Final Act

Final Act: A Novel by C. Paul Andersen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wendy is a young teacher who takes a position as a live-in tutor for eight-year-old Paul, grandson to the reclusive movie star, Bella Horstman. The mansion is huge, and the staff isn't particularly friendly. Bella is said to live on the third floor, but with the exception of one or two staff members, no one is allowed to venture there.

Wendy struggles with the strange new environment. She starts receiving anonymous notes to leave Horstman house, and is even physically harmed several times. But, she is determined to stay and give Paul the help he desperately needs.

Final Act started a bit slow for me with lots of details. I got through the first few pages with lots of skimming. Then as the story started to move along, I was drawn in.

Unfortunately, I was distracted by the religious aspects of the story. Some authors have a great talent for including spiritual characteristics and mannerisms in their novels, but the way those things were included in this novel disrupted the flow.

But, the major downside to the story was that it was so much like Jane Eyre. If you aren't familiar with the story of Jane Eyre, this may have been pretty suspenseful and intriguing. However, if you've read Jane Eyre, then you were in for a pretty predictable read.