Waiting On Wednesday: A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood

Synopsis (from Scholastic): 

Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer – a handsome, dashing brother and sister – Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions… and is there something darker lurking at the heart of the Cardew family? A gorgeously dreamy coming-of-age romance set against a stunning Gatsby-esque backdrop, this is perfect for fans of I Capture the Castle and Eva Ibbotson.Why I can’t Wait to read A Sky Painted Gold:

This sounds very Daphne Du Maurier. Big house mysteries were a core part of my diet as a teenager. I loved the blend of history, romance and mystery which the big house setting lends itself to, as well as the themes of social change and prejudice. 

Lou is a writer who appears to have conflict about her ambitions. It can be difficult to tell people your life’s ambition is to write a novel. People often think arts come fully-formed. Either you have the ability to write a novel already or you never will have. I’m looking forward to seeing a book which explores the conflicts faced by aspiring writers. 

I want to know whether there is something sinister about the Cardews. I enjoyed The Wren Hunt where a similar question was posed about a magical faction and the answer was more complex than I guessed from the outset. I love novels which make us question people’s motives.

Let’s face it – we all love cocktail parties and moonlit meetings on private beaches. We never learn. We’re all dreaming of Manderley.

Laura Wood is the author of the Poppy Pym series. Poppy Pym is a middle grade mystery series about a circus girl who finds herself in a boarding school. With four books in the series so far, Laura Wood has significant experience of writing mysteries. 

 

A Sky Painted Gold

Scholastic UK

July 2018