigued when Theo tells him that, “she hides herself away like a doomed princess in a fairy tale,� in a cliff top home with no electricity, he resolves to interview her and write her story.
At first this slow-moving tale failed to capture my interest but as Ed came under Leda’s spell, the atmospheric account of the sordid decay of the house and Leda’s haunting description of her time as muse and lover of Charles lead me to turn the pages rapidly to uncover the mystery of these tragic characters.
Readers of Essie’s earlier novels will recognise her rich, suggestive writing but this book has an added dimension in the psychology of Ed Peters and his struggles to resist a woman at the end of her life who enters his fantasies and dreams.
April 22, 2025
This is the third Essie Fox book I've read and it's by far the best. But she's problematic AF. All three books had a central theme of "obsessive love", by which I mean a woman being controlled by a possessive man. (All of her books seem to also include at least one instance of nonconsensual sex. It's less graphic in this book and for once, the victim doesn't fall in love with their attacker.) At least she doesn't totally romanticize it in this book as in the others.
Fox is a meticulous researcher on the historical settings of her books, which I appreciate. But sometimes she tends to go overboard and feels the need to include ALL OF THOSE DETAILS in her work. The previous two Fox books I read could've easily lost between 50 and 75 pages. Thankfully, she doesn't fall into that trap here and yet both time periods (the early 1900s and the 1970s) feel real and fully formed and she includes just the right amount of information about movie making in the very early days of film.
All in all, a riveting story with surprising twists.
Fox is a meticulous researcher on the historical settings of her books, which I appreciate. But sometimes she tends to go overboard and feels the need to include ALL OF THOSE DETAILS in her work. The previous two Fox books I read could've easily lost between 50 and 75 pages. Thankfully, she doesn't fall into that trap here and yet both time periods (the early 1900s and the 1970s) feel real and fully formed and she includes just the right amount of information about movie making in the very early days of film.
All in all, a riveting story with surprising twists.
March 4, 2017
This is pleasurably eerie in places and toyed with my sympathies. Leda is used and uses, but always operates at full voltage. A force in life and in death, she is at turns pitiable and genuinely unsettling in her hissing headdress. Like those early films, Essie Fox’s writing creates striking, exotic and sometimes alarming scenes. It’s full of that bright flicker of old celluloid, and relish at its own outlandishness. Images from this will book stick with me and, as she rather nudges, it would transfer splendidly to film. I rushed off to the BFI website at the end, wanting to watch electric Edwardians and George Méliès� mermaid. Atmospheric, compelling and enjoyably ambiguous.
November 14, 2016
I am such a huge fan of Ms. Fox, having read and loved all her previous books. "The Last Days of Leda Grey" is no exception: A wonderful Gothic and atmospheric read. Ed Peters finds a photo of silent screen-actress Leda Grey, who has been at recluse for over 50 years in her Gothic pile White Cliff house. When he meets her, she agrees to tell her story, including the mystery of her last film, "The Cursed Queen". Another terrific read from Ms. Fox.
January 2, 2017
Fox is so effective at creating this world of silver-tinted silent film stock that the reader feels completely enfolded. This novel follows a young journalist who stumbles into a story, that of a reclusive silent film star. He enters her world and is forever changed. The book is thick with beauty, vintage ambiance, sensuality and regret. A few wonderful plot twists make this a book you will love turning page after page for.
March 13, 2018
This is the case where I loved the cover more than what I read. Originally intrigued by its subject, Edwardian times and silent films, I couldn't be more excited. I was hoping to read about a starlet. This ended up being a mish mosh of a story told through flashbacks, reading a diary (about 1/3 of the book to conveniently catch up on a back story), hallucinations, and quick flash forwards. Mystery? Fantasy? I have no idea. It didn't work for me.
January 3, 2018
An immersive, atmospheric read.
December 1, 2016
This was a beautiful book and would have been 5* except for the last 45 which felt far too rushed somehow.
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