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The Tell Tale: a small town, enduring love, a web of secrets Kindle Edition
A frosty December and Bethan Griffiths has returned home to unwrap secrets. It's the 1970s and she is back in the village of Foel in the Welsh hills to raise her daughter. They arrive to the open arms of her family and the community, but not all is what it seems and Beth isn’t home for the reason she pretends either.
Vicious notes start appearing that reveal harsh truths about the village inhabitants, stirring up ancient past, old loves and the dead. Not even local dignitary, the elegant and aloof Lady Melling who hides in her manor house, is safe from the accusations.
But when Beth receives her notes, they aren’t what she expected. Is she being toyed with like the other villagers, or is she being guided to a long-sought truth?
The Tell Tale has been watching and waiting, because there’s something queer about the village of Foel.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateSeptember 24, 2021
- File size3.7 MB
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From the Publisher
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"The Tell Tale" by Clare Ashton is outstanding. My book of the year by a long way." - Kitty Kat's Book Review
"Ashton also embeds in this story a diverse group of people (trans, lesbian, asexual, non-binary), but it doesn't feel forced. It's as if they could be in any town, at any time, (and probably were), you just didn't know enough to see them....If you like twists and turns, wrongs righted, and heartbreaking redemption and love, you will simply adore this novel." - The Lesbian Review
"The Tell Tale is an absolutely riveting read" - Sapphic Book Review
"Historical fiction with many awesome queer reps, and it is the quality mystery we need" - Hsinju's Lit Log
"This isn't a romance, yet there is a love story just as captivating as the rest of the book" - Jude in the Stars
"an intricate mystery and intrigue filled with more twists and turns than a knotted ball of yarn" - Rainbow Reflections
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B09FM3FFZG
- Publisher : Breezy Tree Press (September 24, 2021)
- Publication date : September 24, 2021
- Language : English
- File size : 3.7 MB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 380 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #111,726 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #92 in LGBTQ+ Mysteries & Thrillers
- #190 in LGBTQ+ Mystery (Kindle Store)
- #485 in Lesbian Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Clare Ashton loves writing sapphic stories. Whether it’s a romcom or mystery, there’s always a queer woman about. With gorgeous settings, from the hills of Wales to college halls of Oxford, every book is a travel destination from the comfort of an armchair. Best known for her award-winning, sunny romance, Poppy Jenkins, and rollercoaster family drama, The Goodmans, Clare has a new series that captures the best of both and more, with Meeting Millie kicking off The Oxford Romance series. She lives in the UK with her wife and kids and can be found spending too much time on social media – https://linktr.ee/clareashton
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers enjoy the compelling story and vivid writing style of the book. They find the characters well-developed and appreciate the various character perspectives. The emotional range is wide, with some experiencing claustrophobia at times. Readers describe the pacing as stunning and raw.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoyed the compelling story with a good plot and convincing characters. They found the book captivating from the beginning, weaving stories from different perspectives to form an intricate tapestry. They appreciated the author's storytelling ability and each scene and interaction that built tension and suspense. Overall, readers enjoyed the historical fiction with a bit of mystery and a woman's perspective.
"...In the midst of all this happening - there is also an incredibly sweet love story and it will force a lump in your throat that I have not managed to..." Read more
"...WOW—what a great story, told from alternating points of view, covering various time periods, beautifully woven together as only a master storyteller..." Read more
"...Thanks for another great read!" Read more
"...This was dark, edgy and so much more. The descriptions and plot points were amazing...." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book. They find the plot engaging, with vivid descriptions that evoke intense claustrophobia at times. The book is described as complex, imaginative, and unique.
"...The descriptions are incredibly vivid, at times evoking intense claustrophobia when the walls start closing around the characters and at other times..." Read more
"...a great addition to the lesbian fiction genre and is truly such a unique book...." Read more
"...And wow I’m glad I did. This was dark, edgy and so much more. The descriptions and plot points were amazing...." Read more
"I enjoyed this book immensely. The author is an accomplished storyteller (remember Poppy?)..." Read more
Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and their points of view. They appreciate the great resolutions for almost every character.
"...The characters were all extremely well done and though I usually don't like anything that would qualify as a mystery I really did enjoy this and the..." Read more
"...The main characters are well-developed in their pasts and in the present. The injustices they endure, as children and adults, are visceral...." Read more
"...I like that we got to see various characters' points of view, which made the storytelling even better...." Read more
"...The characters was great the storyline was great I couldn't put the book down. I will Definitely will read more of her books. I recommend this book" Read more
Customers find the book evokes strong emotions, including visceral and intense claustrophobia.
"...The descriptions are incredibly vivid, at times evoking intense claustrophobia when the walls start closing around the characters and at other times..." Read more
"...The injustices they endure, as children and adults, are visceral...." Read more
"...It made me feel a wide range of emotions." Read more
"...Clare Ashton is really good at exploring the depth of human emotion, and in this book she weaves stories from different POVs to form a really..." Read more
Customers find the pacing of the book engrossing. They describe the man-versus-woman story as raw and brilliant.
"...And what people were saying when it was a man vs a woman was raw and brilliant. (Don’t want to give to much away)...." Read more
"...Clare Ashton is brilliant." Read more
"...Utterly stunning and well-written. And the justice was such a silver lining." Read more
"Stunning...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2021I’m still reeling - this book evoked so many emotions and feelings - I had to get this review out of my system before engaging with anything else. “Tell Tale” is just a marvelous gem of a read. The setup of this book is all about mystery and intrigue - but there’ so…so much more.
On the one hand this book is really about feminism - about voices that are not heard, not seen, not given any consideration purely because of the nature of their sex. The story is set in the 70s and it offers a stark reminder of what it was like for women living during that period. It makes you appreciate all the sacrifices that women before us have had to make to get us to where we are today and even then in many parts of the world - the reality of what is described in this story remains.
There are many characters but the story is essentially told through 4 main POVs. That may sound like a lot - but it totally works for the narrative. Our main protagonist is Beth and through her eyes and voice we experience the turmoil the notes generate and the domino effect of actions of the characters. Yes there is a “tell tale” and yes there is a mystery to be solved and YES it will cause page turning sleep deprivation if you were ill-prepared like me to start this late in the evening.
In the midst of all this happening - there is also an incredibly sweet love story and it will force a lump in your throat that I have not managed to dislodge, despite it being more than a day since I finished this.
As usual the writing is sublime - Clare Ashton gets better and better with every publish. The descriptions are incredibly vivid, at times evoking intense claustrophobia when the walls start closing around the characters and at other times a delightful sense of light. Clare Ashton has a way of presenting her characters and motivations without labels - letting the reader decide and infer for themselves. Transitions between flashbacks and present day are managed beautifully and subtly and never disrupts the narrative.
My only con and Clare Ashton if you are reading this - for the love of all things welsh - please please publish a pronunciation guide - even if its on twitter I would be eternally grateful. I am 100% positive I was butchering those names in my head.
If your mind space is for a romantic floofy read - come back another day because you WILL want to come back. This delightful “tale” is not to be missed. 5 stars.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2021When Clare Ashton writes a Romance novel, I’m ready to sit down for a long, satisfying read; I had no idea what to expect when Ashton penned a full-on Mystery, but I can tell you that once I began turning pages, life went on hold because I could not put the book down!
WOW—what a great story, told from alternating points of view, covering various time periods, beautifully woven together as only a master storyteller as Ashton can. A Tell Tale takes place in a small village, Foel, in the Welsh countryside, and like so many small villages, it has its share of secrets, lies and devastating truths that live on in the memories of the guilty, the curious and the wronged.
The village seems to be the sole province of men—with women too intimidated and afraid to directly rock the patriarchal boat. But, things are not what they seem, and in keeping with the village trope, everyone knows something but no one knows everything. Moreover, that’s where the romance comes in.
Twenty years before the main story begins, a young couple eloped, never to be heard from again. The elopement was most unexpected, leaving the village unnerved, the parents distraught and a couple of women deeply affected. Rumors spanned the gamut from hidden passion, to some unnamed dangerous encounter that must have happened to the young couple, to stories of how the woman wantonly seduced the hapless man, to theories that they were living a happy and free life in some major city, probably London. All conjecture, of course, because no one seems to know for sure…or do they?
What no one discussed was the silent tortures of unrequited love endured by two people who were in love with the missing woman. Innuendo and Intimation made their way through the complicated matrix of village customs and culture, but that only added to the suspicions; readers and characters, alike, are unsure if a “Good morning,” lightly, even jovially, tendered is instead an avatar of darkly shadowed verbal assault merely by virtue of who is saying it and what they know…and when they knew it.
Everything is suggested, nothing is revealed. The town starts to close in upon itself as citizens begin receiving brief notes on rich paper in beautiful handwriting. Notes that unnerve them, scare them, intrigue them.
What Ashton does best is make you care, a lot, about the human condition—the reticence, fears, dreams, hopes, secrets and emotions of people who have fallen in love with the suddenly unobtainable or seemingly uninterested or clearly unappealing person who complicates other people’s journeys by being dismissive, intrusive or cleverly obtuse. And you cheer for our heroine(s), or alternately ache for them, when their own behaviors cause a riot of heart-pounding missteps, misunderstandings and horror.
This is a close-in book—you must lean in to hear the whispers of clues—but you find yourself leaning in anyway to know the protagonists. And the red herrings were as good as the clues! Highly recommend this book for the suspense, the mystery…and the love. It’s a stunner!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2021I wouldn't say this is a favorite of mine, however I kept passing it on my Kindle whenever I'd be looking for lesbian romance novels for that week and always passed because I typically only read age-gaps, but I am so glad I finally gave this a shot. I was positive!! That I knew the answer to the mystery and then it took so many turns I was honestly surprised at the "who done it" by the end of the novel. The characters were all extremely well done and though I usually don't like anything that would qualify as a mystery I really did enjoy this and the important topics it brought up as welp as the fact that it was set back in time. This is such a great addition to the lesbian fiction genre and is truly such a unique book. The romance at the end was a surprise but a good one, however I kept wanting more for Beth's character even though she didn't! Loved Lady Melling and she filled in for me me just enough on the ice-queen trope I usually find in age-gaps that I found I didn't mind this didn't have one by the end. This author has so much range when it comes to her novels and the individuality of all of them is something I always look forward to. Thanks for another great read!
Top reviews from other countries
- PrinceeReviewed in Canada on September 30, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
You can pick any book by Clare Ashton and the reveiw would be same as far as I'm concerned and this no different.
I thought I had figured it out and I was on the right never accurate though.
Enjoyed it!
- KaReviewed in Germany on February 24, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Clare Ashton is an excellent and exceptional writer of lesbian literary fiction and a brilliant storyteller, ranking among my personal favorites. None of her full length novels are formulaic, and her command of the English language is nuanced and skilfully artistic.
With The Tell Tale, she created a literary masterpiece, the composition and message of which, in my opinion, earn her a place among the great works of world literature.
In a seemingly idyllic Welsh village, she is setting the stage for this dramatic entanglement of interrelated lives that is beginning to unravel when notes of revealing content are being dropped anonymously to various main and supportive characters.
The perfectly described atmosphere of the early seventies provides an ideal background for a community that tries to maintain the appearance of modesty and propriety on the surface, while below, suppressed emotions are raging, destined to come to light.
A steadily rising tension is maintained throughout this great tale of suffering that humans inflict upon each other in their quest for influence and power, and of love in its various manifestations. Archetypes of human existence and co-existence unfold in this suspenseful and moving story, which was an immensely worthwhile and recommendable read.
- Sue MReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, atmospheric, excellent!
Clare Ashton is an incredible writer. Definitely one of the most talented writers of queer fiction around (if not the best – let’s just say it, shall we), and certainly one of the most adaptable, as this latest offering shows.
We are used to Clare’s fabulous and heart-warming romances (if you aren’t – they are highly recommended!), which weave difficult issues and a complex cast of characters throughout their pages. In The Tell Tale, Clare applies her tight, evocative prose and incredible ability to generate atmosphere to a mystery, and the result is electric.
The story follows Bethan Griffiths back to the 1970s Welsh town in which she grew up. Things have changed for Bethan, and for the village while she has been away. What has not changed, is the uncomfortable dynamic of the town – male dominated and misogynistic with a threatening air. When strange notes begin appearing, they lead us and the characters through a journey of discovery to unravel a decades old mystery and more than one forbidden relationship.
Clare has the astonishing ability to delve into the heart of a difficult issue, tease it apart and weave the threads into a story that keeps you gripped. This one is emotional, engaging and kept me hooked from the beginning - I couldn’t put it down, and when I finally had to it took me a good couple of days to get over it. The placemaking is exquisite, the descriptions atmospheric and the feelings it evokes are lingering.
The change in style of book also allows Clare to flex her character development muscles with brilliant results. Her books are well-lauded for their well-rounded cast of characters, and this one is no exception. The girl next door Bethan, the irascible Lady Melling and her housekeeper, the unfortunate Rhian and then Geraint – I still haven’t decided about him. Some of them are easy to love, and some to hate, despite their complexities.
I can’t recommend The Tell Tale highly enough – truly excellent.
- Neen CohenReviewed in Australia on May 23, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Twisty, Beautiful, and intriguing
I could not stop listening to this book. Lucy Rayner did a fabulously sultry and wonderful job.
The story itself. Oh my. Clare Ashton has outdone herself with this book. The descriptions and threads of mystery were delicious. I adored the characters, and even those I despised were so fleshed out and well rounded I couldn’t help but nod and purse my lips, having known them at some point in my life.
The turns and twists in this book had my head spinning in all the right ways. I loved thinking a theory, and then having it blown out of the water, only to wonder was it really? I distinctly remember getting a very Sweeney Todd feel at some points, despite the apparently more enlightened time The Tell Tale is sent in.
The representations of identities in The Tell Tale were absolutely incredible and I couldn’t help by feel for them all.
But with amazing lines like this:
- they both laughed, the kind that shifts you into the person you once were.
- Sophie’s past eerily walking through her present.
- There was nothing like being stripped back to childhood to make a person vulnerable.
How can you not love the language of this book.
- Rae JonesReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars great plot and characters
An interesting read, twists and turns, a surprising end and great characters. Thoroughly recommend this, even though it’s a change from the usual Ashton style.