"Scharper shines in this surprising and engaging gothic novel... Impeccably researched and beautifully told, this is a tale that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned."-Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
Marged Brice is 134 years old.
She'd be ready to go, if it weren't for Perdita . . .
The Georgian Bay lighthouse's single eye keeps watch over storm and calm, and Marged grew up in its shadow, learning the language of the wind and the trees. There's blustery beauty there, where sea and sky incite each other to mischief... or worse...
Garth Hellyer of the Longevity Project doesn't believe Marged was a girl coming of age in the 1890s, but reading her diaries in the same wild and unpredictable location where she wrote them might be enough to cast doubt on his common sense.
Everyone knows about death.
It's life that's much more mysterious...
"Hilary Scharper deftly mines the beauty and wonder of both the human heart and nature in this haunting tale of enduring love."-Cathy Marie Buchanan, bestselling author of The Painted Girls
Industry Reviews
"The gothic aspect of this book was interesting. Inflections of Emily Bront� are found throughout Scharper's prose... an engaging read." - Royal Reviews "Perdita is very much a character-driven novel, with one of the main characters being the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Scharper's characterization of the setting is spectacular. After reading this book, I feel like I know its windswept, rocky shorelines, waving grasses and groves of tall pines almost as well as I know the suburban neighborhood I grew up in... This book would be a good fit for those who enjoy literary fiction, pondering the nature of love, and anyone familiar with Georgian Bay or the Bruce Peninsula area of Ontario. " - Reading Lark "An enrapturing, thoughtful, strangely alluring ghostly, gothic mystery tale... The novel, as a whole, is definitely another strong representation of the top-notch writing quality represented in most of the Sourcebooks Landmark books... very strongly written and has great pacing/an innovative narrative structure. " - A Bibliophile's Reverie "This Gothic novel will beguile many a fireplace-illuminated evening... Twisty-turny, captivating." - Philly.com "From the first page I was hooked and was engrossed all the way through... beautiful, descriptive writing." - Always With a Book "I was absolutely enthralled with this tale: it is beautifully written, has well paced parallel stories of the present day and late 1800s through journal entries and letters and has a complex message." - Friends of the Rochester Public Library "[Hilary Scharper's] debut novel, very much a product of her love of nature (she describes her fiction as Eco gothic, a new literary genre building on traditional 19th century gothic, with the landscape as an active, central character). As a scientist myself I am thrilled with this new genre, as society as a whole should create a sustainable respectful relationship with nature." - Celtreads "PERDITA seamlessly weaves back and forth between past and present as Garth reads Marged's diaries dating back to the 1800s. Hilary Scharper does a marvelous job at depicting the scenery as the past comes vividly alive... Readers who enjoy strong character development will appreciate the nuances of PERDITA." - Fresh Fiction "Canadian author Scharper shines in this surprising and engaging gothic novel... Impeccably researched and beautifully told, this is a tale that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. " - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "If I could sum up Perdita in one word it would be: Hypnotic... With themes of love and understanding... Hilary Scharper's unforgettable story telling will leave you breathless and fascinated." - The Literary Housewife "Ms. Scharper has done an amazing job of creating images within this reader's mind of the beauty and savagery of the Georgian Bay with her highly descriptive words... Perdita is not just a story within a story, but a story within a story within a story as the reader learns about Marged, Garth, and the lost tale of Perdita... If you enjoy reading books that combine historical and contemporary storylines then you'll definitely want to grab a copy of Perdita to read." - The Book Diva's Reads "With compelling characters, and a fascinating blend of Canadian nautical history, romance, and even Greek Mythology, Perdita is sure to appeal to a wide audience." - By Hook or By Book "Perdita is a wonderfully satisfying read and indeed was one I kept wanting to return to as Marged Brice led one very interesting life! 4 stars." - Literary Hoarders "Scharper brings Canada's Georgian Bay to life with descriptions so real readers will feel as if they've been transported there." - RT Book Reviews
