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The Secret Orphan
As the Nazis' relentless bombs fall during the Blitz of Coventry, six-year-old Rose Sherbourne finds herself orphaned and under the guardianship of a Cornish farmer's daughter, Elenor Cardew.
Elenor knows that the only way to protect spirited Rose is to leave the city and make a new life for themselves away from harm. But soon Elenor discovers that Hitler's firestorm is not the only thing she must fear when she learns a devastating secret about Rose...
With Rose's life in imminent danger, Elenor turns to the only person she can trust to keep the deadly secret, heroic Canadian pilot, Jackson St John. And amidst the destruction of war, an unlikely romance blossoms as they find a way to protect the child they have both grown to love...and each other.
Elenor knows that the only way to protect spirited Rose is to leave the city and make a new life for themselves away from harm. But soon Elenor discovers that Hitler's firestorm is not the only thing she must fear when she learns a devastating secret about Rose...
With Rose's life in imminent danger, Elenor turns to the only person she can trust to keep the deadly secret, heroic Canadian pilot, Jackson St John. And amidst the destruction of war, an unlikely romance blossoms as they find a way to protect the child they have both grown to love...and each other.
390 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 2018
9391 people are currently reading
9330 people want to read
About the author
Glynis Peters
13 books352 followersI write historical novels set in WWII Britain, and live by the sea in Essex.
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One More Chapter / HarperCollins
USA TODAY BESTSELLER 2019/2020/2021
GLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER 2019/2020/2021
TORONTO STAR BESTSELLER 2019/2020
NEW YORK BEST SELLERS AWARD (Gold) 2019
AMAZON UK AND USA BESTSELLER 2019 / 2020/2021
Newsletter / Giveaway Opportunities
https://www.glynispetersauthor.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/glynispeters...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,263 reviews
February 27, 2019
I don't understand all the glowing reviews of this book. Did I read a first draft, or something?
There seemed to be some good plot points there, but the whole story was just put together really strangely. It lurched along from one idea to the next, none of them being fully rendered. I kept scrolling back, thinking I'd missed the resolution or explanation of something that was hinted at, only to realize that no, there really was no more information.
In addition to a developmental editor, the book also badly needed a copy editor. It started off relatively clean, but after a few chapters, there were continual errors in grammar, word choice/homophones, punctuation, and spelling. It's like someone edited a little bit of it but stopped, and then the book was published anyway.
There seemed to be some good plot points there, but the whole story was just put together really strangely. It lurched along from one idea to the next, none of them being fully rendered. I kept scrolling back, thinking I'd missed the resolution or explanation of something that was hinted at, only to realize that no, there really was no more information.
In addition to a developmental editor, the book also badly needed a copy editor. It started off relatively clean, but after a few chapters, there were continual errors in grammar, word choice/homophones, punctuation, and spelling. It's like someone edited a little bit of it but stopped, and then the book was published anyway.
November 30, 2018
The night of 14th of November 1940 was one the people of Coventry will never forget. 515 German bombers targeted the city a bombers moon their guiding light. The city was devastated with a great loss of life,this however did not daunt the brave people of Coventry. They remained determined that Britain would be forever free.
The story starts with the air raid on Coventry in 1940. Rose was only six years old at the time now she is celebrating her 85th birthday. Rose is sat at the piano and her mother is making her play Moonlight Sonata. The planes are flying overhead when suddenly they are blown of their feet by a bomb blast.
Bombs are falling all around and there is a whistling sound along with the thudding of the bombs as they fall. The wall of the house has fallen and Rose lays trapped by the rubble. Rose can see a large bright moon in the sky and hear the screams of other children,the city is on fire and Rose is scared.
Rose remembers her life especially Elenore and Jackson who she loved dearly. So many years ago but like it all happened yesterday in her mind.
I really enjoyed reading this book and the author made the story come to life on the pages of the book for me. This is a story that I will remember for a long time to come. I wish to say thank you to Netgalley, the author Glynis Peters and the publishers Harper Impulse for providing me with a ARC of this book. This in no way biases my opinion of this book. This is the first time I have read a book by Glynis Peters and it won't be the last.
The story starts with the air raid on Coventry in 1940. Rose was only six years old at the time now she is celebrating her 85th birthday. Rose is sat at the piano and her mother is making her play Moonlight Sonata. The planes are flying overhead when suddenly they are blown of their feet by a bomb blast.
Bombs are falling all around and there is a whistling sound along with the thudding of the bombs as they fall. The wall of the house has fallen and Rose lays trapped by the rubble. Rose can see a large bright moon in the sky and hear the screams of other children,the city is on fire and Rose is scared.
Rose remembers her life especially Elenore and Jackson who she loved dearly. So many years ago but like it all happened yesterday in her mind.
I really enjoyed reading this book and the author made the story come to life on the pages of the book for me. This is a story that I will remember for a long time to come. I wish to say thank you to Netgalley, the author Glynis Peters and the publishers Harper Impulse for providing me with a ARC of this book. This in no way biases my opinion of this book. This is the first time I have read a book by Glynis Peters and it won't be the last.
January 14, 2019
Gripping? Hardly. A very mediocre book. Just when you expected something to happen it was resolved without any conflict whatsoever. I couldn't wait for the book to end and only finished it because I paid good money for it.
July 20, 2025
Ok... so I have to commend anyone who can sit down and write a novel. It takes time and effort. That being said, how the actual fuck did this get published as is?
No seriously, how? And how are the reviews so positive? The writing is bad, the pace is choppy, I actually thought a couple of times that I had a book that was missing pages and the plot itself is just flat!
This book was like reading a first draft. It seemed as though no one had bothered to edit or review it prior to sending it to print. To say I was surprised to see the HarperCollins logo on this is an understatement. Proof that trad books aren’t all “perfect!”
One of the things I pay attention to most while I'm reading is how the dialogue is written. 99.9% of the dialogue in this book is bad. Like really bad. Like so bad I questioned if the author had spoken to another human being in their life. The banter between Elenor & Jackson had such promise at times but not good enough to make me overlook the long, rushed, unnatural bits of dialogue happening between every other character.
Oh, I had such hope for this book. The reviews were glowing and the plot seemed right up my alley but good lord... were my expectations not even close to being met.
Clearly I'm in the minority with this one but I will own this review. This is time I will never get back and it took so much effort to not DNF this one! However, I can not hold it against anyone who walked away well before the end!
No seriously, how? And how are the reviews so positive? The writing is bad, the pace is choppy, I actually thought a couple of times that I had a book that was missing pages and the plot itself is just flat!
This book was like reading a first draft. It seemed as though no one had bothered to edit or review it prior to sending it to print. To say I was surprised to see the HarperCollins logo on this is an understatement. Proof that trad books aren’t all “perfect!”
One of the things I pay attention to most while I'm reading is how the dialogue is written. 99.9% of the dialogue in this book is bad. Like really bad. Like so bad I questioned if the author had spoken to another human being in their life. The banter between Elenor & Jackson had such promise at times but not good enough to make me overlook the long, rushed, unnatural bits of dialogue happening between every other character.
Oh, I had such hope for this book. The reviews were glowing and the plot seemed right up my alley but good lord... were my expectations not even close to being met.
Clearly I'm in the minority with this one but I will own this review. This is time I will never get back and it took so much effort to not DNF this one! However, I can not hold it against anyone who walked away well before the end!
May 4, 2019
Ok, I'm just going to be blunt. This book was stupid. The characters were not the slightest bit believable. Elenor had been treated like crap by her father and brothers her entire life, and yet somehow when she went to live with her Aunt instead of still being the beaten down person she always had been, she became very assertive when dealing with George, who was basically Chuckie the potential wife beater...yet, whenever Elenor, who he neither liked nor respected, bossed him around, he listened to her and did as he was told. Neither character was believable in any way.
Can someone explain to me the trend lately of writers saying their characters are pointing at things? Unless you are telling someone where something is, you don't go around constantly pointing at things. So annoying. As for the idea that a CHILD having German parents is such a TERRIBLE thing, please....I may be wrong, but it is my understanding that when a child is born they become a citizen of whatever country they were born in. That would make Rose British, not German. Either way, is there anyone on earth, even during war time, who would think a 7 year old child is a spy, or dangerous in any way? No. By the way, you see the way I am using commas? It is the correct way, unlike the 7 million incorrectly used commas in this turd of a book. Where was the editor? If the nonsense of the child being German had been completely omitted from this book and if it had been edited, it would not have been a bad story. Just a story of an orphaned child being taken in by a young woman who fell in love with a Canadian soldier....that would have been enough. The only part of the book that didn't completely annoy me was the bit about the farm and the ''land girls'' who helped out....except for Titch, of course. She was only there to make a fuss about Rose being German. So glad I'm done with this. Oh, and like many others have said....what the h*** was that ending? Did the author run out of paper or time? I've never seen such an abrupt ending to a book in my life. Very weird.
Can someone explain to me the trend lately of writers saying their characters are pointing at things? Unless you are telling someone where something is, you don't go around constantly pointing at things. So annoying. As for the idea that a CHILD having German parents is such a TERRIBLE thing, please....I may be wrong, but it is my understanding that when a child is born they become a citizen of whatever country they were born in. That would make Rose British, not German. Either way, is there anyone on earth, even during war time, who would think a 7 year old child is a spy, or dangerous in any way? No. By the way, you see the way I am using commas? It is the correct way, unlike the 7 million incorrectly used commas in this turd of a book. Where was the editor? If the nonsense of the child being German had been completely omitted from this book and if it had been edited, it would not have been a bad story. Just a story of an orphaned child being taken in by a young woman who fell in love with a Canadian soldier....that would have been enough. The only part of the book that didn't completely annoy me was the bit about the farm and the ''land girls'' who helped out....except for Titch, of course. She was only there to make a fuss about Rose being German. So glad I'm done with this. Oh, and like many others have said....what the h*** was that ending? Did the author run out of paper or time? I've never seen such an abrupt ending to a book in my life. Very weird.
April 7, 2019
I really enjoyed about 3/4 of the book. It had interesting characters, and Elenor's story was very engrossing. However, the dialogue bothered me since it did not strike me as authentic for the times and used terms like "being proactive." When the book got to the "secret" part, the story really fell apart and if you gave it any thought, just didn't make sense. It was poorly formulated with many elements underdeveloped and poorly explained. Seriously, what was everyone so panicked about? Who would you find more threatening and vile, a sweet seven-year-old war orphan with a lot that's unknown about her background info or the vicious, skanky rumor-monger who openly brags about her affair with a dangerous escaped Nazi? Yeah, the last quarter really is that dumb and badly needs big booster shots of plausibility, cohesiveness, realism, and at least some sense
May 8, 2019
Flat characters, flat writing, and all the exciting parts are totally skimmed over. It seemed like it was leading to a big finale, but just sort of petered out. The ending was stupid. Over half of the book was described in the book description provided by the publisher, leaving little for the reader to actually discover. The editing was terrible.
October 25, 2018
I did NOT want the story to end. I was so invested in this story. I was so caught up until the last paragraph. I even exclaimed NO! I want more. I want to know more when they moved.
This is truly one of the best historical novels I've read. I actually felt like I was there. I was rooting for the young heroine. I love how she grew up quickly. I love how she took on the orpan and made her own. I love how she fought for her.
The story starts right before the WWII and into the WWII. The author drew me into her web and keep me there until the end. It was hard for me to put the book down before going to work. I came back home straight to the book to continue reading the magical tale.
I just did NOT want this wonderful story to end!
I recieved this eARC from Harper Impulse and Killer Reads through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you!
This is truly one of the best historical novels I've read. I actually felt like I was there. I was rooting for the young heroine. I love how she grew up quickly. I love how she took on the orpan and made her own. I love how she fought for her.
The story starts right before the WWII and into the WWII. The author drew me into her web and keep me there until the end. It was hard for me to put the book down before going to work. I came back home straight to the book to continue reading the magical tale.
I just did NOT want this wonderful story to end!
I recieved this eARC from Harper Impulse and Killer Reads through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you!
May 23, 2019
Not good
Inconsistencies, made little sense & not worth your time. I kept thinking the book would get better but it didn't.
Inconsistencies, made little sense & not worth your time. I kept thinking the book would get better but it didn't.
January 29, 2019
England during the blitz.
Interesting story. I think the character development could have been done better. I found the writing stilted and some things went totally without explanation.
There was a mention by Jackson that he had received a picture of a plane from Rose asking about the plane he flew. Rose said she did not send that. The matter was dropped there rather than used as a hint that Rose's father had ulterior motives.
Elenor left servants she did not like nor trust in charge of her home and belongings. There had even been evidence that the man had been pilfering her aunts belongings.
Over and over, situations were presented that nothing came of. Too many loose ends.
Interesting story. I think the character development could have been done better. I found the writing stilted and some things went totally without explanation.
There was a mention by Jackson that he had received a picture of a plane from Rose asking about the plane he flew. Rose said she did not send that. The matter was dropped there rather than used as a hint that Rose's father had ulterior motives.
Elenor left servants she did not like nor trust in charge of her home and belongings. There had even been evidence that the man had been pilfering her aunts belongings.
Over and over, situations were presented that nothing came of. Too many loose ends.
April 6, 2019
Long and boring with a terrible ending . I can only believe all
the good reviews were fakes. I kept thinking it would get better but it never improved. Very disappointing. I would not recommend this book
the good reviews were fakes. I kept thinking it would get better but it never improved. Very disappointing. I would not recommend this book
June 23, 2023
If anything good could happen to this girl, let it happen. Oh my goodness!
Have you ever opened a book, and said a few pages in – why am I here again?
Premise: Elenor Cardew lives a life of hardship. It started with 2 drunken brothers who made her work on the farm. She escapes that into WWII. Then she lives with Aunt Maude who is a stern older lady. While living with Aunt Maude there is a couple who have a daughter Rose they don’t care for – and she is injured during the war. And then Rose needs Elenor. So, Elenor takes care of her. Is there anything Elenor won’t or can’t do?
Is this a book of love, loss and resilience? Or what?
I just wanted out.
Have you ever opened a book, and said a few pages in – why am I here again?
Premise: Elenor Cardew lives a life of hardship. It started with 2 drunken brothers who made her work on the farm. She escapes that into WWII. Then she lives with Aunt Maude who is a stern older lady. While living with Aunt Maude there is a couple who have a daughter Rose they don’t care for – and she is injured during the war. And then Rose needs Elenor. So, Elenor takes care of her. Is there anything Elenor won’t or can’t do?
Is this a book of love, loss and resilience? Or what?
I just wanted out.
November 24, 2018
Loved it
November 1940 Coventry England. Rose after her mummy Victoria dies in a bomb blast in stephenson road is only seven year's old. Her adoptive parents elenor and Jackson move to Cornwall then canada. On roses eighty fifth birthday she goes back in time to tell her family the story, that hold a secret elenor has kept for many years.I loved this book full of love family secrets that you won't expect to happen from start to finish
November 1940 Coventry England. Rose after her mummy Victoria dies in a bomb blast in stephenson road is only seven year's old. Her adoptive parents elenor and Jackson move to Cornwall then canada. On roses eighty fifth birthday she goes back in time to tell her family the story, that hold a secret elenor has kept for many years.I loved this book full of love family secrets that you won't expect to happen from start to finish
June 28, 2019
The is one of the worst historical fiction novels I have ever read with the most miserable characters.
I truly could not have cared less about who lived or died.
I truly could not have cared less about who lived or died.
November 2, 2018
A fabulous story that pulls you in and a lovely mix of charactors.Elenor goes to stay with her Aunt Maude and becomes entranced with Rose the daughter of her aunts housekeeper.To say there is a gripping plot is an understatement.I would recommend you read this book it is worthy of the 5* and more i loved it.
November 20, 2019
Coventry, England 1940, a bomb leveled the home were six year old Rose, lived. Her parents were killed.
The only person Rose knew was Elenor Cardew, who had lived in the same house as Rose, with her elderly Aunt.
Elenor is at her farm in the Cornish area. Elenor has to protect Rose from the Nazis as well as a secret from her past.
Elenor's beau; a Canadian pilot Jackson St John find a way to protect Rose and each other.
Loved the story.
I hope to read more of this author's books.
The only person Rose knew was Elenor Cardew, who had lived in the same house as Rose, with her elderly Aunt.
Elenor is at her farm in the Cornish area. Elenor has to protect Rose from the Nazis as well as a secret from her past.
Elenor's beau; a Canadian pilot Jackson St John find a way to protect Rose and each other.
Loved the story.
I hope to read more of this author's books.
June 3, 2019
*Some spoilers. Mostly some questions.*
The premise of this book makes it sound like an interesting read but I can only give it 3 stars for several reasons - from the writing, to the plot, to the many, many pieces that made no sense. The writing in this book, both in the telling of the story and in the dialogue is so basic it feels as though the novel were written for a much younger audience. I honestly don’t really mind that as long as the story itself is good but if that style of writing bothers you then that should be your first red flag. Anyway, despite the writing style I had hope that the story would hold up and I wanted to find out what the big secret was and how they were going to save this girl so I stuck with it. Unfortunately, you need to make it through 300 pages of exposition before you even start to find out about the secret that has been set up as the premise for the whole story. Even then it’s only about the last 20 pages where this becomes the focus and compared to the very long, very drawn out pre-amble, it ends up being glossed over in a very rushed and abrupt way. The end is anticlimactic at best with my only thoughts when I finished being a simultaneous “Wait, that was it?” and “Oh thank God that’s done.”.
It’s bad enough to read a book that isn’t at all what it promised to be about. But this one had me rolling my eyes the entire time because nothing made much sense. Here are just a few of the WTF moments/questions that came up for me. If you’ve read this book maybe you can answer some of these. If you haven’t, maybe consider that it isn’t a great sign if you are left wondering about so many things. Here we go:
1) How is a 5 year old playing Moonlight Sonata and speaking like an adult?
2) Why was everyone ok with Rose’s parents just randomly leaving their kid with their employers for days on end, often without warning?
3) Why did random characters kind of keep popping up just to deliver some weird line and then disappear again?
4) Why wasn’t anyone concerned about an unknown figure lurking about the farm at night?
5) What was the story with those weird letters? What was the code? What did it mean? Did I miss something here?
6) How did Susie not figure out that something was going on?
7) Where did Dottie go? I don’t remember her being there at the end and don’t feel like revisiting that to find out.
8) Why would you keep Titch in your home when she’s causing so much trouble?
9) Actually, why did Elenor feel the need to keep surrounding herself with unpalatable characters that served no purpose to the story? What was the point? More so – why was she employing these horrible people? You were paying people to treat you like crap in your own home?!? What?
10) And what was with that total breakdown? Did she slip and hit her head? Did she try to kill herself? What? What was the point of that? All because someone she went on one date with who lived halfway around the world was like “Hey you’re cool but long distance + war doesn’t make this look promising”. Isn’t that pretty rationale?
11) Why was the whole spy bit never actually explored? I mean that would have been the interesting part. Instead I read 300 pages about someone who went from rags to riches to farmer. Weird. Just weird.
Anyway, it was overall a disappointing read and I don’t understand how it’s so highly rated.
The premise of this book makes it sound like an interesting read but I can only give it 3 stars for several reasons - from the writing, to the plot, to the many, many pieces that made no sense. The writing in this book, both in the telling of the story and in the dialogue is so basic it feels as though the novel were written for a much younger audience. I honestly don’t really mind that as long as the story itself is good but if that style of writing bothers you then that should be your first red flag. Anyway, despite the writing style I had hope that the story would hold up and I wanted to find out what the big secret was and how they were going to save this girl so I stuck with it. Unfortunately, you need to make it through 300 pages of exposition before you even start to find out about the secret that has been set up as the premise for the whole story. Even then it’s only about the last 20 pages where this becomes the focus and compared to the very long, very drawn out pre-amble, it ends up being glossed over in a very rushed and abrupt way. The end is anticlimactic at best with my only thoughts when I finished being a simultaneous “Wait, that was it?” and “Oh thank God that’s done.”.
It’s bad enough to read a book that isn’t at all what it promised to be about. But this one had me rolling my eyes the entire time because nothing made much sense. Here are just a few of the WTF moments/questions that came up for me. If you’ve read this book maybe you can answer some of these. If you haven’t, maybe consider that it isn’t a great sign if you are left wondering about so many things. Here we go:
1) How is a 5 year old playing Moonlight Sonata and speaking like an adult?
2) Why was everyone ok with Rose’s parents just randomly leaving their kid with their employers for days on end, often without warning?
3) Why did random characters kind of keep popping up just to deliver some weird line and then disappear again?
4) Why wasn’t anyone concerned about an unknown figure lurking about the farm at night?
5) What was the story with those weird letters? What was the code? What did it mean? Did I miss something here?
6) How did Susie not figure out that something was going on?
7) Where did Dottie go? I don’t remember her being there at the end and don’t feel like revisiting that to find out.
8) Why would you keep Titch in your home when she’s causing so much trouble?
9) Actually, why did Elenor feel the need to keep surrounding herself with unpalatable characters that served no purpose to the story? What was the point? More so – why was she employing these horrible people? You were paying people to treat you like crap in your own home?!? What?
10) And what was with that total breakdown? Did she slip and hit her head? Did she try to kill herself? What? What was the point of that? All because someone she went on one date with who lived halfway around the world was like “Hey you’re cool but long distance + war doesn’t make this look promising”. Isn’t that pretty rationale?
11) Why was the whole spy bit never actually explored? I mean that would have been the interesting part. Instead I read 300 pages about someone who went from rags to riches to farmer. Weird. Just weird.
Anyway, it was overall a disappointing read and I don’t understand how it’s so highly rated.
December 17, 2021
A Really Good One
The Secret Orphan was really good book. I enjoyed almost every portion of it. The environment of England was well described and very well crafted.
The characterizations were superb and I really could relate to the main character.
It moved quickly at a fairly rapid pace. Hard to put down.
This one was a winner! I highly recommend
The Secret Orphan was really good book. I enjoyed almost every portion of it. The environment of England was well described and very well crafted.
The characterizations were superb and I really could relate to the main character.
It moved quickly at a fairly rapid pace. Hard to put down.
This one was a winner! I highly recommend
May 28, 2019
Sorry but this was far from gripping. The worst book I have read in a long while.
This bit contains spoilers....why start a book in the voice of one character Rose (as a child and then as an old lady) to then never return to the same characters voice? I kept thinking we would go back to Rose as an old lady at the end of the book, but no it just ended in 1942....an ending we knew was going to happen because old Rose had told us in the first few chapters!
The book was very disjointed, giving loads of detail on what outfit the main character was wearing, but then rushing over some main points.
Also not helped by the fact that I disliked Elenor and found her to be very hoity toity!
This bit contains spoilers....why start a book in the voice of one character Rose (as a child and then as an old lady) to then never return to the same characters voice? I kept thinking we would go back to Rose as an old lady at the end of the book, but no it just ended in 1942....an ending we knew was going to happen because old Rose had told us in the first few chapters!
The book was very disjointed, giving loads of detail on what outfit the main character was wearing, but then rushing over some main points.
Also not helped by the fact that I disliked Elenor and found her to be very hoity toity!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2019
I enjoyed the book as a whole, but was expecting more after reading the blurb and the high rating. I thought it ended quite abruptly (notwithstanding the prologue). More could have been made of the ins and outs of Rose’s parents’ involvement in a spy ring. There are just too many unanswered vagaries to make the book truly memorable.
May 26, 2019
Book died before it ended
Did the author leave the arena? What a dud One chapter is supposed to wrap up the entire story? Yuck
Did the author leave the arena? What a dud One chapter is supposed to wrap up the entire story? Yuck
June 30, 2020
An ARC was provided to me for free by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
During the Blitz, when German bombs rained on parts of England, little six-year-old Rose Sherbourne finds herself orphaned. She becomes the ward of Elenor Cardew, who is determined to protect Rose at any cost - especially when Elenor discovers a devastating secret about Rose.
I loved this book. I love WW2 narratives, and this one was absolutely great.
Although the synopsis focuses on Rose, the real star of the story for me is Elenor because she's the narrator. I love Elenor. The daughter of a Cornish farmer, she leaves her brutish twin brothers to spend time with her formidable aunt on the eve of WW2. Aunt Maude is declining in health and demands Elenor come attend to her, mostly so she can spend time with Elenor before she passes away. At Aunt Maude's, Elenor meets Victoria (the maid of sorts), George (Victoria's jerk of a husband), and darling little Rose (their daughter).
I loved Elenor's feminism. (Is it accurate to call it that in WW2-era? I'm not sure but I'm going for it.) She's introduced to readers basically as her family's slave since her mother passed away; once her father died, she's been working non-stop for her brothers, who don't appreciate her labour around the house and take her for granted. Once she's at Aunt Maude's, she runs into a similar situation with George, who acts as if he is lord of the manor - and Elenor's way of putting him in his place is delicious.
I also adored Elenor's relationship with her aunt, other women in the community, little Rose, and the very charming Jackson (a Canadian pilot).
Elenor takes on a lot of responsibility as the story progresses, and I honestly just loved it all. I have never read a WW2 novel from the perspective of the people back home in England, and I just thoroughly enjoyed it. I think my only criticisms are that it's sometimes very easy to forget Elenor's age (she's 18 at the start of the novel), and she also cries a lot when things go wrong, which got irritating after a while.
But yes. A really great novel set in WW2 that isn't focused on the war part too heavily, but more on the disruption of the quiet lives who are waiting it out back home. Just a warning that the story jumps around a bit at the beginning (just the first three chapters maybe) before settling into a chronological order, so don't be alarmed or worried that the entire novel is like that. Parts of the story feel a bit slower, but I was never bored because I loved the interactions of the characters - and I loved Elenor and Rose so much.
During the Blitz, when German bombs rained on parts of England, little six-year-old Rose Sherbourne finds herself orphaned. She becomes the ward of Elenor Cardew, who is determined to protect Rose at any cost - especially when Elenor discovers a devastating secret about Rose.
I loved this book. I love WW2 narratives, and this one was absolutely great.
Although the synopsis focuses on Rose, the real star of the story for me is Elenor because she's the narrator. I love Elenor. The daughter of a Cornish farmer, she leaves her brutish twin brothers to spend time with her formidable aunt on the eve of WW2. Aunt Maude is declining in health and demands Elenor come attend to her, mostly so she can spend time with Elenor before she passes away. At Aunt Maude's, Elenor meets Victoria (the maid of sorts), George (Victoria's jerk of a husband), and darling little Rose (their daughter).
I loved Elenor's feminism. (Is it accurate to call it that in WW2-era? I'm not sure but I'm going for it.) She's introduced to readers basically as her family's slave since her mother passed away; once her father died, she's been working non-stop for her brothers, who don't appreciate her labour around the house and take her for granted. Once she's at Aunt Maude's, she runs into a similar situation with George, who acts as if he is lord of the manor - and Elenor's way of putting him in his place is delicious.
I also adored Elenor's relationship with her aunt, other women in the community, little Rose, and the very charming Jackson (a Canadian pilot).
Elenor takes on a lot of responsibility as the story progresses, and I honestly just loved it all. I have never read a WW2 novel from the perspective of the people back home in England, and I just thoroughly enjoyed it. I think my only criticisms are that it's sometimes very easy to forget Elenor's age (she's 18 at the start of the novel), and she also cries a lot when things go wrong, which got irritating after a while.
But yes. A really great novel set in WW2 that isn't focused on the war part too heavily, but more on the disruption of the quiet lives who are waiting it out back home. Just a warning that the story jumps around a bit at the beginning (just the first three chapters maybe) before settling into a chronological order, so don't be alarmed or worried that the entire novel is like that. Parts of the story feel a bit slower, but I was never bored because I loved the interactions of the characters - and I loved Elenor and Rose so much.
August 29, 2019
Elenor Cardew lives on the family farm in Cornwall, England with her twin brothers, Walter and James. Her aunt sends her a one-way ticket and requests that she come live with her in London. Initially she is hesitant, but the thought of getting away from her brothers, who treat her horribly, is quite appealing.
Elenor is a self-proclaimed country bumpkin and is now being thrust into life in the big city. Pair that with moving in with an aunt she hardly knows made for an interesting and somewhat humorous story at times.
I found the first couple of chapters a bit confusing and was expecting the book to be told from Rose’s perspective. To my surprise, the story is actually told from Elenor’s perspective and how she came to meet and eventually protect Rose from those who want to take her away.
The first half of the story takes place in London and the second half in Cornwall when she returns to the farm. I initially preferred the London setting more. I found it more lively and interesting, and wondered where the storyline would go. As the book started to come to a close I did eventually warm to the farm and felt a bit more invested in the characters’ lives.
Elenor was nineteen when she went to live in London. I felt that she came across as much older and I kept having to remind myself that she is only nineteen. She is an interesting character. She is a very confident young woman with a whole lot of spunk and drive, and she is quite the go-getter.
This historical fiction book will appeal to historical fiction fans that enjoy the WWI time period with lots of secrets, love and lies.
*Thank you Harper Impulse for the opportunity to read and review this book via NetGalley for my honest opinion.
For all of my reviews: www.readingbetweenthepagesblog.wordpr...
Elenor is a self-proclaimed country bumpkin and is now being thrust into life in the big city. Pair that with moving in with an aunt she hardly knows made for an interesting and somewhat humorous story at times.
I found the first couple of chapters a bit confusing and was expecting the book to be told from Rose’s perspective. To my surprise, the story is actually told from Elenor’s perspective and how she came to meet and eventually protect Rose from those who want to take her away.
The first half of the story takes place in London and the second half in Cornwall when she returns to the farm. I initially preferred the London setting more. I found it more lively and interesting, and wondered where the storyline would go. As the book started to come to a close I did eventually warm to the farm and felt a bit more invested in the characters’ lives.
Elenor was nineteen when she went to live in London. I felt that she came across as much older and I kept having to remind myself that she is only nineteen. She is an interesting character. She is a very confident young woman with a whole lot of spunk and drive, and she is quite the go-getter.
This historical fiction book will appeal to historical fiction fans that enjoy the WWI time period with lots of secrets, love and lies.
*Thank you Harper Impulse for the opportunity to read and review this book via NetGalley for my honest opinion.
For all of my reviews: www.readingbetweenthepagesblog.wordpr...
June 9, 2019
The cover art caught my eye immediately. I've had this WWII historical novel on my Kindle for quite some time, and though it takes place a few years before the actual D-Day battle, I decided to read it on the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy. The plot includes a light romance, a mysterious secret surrounding an eight-year old girl named Rose, and of course, wartime life during the bombing blitz on England. Suspicions surround the Sherbournes, Rose's parents keeping curiosity and intrigue piqued throughout most of the book before the reveal.
The writing felt a bit stilted and a lot of dangling ends were left hanging messing with a reader's mind. Far too many editing errors were also clear and present. Definitely needed a thorough edit.
Even so, most fans of this time period will find it worth reading.
The writing felt a bit stilted and a lot of dangling ends were left hanging messing with a reader's mind. Far too many editing errors were also clear and present. Definitely needed a thorough edit.
Even so, most fans of this time period will find it worth reading.
August 29, 2019
The characters were 2 Dimensional.
November 4, 2018
The synopsis for THE SECRET ORPHAN had immediately grabbed my attention, and judging by the first chapter, it sounded like a book I would really enjoy. Chapter two – which should have been the epilogue – is dated November 2018; thankfully, from then on, the story follows a linear pattern, going back to 1938. I found the book description somewhat misleading, because the “secret” part really begins only in the last seventy percent of the story. Before that, it’s mostly about Elenor’s life in Coventry and on her farm in Cornwall. Jackson and Rose do not feature prominently for most of the story.
Ms. Peters’ descriptions are crystal clear, however I felt the characters lacked definition, and some also displayed behaviour inconsistent with how they had previously been portrayed, particularly Elenor’s brothers who seemed to have been introduced mostly for plot purposes. One character, Dottie, appeared to have been added mainly to be the object of ridicule; even when she proved to be a hard worker and admired for being so, it stopped no one from laughing at her. I, personally, was not amused. The lively dialogues were definitely the highlights of the book, while the narrative conveyed very little emotion; I felt I was merely observing the lives of these people.
The historical facts seemed accurate, apart from the “Canadian Air Forces”, which have been the “Royal Canadian Air Forces” since 1924, commonly referred to as the RCAF. I also hope that in the final version, Elenor will not be “peddling” six times on her bicycle; she never pedalled. The pacing was also problematic as events were slowly set up to be dealt with in a few paragraphs, and the intrigue was rather predictable. If you’re eager to read a novel about a young woman’s life in Coventry and her day-to-day life on a Cornish farm far from the real horrors of war, this book is for you.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ms. Peters’ descriptions are crystal clear, however I felt the characters lacked definition, and some also displayed behaviour inconsistent with how they had previously been portrayed, particularly Elenor’s brothers who seemed to have been introduced mostly for plot purposes. One character, Dottie, appeared to have been added mainly to be the object of ridicule; even when she proved to be a hard worker and admired for being so, it stopped no one from laughing at her. I, personally, was not amused. The lively dialogues were definitely the highlights of the book, while the narrative conveyed very little emotion; I felt I was merely observing the lives of these people.
The historical facts seemed accurate, apart from the “Canadian Air Forces”, which have been the “Royal Canadian Air Forces” since 1924, commonly referred to as the RCAF. I also hope that in the final version, Elenor will not be “peddling” six times on her bicycle; she never pedalled. The pacing was also problematic as events were slowly set up to be dealt with in a few paragraphs, and the intrigue was rather predictable. If you’re eager to read a novel about a young woman’s life in Coventry and her day-to-day life on a Cornish farm far from the real horrors of war, this book is for you.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 27, 2019
Poorly written, juvenile story. I’m not sure why I read the whole book - what a disappointment.
August 20, 2019
This book was so terrible. I don’t even want to spend time reviewing it. Avoid it!!!!
December 30, 2020
Long and slow moving. Lots of inconsistencies
May 21, 2023
The Secret Orphan
Well this met more than my expectations. I wasn't sure what to expect about this book as I really didn't read the About Book Synopsis much. I wanted to go in with a clear mind and a blind idea so I could make my own expectations. With this book, I came right from reading Daughter of The Reich and it fits so well really. The transition is a little tougher cause you're going from World War 2 in Germany to World War 2 in England Countryside near Summercourt. When going in, I thought The Secret Orphan meant maybe that the Orphan is Jewish or something down the lines of that. Little did I expect her to be an orphan of 2 pure blood German Spies spying for Germany during the war.
This book is an emotional Rollercoaster if I ever seen one. It talks well about Trauma, about tragic disasters and how it can affect young minds, how propaganda truly is a horrible weapon to turn people on each other.
For Elenore to go from cleaning up after her two no good for nothing brothers on the farm to caring for her aunty who is sick in health. Finding a strong relationship with that aunt that she became a second mother to her. When she died, it wreaked havoc on Elenore and her psyche and caused her to fall into a river and end up in a coma. Falling in love though with a Canadian Pilot fighting for England was a good thing to happen to her. Not the best, Rose would be the best thing that happened to her.
Rose who is the daughter of George and Victoria, Victoria being a house keeper for Elenore and her aunt, George being a "tutor". They showed no love to their child and really did not act as parents but Rose loved them dearly none the less. When Elenore leaves to take care of her farm after her no good for nothing brothers joined the army and ended up dying in Dunkirk, she ends up owning the farm.
Rose then ends up on her doorstep because of a raid that hit Coventry, killing her mum. Little did Elenore know she is a daughter of 2 German Spies and has to keep her origin secret from others as they despise the enemy.
Truly a brilliant read and worth all the while. Highly recommend.
Well this met more than my expectations. I wasn't sure what to expect about this book as I really didn't read the About Book Synopsis much. I wanted to go in with a clear mind and a blind idea so I could make my own expectations. With this book, I came right from reading Daughter of The Reich and it fits so well really. The transition is a little tougher cause you're going from World War 2 in Germany to World War 2 in England Countryside near Summercourt. When going in, I thought The Secret Orphan meant maybe that the Orphan is Jewish or something down the lines of that. Little did I expect her to be an orphan of 2 pure blood German Spies spying for Germany during the war.
This book is an emotional Rollercoaster if I ever seen one. It talks well about Trauma, about tragic disasters and how it can affect young minds, how propaganda truly is a horrible weapon to turn people on each other.
For Elenore to go from cleaning up after her two no good for nothing brothers on the farm to caring for her aunty who is sick in health. Finding a strong relationship with that aunt that she became a second mother to her. When she died, it wreaked havoc on Elenore and her psyche and caused her to fall into a river and end up in a coma. Falling in love though with a Canadian Pilot fighting for England was a good thing to happen to her. Not the best, Rose would be the best thing that happened to her.
Rose who is the daughter of George and Victoria, Victoria being a house keeper for Elenore and her aunt, George being a "tutor". They showed no love to their child and really did not act as parents but Rose loved them dearly none the less. When Elenore leaves to take care of her farm after her no good for nothing brothers joined the army and ended up dying in Dunkirk, she ends up owning the farm.
Rose then ends up on her doorstep because of a raid that hit Coventry, killing her mum. Little did Elenore know she is a daughter of 2 German Spies and has to keep her origin secret from others as they despise the enemy.
Truly a brilliant read and worth all the while. Highly recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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