The Artist of Blackberry Grange

I’ve been wanting to read Paulette Kennedy since her first book came out a few years ago, and have finally started with her latest novel, The Artist of Blackberry Grange. Set in 1925, it follows Sadie Halloran just after her relationship with a married man ended badly. She ends up going to her great aunt Marguerite’s home, in part to care for her in her dementia, but also because she simply needs a place to go. But what Sadie uncovers at her aunt Marguerite’s home is more than just dementia; it’s a haunting, brought on by past regrets and traumas, and it threatens Sadie’s very safety unless they can put a stop to it.

What I Liked:

• Women who didn’t fit in with their time. Both Marguerite and Sadie were women who eschewed what was considered “proper” in their time and for their social class. Marguerite, in the late 1800s, fell in love with “the help,” then traveled around Europe, sold paintings, and had women as romantic partners. Sadie, in 1925, was a flapper and has been called “loose” by some in her family, but she’s confident in going after what (or whom) she wants.
• Portrayal of dementia. A large part of why Sadie is spending time with her great aunt after all this time is to care for Marguerite in her late stages of dementia. It’s a painful but honest look at how memory and recognition get muddled. Though in Marguerite’s case, there may be more truth to what she’s saying, odd as it may sound…
• Dreams, hauntings, curses, and addictive ghost lovers! Marguerite feels haunted by a man, Weston Chase, but soon Sadie starts seeing him and is quickly seduced. When she slips into these dreams, these portals into the past, readers get to view them as third-person interludes (in contrast to her first-person narrative the rest of the time). These elements give the novel a wholly gothic flare, much like the often-referenced Wuthering Heights that Sadie is reading.
• The darker side of family. As this book progresses, the web of lies, greed, and covered up wrongs spreads, showing a family that is troubled in many ways. Back in the 1880s, Marguerite and her sisters had significant issues revolving around Weston. Now in 1925, Sadie has suffered so many losses and feels disconnected from everyone in her family except Marguerite. It’s a layered depiction of intergenerational trauma and the repercussions of past mistakes.
• Rapidly changing narrative and understanding of events. A lot happens over the course of this book, from Sadie’s three different romantic relationships to the many past traumas that Marguerite strives to correct. It can be disorienting (both for readers and for Sadie herself!). While this at first felt like a drawback in the storytelling, it actually ended up being a strength. It adds to the story and its ephemeral portrayal of memory and family connection.

Audiobook:

Lauren Ezzo does an excellent job of narrating The Artist of Blackberry Grange, capturing Sadie’s many moods, from disquiet and confusion to anger and fear. I also enjoyed the timbre she gives to Marguerite in particular. Her voice acting is immersive to the time and the style of the novel.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed The Artist of Blackberry Grange. It’s a feverish gothic that changes course rapidly, but the stories of family tragedy, regret, and trauma come together for a reflective and heartbreaking tale. Ultimately I loved how everything came together by the end, even if it was at times hard to keep track of where things stood. I’m excited to dive into Paulette Kennedy’s other novels, starting with her debut, Parting the Veil. I’ll also look out for her next book, The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael, due in 2026.

Special thanks to Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy The Artist of Blackberry Grange here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange by Paulette Kennedy
Audiobook Narrator	Lauren Ezzo
Audience	Adult
Genre	Gothic; Women’s Fiction
Setting	Arkansas
Number of Pages	324
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	May 1, 2025
Publisher	Lake Union Publishing

Official Summary

For a young caregiver in the Ozarks, an old house holds haunting memories in a ghostly novel about family secrets, sacrifice, and lost loves by the author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport.

In the summer of 1925, the winds of change are particularly chilling for a young woman whose life has suddenly become unbalanced.

Devastated by her mother’s death and a cruel, broken engagement, Sadie Halloran learns that her great-aunt Marguerite, a renowned artist now in the throes of dementia, needs a live-in companion. Grasping at newfound purpose, Sadie leaves her desolate Kansas City boardinghouse for Blackberry Grange, Marguerite’s once-grand mansion sitting precariously atop an Arkansas bluff. Though Marguerite is a fading shell of the vibrant woman Sadie remembers, Marguerite is feverishly compelled to paint eerie, hallucinatory portraits of old lovers―some cherished, some regretted, and some beastly. All of them haunting.

With each passing night, time itself seems to shift with the shadows at Blackberry Grange. As truth and delusion begin to blur, Sadie must uncover the secrets that hold Marguerite captive to her past before reality―and Marguerite’s life―slips away entirely.