The Beloveds

Written by Maureen Lindley

Narrated by Fiona Hardingham

An exploration of domestic derangement, as sinister as Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, that plumbs the depths of sibling rivalry with wit and menace.

Oh, to be a Beloved—one of those lucky people for whom nothing ever goes wrong. Everything falls into their laps without effort: happiness, beauty, good fortune, allure.

Betty Stash is not a Beloved—but her little sister, the delightful Gloria, is. She’s the one with the golden curls and sunny disposition and captivating smile, the one whose best friend used to be Betty’s, the one whose husband should have been Betty’s. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Gloria inherits the family manse—a vast, gorgeous pile of ancient stone, imposing timbers, and lush gardens—that was never meant to be hers.

Losing what Betty considers her rightful inheritance is the final indignity. As she single-mindedly pursues her plan to see the estate returned to her in all its glory, her determined and increasingly unhinged behavior—aided by poisonous mushrooms, talking walls, and a phantom dog—escalates to the point of no return. The Beloveds will have you wondering if there’s a length to which an envious sister won’t go.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Apr 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781508253549

Maureen Lindley

Maureen Lindley, born in Berkshire and raised in Scotland and England, was trained as a psychotherapist. She is the author of two previous novels, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel and A Girl Like You. She lives in the Wye Valley on the border between southern England and Wales. Visit her at MaureenLindley.com.

Reviews for The Beloveds

[Kailynn O’Brien · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very odd yet twisted book. I’m not sure how I feel about it honestly but it was interesting enough and I felt compelled to find out what would happen next.

[irenecole · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Betty Stash has never much cared for anyone or anything other than her parents house, which she expected to inherit on her mother's death. She appears to have been in a state of quiet jealous rage ever since her beautiful and "beloved" sister was born. Much of the action in this story takes place in Betty's mind for at least the first half of the book, which made it a little slow and draggy in my opinion, until at last Betty seemed to make the switch from petty, whining, narcissist to full on evil psycho.

I received an advance copy for review.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Featuring a twisted lead protagonist that readers will absolutely love to hate, The Beloveds by Maureen Lindley is a deliciously dark tale of obsession and jealousy.

Elizabeth "Betty" Stash is consumed with jealousy towards her beautiful, much loved younger sister, Gloria. She has been able to control her rage despite Gloria "stealing" her childhood friend Alice and her love interest Henry Bygone. However, discovering their recently deceased mother bequeathed the family home, Pipits, to Gloria, Betty is consumed with plotting how to wrest the estate from her sister. Biding her time, she devises what she believes to be a foolproof plan to rid take back what Betty believes to be HER rightful inheritance.

Betty is unbelievably horrid and  impossible to like yet she is also an incredibly fascinating character. She is a narcissist who harbors an outrageous sense of entitlement. Betty has figured out how to hide her true nature from everyone around her but she is unflinchingly honest with herself (and readers) about how she REALLY feels about the people in her life. Betty meticulously plans and executes her revenge against anyone who dares cross her and she becomes increasingly deranged when things do not to her way.

Narrated entirely from Betty's point of view, readers have a front row seat to her bitterness, anger and progressively demented thoughts.  She devises then discards several schemes on how to reclaim Pipits (which she has an unhealthy attachment for) and she patiently waits to carry out her very diabolical plan.  Betty's strategic retreat  will eventually lead to a further devolving of her mental state and what happens next is rather shocking and somewhat unexpected.

A completely absorbing character study of a woman who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, The Beloveds is a fiendishly clever novel that is well-written and impossible to put down. Readers will be glued to the pages in an effort to see if Betty's outrageous schemes will yield results and more importantly, whether or not anyone will ever catch on to just how deeply troubled Betty is. Despite the middle dragging just a tad and an abrupt conclusion, Maureen Lindley's latest release is an engrossing character study of a deeply disturbed woman who desperately needs psychiatric help.

[ouroborosangel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

So here we have the unreliable terribly damaged woman protagonist, except we never learn exactly what is happening in real life around her and there is no ending. Lindley is a good writer; her descriptions of the world around Elizabeth put me right in the middle of the garden or on the gritty streets of London. But I am tired of unreliable damaged women in books - so the two star rating is probably more about my fatigue of this genre than the book itself. (And the fact that there is really no resolution to anything, in my opinion). Probably unfair, but there you go.

(A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.)

[lauranthalas-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What a strange book. Betty is obsessed with her childhood home, Pipits, which her younger sister Gloria inherits after their mother dies. What will Betty do to own her childhood home? I had high hopes for this book but it fell a little flat for me - I wanted more.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the cover of Maureen Lindley's new novel, The Beloveds. Those overgrown vines covering the door hint at a tangled tale within.And it is. Sisters Betty and Gloria have never really got along. Everything seems to come easy to the sunny-natured Gloria, but not so for Betty. Betty is not one of the "Beloveds". In her own words..."I am not one of the Beloveds. You know those people with a star above their heads: loved and admired, lucky in love, lucky in everything."Betty yearns for the day when Pipits, the family home will be hers by birthright as the oldest child. The house speaks to Betty and she loves it and the gardens surrounding it. But when the girls' mother dies, she leaves the estate to Gloria - and that does not sit well with Betty. Not at all.What follows is a dark and twisted tale of Betty's attempts to regain what she sees as her birthright. Initially I could understand Betty's anger and resentment. But Lindley takes Betty further down the path of animosity and obsession than I could have imagined. Her schemes to take back Pipits grow darker and more dangerous. As does Betty's mindset. The reader is along for the ride as she descends into what can only be termed madness. And yet.....I still felt sorry for her."It's true that I have learned how to appear calm when I am angry. But that doesn't mean I don't feel things. To have my way, I practice charm, keep my true nature hidden. People find it hard to deal with a person who doesn't emote in the way they expect. The want you to empathize with their trivial problems. They shy away from superior intellects, so I find it easier to act the part of loving sister, forgiving sister-in-law, accepting friend. I'm a good actress."The Beloveds is told through Betty's point of view, with Gloria's actions and dialogue as seen by her. I wondered about Gloria - is she really the 'Beloved' she appears to be? Or is she aware of what losing the house has done to Betty?I quite enjoyed the descriptions of Pipits and the grounds. The house is also a character in the book, not just a setting.Deliciously dark and disturbing. The publisher has described The Beloveds as "An exploration of domestic derangement, as sinister as Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, that plumbs the depths of sibling rivalry with wit and menace." Quite apt I would say.