"A Sound Among the Trees" by Susan Meissner

About the book: As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn’t believe that Susannah’s ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.

When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband’s home, it isn’t long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.

With Adelaide’s richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak— and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.


Review: This is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed this particular book much better than the first one I read ("The Girl in the Glass"). Set in modern day, "A Sound Among the Trees" is a story about one family's history and how many believe the house, "Holly Oak," is haunted by its ancestor, Susannah Page who was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North and a traitor. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn't believe that Susannah's ghost haunts the mansion.

When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and moves into Holly Oak with her new husband Carson and his two children (Hudson & Brette), she soon begins to believe that there may just be some truth to the story that the house is haunted. Carson's former wife Sara was Adelaide's granddaughter and she passed away while living at Holly Oak. It seems that misfortune has fallen to several of the women who have lived at Holly Oak and Marielle begins to wonder if she might be in for the same fate.

"A Sound Among the Trees" is well written and easily draws you into the characters. I particularly enjoyed the section of the book that dealt primarily with Susannah Page and her life during the Civil War. The author painted a very real picture of how a young woman may have felt during this period of history and the suffering many endured.

I'm most glad that I gave this author a second chance and read "A Sound Among the Trees." (rev. P.Howard)

DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy of A Sound Among the Trees was provided by the publisher Waterbrook Multnomah through its blogger review program Blogging For Books in exchange for our honest review. Opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer.