House of Dreams is the second novel I've read by Brenda Joyce. I was thrilled to discover that just like in The Chase, this book also makes use of one of my favorite writing techniques - that of telling two stories, leaving the reader wondering how they will converge.

In this case, the stories take place 450 years apart.

Basic Plot(s)

We first meet the de Warenne family, in present day England. Sisters Cassandra and Tracey, their Aunt Catherine, and Tracey's young daughter Alyssa are living a perfectly normal life until the day Tracey brings boyfriend Antonio de la Barca to meet the family. He seems nice enough, but for some reason Aunt Catherine is horrified to see him and wants him tossed out on his ear, and Tracey never to see that man again! Why? Well eventually she spills a big family secret - it seems the de Warennes and the de la Barcas have a long, twisted history that goes back many generations.

Next thing you know, it's the year 1543 and we meet 8 year old Isabel de Warenne. Sweet Isabel's life is about to meet with unspeakable tragedy as her family falls to the plague, and she's left in the care of her uncle. A few years later, her arranged marriage to Alvarado de la Barca brings the two families together for the first time. From that moment on, Isabel's life will be fraught with nothing but betrayal and sadness.

The book follows both stories, alternating between them. As we continue to learn more about Isabel's story, we start to understand why some of the things in the present day story are happening.

What I liked

I liked getting to understand Isabel's story through her own storyline, rather than just hearing about it like a history lesson. While the present day characters can only learn of Isabel's past through old letters, and clues they can manage to uncover, we (the readers) get a complete in-depth look at her life and death. In fact, Isabel's story is by far the more intriguing one. We get to really know her, and care about her, and feel sorrow for her very tragic life. I enjoyed the parts of the book dedicated to her life more than the present day characters trying to piece together her past.

Of course, the entire time you're reading the book, you're trying to figure out how the events in Isabel's life affect the present day descendants. Hundreds of years apart, you'd think there couldn't possibly be any links between the two stories, but you'd be wrong. Half the fun of the book is figuring out those links.

This book definitely held my interest. Though quite long (over 460 pages), I was never bored.

What I didn't like

The present day characters were, for the most part, rather unlikable. They're supposed to be smart, level-headed people, but in fact, they act in ways that are quite unreasonable. It's hard to feel sorry for someone's misfortune, when it appears they brought some of the misery on themselves, by acting in ways that are just plain selfish.


My warnings to others:

This book has some of the most intense descriptions I've ever read. In fact, it should come with the disclaimer "may be too intense for some audiences". Sexual activity is described down to every last detail. More disturbing, is a burning at the stake, told from the point of view of the victim, until the victim could no longer form a rational thought. I read a lot, and am not usually thrown by these things, but that was a bit intense, even for me.

My second warning is that this book is based upon a theme of spirituality.  If this isn't "your thing", or you can't suspend your beliefs for the sake of a novel, then you won't enjoy this book.

Overall

I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it for those who enjoy a story told from multiple points of view. I didn't like it as much as I did The Chase, mostly because of the unlikable characters in the present day story. Still, it's a very good read.

Recommended: Yes