Review of Denham Hall

[Runan]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Denham Hall" by Bridgette Campbell.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Bridgette Campbell is studying at Rickmansworth Young Ladies College, also popularly known as “Denham Hall." She is a boarder at this prestigious private school established for educating genteel ladies. Her abode is Argyll Castle in Scotland. Denham Hall by Bridgette Campbell is a fantasy novel comprising 72 short stories that happen around Denham Hall and outside the college, centered on Bridgette and her best friend Tamsin in particular.

The initial chapters of this book familiarize the readers with the characters while at the same time giving an account of the exciting events surrounding the students. The search for historically significant Rickmansworth Chalice, the illuminated manuscript of the Rickmansworth Codex, or the mysterious surreal magical paintings that lure one in, and the accidental disappearance of Bridgette’s friend, Rhonda, take the readers on an adventure trip. Denham Hall is abuzz with shocking rumors. Ghost sightings, strange featureless ginger creatures roaming around the dorms, and Miss Pringle’s new man fill up the students’ gossip. Argyll Castle is not behind Denham Hall and boasts its own share of a ghost population.

Adorned with a rich, classic British narrative, this novel reminds me of Enid Blyton’s "St. Clare’s" and "The Naughtiest Girl." My mind automatically switched to a British accent while reading this book. Bridgette narrates this novel and blends the character introductions with the ongoing events of the story, which is impressive. This book is a concoction of varied characters. Mr. Crisis is an inter-dimensional space traveler and hails from Epsilon Bootis, who teaches students quantum physics and imparts occasional philosophical wisdom. Tamsin is known for her troublesome antics, and Lady Delilah and Mrs. Dalrymple are obsessed with seances. Each chapter is just around 3 to 4 pages long, because of which I couldn’t help but keep reading it at a stretch. This format does a great job of covering the 287 pages of this book.

Unfortunately, I do have my share of criticisms for this book. Initially, it was exciting to acquaint myself with the fantasy world of Denham Hall and Bridgette’s life, but a lack of an established goal made its presence clear, and it started to dull my reading experience. Some chapters do not contain any exciting events, and they solely narrate the daily life of Bridgette with one or two events that occur outside her routine, which are just plain occurrences and have no thrilling element attached to them. I feel the author can omit these specific chapters to shorten the book as readers get accustomed to Bridgette's daily life in the initial chapters. This book constantly repeats several points. For instance, it repeats multiple times that Mr. Crisis is from Epsilon Bootis and highlights the enormous fees at Rickmansworth Young Ladies College. The author's intentional use of repetition is to create a blog-like writing style aimed at acquainting her new followers with her blog. I understand her intent, but I could not appreciate this aspect since I am reading this book as a novel.

Compelled by my criticisms, I will have to deduct a star from my rating. This is a professionally edited book with minimal errors. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Teenagers and readers who enjoy Enid Blyton’s novels will surely enjoy this novel too.

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Denham Hall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Lisa P Cowling]

I love books with short stories. I always feel like I am reading several books in just one. This particular book seems to comprise of intriguing stories. I cannot wait to read them.

[Gerry Steen]

Denham Hall and Argyll Castle have a lot of strange happenings and gossip to keep a reader interested. It is unfortunate that the author used excessive repetition as it dulls the fantasy ride. Hopefully the author will take your critique into account for the future. I like the fact that the story is divided into small chapters. This format would probably keep me engaged and wanting to know what's next. Professional editing is always a plus for me when i read a book. This author is on the cusp of making 5-star stories. Runan, thank you for this thorough review.

[Claudia Angelucci]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Denham Hall" by Bridgette Campbell.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

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Bridgette Campbell is studying at Rickmansworth Young Ladies College, also popularly known as “Denham Hall." She is a boarder at this prestigious private school established for educating genteel ladies. Her abode is Argyll Castle in Scotland. Denham Hall by Bridgette Campbell is a fantasy novel comprising 72 short stories that happen around Denham Hall and outside the college, centered on Bridgette and her best friend Tamsin in particular.

The initial chapters of this book familiarize the readers with the characters while at the same time giving an account of the exciting events surrounding the students. The search for historically significant Rickmansworth Chalice, the illuminated manuscript of the Rickmansworth Codex, or the mysterious surreal magical paintings that lure one in, and the accidental disappearance of Bridgette’s friend, Rhonda, take the readers on an adventure trip. Denham Hall is abuzz with shocking rumors. Ghost sightings, strange featureless ginger creatures roaming around the dorms, and Miss Pringle’s new man fill up the students’ gossip. Argyll Castle is not behind Denham Hall and boasts its own share of a ghost population.

Adorned with a rich, classic British narrative, this novel reminds me of Enid Blyton’s "St. Clare’s" and "The Naughtiest Girl." My mind automatically switched to a British accent while reading this book. Bridgette narrates this novel and blends the character introductions with the ongoing events of the story, which is impressive. This book is a concoction of varied characters. Mr. Crisis is an inter-dimensional space traveler and hails from Epsilon Bootis, who teaches students quantum physics and imparts occasional philosophical wisdom. Tamsin is known for her troublesome antics, and Lady Delilah and Mrs. Dalrymple are obsessed with seances. Each chapter is just around 3 to 4 pages long, because of which I couldn’t help but keep reading it at a stretch. This format does a great job of covering the 287 pages of this book.

Unfortunately, I do have my share of criticisms for this book. Initially, it was exciting to acquaint myself with the fantasy world of Denham Hall and Bridgette’s life, but a lack of an established goal made its presence clear, and it started to dull my reading experience. Some chapters do not contain any exciting events, and they solely narrate the daily life of Bridgette with one or two events that occur outside her routine, which are just plain occurrences and have no thrilling element attached to them. I feel the author can omit these specific chapters to shorten the book as readers get accustomed to Bridgette's daily life in the initial chapters. This book constantly repeats several points. For instance, it repeats multiple times that Mr. Crisis is from Epsilon Bootis and highlights the enormous fees at Rickmansworth Young Ladies College. The author's intentional use of repetition is to create a blog-like writing style aimed at acquainting her new followers with her blog. I understand her intent, but I could not appreciate this aspect since I am reading this book as a novel.

Compelled by my criticisms, I will have to deduct a star from my rating. This is a professionally edited book with minimal errors. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Teenagers and readers who enjoy Enid Blyton’s novels will surely enjoy this novel too.

******
Denham Hall
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

This is a lovely review. Very pleasant to read, and I have to say, Runan, you made me laugh when you said that your mind automatically switched to a British accent while reading this book! All the best!

[Jennifer Coxon]

Thank you for your honest review. I would actually be quite interested in this book having recently had a trip to Rickmansworth and Denham, which I didn't know existed before. I also appreciated the connection with Enid Blyton's novels. However, I bare in mind your criticisms of the repetition and the blog style maybe not working so well as a novel.

[NetMassimo]

I read nothing written by Enid Blyton, so I have non comparisons. The idea of many short stories that have some kind of interconnection is intriguing but in this case there doesn't seem to be a proper focus. Considering that the story of a student is not exactly my favorite, probably this book is not for me. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

[Anaïs Quesson]

Thank you for this well-thought review, Runan! Although the world of Denham Hall sounds very interesting, perhaps 72 short stories is too much. I understand that, in all that, some felt dull and useless. Quite like filler episodes in TV show, if we can compare.

[Martina Sette]

This book sounds delightful and adventurous. The blend of magical elements, mysterious occurrences, and diverse characters interests me. Great job!