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The Secret Years
Four friends growing up in England are separated by World War I and become strangers, but the secret of an afternoon long past--when a priceless heirloom is lost during a childhood frolic--marks them forever
- GenresHistorical Fiction
608 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1994
54 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Judith Lennox
28 books151 followersAka Judith Lennox-Smith
Judith Lennox lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband and three sons.
Judith Lennox lives in Cambridgeshire, England with her husband and three sons.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 22, 2012
One of my favorites books. This novel about the wealthy Blythe family who own Drakesden Abbey was a book filled with all things I like to read about. A generations old estate, a dominating matriarch,jealousy,scandal,love and tragedy set against the backdrop of the Great War into the 1920's. This had it all for me.
November 25, 2017
In the golden summer of 1914, Thomasine and Daniel, children of the village of Drakesden, are brought together with Nicholas and Lally Blythe of Drakesden Abbey. Together the four explore the magical grounds and gardens of Drakesden Abbey, until the disappearance of a Blythe family heirloom suddenly breaks the spell of the summer, triggering a chain of events that will have far-lasting consequences. Though the onset of war will alter all their lives and change the landscape of the entire nation; it seems that the bonds of that summer are not to be forgotten, passions and resentments continuing to simmer, intertwining together the lives of all four.
I'm a huge fan of Lennox, and The Secret Years is probably one of my favourites of hers that I have read so far. I loved the setting of the Fens, the harsh reality of life described for the villagers, the initial magic and allure, and the later slow decline of the Abbey in the aftermath of the war. Lennox always does a wonderful job of capturing a sense of time and place; and in The Secret Years, she really succeeded I thought in portraying a changing society. From the very proper Edwardian era before the war, to the roaring twenties, with the Bright Young Things, as well as the political and industrial changes, including the General Strike of 1926.
I really liked some of the characterisation in the novel too, especially the four central characters, all of whom were complex individuals, whom despite some of the things they did, you could still sympathise with. Nicholas, in particular, was such a tragically painted character; the war taking away all the promise of that generous seventeen year old before the war. I thought Lennox handled the difficult subject of his neurasthenia really well; and I also liked how she attributed so many of Nicholas' and Lally's later problems in life to a childhood devoid of true affection and governed instead by rules and formality, something we see later in danger of having been repeated with young William.
The relationships too were well conveyed, and I liked that things weren't painted in black and white. Rather than painting one character in a relationship as a villain, Lennox highlighted the essential incompatibility between certain characters, mistakes made on both sides, and external influences. Indeed perhaps the only really villainous character was Lady Blythe; and yet for me, she encapsulated a woman desperately holding on to past ideals and a way of life that was all too quickly disappearing.
A completely engrossing read.
I'm a huge fan of Lennox, and The Secret Years is probably one of my favourites of hers that I have read so far. I loved the setting of the Fens, the harsh reality of life described for the villagers, the initial magic and allure, and the later slow decline of the Abbey in the aftermath of the war. Lennox always does a wonderful job of capturing a sense of time and place; and in The Secret Years, she really succeeded I thought in portraying a changing society. From the very proper Edwardian era before the war, to the roaring twenties, with the Bright Young Things, as well as the political and industrial changes, including the General Strike of 1926.
I really liked some of the characterisation in the novel too, especially the four central characters, all of whom were complex individuals, whom despite some of the things they did, you could still sympathise with. Nicholas, in particular, was such a tragically painted character; the war taking away all the promise of that generous seventeen year old before the war. I thought Lennox handled the difficult subject of his neurasthenia really well; and I also liked how she attributed so many of Nicholas' and Lally's later problems in life to a childhood devoid of true affection and governed instead by rules and formality, something we see later in danger of having been repeated with young William.
The relationships too were well conveyed, and I liked that things weren't painted in black and white. Rather than painting one character in a relationship as a villain, Lennox highlighted the essential incompatibility between certain characters, mistakes made on both sides, and external influences. Indeed perhaps the only really villainous character was Lady Blythe; and yet for me, she encapsulated a woman desperately holding on to past ideals and a way of life that was all too quickly disappearing.
A completely engrossing read.
March 26, 2016
This was one of the best stories I have ever read while set during that particular time before and after World War I. It was so real and I cried a few times. It really brought home what millions of people, both soldiers and civilians, suffered to get through the war and its aftermath. It makes me realise what a defining section of history it is. Of course the fictional story itself and all the characters and the writing and simply everything about it gets 5 stars from me. 600 glorious pages. I'm now going to start another long story by the same author
May 21, 2019
I usually love books written by Judith Lennox however I gave up on this less than a third of the way through.
October 5, 2019
Nice easy read
August 9, 2019
Thomasine, een weesmeisje komt bij haar tantes wonen in een Engels dorp. Ze leert Daniel kennen de zoon van de smid maar ook Nicolas, de zoon van de lord. Beide jongens zijn verliefd op haar. Dan breekt de eerste wereld oorlog uit. Mooi geschreven hoe de mensen leefden in die tijd, zowel de arme als de rijker en hoe die oorlog een impact heeft gehad en alles heeft veranderd.
April 15, 2013
Unglaublich vorhersehbar, trotzdem ganz amüsant.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews