The White Hare by Jane Johnson REVIEW

The White Hare

by Jane Johnson

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Blurb

For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey’s rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades.

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

There is something so timeless and classical about The White Hare. From the moment I laid eyes on the cover until I finished the very last page was like a trance.

The White Hare is a beautiful story. The three main characters in this book are the daughter, the mother, and the grandmother. While the two books are extremely different, this one still gave me Flowers In the Attic vibes. I adore the mother and daughter characters. I loved the way the grandmother's bad behavior is explained but not excused. We get to see her mistakes, hardships and regrets that allow us to see her as human but in a way that romanticize her behavior. This entire book is just excellently crafted. It has a great plot, a great flow, great characters, just great everything. With a hint of magic this captivating story will steal your heart and make you believe in happy endings.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoy Hallmark movies. It has everything a Hallmark movie lover could ever wish for in a book.