The Lie Tree
core novel 2015 The Lie Tree
Record
| First published | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.84 (28,125 ratings, collected 2026-09-28) |
| Page count | 413 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781447264118 |
Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Faith Sunderly is, to all appearances, a proper Victorian young lady who knows her place; inside she burns with curiosity and cannot resist a secret. When her father, the Reverend Erasmus Sunderly, a celebrated naturalist, moves the family abruptly from Kent to the small, close-knit island of Vane to advise on a fossil excavation, Faith soon learns the real reason: a scandal over his scientific findings is destroying his reputation and the family's standing with it. Then her father is found dead at the foot of a cliff, and Faith alone believes he was murdered. Searching his papers and possessions for the truth, she discovers the strange plant he kept hidden, a tree that bears fruit only when a lie is whispered to it, and whose fruit, when eaten, reveals a hidden truth. To find her father's killer, Faith begins to feed it lies.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Lie Tree
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Frances Hardinge
Awards (verified)
- Costa Book Awards (Book of the Year), 2015: won
- Costa Book Awards (Children's Book Award), 2015: won
- Carnegie Medal, 2016: finalist; Shortlisted.
Notes
- Victorian-era historical fantasy on the fictional island of Vane. A separate world from Hardinge's Cuckoo Song and Fly By Night; no shared setting or characters.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- SFWA Nebula Awards
- https://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/The_Lie_Tree_by_Frances_Hardinge
- Costa Book Awards
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