📖 Overview
Green Darkness is a historical fiction novel that moves between 1968 England and the Tudor period of the 1550s. A modern-day woman, Celia Marsdon, experiences unexplained physical and psychological symptoms that connect her to events from four centuries earlier.
The narrative shifts to follow a young woman named Celia de Bohun in Tudor England during the religious upheaval of Edward VI and Mary I's reigns. Her story involves forbidden romance, religious persecution, and the dangerous politics of a transitional era in English history.
The parallel storylines trace the connections between past and present lives, exploring themes of reincarnation, unresolved trauma, and spiritual healing. The novel examines how historical events and choices continue to influence the present, while highlighting the cyclical nature of human experience across centuries.
👀 Reviews
Readers describe this as a detailed historical romance that alternates between Tudor England and 1960s Britain. The reincarnation theme and rich period details engage many fans, with several noting they've reread it multiple times over decades.
Readers appreciated:
- Thorough research of Tudor era customs and daily life
- Complex relationship dynamics
- Supernatural elements woven through historical events
- Vivid descriptions of settings and clothing
Common criticisms:
- Slow pacing in first 100 pages
- Confusing transitions between time periods
- Too many secondary characters to track
- Dated portrayal of gender roles
Ratings across platforms:
Goodreads: 4.1/5 (11,000+ ratings)
Amazon: 4.4/5 (500+ ratings)
Multiple readers noted the book's length and density require commitment. One reader stated: "You need to push through the beginning - it rewards patience." Another wrote: "The historical details are meticulous but sometimes overshadow the story."
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The House at Riverton by Kate Morton This gothic tale moves between 1920s England and modern day, unraveling family secrets through parallel time periods and interconnected fates.
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley A writer's research into 18th-century Scottish history becomes inexplicably linked to her own life through genetic memory and ancestral connections.
The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox The story shifts between centuries in New England, connecting supernatural elements with historical events and forbidden romance.
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine A journalist undergoes hypnosis and discovers her past life as a medieval noblewoman, leading to parallel narratives in modern and 12th-century Britain.
🤔 Interesting facts
🌿 This haunting tale of reincarnation was inspired by the real-life discovery of a skeleton walled up in Ightham Mote, a 14th-century manor house in Kent, England.
📚 Barbara Ericson spent over four years researching Tudor England to create authentic historical details for the novel, including period-accurate medical practices and religious tensions.
⌛ The story weaves between two time periods: 1968 and the Tudor era of the 1550s, during the dangerous religious upheavals between Catholics and Protestants under Edward VI and Mary I.
🏰 Ightham Mote, the central setting of the novel, still exists today as a National Trust property in England, complete with its own moat and over 70 rooms.
💕 The book became an instant bestseller upon its 1972 release and helped popularize the past-life regression romance genre in modern fiction.