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A Place of Secrets
The stunning novel from the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller, a Richard & Judy Bookclub Pick. SECRETS FROM THE PAST, UNRAVELLING IN THE PRESENT… The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again . . . Can dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a recurrent running through a dark forest, crying for her mother. Now her six-year-old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her. A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. When she's asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up. As Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the forest from which Wickham and his adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky? With the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk woods. Dare she leave behind the sadness in her own life, and learn to love again?Praise for Rachel Hore's ‘A tour de force. Rachel's Paris is rich, romantic, exotic and mysterious’ JUDY FINNIGAN ‘An elegiac tale of wartime love and secrets’ Telegraph ‘A richly emotional story, suspenseful and romantic, but unflinching in its portrayal of the dreadful reality and legacy of war’ Book of the Week, Sunday Mirror 'Pitched perfectly for a holiday read' Guardian 'Engrossing, pleasantly surprising and throughly readable' SANTA MONTEFIORE 'A beautifully written and magical novel about life, love and family' CATHY KELLY
468 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2010
189 people are currently reading
7063 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Hore
35 books744 followersRachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, Norfolk and turning to writing fiction.
Rachel is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Dream House (2006), The Memory Garden (2007), The Glass Painter's Daughter (2009), which was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Novel of the Year 2010, A Place of Secrets (2010), which was a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick, and A Gathering Storm (2011), which was shortlisted for the RNA Historical Novel of the year, 2012. The Silent Tide was published in 2013, A Week in Paris in 2014 and The House on Bellevue Gardens in 2015.
Her new novel, Last Letter Home, will be published on 22nd March 2018.
Rachel is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Dream House (2006), The Memory Garden (2007), The Glass Painter's Daughter (2009), which was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Novel of the Year 2010, A Place of Secrets (2010), which was a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick, and A Gathering Storm (2011), which was shortlisted for the RNA Historical Novel of the year, 2012. The Silent Tide was published in 2013, A Week in Paris in 2014 and The House on Bellevue Gardens in 2015.
Her new novel, Last Letter Home, will be published on 22nd March 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 631 reviews
January 2, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up.
This was a reread so that I could write a review on here.
Jude is an antiques expert invited to value a large collection of astronomical writings, charts and items, in her hometown of Norfolk, belonging to the late Anthony Wickham in the grand stately house Starborough Hall.
While there she becomes swept up in the mysteries surrounding the collection, most specifically the memoirs of a young woman called Esther Wickham - a woman who seemed to disappear from history.
This is a sweet novel if you like family histories, with lots of coincidences that seem to tie in together.
I enjoyed the unraveling of Esther’s story and how it linked with Jude’s grandmother’s childhood, and the gypsies who lived sporadically in the local area. All sorts of characters all linked to this mysterious house, and its residents.
Not the most riveting of reads, but engaging enough despite numerous cliches.
That wraps up my final read of 2017! Hope you all have a wonderful new year and prosperous 2018!
This was a reread so that I could write a review on here.
Jude is an antiques expert invited to value a large collection of astronomical writings, charts and items, in her hometown of Norfolk, belonging to the late Anthony Wickham in the grand stately house Starborough Hall.
While there she becomes swept up in the mysteries surrounding the collection, most specifically the memoirs of a young woman called Esther Wickham - a woman who seemed to disappear from history.
This is a sweet novel if you like family histories, with lots of coincidences that seem to tie in together.
I enjoyed the unraveling of Esther’s story and how it linked with Jude’s grandmother’s childhood, and the gypsies who lived sporadically in the local area. All sorts of characters all linked to this mysterious house, and its residents.
Not the most riveting of reads, but engaging enough despite numerous cliches.
That wraps up my final read of 2017! Hope you all have a wonderful new year and prosperous 2018!
July 31, 2014
Just didn't work for me. Very slow pace and plotting, which is a shame as so many of the elements that I enjoy in a book were there: a house of secrets, old books and journals, a folly, mystery identities, etc... All well and good, but plain old good storytelling was missing.
June 18, 2012
Only the second Hore book I've read (the first being The Dream House), and I can see a maturity in her writing.
A Place of Secrets is a multi-layered novel very similar in style to the novels of Kate Morton, with generational family dynamics and disfunctions, multiple jumps between time periods, hidden secrets, and a mystery to be solved from the past in order for the characters from the present time period to move on. Very good stuff if that's your brand of reading pleasure, and Hore almost nails it with this offering. Certainly, the amount of research she's done for this one is visable and impressive. Her various plotlines are intriguing and the book flowed, for the most part, smoothly. The storyline from the 18th century was the best part of the book - it was in this story of Esther and her star-gazing father that Hore's undoubted writing talent really shined. Where I wasn't sold was in the present-day characters; the sibling interactions of Jude and Claire's relationship seemed stiff and unnatural. The myriad coincidences that occured in order to tie up all the past and present storylines felt forced and had me shaking my head in disbelief. Perhaps more attention focused on fewer plotlines would have streamlined this novel and made it a 4 or 5-star winner for me. As it was, it was an enjoyable book, but nothing spectacular. I'll be checking back with Hore after she pens a few more books.
A Place of Secrets is a multi-layered novel very similar in style to the novels of Kate Morton, with generational family dynamics and disfunctions, multiple jumps between time periods, hidden secrets, and a mystery to be solved from the past in order for the characters from the present time period to move on. Very good stuff if that's your brand of reading pleasure, and Hore almost nails it with this offering. Certainly, the amount of research she's done for this one is visable and impressive. Her various plotlines are intriguing and the book flowed, for the most part, smoothly. The storyline from the 18th century was the best part of the book - it was in this story of Esther and her star-gazing father that Hore's undoubted writing talent really shined. Where I wasn't sold was in the present-day characters; the sibling interactions of Jude and Claire's relationship seemed stiff and unnatural. The myriad coincidences that occured in order to tie up all the past and present storylines felt forced and had me shaking my head in disbelief. Perhaps more attention focused on fewer plotlines would have streamlined this novel and made it a 4 or 5-star winner for me. As it was, it was an enjoyable book, but nothing spectacular. I'll be checking back with Hore after she pens a few more books.
November 2, 2020
Padariau klaidą, kad knygą skaičiau su dideliais laiko tarpais, todėl vis prarasdavau susidomėjimą šia istorija.. Knyga graži, tai pasakojimas pasakojime, praeitis susipinanti su dabartimi. Daug įvykių kurie susipynę tarpusavyje, gal net per daug sutapimų? :) Visoje knygoje renkamos dėlionės dalys ir gale susidėlioja visas bendras praeities paveikslas. Tai buvo įdomu. Užbaigta istorija. Paslaptingas bokštas, sapnai, žvaigždžių stebėjimas, netektis, meilė, šeima, proteviai, dvaras, dienoraštis.. Paslaptingas ir užburiantis romanas. Mielai susipažinčiau ir su kitomis autorės knygomis.
🖋️ Daugybė žmonių šypsosi tik lūpomis, bet tu nusišypsojai akimis, lyg tau rūpėčiau. Man tai patiko.
🖋️ Tikriausiai žiūrėdama į savo močiutę negali patikėti, kad ji kadaise buvo maža ...?
🖋️ Baisu, jei niekada neatleidi arba nesulauki atleidimo ...
🖋️ Kyla grėsmė, kad gyvendami miestuose ir miesteliuose vien dirbtinės šviesos apsupty, galime prarasti ryšį su nakties dangumi - norą domėtis visata ir savo vieta joje.
🖋️ Juodu mylėjo vienas kitą, o žemė sukosi po senutėlėmis žvaigždėmis.
🖋️ Daugybė žmonių šypsosi tik lūpomis, bet tu nusišypsojai akimis, lyg tau rūpėčiau. Man tai patiko.
🖋️ Tikriausiai žiūrėdama į savo močiutę negali patikėti, kad ji kadaise buvo maža ...?
🖋️ Baisu, jei niekada neatleidi arba nesulauki atleidimo ...
🖋️ Kyla grėsmė, kad gyvendami miestuose ir miesteliuose vien dirbtinės šviesos apsupty, galime prarasti ryšį su nakties dangumi - norą domėtis visata ir savo vieta joje.
🖋️ Juodu mylėjo vienas kitą, o žemė sukosi po senutėlėmis žvaigždėmis.
January 5, 2016
I agree with the other reviews that disliked this book. I've read a couple of Rachel Hore's books, especially enjoying 'A gathering storm' and thought I'd give this a go. It was as if it was written by a different author entirely. I didn't care at all about any of the characters, except Anthony and Esther from the past storyline, and agree with the review that said this was the only thing that kept me reading. I skim read it just to finish it, but the 'revelations' at the end were so boring I shouldn't have bothered! Give this is a miss- the main characters are extremely irritating and unlikeable. But do try 'A gathering storm', that one is worth your time.
January 15, 2019
A place of secrets start off mild and easy,but as the book gathers pace with the emerging characters a fabulous tale of astrology and stargazing become a spellbinding adventure. The main character from london stumbles cross a hidden diary and so her personal journey of research began which unravels astronomy mystery family secrets and the supernatural. It's suspense full of mystical twists antiques and star gazing and will leave the readers interested in astronomy.
April 25, 2011
I don't generally read novels marketed as "women's fiction" but this was pushed into my hands by a co-worker who convincingly raved about it, and so I dutifully worked my way through it. Maybe it’s too strong to say I was disappointed as I didn’t have sky-high expectations, but I was certainly unimpressed.
For me the story failed to live up to a number of promises. The ‘blurb’ hints at a supernatural element that never appears, and the intimations of menace came to nothing of interest. Despite the potential for intrigue it was simply rather dull and entirely predictable. There were far too many contrived and transparent coincidences in the plot and denouement – in fact I felt maybe the novel should have been more accurately called ‘A Place of Coincidences’. I do feel over-reliance on coincidences and the reader’s willingness to accept implausible plot devices is the mark of lazy writing.
Another reason why I failed to be gripped was the characterisation. The female lead, Jude, was rather wearying and not particularly likeable. I just wanted to give her a good shaking! The romantic hero, Euan, was stereotypically New Man – rescuing bunnies and living in a gypsy caravan. I couldn’t care for them individually or as a couple. Most of the supporting cast were two-dimensional clichés. The most interesting were the 18th century astronomer Anthony Wickham and his adoptive daughter Esther. Actually, the 18th century parts were the most appealing in the book - it was the astronomical details that kept me reading rather than the trite modern day romance.
Ultimately, although I found it entertaining enough for a lightweight read to while away a few hours I think I’m just the wrong reader for this type of novel.
For me the story failed to live up to a number of promises. The ‘blurb’ hints at a supernatural element that never appears, and the intimations of menace came to nothing of interest. Despite the potential for intrigue it was simply rather dull and entirely predictable. There were far too many contrived and transparent coincidences in the plot and denouement – in fact I felt maybe the novel should have been more accurately called ‘A Place of Coincidences’. I do feel over-reliance on coincidences and the reader’s willingness to accept implausible plot devices is the mark of lazy writing.
Another reason why I failed to be gripped was the characterisation. The female lead, Jude, was rather wearying and not particularly likeable. I just wanted to give her a good shaking! The romantic hero, Euan, was stereotypically New Man – rescuing bunnies and living in a gypsy caravan. I couldn’t care for them individually or as a couple. Most of the supporting cast were two-dimensional clichés. The most interesting were the 18th century astronomer Anthony Wickham and his adoptive daughter Esther. Actually, the 18th century parts were the most appealing in the book - it was the astronomical details that kept me reading rather than the trite modern day romance.
Ultimately, although I found it entertaining enough for a lightweight read to while away a few hours I think I’m just the wrong reader for this type of novel.
February 16, 2012
In many ways I loved A Place of Secrets. I felt the fundamental story worked even though it was a little sluggish and the story was so charming that I felt bound to continue to find out how things turned out. There were some interesting sub-plots including an intricate sibling relationship. However this book was totally ruined by poor editing. I have never read or edited a book with so many mistakes.
2 Stars
2 Stars
December 21, 2011
This book was absolutely fabulous [the missing star stems from feeling that some things just worked out too smoothly...].
Jude was working at an auction house, specializing in Eighteenth century manuscripts when Robert Weekham asked her to go back to Starbrough, Norfolk and assess his family's book and stargazing instruments collection. As Jude goes back to her childhood environment, on duty, she unravels the mystery of Starbrough Hall and folly together with the mystery of her unexplained nightmares that she shares with her 7yo niece, Summer.
Jude studied the true story of the history of the documents' original owners from the mid eighteenth century - and us reader study it with her - one piece at a time. With every layer of mystery that gets peeled, every secret that gets revealed, she (and us readers) understood more about the history of the place and the history of her own family which is entangled in that of the folly. In addition, as a side story, Jude also dealt with the loss of her husband, Mark and the courage to move on - four years after her loss.
The characters were well developed and endearing (some infuriating). I loved how each piece of the puzzle was revealed incrementally to help keep the sophistication of the plot and the thrill of reading and finding out how everything connects.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.
Jude was working at an auction house, specializing in Eighteenth century manuscripts when Robert Weekham asked her to go back to Starbrough, Norfolk and assess his family's book and stargazing instruments collection. As Jude goes back to her childhood environment, on duty, she unravels the mystery of Starbrough Hall and folly together with the mystery of her unexplained nightmares that she shares with her 7yo niece, Summer.
Jude studied the true story of the history of the documents' original owners from the mid eighteenth century - and us reader study it with her - one piece at a time. With every layer of mystery that gets peeled, every secret that gets revealed, she (and us readers) understood more about the history of the place and the history of her own family which is entangled in that of the folly. In addition, as a side story, Jude also dealt with the loss of her husband, Mark and the courage to move on - four years after her loss.
The characters were well developed and endearing (some infuriating). I loved how each piece of the puzzle was revealed incrementally to help keep the sophistication of the plot and the thrill of reading and finding out how everything connects.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.
August 19, 2022
O va čia tai jau tikras vasaros džiaugsmas - tikra gerų atostogų knyga. Graži ir įtraukianti su senosios Britanijos dvasios, mistikos, senovinės bibliotekos ir astronominių atradimų prieskoniu dviejų šeimų istorija, kuri persipina, atidengia senai slėptas paslaptis. Prie jūros ar gaiviame pušyne atostogaujant, tai yra puikus poilsio papildymas.
April 29, 2021
I enjoyed this once I had managed to work out who was who. I will read more from this author.
July 30, 2013
I have just read this on holiday where I enjoy a light romantic romping story but I was irritated from the start. I thought the language laboured, lazy and lacking in variety. Too many adjectives attached to speech.
Then we get to the guts of the story - the far too conveniently interwoven stories in fact. Utterly implausible. Leaving out half of the links might have made it a much better book for me.
The love story was actually unnecessary too, likewise the formulaic relationship between sisters and the 'angry unloved cripple’ angle - more than a bit over the top. A good story will work with one ‘conflict’ and a sub plot or two.
Nevertheless I did grow to want to know how it worked out for Jude, Euan, Claire and Chantal. It just wasn't very skilfully crafted and I felt the dialogue rather mid 20th Century, arid and unrealistic.
In the entire thing was tool formulaic and rather too convoluted to feel ‘real’. It read like a series of character descriptions to select for a modern romantic tale. It failed for me.
April 19, 2012
This was probably the worst book I have ever read, I would give it 0 stars if I could. Very badly written with corny dialogue, and the plot is terrible. The only link between the past and the present are some convenient 'dreams' and many many coincidences. It was a seriously awful book, stick to Kate Morton if you enjoy family history mysteries.
February 9, 2012
I give this 3.5 stars.
June 19, 2013
This starts a little slow but once it gets going it is really well done. You slowly come to see how it all fits together in a tight puzzle.
April 13, 2019
Ne paslaptis, kad pastaruosius kelerius metus skaitau knygas, kuriuose minima Anglija, seni dvarai, paslaptys ir intrigos, paslėpti lobiai, meno ir knygų kolekcionieriai. Vienaip ar kitaip man tokių knygų kartas nuo karto tikrai reikia, todėl atsiradus progai, mielai į rankas imu tokias istorijas, kuriuose grįžtama į praeitį ir bandoma surasti siūlo galą paslapčiai įminti. Autorė Rachel Hore man pažįstama iš kitų dviejų jos knygų, kurių dar neteko skaityti. Todėl pažintį pradėjau nuo trečiosios autorės knygos "Paslapčių bokštas". Visų pirma akį patraukė knygos pavadinimas ir tik vėliau anotacija. Taigi, nieko nelaukusi ėmiau gvildenti šios knygos paslaptis. Vaikystėje Džudė dažnai sapnuodavo košmarą: ji bėga per tamsų mišką, šaukdama mamą. Dabar šešiametė dukterėčia Vasara taip pat dažnai prabunda šaukdama. Ar sapnai gali būti perduodami iš kartos į kartą? Ir čia prasideda tikra paslapčių lavina, kurioje susipynę praeities ir dabarties šešėliai. Netikėtai Džudė atsiduria viename Norfolko dvare, kuriame turi įvertinti astronominių prietaisų ir knygų kolekciją. Tai daugiau nei profesija, senos knygos-jos aistra. Skaitydama šią istoriją, pasijutau taip, lyg skaityčiau astronomijos enciklopediją, nes tiek gausu terminų, susijusių su žvaigždėmis, prietaisais, skirtais joms stebėti. Bet tai netrukdė, anaiptol, kūrinys buvo tik dar įdomesnis. Visa istorija sukasi apie XVIII amžiaus astronomo Antonio Vikamo ir jo įdukros Esteros likimą. Tuo labiau, kad šios dvi asmenybės gan artimai susijusios ir su pačia Džude. O visas paslaptis slepia paslaptingasis bokštas, iš kurio žymusis astronomas su įdukra stebėdavo žvaidždes. Ką bendro tas bokštas turi su sapnais? Jei nesibaidote tokių praeities istorijų kaip ši ir jei mėgstate paslaptis, susijusias su dvarais, tai linkiu būtinai perskaityti, nes pati istorija tikrai įtraukia ir neleidžia nuobodžiauti. O man, kaip tokių paslaptingų istorijų gerbėjai, labiausiai tai patiko dangaus kūnų aprašymai: kaip jie stebimi, atrandami ir kokį vaidmenį jie vaidina žmonių gyvenime. Tokia magiškai kerinti knyga, kurioje romantika persipina su šlakeliu detektyvo, fantastikos ir istorijos. Šioje istorijoje atrodo, kad ir žmonės parinkti skirtingų tipų: kiekvienas vis kitoks ir savyje nešiojantis tuziną paslapčių, kurios vėliau ar anksčiau paaiškėja: "Žmonės ne visuomet būna tokie, kaip manome. Bet yra ir tokių, kurie gyvena lyg su akidangčiais. Mato tik tai, ką nori matyti, ir dažniausiai vien tai, kas blogai". Perskaičius tokias knygas kaip ši, įsitrauki į istoriją visu šimtu procentų ir jei ne kasdienė buitis, taip ir skaitytum nuo pradžios iki pabaigos vienu prisėdimu. Daugelis yra linkę sakyti, kad tai yra laiko gaišimas skaitant tokio žanro knygas, bet man tai- trumpas stabetelėjimas ir atokvėpis nuo rimtų kūrinių. Kas taip sako, dažnai norisi jų paklausti, o tu bent skaitydamas vien tik rimtus kūrinius, pažiūri kartkartėm į dangų? Žinok, ne tu vienas esi žvaigždė, jų esti ir danguje. Ir pabaigai labai graži citata iš šios knygos: "Kas stebi žvaigždes, ima suprasti, kokie esame maži ir nereikšmingi, kaip skruzdės ar vabalai ant vienišų uolų, amžinai besisukantys begalinėje erdvėje. Kaip mums, tuščiai siekiantiems savo menkų tikslų, be jokio perspėjimo ar gailesčio gali smogti likimo ranka".
August 14, 2021
My first experience of this author. Totally gripping, with lots going on. Could have been a little shorter, the last couple of chapters rambled a bit and were a bit unnecessary really as the main conclusion had already been reached.
I will definitely try more of Rachel’s novels. ☺️
I will definitely try more of Rachel’s novels. ☺️
May 16, 2019
Het is lang geleden dat ik nog zo genoten heb van een verhaal. Een onverwacht pareltje!
October 3, 2022
I enjoyed this one but I also started to feel ambivalent after a while. Truthfully I loved the setting, some of the characters but the length of time for the mystery to unfold was a bit too long for me imho. I actually grew a little bored which is not a good sign.
August 9, 2022
Some chapters are so well written while others seem to come from a cheap novel. The story is fun and sometimes exciting. All in all, a good book to read on a chilly day.
October 19, 2016
3.5 stars This book had a lot of potential, but as I read, I kept getting the feeling that the author wasn't entirely sure what she wanted it to be.
The present day portion of the book involves auctioneer Judith (Jude) Gower coming to a rural country estate to review a collection of books and items related to an 18th century astronomer. By happy coincidence, her sister and niece live in the area, so Jude can spend time with them. As Jude goes through the documents, she learns that the astronomer had a hitherto unknown daughter and that this daughter kept a journal. Jude finds herself quite drawn into the daughter's story and even after preparing the collection for auction, she continues researching this young woman's fate.
Mixed into all of this we learn that Jude herself suffered from nightmares as a child and that the landscape of her nightmares bears more than a little resemblance to the wooded area around the house where she is worked. And oh yes, her 6 year old niece is now suffering from similar nightmares.
So, what to make of all this? Well, sometimes the author seems to be delving deeply into a historical mystery rich with family secrets. However, at times she changes course and seems to want to explore a paranormal angle with the dreams - but then seems to think better of it and goes back to a straight-up mystery. The seeming indecision on tone and story direction made this book drag a fair amount in the middle for me, though it did pull together in a satisfying way at the end.
The present day portion of the book involves auctioneer Judith (Jude) Gower coming to a rural country estate to review a collection of books and items related to an 18th century astronomer. By happy coincidence, her sister and niece live in the area, so Jude can spend time with them. As Jude goes through the documents, she learns that the astronomer had a hitherto unknown daughter and that this daughter kept a journal. Jude finds herself quite drawn into the daughter's story and even after preparing the collection for auction, she continues researching this young woman's fate.
Mixed into all of this we learn that Jude herself suffered from nightmares as a child and that the landscape of her nightmares bears more than a little resemblance to the wooded area around the house where she is worked. And oh yes, her 6 year old niece is now suffering from similar nightmares.
So, what to make of all this? Well, sometimes the author seems to be delving deeply into a historical mystery rich with family secrets. However, at times she changes course and seems to want to explore a paranormal angle with the dreams - but then seems to think better of it and goes back to a straight-up mystery. The seeming indecision on tone and story direction made this book drag a fair amount in the middle for me, though it did pull together in a satisfying way at the end.
March 8, 2012
A Place of Secrets was a bit of a impulse purchase for me. I was in the mood for a fun, quick and somewhat mysterious read and when this popped up I knew it was what I was after. This is the kind of book I think of as an airport read. It's entertaining and engaging but not too taxing or time consuming.
This book served as my introduction to Rachel Hore and I feel like next time I'm stuck in bed ill and don't want to strain myself with anything too literary I would happy pick up another of her offerings.
A Place of Secrets is a bit of a duel story. It follows our heroine, Jude who works at an auction house specialising in books and manuscripts who becomes involved in valuing and researching a set of astronomy volumes and journals. While doing so a story from the past, long forgotten gets unearthed and the attachments between that story and Jude and her family become more and more involved.
One thing that can't be ignored about this book is that it's brilliantly researched and the two main stories are interwoven in such an accomplished way. My only real complaint is the way things are wrapped up in the end. It feels a little hurried and like more time could have been taken to create a more believable finish. Things just seemed to fall in to place a little too easily for my liking but that just may be a personal preference.
Overall I found A Place of Secrets to be a enjoyable read one that propelled me to continue to reach its conclusion.
This book served as my introduction to Rachel Hore and I feel like next time I'm stuck in bed ill and don't want to strain myself with anything too literary I would happy pick up another of her offerings.
A Place of Secrets is a bit of a duel story. It follows our heroine, Jude who works at an auction house specialising in books and manuscripts who becomes involved in valuing and researching a set of astronomy volumes and journals. While doing so a story from the past, long forgotten gets unearthed and the attachments between that story and Jude and her family become more and more involved.
One thing that can't be ignored about this book is that it's brilliantly researched and the two main stories are interwoven in such an accomplished way. My only real complaint is the way things are wrapped up in the end. It feels a little hurried and like more time could have been taken to create a more believable finish. Things just seemed to fall in to place a little too easily for my liking but that just may be a personal preference.
Overall I found A Place of Secrets to be a enjoyable read one that propelled me to continue to reach its conclusion.
June 20, 2016
I read one other book by Rachel Hore, A Gathering Storm, which was ok for me, and this is pretty much how I feel about this one. I was a bit worried when I saw it had a fair few negative reviews, but it wasn't bad, actually it started out very promising. A beautiful library in the country, an abandoned folly, strange dreams, old manuscripts and 18th century amateur stargazers, it drew me in and I couldn't wait how it would all tie together. It isn't precisely a dual timeline story as such, but secrets of the distant and not so distant past play a part in the lives of the present day characters. There were several interesting subplots, such as the main character Judith's relationship with her prickly sister Claire, but halfway through I pretty much lost patience with several characters and repeated scenarios. The writing was ok, although it didn't bring the place to live and could be quite stilted in places. The final reveal and ending was too neat and tidy for me, there were stacks of coincidences (a few too far for my liking) and the happy ending all round, complete with white wedding in the country, was just a bit too sweet. Still, I enjoyed large parts of it, but I have to say other authors (Kate Morton, for instance) do this sort of thing better and more believable.
July 26, 2010
OK, so she doesn't write great literature, but Rachel Hore writes some of the best love stories with a historical/mystical twist ever - she's firmly on my list of top ten authors. This one isn't published in the UK until 5th August, and thanks to Liz for passing it on. This one has all the elements I've loved in her previous books - the strong modern heroine, the gorgeous love interest in Euan, the extended family with secrets, the supernatural bits, the finding of a diary from the 1700s (the foundling child, the gypsies, the mysterious folly, the story of early astronomical discoveries...) the immense coincidences and unlikely links that drive the story... I loved every moment of it, and couldn't put it down! If you enjoy the likes of Susanna Kearsley, Barbara Erskine or Kate Morton you'll love it too.
September 6, 2016
This book was horrendous.
The plot is strung together by convenient dreams and coincidences, nothing else.
The writing was corny and terrible, and includes some of the most cringeworthy dialogue I've ever read.
Seriously, don't even bother. I'm stunned that the rating is so high for this book!
The plot is strung together by convenient dreams and coincidences, nothing else.
The writing was corny and terrible, and includes some of the most cringeworthy dialogue I've ever read.
Seriously, don't even bother. I'm stunned that the rating is so high for this book!
June 5, 2019
Het is lang geleden dat ik dit boek las maar ik weet met zekerheid te zeggen: Absoluut het lezen waard. Aangrijpend, romantisch, frustrerend, verdrietig, allemaal gevoelens die naar bovenkomen bij het lezen van dit boek. Ik heb er erg van genoten.
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June 24, 2018
Really 2.5 stars. It was contrived and convoluted. Bu the end, I couldn't remember any of the connections. The writing itself was annoying at times, with excruciating detail about writing an email or getting a quote on an item. I really trudged through this one.
December 21, 2017
It felt there were too many twists and turns and all got a bit confusing
I liked the style of writing and the characters but it just lost its way for me
I liked the style of writing and the characters but it just lost its way for me
June 21, 2021
“It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.”
Reading A place of Secrets, this quote by Sherlock Holmes was what came to my mind as the protagonist of the novel; Jude who works at a London auction house, finds herself in the beautiful countryside in Norfolk where she unexpectedly finds herself uncovering the story of an 18th century astronomer and his mysterious adopted daughter all of which is centered around a mysterious tower. The story reads primarily as a mystery novel where Jude has to find clues to solve the mystery of the past. But it also mixes elements from other genre's such as historical fiction, horror and even a bit of Fantasy which somewhat reminded me of Jesse Burton's the miniaturist. The latter is particular interesting and is a clever tool the author seems to have used in order to keep the reader invested in the story where even though it is an investigation of past events, it seems to have serious implications for Jude and the rest of the cast of characters digging into this in the present.
The book is a bit slow paced and takes time to get started, and initially I had a very different expectation of what the book was about. But once Jude started to uncover details about the past I found it very engrossing where at times you feel you are reading a different book altogether. The book is also quite interesting for some of the little insights which provides a window into the world of various topics such as the unexpectedly cut throat world of high stake Antiquarian book dealings market, the creative process for a nature writer and just a bit too much about the behaviours of Moths! As a mystery novel I felt there was a just a bit too many neat coincidences and connections to the cast of characters while some of the characters which the author spent alot of time introducing played only a minor role in the stories developments. While this may partly have been deliberate and left as red herrings in order to keep the reader guessing about the mystery.
Recommendation
Overall found it an enjoyable book and if your anticipating a lazy Sunday read and want a peaceful and soothing book to curl up to and read, this might be a good choice for that!
Quotes
Those who study the stars come to know of how small and insignificant we are, like ants or beetles on the face of lonely rocks spinning eternally in infinite space. How the hand of fate might strike us in our futile insect purposes without warning or pity.
- Anthony Wickham the 18th Century Astronomer
She had hardly been beyond it, never seen Norwich and its fine Norman cathedral, never visited Yarmouth to see the herring boats come in, never seen the vast North Sea crash on the shingle. But she had surveyed some of the greatest secrets of the universe, had studied the infinite skies above all, seen other planets, seen stars winking at her from who knew how many millions of miles and millions of years away. She was young in years but old in knowledge and wisdom. She was a girl who’d lost her beginnings and might soon know her end.
- Esther; Anthony Wickham's adopted daughter at the heart of the mystery
Mark had gone, passed into the care of the Keeper of the Stars, but the stars were still there. And now, now there was Euan close beside her, waiting.
-Jude seeks answers in the stars and deals with her personal struggles
Reading A place of Secrets, this quote by Sherlock Holmes was what came to my mind as the protagonist of the novel; Jude who works at a London auction house, finds herself in the beautiful countryside in Norfolk where she unexpectedly finds herself uncovering the story of an 18th century astronomer and his mysterious adopted daughter all of which is centered around a mysterious tower. The story reads primarily as a mystery novel where Jude has to find clues to solve the mystery of the past. But it also mixes elements from other genre's such as historical fiction, horror and even a bit of Fantasy which somewhat reminded me of Jesse Burton's the miniaturist. The latter is particular interesting and is a clever tool the author seems to have used in order to keep the reader invested in the story where even though it is an investigation of past events, it seems to have serious implications for Jude and the rest of the cast of characters digging into this in the present.
The book is a bit slow paced and takes time to get started, and initially I had a very different expectation of what the book was about. But once Jude started to uncover details about the past I found it very engrossing where at times you feel you are reading a different book altogether. The book is also quite interesting for some of the little insights which provides a window into the world of various topics such as the unexpectedly cut throat world of high stake Antiquarian book dealings market, the creative process for a nature writer and just a bit too much about the behaviours of Moths! As a mystery novel I felt there was a just a bit too many neat coincidences and connections to the cast of characters while some of the characters which the author spent alot of time introducing played only a minor role in the stories developments. While this may partly have been deliberate and left as red herrings in order to keep the reader guessing about the mystery.
Recommendation
Overall found it an enjoyable book and if your anticipating a lazy Sunday read and want a peaceful and soothing book to curl up to and read, this might be a good choice for that!
Quotes
Those who study the stars come to know of how small and insignificant we are, like ants or beetles on the face of lonely rocks spinning eternally in infinite space. How the hand of fate might strike us in our futile insect purposes without warning or pity.
- Anthony Wickham the 18th Century Astronomer
She had hardly been beyond it, never seen Norwich and its fine Norman cathedral, never visited Yarmouth to see the herring boats come in, never seen the vast North Sea crash on the shingle. But she had surveyed some of the greatest secrets of the universe, had studied the infinite skies above all, seen other planets, seen stars winking at her from who knew how many millions of miles and millions of years away. She was young in years but old in knowledge and wisdom. She was a girl who’d lost her beginnings and might soon know her end.
- Esther; Anthony Wickham's adopted daughter at the heart of the mystery
Mark had gone, passed into the care of the Keeper of the Stars, but the stars were still there. And now, now there was Euan close beside her, waiting.
-Jude seeks answers in the stars and deals with her personal struggles
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