The Butterfly Cabinet

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The eggs benedict consisted of a toasted muffin, three poached eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce. The ranch version had ranch sauce and salsa. My fellow reviewer loved it. And I sampled the omelette. There were five options, French, salmon, blue cheese, farmhouse and American. It came with salad, house coleslaw and chips. It offered a homely hug on a freezing cold September morning. The smoothies list is designed with brunch in mind.

Butterfly Cabinet - Picture of Butterfly Cabinet, Newcastle upon Tyne

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Be the first to ask a question about The Butterfly Cabinet. Lists with This Book. I thought it was great. But then, I did write it. View all 3 comments. Oct 06, Ariel rated it it was ok Shelves: I picked up in anticipation of a Gothic read. I loved the cover, turns out it was the best part of the book.

The story is told in alternating chapters by Harriet, the lady of the house and Maddie the maid. By the time we meet Harriet, she is in prison for the murder of her daughter Charlotte. Harriet is real piece of work. She is kind of an Andrea Yates type character, too many kids, too soon, and she loses her mind. She was abused as a child, as told in a very nasty flashback with a corse Bleh! She was abused as a child, as told in a very nasty flashback with a corset and as a result she is quite the disciplinarian with her own children, right to the point of what we could call abuse today. One of her methods of discipline involved locking her daughter Charlotte in a wardrobe cabinet and it went awry and resulted in death hence her getting locked up in prison.

The death probably could have been prevented if her milk toast husband ever stood up to her and defended the kids but he was a hands off with the parenting kind of dad. The servants and aunt did what they could but no one had the guts to tell Harriet to her face that she was an evil bitch. Maddie carries her own guilt about the death of Charlotte and that is the mystery part of the story revealed in the last pages.

This was the weak part of the story in my opinion because at the rate Harriet was going, she was going to kill one of the kids sooner or later no matter what Maddie did or didn't do. This is a very depressing story based on a true event that happened near the author's home. I know a lot of people enjoyed this book, I'm just not one of them. What a haunting tale. This sad story is told in two voices; that of a nanny who used to work in the household and through the diaries of the mother of a child who died at the hands of her punishment.

Harriet, the mother, is a woman who really never should have never had children and is married to man who is half a child himself. A product of their times, their status and their religion Harriet has a baby just about every year. She is shocked both that she enjoys what goes into creating the child What a haunting tale. She is shocked both that she enjoys what goes into creating the children and at their behavior. She wants them to be perfect. After a string of boys she has Charlotte who is completely contrary and does not behave as they boys have done.

The tale alternates between nanny Maddie's explanation in current times and the prison diaries that Harriet wrote after being convicted of causing Charlotte's death.

Nanny Maddie is a soft and cuddly character and Harriet is cold and unforgiving. McGill allows through her writing - even though I really didn't want it to happen - for a certain sympathy to arise for Harriet. I truly wanted to hate her but I couldn't. She had miserable parents and a husband who did nothing to help. He was afraid of her. She left me very conflicted. She was basically a serial child abuser!

The writing is exceptional, the characters are fascinating.

It's a book I will keep to read again. They are few and far between for me with all of the books that I read. The Butterfly Cabinet is not a happy story but I find myself thinking about it even now - a week after I finished reading it. The characters stay with you. The ending is a perfect weaving together of past and present. Aug 09, Brenda Youngerman rated it it was amazing. I try SO hard not to write a book review from a personal point of view and be objective when posting.

But I am making an exception in this case. We are taught at a very young age not to judge a book by its' cover, but the cover of this book is hauntingly beautiful and after reading the book it only becomes more so. It is so appropriate for the book. As an author I appreciate that! I opened the book and had not read anything about it - not the press release Free Press had sent me, not the back, no I try SO hard not to write a book review from a personal point of view and be objective when posting.

I opened the book and had not read anything about it - not the press release Free Press had sent me, not the back, nothing. I could not put this book down!

It is written in chapters reverting between the past and the present, telling the story of a well-to-do family's loss in the late s and all that has transpired since then. It speaks of Irish tragedies and wars. I have to admit I was lost for some of it The story had me captivated. The tales of great loves, great losses, child rearing, disciplining children, social classes, hired help, infidelity and immorality know no ages, boundaries, eras or language barriers. Bernie McGill wove a story that captures the reader and when you think you know how it will end, the ultimate bomb is dropped.

This book was a fluke. I didn't plan on reading it but i was in desperate need of reading material after the genius "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. The book it self was well written When the writing was good, it was good. But when it was bad, it was seriously bad. Several times, not even proper sentience structure was used, leaving me to frustratingly contemplate what either narrators were trying to say in an already un This book was a fluke. Several times, not even proper sentience structure was used, leaving me to frustratingly contemplate what either narrators were trying to say in an already uneventful novel.

It was so difficult to understand at times that as a result it made me very discouraged to continue reading this book to the end, even though only around pages. Another thing i disliked was the plot structure. I found it very weak and dull. Again, it was extremely hard to stay focused on this book and that, paired with the poor writing, i continuously found myself skimming over paragraphs, not really reading it.

I wanted just to get through it and move on to another book. Also, i really felt no connection with anyone in the novel. It seemed like just linear jabber; no up or downs really made the story special or remotely entertaining. It felt like a breeze just passing by and with that, the story was over with. Likewise, the characters were pretty one dimensional. You know, the evilbecause of society, antagonist, the beautiful, innocent protagonists; Its stuff everyone has herd before.

Unlike the reviews on the back of the book, it didn't really highlight "class struggles" of the late 19th century or the laws or child abuse or what ever she was trying to say. It really just was a constant bouncing facade of two woman talking about their lives on one situation. If i had to describe this book in one word, i would easily describe it was colorless; The picture was there, but it lacks the paint that makes art full and beautiful.

I mean, the writing had potential. It wasn't all bad for i found some thought-provoking quotes within it. But poor plot structure and character development failed greatly on the writer's part. As a result, i wouldn't recommend the read. Its an easily forgettable novel. Maddie was a former nanny to Anna. Before Anna, Maddie was a nanny to another little girl. Her name was Charlotte Ormond. Charlotte was just four years old when she died. Her mother, Harriet sits in prison for the murder of Charlotte. I must admit that this is one of those books that sound better than it was.

Well it seemed that way to me. The characters were lackluster and never really grabbed my attention and made me become intrigued with them. This in turn made the book read slower. Even though this book was based around true events, I felt that there was a lot of details spent on getting things right, than on developing the characters. Though, the parts that I did find somewhat interesting were when Harriet was narrating and sharing what happened.

Sadly, this book was just ok. Not to say that author, Bernie McGill can not write as I did like where she was going with this book. I would give this author another chance in the future. The blurb on the back was good but the book just did not deliver. I considered not finishing it half way through but decided to perservere - I wish I hadn't, I could have read something much better. The book was printed in fairly large print and double spaced lines, I guess then that I should have seen it coming that it was a padded out debut novel.

The author could have done so much more with the story without all the unrelated, uninteresting drivel that took place between the pages. I did not c The blurb on the back was good but the book just did not deliver.

I did not connect with any of the characters, not even a little bit. Harriet really annoyed me as she appeared to have a real lack of feeling and no real substance to her. Maddie was the more interesting of the two narrating characters but still went off the boil in places. I would have liked a third narrating character in the form of Harriet's husband because I feel that he could have brought depth to the book where it was lacking.

I would not recommend this book to anyone and it is the first time in ages I can say that I hated the book and don't think it was worth the paper it was printed on - if I could have awarded no stars I would have in this case! Jun 26, Katherine rated it really liked it.

This story of a tragedy is told in two voices, a mother in prison and an elderly servant in a nursing home. It is not a fast moving book, but it has a fascinating look into life in the late 19th, early 20th centuries in northern Ireland. The mother reflects on her life as it was before prison and while there through writing in a notebook. The butterflies she collected were, it seems, the most important things in her life, though she had nine children, a good husband, and wealth. The servant, on This story of a tragedy is told in two voices, a mother in prison and an elderly servant in a nursing home.

The servant, on the other hand, while slow to get to the point of her reminiscences, gives insights into her life as a servant, the beauty of the land, and the the everyday happenings in the household. If you are looking for action or suspense this book is not for you. If however, you enjoy descriptive fiction, told in a lyrical manner, it is very enjoyable. While I didn't give it five stars, mainly for the slow pace, I would recommend it.

A very intersting book. Told in alternate chapters from the mother in prison and one of the servants who was working in the house the day the child dies.

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Doesn't specifically answer how the child ended up dead byt gives one a pretty good idea of how is happened. Slow paced though but again it is an atmospheric Irish novel. Mar 21, Janice rated it really liked it. This is a well written book, it moves seamlessly between the two characters telling the story. The only thing I can say about this story, without giving anything away is it is a very sad tale.

In , an aristocratic woman punished her four year old daughter. The child strangled to death. Maddie is now in her nineties, and realises the time has come to share a secret or two that she has carried with her all this time. It is Anna she tells: Harriet and her husband have nine children in 12 years of marriage, Maddie starts work at Oranmore aged Harriet yearns for the freedom to collect butterflies, while Maddie is immersed in the hard work and drudgery of housework.

Maddie has witnessed abuse of a number of the children and has, with the knowledge of Peig the housekeeper, reported the maltreatment to the Cruelty Society. But what is the story of the last day in the life of Charlotte Ormond? But I admire the structure and the writing, and I am still wondering about a couple of aspects. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A tragic and quite horrific tale of a Mother who kills one of her children by accident when teaching her a harsh disciplinary lesson.

She is unable to show the love she feels for her children all seven of them though the seventh is born in prison and feels she must try to contain their exhuberance so they will be responsible adults. She thinks this is doing the best by them. Harriet is always awkward, strong willed and unable to fit into the role society or her parents who seem to prefer her s A tragic and quite horrific tale of a Mother who kills one of her children by accident when teaching her a harsh disciplinary lesson.

Harriet is always awkward, strong willed and unable to fit into the role society or her parents who seem to prefer her softer more imaginative sister would have her play. Her love for her huband and his for her is eroded by the brood of children they produce and the treatment she metes out to them. Harriet is such a strong and intimidating figure to those around her including the servants in the household.

Butterfly Cabinet, Newcastle upon Tyne

One of those servants Maddie has a guilty secret too which she has kept for many years but once again living in the Castle, now a nusing home, and nearing the end of her life she feels the time is right to confess to Anna daughter of Florence the baby born to Harriet in prison. We hear two sides of the same story from two women from completely different classes. The fortunes of the rich and the poor are wrapped up with the history of Ireland which plays as a backdrop and the reactions of the leading players and the general masses is coloured by their attitudes to the events going on around them at the time.

The butterfly cabinet was a real passion for Harriet where inert specimans could be controlled and admired for their beauty which contrasted sharply with the children who could not seem to be contained. Charlotte was also pinned down by being tied in the wardrobe room but being a live human being does not stay still and manages to strangle herself. The butterfly cabinet survives them all. I found the book poetic and lyrical and it was an enjoyable if tragic tale. Lucky to get this in a Goodreads givaway Harriet, in carcere, ha tempo per pensare, ricordare, riflettere, soffrire.

E ha tempo per scrivere un diario. Maddie, con il suo grande amore e il suo grande e doloroso segreto. Maddie, che ormai vecchia racconta la sua storia e svela il suo segreto. O meglio i suoi segreti. Meglio il titolo originale "The butterfly cabinet" Mi sono lasciata fuorviare dalla trama nell'aletta e ho cercato per un terzo del libro il dipanarsi del mistero relativo alla morte di una bimba di quattro anni durante un terribile castigo impostole dalla madre.

Jun 12, Joy rated it really liked it.

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Based on a true crime The Butterfly Cabinet is a haunting tale told through the mother's prison journal and the house maid's recollections. How sad that Harriet was not the mother she should've been, she didn't really know how to love or care for a child yet she had nine. Her parents never showed affection and that was all she knew. Harriet's daughter is locked in a closet as punishment and dies.

She is sentenced to prison for murder. McGill writes in a way that makes you feel compassion for th Based on a true crime The Butterfly Cabinet is a haunting tale told through the mother's prison journal and the house maid's recollections. McGill writes in a way that makes you feel compassion for this woman. Years later the nanny finally reveals the mystery surrounding the child's death. This is a book where the description sounds better than the book actually is. I found parts of it boring and hard to get through, the suspense is lacking. It's a good read but not a great one, therefore, it gets 4 out 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest review. Jul 10, Donna Radcliff rated it really liked it. When the line between discipline and abuse becomes blurried In Ireland a small child dies, alone and bound in a wardrobe. Her mother is convicted in her death and is sentanced to a year in prison. This eerie, haunting story based on true events is told in two voices: Together these voices reveal what happened that awful day and When the line between discipline and abuse becomes blurried Together these voices reveal what happened that awful day and why.

It's sometimes chilling to listen to Harriet, who seems to have more passion for her collection of pinned butterflies then her own children. The closest she comes to admitting to love is at the prison birth of her 9th child, who will become the mother of the young woman to whom Maddie tells her story. I wondered where this story was heading and was disappointed. I felt let down by it.

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