The Locket

by Ruth Saberton

Lockets, like hearts, keep secrets

During the golden summer before the First World War, Emily Pendennys knows her duty is to rescue the family fortunes by marrying well. Falling in love is little more than a dream and leaving her small Cornish village an impossibility. But as the storm clouds of war gather a chance encounter changes Emily’s future and steals her heart forever.

Over a century later researching family history is a solace for Alison Foy while her beloved soldier son is away on active service. When she stumbles across a forgotten link between her great-grandparents and the famous war poet Kit Rivers, Alison discovers their past is woven through her present in a tapestry of loss, love and long kept secrets. One tug of the thread will be all it takes for a decades-old pattern to unravel…

THE LOCKET, the new companion novel to Ruth Saberton’s bestselling THE LETTER, is an unforgettable tale of friendship, sacrifice and never-ending love.

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Historical Romance, Amazon

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2020

About the author

Ruth Saberton is a bestselling British author with over 25 books written under her own and pen names. Her books feature romance and secrets and are set in beautiful Cornwall.
Her latest book THE LETTER is available now!

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruth-Saberto...
Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Ruth loves to to talk to her readers. Interact with her on her website www.ruthsaberton.com on Twitter @ruthsaberton

www.facebook.com/ruthsabertonauthor

Reviews

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 16%

I am finding this dull, depressing and repetitive. Set in Cornwall, a mother is understandably distraught because her only son has enlisted in the army and is on his second tour in Afghanistan. To distract herself, she decides to tackle the project of sorting through her mother and grandmother's things, which she has stored since their deaths. I assume that at some point this will tie back to the opening chapter, set in the same location during WWI, when all the local boys were marching off to war.

This got very good reviews here on Goodreads, but there's just nothing about it that makes me want to keep reading.

[Judi Easley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love a book that builds a family tree from deep dark secrets, and this book did a wonderful job of just that. It was full of secrets no one knew existed, family obligation, love, loss, lasting friendships, and lots of motherly concern. A mother with a son away serving his country in Afghanistan is just trying to keep busy when she decides to clean out the spare room. What she finds is an old suitcase full of photos, letters and documents that tell a tale she's never heard before, though the names are familiar including ones from her own family. She finds a famous poet and his long lost last poem, a soon to be famous photographer and his brutally honest photos of the battlefield and its cost, a man who didn't ever want to marry but became a knight in shining armor and a hero, and the woman they all loved in a different way. Bring a box of tissues. Recommended.

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling romance

This is a compelling historical romance with a bit of mystery thrown in and strong characters. Recommended for fans of the genre.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unforgettable story of friendship, sacrifice and never ending love. Lockets, like hearts, keep secrets. During the golden summer before the First World War, Emily Pendennys knows her duty is to rescue her penniless family fortunes by marrying well into the neighbouring rich family to get her drunken father Julyan's debts cleared, as she shoulders all the burdens of women during the Edwardian era since her brother,Morvan, passed young. Falling in love is a little more than a dream and leaving her small Cornish village an impossibility. But as the storm clouds of war gather a chance encounter changes Emily's future and steals her heart forever. Over a century later her great granddaughter Alison Foy and her husband Steve have made their home in Cornwall, and researching her family's history is a solace for Alison while her beloved soldier son, Jamie, is away on active service in Afghanistan. When she stumbles across a forgotten link between her great grandparents and the famous war poet Kit Rivers, Alison discovers their past is woven through her present in a tapestry of loss, love and long kept secrets. One tug of the thread will be all it takes for a decades old pattern to unravel. Women of landed gentry before World War One, had their position and status directed towards maintaining the annual duties of the family and children. Aristocratic women were supposed to be genteel, learn French and embroidery, as well as how to make small talk with members of their social class so as to make connections. They attended garden parties and other social events to idly gossip and have high tea. The only things they were ever expected to do on life was to make an advantageous match to enhance their family's wealth and image and keep on continuing this legacy but the world wars slowly started changing these expectations. Class barriers before the war were stringent as you stayed within your lot in life but they slowly started breaking away as well. But with war, heartache and heartbreak is never far away. And families are extremely complex beneath the surface. Overall a wonderful companion novel to The Letter.

[Janelleehat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This was absolutely beautifully written. It was a wonderful story and had such vivid characters that you felt that you truly knew and loved and then woven into all of it were such thought provoking and poignant snatches that wrote themselves on your mind and heart. This was an incredible book.

[Heidi Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this historical book.
Interesting time period and place. The characters felt real as well as their struggles in this place and time.
I’m truly looking forward to reading more books from this author.

[Aimee Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some secrets are kept close to the heart.

This book has a very special place in my heart as I was lucky enough to read the original sketch before The Locket was actually written. I am a huge fan Ruth’s novels and I particularly enjoy her historical novels (The Letter, The Promise and The Last Card novella). Ruth has a wonderful way of transporting her readers back in time with vivid descriptions of places as well as well developed characters that you can’t help but love.
If you have read The Letter, then you will meet a couple of characters who are a part of the fabric of Rosecraddick both past and present. They play their own small part in the story of Emily Pendennys, the intended of Kit Rivers since birth and a chance encounter on her sixteenth birthday that changed everything.

Alison Foy is anxious. It’s January and Cornwall is in deep hibernation leaving her with far too much time on her hands. Her only child, her son Jamie is away on deployment to Afghanistan on his second tour and she is finding it unbearable. Desperate for something to occupy her time she eventually starts to sort through her late mother’s things which have been patiently waiting for her in the spare bedroom.
Soon Alison uncovers a treasure trove of family photographs, including a few which Alison imagines are of her grandmother Ivy and another woman who she suspects is her great-grandmother Emily Elmhurst. At the bottom of the last box she finds an antique locket which as she opens it the face that looks back at her could be that of her own son Jamie. The engraving on the back deepens the mystery that brings Alison to the door of Matt Enys, the lead conservation historian at Rosecraddick Manor for help.

Life as an heiress can sometimes feel as restricting and painful as the corset that Emily Pendennys is has been laced far too tightly by Henny, her current overbearing governess. As a birthday present by her Godmother Lady Rivers, Emily is taken to Bodmin to have her formal photograph taken. It’s July and a stifling hot day which makes the Photographic studio even more unbearable.
As all the decisions are made for her, as usual, Emily is battling the heat while trying to ignore the pain of whalebone cutting into her ribcage. She meets an unlikely ally in Alex Winters, the photographer’s new assistant who she really ought not be speaking with but who astonishes her by addressing her both as his equal and asking her what she wants to do.
It isn’t long before Kit Rivers, Emily’s childhood friend and supposed intended meets the enigmatic Alex and engages his services to photograph the upcoming tea party held at the Manor. Before long Kit, his studious friend Rupert, Emily and Alex soon form an unlikely friendship through the last summer before the outbreak of war changes all their lives forever...

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the summer of 1914, Kit Rivers and Daisy Hills trysted in what seemed like an endless playtime.
So did Kit's supposed fiancee Emily Pendennys (Emmy) and Alex Winters, a traveling photographer who was working for the studio Lady Rivers commissioned to do a portrait of Emmy. While she had waited that day for Lady Rivers to get back to the portrait, Alex had enthralled Emmy with his passion for photography and his discussion on how the angle of light and just the right setting could make all the difference to a portrait. Rupert was also fond of Alex, and fascinated enough to take a few lessons from him as well.
Then England declared war on Germany. Kids were out of school at age 16, if they attended at all or for the full time, and so they volunteered for service, all of them, at 16 (and possibly younger), the age at which Kit and Rupert signed up with Kit's father's regiment as officers, and the servants and tenants of Rosecraddick Manor signed up to follow them into battle.
Just as Kit had used pen and paper to write poetry about the horrors of war, Alex had used his camera to capture the same horrors. He had photos of Kit and Rupert as well as others, all of them looking much older than they were. The horrors were etched on their gaunt faces, and uniforms that had fit snugly at home were now baggy. Mud was everywhere, its depth entrapping horses, men, and equipment.
While on the first day Alison had gone through some of the bags and boxes with friend Pippa, and they had come across photos and memorabilia from their childhood, the second day, her son Jamie's fiancee Cally had gone through the boxes with Alison and discovered, under the lining of an old, smoky-smelling and seemingly empty suitcase, the photos, and the love letters, between Emmy and Alex. The letters revealed why Alison's grandma Ivy had had a falling out with her own mother, Emmy, and why Grandma Ivy was such a stern person who insisted people shouldn't rake over the past. These werec questions Alison's mum had either not known the amswer to, or was too far gone into Alzheimer's to recall.
The story tangles up some, though not as much as "The Letter" did. The ultimate decision, which Matt (curator of the Rosecraddock Manor house restored as a museum to Kit Rivers) eagerly awaits, lies in the hands of Jamie, when he returns from his tour in Afghanistan.
Although theoretically, you could read this book before "The Letter," I recommend you read this one AFTER you read "The Letter," as this one will make more sense that way.

[Deanna Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling and touching read.

I gave this five stars because that was the most I could give it, even though there were things I didn’t particularly like.
It was a story that really captured you until you were living it along with them. It was a story that often moved me to tears. I loved the way her descriptions often transported you to the
countryside, even if they were a little over the top in descriptive words at times.
I’m not a fan of books that start of in one era then go back in time to another so have to admit I did skip (scan, so got the gist) a lot (and there was a lot!) of Emmy and Alex’s story, and picked it up when Alex came home on leave basically. Because I wanted to get back to the present time. It never actually said that Rupert was gay but it was inferred and I’d guessed early, and wondered if he was, in fact Kit’s secret love, but it never said. So that was one disappointment. Another was the fact that Alison didn’t share any of this discovery or discuss any of it with her husband Steve, I found that strange, especially when Jamie came home and he and Cally took all the stuff into his room to look at together, (and that Cally had already told him stuff ahead of Alison! Plus the fact when she went to France to find the graves/memorial, she went with Jamie, Cally and baby Alex, but no Steve! Also the gaping hole as to how Ivy, now estranged from her mother met her husband, Alison’s grandfather, who apparently was gentle and easy going, but he wasn’t mentioned other than this brief note. So some lose ends for me, but still a wonderful captivating story.

[Julia Povall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth certainly has a way of weaving historical detail in to fiction both in the present day and in the past, and the story is very believable in many ways. The characters come to life and you can understand how each one has high hopes for a wonderful future in the golden days before the onset of the Great War.
However, I do have some doubts as to the authenticity of some of the details especially when after giving birth three days prior, Emmy goes back to the burning ruins of her family home holding her baby in her arms while picking her way through the embers; very unlikely in my estimation. She would have been on strict 'bedrest' in those days as she would be in recovery from the birth and would not have gone against those who had taken her in. Also, there was no gossip as to how baby Ivy (who was supposedly born early because of shock), did not appear to be underweight or premature in any way and how her new in-laws didn't question the timing of her birth, as well as some grammatical errors the writer made which should have been picked up prior to being published.
Despite all this, this is a really lovely story which leaves you entering into the grief that so many women would have felt when hearing of the death of their sons, husbands, lovers and brothers and how their futures were crushed before their lives had chance to be fully lived.

[Book-shelf Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a follow on and a standalone book which follows the life of Emmy Penndennys. She is a child on her 16th birthday when we meet her and go through her first adult years and the start of WWII. She meets Alex while having her photo taken and is smitten there on. Kit Rivers comes in to the story early on as he is friends with Emmy and his poems are in the heart of the former book, The Letters. We also meet many new characters and instantly fall in love with them.

Ruth has hit the mark with this book which spans over years from Alex to his great grandson who is off to the front line. The descriptions are second to none and the way the pictures of war are described puts the reader in the picture along with Emily. The whole book shows how attitudes have changed over the years from single moms to war. There is so much difference and yet so much the same and Ruth has captured it and put it into pages

The characters are truly loveable and Emmy showed that it is easy to give up and very tempting but sometimes you have to be a worrier for your family, she shows courage that most people could only dream of

[Ursula Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will stay in my heart for a long time to come. It was so nice being back at Rosecraddick and to be amongst characters that are like old friends. It has been a while since I read The Letter but I had no problem remembering it and all the characters. This book sits so perfectly with it, who would have thought this was only meant to be a novella, a short story to accompany The Letter, these two stories go together so perfectly they were truly meant to be. I for one will definitely be re-reading these again along with my other favourite novel of Ruth Saberton’s The Promise.
Ruth is so talented and her style of writing instantly takes you back to a time and place of long ago yet it all feels so familiar. This book has played with my heart and at times reduced me to tears. It takes a special book that can make words creep into your heart like that.
Well done Ruth on another amazing Novel.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alison Cornwall says goodbye to her son who is going on his second tour in Afghanistan. Alison is frantic and beside herself that he won’t return. To keep herself busy, she decides to look into her family tree and discovers the truth about Emily Pendennys, her great-grandmother. She finds out she was married to her great-grandfather, Rupert Elmhurst, the war hero.

Things start getting complicated until she discovers some letters and documents hidden in her mother’s house. Words written by the author Kit Rivers and pictures taken by Alex Winter clear things up.

Even though Emily Pendenny’s had her house burn down, with her father in it, was in debt to the bank for the mortgage, and was left without a living husband, but with a small child, she survived after WWI.

Alison Cornwall, after finding all the papers and the pictures has the decision whether to share the newfound information with the world, the followers of Kit Rivers, and her son.

[Beth McGee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memories!

Ruth Saberton's style of writing is amazing! Her descriptions are so vivid that you feel like you are participating in the story as it unfolds. And what a story! The characters are so alive, with raw emotions bubbling out like honey dripping from a bee hive. And, like being near a bee hive, her stories have you on edge knowing there is danger of being stung just by being in proximity, but also knowing the honey is worth it! We all have a past that we inherited from past generations of family members, only a few we ever knew, but we can choose what we add to that story for those who come after us. Isn't that our mission in life, a mission that Ruth Saberton lays out in this book? Wonderful story that leaves you with a lot to think about! Thank you, Ruth Saberton, for the memories!

[Leni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Saberton has a rare gift. She weaves words together that stir deep emotions in her readers. Every sentence conveys meaning. Her characters fully come to life. They have deep and meaningful thoughts, that make the reader take measure of his or her life circumstances. I always get the feeling that I know the characters personally. I am sad to say goodbye when the last page has been turned.
Her new novel, The Locket, shares certain characters with her prior book, The Letter. I was delighted to reacquaint with them, especially Kit Rivers. The new characters that we meet in The Locket are hard not to care about. Few writers stir my emotions the way that Ruth does. I’m looking forward to the adventures and her characters in future books. Keep them coming!!

[Elizabethd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was deeply involved in this book from the beginning. I suppose that living in Cornwall, as does the author, the descriptions of the places felt so familiar to me. I haven't read The Letter, but really must.
The story of Alex, Kit, Rupert and Em was beautifully written. The horrors of war, even at a distance, the anxieties of waiting, the agony of loss....it is all there. But the joys, the relationships are also dwelt on with sympathy and depth.
I very much enjoyed reading this, and have read many of Ruth's other books. This one was a more serious historical story, with two different generations juxtaposed. Allison's story was a quieter one but just as deeply felt.
I had to read it straight through without pausing. A late night!

[Holly Kailani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great grandfather and son connected by wars more than a century apart

Richly detailed. Compelling. Heartbreaking. Hopeful. Young lovers torn apart by WW1, their story discovered by their great granddaughter as she struggles with fear when her son is in a modern day war. The joy of young love and the love for the child of that union, complicated by their not being able to marry in a time when being an unwed mother was an unforgivable disgrace. A dear friend marries the grieving girl to save her from the disgrace, only to also die a war hero. Too intense to read at one sitting, but finished over a few days. Typos and word choices were eventually ignored because the story was so beautifully told.

[monacia williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love and intertwined Lives

There is a certain haunting sadness to this story. It is a story of love, all the different categories of love that you can name but it was also a story of the pain that goes hand in hand with selfless love.
Wonderful characters, each given their own space to develop even Rupert, initially in the shadows, came in to his own towards the end. Emily, Kit, Julyan, the Rivers became alive in my mind from the descriptions given.
The reminders of the destructive nature of war added to the poignancy of the story. The blend of the present with the past also added to balance of the book and provided answers that we would have been looking for if that balance was not there.
Wonderful story, well with the time spent reading.

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!

Oh wow! I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! Such an incredible tale! I had imagined Emily Pendennys as a forgotten meek heiress. Yet she was so much more! She’s a free, adventurous spirit who loves fiercely. Alex, Rupert, Kit and Emmy had the best friendship.

The Locket lends so much more life to WWI. The brave young men who left behind such ambitious and adventurous life, for a life at war unlike anything ever experienced before.

I highly recommend reading this book! It’s so amazing. It’s incredibly well written. The characters and imagery are so vividly painted. Five Stars absolutely!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

The book was set in Cornwall, England, present day and in 1913-1916, so The War affected the characters. I liked the author's grammar,but she had a tendency to wax too much and too long on a subject and with a woman's perspective. Yeah, it was a little sappy. The plot centered on Emmy and Alex, lovers of different classes. What happens between a man and a woman during war time did happen. The result was a baby born nearly out of wedlock. 'Nearly out of wedlock' kept the story going for me. Read the book for relaxation and entertainment.

Thank you, Ms. Saberton, for a good read.

[Christine Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite writers, another novel that ticks all the boxes for me, beautifully written, wonderful characters that you get to love. I always enjoy her work and that it takes you back from the present day to years in the past. Having read the letter, I pt was nice touching base with already known characters. Now looking forward to reading the follow up oyster bay then the lost angr, finally Harry a short story in the series, although I believe each book can be read as stand alone. I like to read in order as old loved characters pop up. Historical romance fiction with two time zones, my favourite genre.

[Leanne]

I love Ruth Saberton’s books. The Locket is no exception. Ruth’s gift at writing brings characters to life and their situations feel so real! Flipping time periods and tying together past and present is an art Ruth excels at. Having already read The Letter it was nice to have mention of characters from that previous story and marvel at how they entwined and touched the lives of Ali and her extraordinary forbearers. Truly captivating, an emotional roller coaster and wonderful to “experience” being in Cornwall. Thank you for yet another beautiful experience Ruth 😇

[Cindi Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Locket, an unforgettable read!!

I’ve read many of Ruth Saberton’s novels. I am partial especially to books she writes that take place in and around Cornwall. There are parts of my family that lived in St. Austell before some immigrated to America. Ruth’s books allow me a glimpse into my ancient families world if only briefly. As for The Locket, is there a woman alive that doesn’t want to feel the love Emmy did? Read this book!!! You will be glad you did. I’ll go to sleep tonight thinking of Alex and Kit and Rupert and wish for that kind of loyalty, friendship and most of all love that they shared. Thank you Ruth for your brilliant novels!!!

[Maureen Lowther · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful book and truly magnificent

What can I say once again Ruth has transported us to days long ago and the horrors of the Great War. The Locket is a powerful sequel to The Letter a love story told over generations it brings back for me so many memories of The Letter and Kit Rivers. It is a must read for everybody. Ruth is such a powerful writer her stories bring to life the characters she portrays. Ruth I salute you.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read this, as I have already read the sister book The Letter. You don't however need to have read that to read this one, it is a stand-alone too.
It was lovely to revisit some of the characters from the previous story.
Set in both the present day and back around the World War I era, it tells the story of love, loss and determination to survive heartbreak and make from life what you can.
A really powerful and compelling read, I struggled to put it down.

[Angela Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

An excellent follow up novel to The Letter. I was just as emotional reading The Locket as I was The Letter. The story of Emmy and Alex would break your heart. Beautifully written & a stark reminder of how much was sacrificed by the Lost Generation. In her writing Ruth keeps the memory of all those sleeping in foreign fields alive and those who lived through the pain and anguish of losing them. Simply incredible.

[Linda Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of love and courage and honour.

This story is amazing. I literally couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. I wanted to cry over the the unfairness of life but wouldn't because then I wouldn't be able read the book. It tells of the bravery and honour of men and the courage and loyalty of women in one of the darkest times in recent history and how history impacts on the present.

[Carol Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant Historical Fiction.

Ruth Saberton is a skilled writer who knows how to spin a tale, create believable characters and keep her readers captivated and engaged. I loved The Locket and would had given it five stars had it been better edited. Also, although there was a brief mention of Chloe from The Letter, I would have liked a bit more connection to Saberton’s previous novel. But, mild criticism aside, I am a Saberton fan and can hardly wait for her next novel.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Alyson finds some old things in her mother's home, it starts her on a trip to find the story behind them. Very descriptive in details of nature and the countryside around the manors where the story from the past is revealed. Emmy falls head over heels in love and we follow her life of happiness and woe through war times. It was a touching story about her life. A good read that held my interest, although somewhat predictable in nature.

[sally whitfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very moving story

Oh my what a truly moving heartwrenching story. I read the letter about 3 years ago and that was wonderful. This book accompanies this story and it was just beautifully written, engaging characters and so sad the parts about WW1 are simply heart breaking. Every one of them young men were truly heroes. It's a credit to the author how she writes such beautiful words. This is one of them books that will stay with you after you've read the last word.