The Promise Tree: A brand new must-read historical novel for autumn 2023
£0.90
When does a story begin?
For Edwin Hope, it begins with a childhood dare and a forbidden tree. It begins with him falling … in more ways than one.
Called home from his studies by the grandfather who has always hated him, eighteen-year-old Edwin is once again trapped in a house that is colder than the winds whipping across the fields. Seeking sanctuary, he escapes into the untamed beauty of the Peaks and meets a woman who sparks an old memory. A memory of the sycamore that broke him, and the little girl who saved him.
Drusilla has had many acolytes over the centuries but none like Edwin. With the Great War looming and Edwin’s future uncertain, she knows the right thing to do is to set him free from her spell, but can she do so if it means breaking her own heart?
Early readers have fallen for The Promise Tree:
‘A very beautiful historical fantasy that I read in just one sitting. The characters were all well drawn and very beautiful. The ethereal beauty stretched beyond the book to envelop the reader’
‘A must read! Watch out, you may find yourself looking up into the branches of a tree to see if someone is looking back’
‘I really like the authors style and how she wove the characters together and created such a vibrant image of them. The descriptions of the seasons made me feel like I was the one experiencing them’
‘Evocative and at times ethereal’
‘Compelling and entertaining’
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | One More Chapter (6 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2678 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 339 pages |
by carolyn ibbitson
I enjoyed reading this book, I am not sure why, but it grabbed my attention and was easy to read, capturing my attention and I loved the ending.
by Emma Moyle
There’s so much I loved about this historical fantasy tale of love and loyalty from Elisabeth J. Hobbes. As with her earlier Daughter of the Sea, Hobbes has combined her love of history with her fascination of mythology, and spun a tale that becomes utterly believable. Set in a mill town on the eve of the First World War, Hobbes focuses on the fractured Hope family and their estate and, in particular, Edwin Hope, the young heir at odds with his oppressive grandfather. As a child, Edwin had encountered a young girl under an ancient sycamore. It is only as he re-encounters her as a young man that he realises there is something unusual, something otherworldly about his new acquaintance. Drusilla, as she becomes to be known by Edwin, is a nymph, or dryad. Her power waxes and wanes with the seasons but she has outlived previous lovers and is lonely.
What follows is a love story shaped by the world events unfolding for Edwin. There’s a poignant optimism felt by the characters on New Year’s Eve in 1914 because we know what is to come for young men across England. Hobbes’ vividly imagines this period but the fascination created by her story stems from the fantastical creature at the heart of the story, a character who has seen so much already – early on in their friendship, she tells Edwin ‘men always want to just take things’, and there is a real sense of a powerful woman forced to look on and wait for life to return (she also has a marvellous line about a dress with pockets…). In this sense, I also felt that there was a strong eco-critical strand running through the narrative, something made all the more notable given the felling of the tree at Sycamore Gap so recently. This is a very clever novel, and an excellent love story to boot. Highly recommended.
by Chrissy
I don’t normally leave a review but I read this love story in one sitting, reading right through until the early hours. The author has captured the characters, natural world and history beautifully and the narrative wasn’t rushed. This book would lend itself very well to film. Looking forward to reading Daughter of the Sea, so keep on writing. It must be wonderful to see all the hours of hard work published.
by Amazon Customer
This book was such a fabulous read, from start to finish. So interesting and well written.
by loopyloulaura
Orphan Edwin Hope is dared to climb a tree. He does, falls and is sent away. His relationship with the tree has begun…
The Promise Tree is a mix of history, fantasy, myth and romance.
Young Edwin meets a young girl in the branches of the sycamore tree on his family’s estate. It begins a relationship that lasts a lifetime. The girl is a dryad or tree goddess, or nymph. Edwin names her Drusilla and their friendship, love and passion develop over the years.
The exact description or explanation of Drusilla’s existence is never clearly defined. This made me feel a little disappointed as I like clarity. Myths and legends as well as the supernatural play an important role but this didn’t particularly interest me because I didn’t fully understand it.
I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the book. The horrors of the WW1 trenches felt so authentic and emotional. I also liked the changing friendship with Robert Carfax from bully/bullied to respect and secret keeping. The boys become men and are united by their experience of war and unconventional love affairs. The book deals with class and social expectations as well which seemed properly researched and authentic.
Edwin’s relationship with his grandfather is desperately sad. Both are grieving and Edwin needs the parental love he has lost. But instead he is rejected and sent away. In the later years, the grandfather’s behaviour has not softened. Drusilla offers Edwin the love he craves.The final chapters were sweet about the strength and enduring power of the love between Drusilla and Edwin.
The Promise Tree is a sweet love story with a supernatural element.
by Squeaky Joe
Eighteen-year-old Edwin lives with his grandfather – a man who appears not to like his grandson, though the reasons are unclear. Haunted by memories of a mysterious girl and a sycamore tree, Edwin is grateful when the old man allows him to escape to Yorkshire to stay with an aunt. On his return, Edwin seeks out the girl and the tree and so begins a strange relationship…
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it has an intriguing premise – a mysterious woman and an equally mysterious tree that influences the life of the hero, Edwin. The woman and the tree are somehow inextricably linked, with her appearance coinciding with the changing of the seasons. Over the years, Edwin becomes entangled in a strange relationship that challenges his own relationship with his grandfather.
The author has a talent for language and her descriptions of nature and the seasons are at times quite lovely. Having said that, the story itself felt a little slow—spanning as it does, most of the 20th century—and I found myself flicking ahead in the book to find out what happened next. I did enjoy the final section, which surprised me (in a nice way) and left me with a nice warm feeling inside.
A thoughtful and gentle read.
by Fi McD
A beguiling tale, in turns fairy tale, romance, folklore, and even edging into horror at times. I loved how the language used evolved from Edwin’s childlike understanding to a more mature and darker tone as the story went on. The crises and challenges are so well plotted, and the resolutions hugely satisfying.