Luckenbooth was an exchange book I received from the lovely Angela, I sent her ‘I Died on a Tuesday’ which I hope she enjoys.
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0099592193
ISBN-13 : 978-0099592198
Dimensions : 12.9 x 2.2 x 19.7 cm
The Blurb
1910, Edinburgh. Jessie, the devil’s daughter, arrives on the doorstep of an imposing tenement building and knocks on a freshly painted wooden door. She has been sent by her father to bear a child for a wealthy couple, but, when things go wrong, she places a curse on the building and all who live there – and it lasts a century.
Caught in the crossfire are the residents of 10 Luckenbooth Close, and they all have their own stories to tell. While the world outside is changing, inside, the curse creeps up all nine floors and through each door. Soon, the building’s longest kept secret – the truth of what happened to Jessie – will finally be heard.
My Review of Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan
Set in Edinburgh and spanning a long history, Luckenbooth is the story of a building. It’s also a horror story with lots of graphic adult content.
It starts with a young girl, Jessie, in 1910 who arrives at this impressive building, no 10 Luckenbooth Close, Edinburgh. She has a dark history but wants to make things right.
Sadly, Mr Udnam is not a nice man and what he does to Jessie, his wife Elise and their little daughter Hope is unforgivable. But Jessie, believed to be the daughter of the devil, leaves a curse on the building which affects everyone who lives there for many years.
The book goes through the residents of no 10 Luckenbooth and their lives from the roaring 20s to the war before and after. Then the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Each one featuring the happenings of the decades as well as the lives of the residents from each floor and each timeline.
It jumps around a bit but if you read it quickly, which you will want to, it’s easy enough to keep up. I love how the residents all feel the remnants or have memories of those that came before. And the curse holds strong amongst all of them.
It is in sense a horror story with a fair bit raunchy LGTB+ themes too.
Sometimes it’s confusing, but when you read the ending and go back to how it all started you can see how everything that happened in between had it’s own relevance.
I can honestly say that Luckenbooth was a very different book, I’ve not read anything like it, but I love that the story revolves around the building from it’s beginning to it’s end.
I will definitely explore a little more Jenni Fagan’s writing as she has such an addictive prose.
Not a big fan of horror but it sounds like it’s a fascinating plot! #MMBC
I’m not a horror fan, but I really like the sound of this, with it covering so many decades and different characters. I’m going to add it to my tbr list!
“Luckenbooth” by Jenni Fagan is a captivating, atmospheric novel that weaves together history, mystery, and the supernatural. Set in Edinburgh, the story revolves around a building called Luckenbooth, where the lives of its inhabitants intertwine across generations. Fagan’s writing is both poetic and haunting, creating a sense of place and time that pulls readers into the dark, complex world of the characters. The novel explores themes of fate, love, and identity, with a mix of the eerie and the emotional. It’s a thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.