Alison Allbright has always sought refuge in day dreams - of having a glamorous mother and a lovely home, of being an exciting person, of doing all the things that the others at high school do - and more. When Mrs Considine appears, spinning her amazing web of fantasy and making those dreams come true, Alison is completely bewitched....until she discovers the catch.
I don't really know what I was expecting from The Bewitching of Alison Allbright but what I got was this mysterious, makes-you-think story that I had to finish in one sitting.
Alison Allbright is selfish and shallow. You would think that would have dissuaded me from reading this book but I could understand her naivety of wanting so much more than she has especially at her age. I can see that part of her personality turning some people off especially as the story progresses but there was something so mesmerizing about what was going on in the story that it didn't bother me. There was also a balance to Alison's personality. She was pretty shy and down on herself. I can understand shy so I felt like I could understand Alison in some small degree.
I wasn't always sure about what was up with Alison and Mrs. Condisine - this rich woman who just shows up in Alison's life. I had like three theories going on at once. After a while it was clear which theory won out but there were these layers to Mrs. Condisine that kept on being brought up. There were a lot of "what the?" moments because things... they get intense. I could not honestly say how this story was going to end. It was always up in the air and I'm thinking towards the end "Is this going to end like I think it is because if it does then wow!"
Alison Allbright and her story has many layers to it so I was never bored. I was always fascinated by what on Earth was going to be revealed next or how was everything going to end. It would have been great if this short story was longer however, The Bewitching of Alison Allbright didn't feel too short at all while I was reading it. It felt like a complete story that had me guessing the whole time.
I was hesitant regarding the book when you said the main character was shallow and selfish, but the interest returned when I learned she was also shy and down on herself a lot. This is the sort of MCs I like reading about.
ReplyDeleteI do love layers. It makes for a most interesting read. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Elements of Writing
I haven't read this one and don't recall hearing of it. I really like the cover. This sounds like a short story that will keep me turning the pages. Thanks for sharing!
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