The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

Amazon's Description


London, 1876. The painter Amos Roselli is in love with his life-long friend and model, the beautiful Daphne - and she with him - until one day she is discovered by another man, a powerful and wealthy industrialist. What will happen when Daphne realises she has sacrificed her happiness to a loveless marriage? What will happen when the artist realises he has lost his most cherished source of inspiration? And how will they negotiate the ever-increasing frequency of strange and bizarre events that seem to be driving them inexorably towards self-destruction. Here, amid the extravagant Neo-Gothic culture of Victorian England, the iconic poem ‘The Lady of Shalott’ blends with mysterious and ghostly glimpses of Tudor history. Romantic, atmospheric and deeply dark.






Title:  The Arrow Chest
Author:  Robert Parry
Publisher:  Create Space
Date:  January 2011
Version:  Kindle
Pages:  342

My Review:

I just finished this book about 5 minutes ago and I am already wanting more! I did not want it to end! This is the first book I have read by Robert Parry, and I can promise that it will not be the last.  From the very first page, I was in awe!  Robert Parry has managed to write a Victorian Gothic story in the 21st century that rivals many of the great authors of the 19th century.  It is very beautifully written.  If I did not know better, I would never have suspected that it was not written in the Victorian era.

This story is an intermingling of the Victorian Era and the 16th century tragedy of Anne Boleyn.  How is that possible?  Well, you need to read it to find out!  It starts out with the discovery of Anne Boleyn's bones under the floor of a church along with an arrow chest.  From there the story consists  of the weaving of the two centuries together.  Had I not read the book, I would not have thought it could be done.  It seems an impossible combination, but, Robert Parry has managed to combine my two favorite genre's together, Victorian gothic and historical fiction. So, I am giving this my couldn't put it down rating and adding to that, because I will be reading more of Robert Parry's work!