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Het geheim van Silvermoor
In Het geheim van Silvermoor beschrijft Tracy Rees met veel gevoel het leven in een mijnwerkersdorpje en het verhaal van twee geliefden die aan hun schijnbaar onvermijdelijke lot proberen te ontsnappen. Over Josie, die zich nooit onderdeel voelt van haar familie, maar pas weet bij wie ze thuishoort als ze Tommy ontmoet. En over
Tommy, die weet dat hij bestemd is voor een leven ondergronds, maar veel grotere dromen heeft.
In Het geheim van Silvermoor dalen we met Tommy af in de stikdonkere, benauwde mijnen, die een hartverscheurend contrast vormen met de glamoureuze, glinsterende omgeving van de lokale adel, de Sedgewicks van Silvermoor. Als Tommy en Josie tóch betrokken raken bij deze machtige en elegante familie en ze een lang verborgen geheim ontdekken, zou dat hun leven weleens voorgoed kunnen veranderen…
Tommy, die weet dat hij bestemd is voor een leven ondergronds, maar veel grotere dromen heeft.
In Het geheim van Silvermoor dalen we met Tommy af in de stikdonkere, benauwde mijnen, die een hartverscheurend contrast vormen met de glamoureuze, glinsterende omgeving van de lokale adel, de Sedgewicks van Silvermoor. Als Tommy en Josie tóch betrokken raken bij deze machtige en elegante familie en ze een lang verborgen geheim ontdekken, zou dat hun leven weleens voorgoed kunnen veranderen…
544 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2019
280 people are currently reading
1943 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Rees
11 books558 followersTracy Rees is a Cambridge graduate with a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages. After an eight-year career in nonfiction publishing, she worked as a counselor for people with cancer and their families. Amy Snow is her first novel. She lives in Swansea, Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
October 8, 2024
We meet Tommy Green on his last day of school and he’s just turned twelve and is about to start working at the Crooked Ash Pit coal mine in South Yorkshire. Tommy comes from a large family, they live in a small company cottage, and once old enough everyone is expected to contribute financially. Tommy likes school and he dreams of a better life and instead he's stuck washing coal and thinking he’s never going to leave Grindley and see exotic places he's read about.
Josie Westgate lives three miles away in Arden, her father is a miner as well and he works for Winthrop Barridge and she’s never considered doing anything other than growing up to be a coal miner’s wife and having lots of children.
Tommy and Josie meet and become best friends and explore the countryside on Sunday afternoons and talk. The youngster are fascinated by Heston Manor, it’s been left empty for years after the eldest son died in a riding accident and Tommy’s sure the place is haunted.
I received a copy of The House at Silvermoor by Tracy Rees from NetGalley and Quercus Books in exchange for an honest review. The author’s grandfather Len was a coal miner, and she’s wanted to write a historical fiction story about coal mines, miners and their families and the rich aristocrats they worked for and how different their lives were and Ms Rees certainly achieved her goal and her grandfather would be very proud.
I had no idea that at the time young boys started working long hours in coal mines at the age of twelve, by fourteen they were toiling underground like their fathers and grandfathers before them. Going down in the cage, they could barely stand up in the tunnels, worrying about their lamps going out and being stuck in the dark, and cave-ins and knowing they could be badly hurt and killed.
A well written and really interesting story about overcoming obstacles and the power of friendship, how education is the key to escaping poverty and having ambition and grabbing opportunities when they come along and the fight for miners to be paid a fair wage.
I really liked and admired the characters in this novel, Tommy and Josie were delightful, and the supporting ones including Miss Emery and Miss Honeycroft, Master Walter and his father the Earl Sedgewick and Manus. However I detested Winthrop, Willard and Joss Barridge and I'm sure you will as well.
Five stars from me and a historical fiction saga full of secrets and mystery, lies and deceit, drama and romance and I highly recommend and I look forward to reading other novels by Tracy Rees.
Josie Westgate lives three miles away in Arden, her father is a miner as well and he works for Winthrop Barridge and she’s never considered doing anything other than growing up to be a coal miner’s wife and having lots of children.
Tommy and Josie meet and become best friends and explore the countryside on Sunday afternoons and talk. The youngster are fascinated by Heston Manor, it’s been left empty for years after the eldest son died in a riding accident and Tommy’s sure the place is haunted.
I received a copy of The House at Silvermoor by Tracy Rees from NetGalley and Quercus Books in exchange for an honest review. The author’s grandfather Len was a coal miner, and she’s wanted to write a historical fiction story about coal mines, miners and their families and the rich aristocrats they worked for and how different their lives were and Ms Rees certainly achieved her goal and her grandfather would be very proud.
I had no idea that at the time young boys started working long hours in coal mines at the age of twelve, by fourteen they were toiling underground like their fathers and grandfathers before them. Going down in the cage, they could barely stand up in the tunnels, worrying about their lamps going out and being stuck in the dark, and cave-ins and knowing they could be badly hurt and killed.
A well written and really interesting story about overcoming obstacles and the power of friendship, how education is the key to escaping poverty and having ambition and grabbing opportunities when they come along and the fight for miners to be paid a fair wage.
I really liked and admired the characters in this novel, Tommy and Josie were delightful, and the supporting ones including Miss Emery and Miss Honeycroft, Master Walter and his father the Earl Sedgewick and Manus. However I detested Winthrop, Willard and Joss Barridge and I'm sure you will as well.
Five stars from me and a historical fiction saga full of secrets and mystery, lies and deceit, drama and romance and I highly recommend and I look forward to reading other novels by Tracy Rees.
February 8, 2020
Tracy Rees has a rare gift for making us care about her characters from the very first pages. Who could fail to feel for poor Tommy, whose dreams of a better life than going down the mines are cruelly squashed by his schoolmaster? Or poor Josie, who is bullied by a gamekeeper after picking flowers where she shouldn’t have been, then berated by her mother as well?
We are quickly absorbed into the world of a coal-mining area of South Yorkshire, where Arden folk don’t talk to Grindley folk, and the lives of rich and poor are poles apart. I was fascinated to learn about the workings of a coal mine, and there are a couple of scenes set underground that continue to haunt me.
One of the themes of the novel is family: there are supportive, loving parents and some who are cruel to the extreme. Tracy Rees shows the way that secrets create grudges, and how their home life affects children as they grow up.
It’s one of these stories that gets inside your head and makes you inhabit the characters’ world. I rushed to pick up my copy in any spare moments, because I needed to know what would happen next. It’s a compassionate and compelling novel, with a heart-warming love story at its core.
We are quickly absorbed into the world of a coal-mining area of South Yorkshire, where Arden folk don’t talk to Grindley folk, and the lives of rich and poor are poles apart. I was fascinated to learn about the workings of a coal mine, and there are a couple of scenes set underground that continue to haunt me.
One of the themes of the novel is family: there are supportive, loving parents and some who are cruel to the extreme. Tracy Rees shows the way that secrets create grudges, and how their home life affects children as they grow up.
It’s one of these stories that gets inside your head and makes you inhabit the characters’ world. I rushed to pick up my copy in any spare moments, because I needed to know what would happen next. It’s a compassionate and compelling novel, with a heart-warming love story at its core.
April 29, 2021
Yorkshire, eind 19e eeuw. Twee jonge tieners, Tommy en Josie, groeien op in rivaliserende mijnstadjes en dromen allebei van een ander leven. Tommy heeft altijd het gevoel gehad dat hij voorbestemd was voor een groter bestaan, hij is intelligent en leergierig, maar net als zijn vader en oudere broers zal hij binnenkort af moeten dalen in het duister van de mijnen, om zo geld te verdienen voor zijn familie. Tijdens nachtelijke, heimelijke strooptochten op de landgoederen van de eigenaren van de mijnen, fantaseert hij over een andere toekomst.
Wanneer Josie op het terrein van Heston Manor, het landhuis dat tussen de twee stadjes in ligt, bloemen plukt voor de bruiloft van haar zus, wordt ze betrapt door de jachtopziener en krijgt ze een flinke uitbrander. Naderhand ontmoet ze Tommy, die een wandeling aan het maken is, en al snel hebben ze een klik. Ze zijn gelijkgestemden, voelen zich allebei buitenbeentjes en vinden begrip en vriendschap bij elkaar.
Hun band wordt steeds hechter, ze helpen elkaar, offeren zichzelf soms op voor de ander, cijferen zichzelf weg, gaan voor de ander door het vuur, zoeken afleiding om niet te denken aan hun zware levens en fantaseren over wat er op Heston Manor gebeurd is, waarom het landgoed verlaten is. De ontdekking van een bijzonder geheim zal hun levens totaal op hun kop zetten.
Tracy Rees heeft een beeldende, beschrijvende en gedetailleerde schrijfstijl, ze bouwt haar verhaal zorgvuldig op en je leert Tommy en Josie goed leert kennen door de focus op de personages. Hun perspectieven wisselen elkaar af en Rees heeft duidelijk veel onderzoek gedaan naar deze tijdsperiode, want alles voelt levensecht. Door de uitgebreide opbouw kabbelt het verhaal soms wel behoorlijk en niet alle ontwikkelingen vond ik even verrassend of geloofwaardig, maar je wilt wel door blijven lezen omdat je zo meeleeft met Tommy en Josie en je wilt ontdekken hoe hun verhaal zal eindigen. Het is een mooi verhaal over familiebanden, geheimen, liefde, dromen, hoop, geluk en verlangen. Een aanrader voor iedere liefhebber van een rustige historische roman!
3.5⭐️
Wanneer Josie op het terrein van Heston Manor, het landhuis dat tussen de twee stadjes in ligt, bloemen plukt voor de bruiloft van haar zus, wordt ze betrapt door de jachtopziener en krijgt ze een flinke uitbrander. Naderhand ontmoet ze Tommy, die een wandeling aan het maken is, en al snel hebben ze een klik. Ze zijn gelijkgestemden, voelen zich allebei buitenbeentjes en vinden begrip en vriendschap bij elkaar.
Hun band wordt steeds hechter, ze helpen elkaar, offeren zichzelf soms op voor de ander, cijferen zichzelf weg, gaan voor de ander door het vuur, zoeken afleiding om niet te denken aan hun zware levens en fantaseren over wat er op Heston Manor gebeurd is, waarom het landgoed verlaten is. De ontdekking van een bijzonder geheim zal hun levens totaal op hun kop zetten.
Tracy Rees heeft een beeldende, beschrijvende en gedetailleerde schrijfstijl, ze bouwt haar verhaal zorgvuldig op en je leert Tommy en Josie goed leert kennen door de focus op de personages. Hun perspectieven wisselen elkaar af en Rees heeft duidelijk veel onderzoek gedaan naar deze tijdsperiode, want alles voelt levensecht. Door de uitgebreide opbouw kabbelt het verhaal soms wel behoorlijk en niet alle ontwikkelingen vond ik even verrassend of geloofwaardig, maar je wilt wel door blijven lezen omdat je zo meeleeft met Tommy en Josie en je wilt ontdekken hoe hun verhaal zal eindigen. Het is een mooi verhaal over familiebanden, geheimen, liefde, dromen, hoop, geluk en verlangen. Een aanrader voor iedere liefhebber van een rustige historische roman!
3.5⭐️
April 2, 2020
See in South Yorkshire between the late 1800's and early 1900. Tommy Green and Josie Westgate are friends. They both come from rival mining villages. Tommy knows his life is destined down the mine. They both dream of a like out with the mining community. Tommy ,lived in Grindley while Josie lived in Arden. Tommy's father and brothers work for the Sedgewick family of Silvermoor. Josies father and brothers work for Winthrop Barridge. Josies sisters also work on the coal face, washing the coal. Barridge's mines are more hazardous than the Sedgewicks.
This is the story about two youngsters who want to make a better life for themselves out with the mining community. The author has researched every inch of this era and the issues surrounding the mining industry. I liked the authors style in writing this book. It quickly grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed it. If you like historical fiction with a bit of romance, this book is for you. My first read by the author ut it won't be my last. I do recommend this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Tracy Rees for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story about two youngsters who want to make a better life for themselves out with the mining community. The author has researched every inch of this era and the issues surrounding the mining industry. I liked the authors style in writing this book. It quickly grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed it. If you like historical fiction with a bit of romance, this book is for you. My first read by the author ut it won't be my last. I do recommend this book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Tracy Rees for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2020
Set in South Yorkshire between the late 1800's and early 1900. Tommy Green and Josie Westgate are friends. They both come from rival mining villages. Tommy knows his life is destined down the mine. They both dream about a life out with the mining community. Tommy lived in Grindley while josie lived in Arden. Tommy's father and brothers work for the Sedgewick family of Silvermoor. Josies father and brothers work for Winthrop Barridge. Josies sisters also work on the coal face, washing the coal. Barridge's mines are more hazardous than the Sedgewicks.
This is a story about two youngsters who want to make a better life for themselves out with the mining community. The author has researched every inch of this era and the issues surrounding the mining industry. I liked the authors style in writing this book. It quickly grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed it. If you like historical fiction with a bit of romance, this book is for you. My first read by the author but it won't be my last. I do recommend this book.
This is a story about two youngsters who want to make a better life for themselves out with the mining community. The author has researched every inch of this era and the issues surrounding the mining industry. I liked the authors style in writing this book. It quickly grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed it. If you like historical fiction with a bit of romance, this book is for you. My first read by the author but it won't be my last. I do recommend this book.
April 1, 2020
I am taking part in the blog tour for THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR by Tracy Rees and published by Quercus on 2nd April 2020.
A rags to riches story in the vein of Catherine Cookson, THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is my first book by Tracy Rees and having devoured this one I am eager to read more.
Set in Yorkshire at the turn of the 20th century, Tommy and Josie are little more than children when they meet. Both are from mining communities in neighbouring villages that rival the other with nothing more than the knowledge that their paths had already been mapped out for them by generations of tradition. For Tommy, it's to go underground as a miner - for Josie, it's to be the wife and mother of a miner. Together they form an unlikely friendship, chasing dreams, asking questions and sharing secrets...as we follow their journey from children into young adults.
At the age of 12, Tommy Green leaves school to begin work at the mine where his father and brothers work, and where his brother had died before him. But Tommy yearns for an education, to learn more than just what's expected of him. On his final day of school, he asks the schoolmaster what he may do to further his education, but the schoolmaster just shrugs his queries off as shirking his responsibilities to his family of miners. And so down the mine Tommy goes. But surely there is something more than this life? What's wrong with wanting to better yourself? What's wrong with wanting something different rather than what's expected?
Tommy found himself fascinated with the Sedgewick family who lived at Silvermoor, and who owned the mines in which the village worked. Ever since his 5th birthday when the villagers were invited to attend the christening party of their newest addition Lord Walter, Tommy has felt an affinity to the family. He even secretly imagined that he was the long lost son of the Earl who would take him under his wing and that he would live at Silvermoor. But it was just a dream.
It was on one Sunday afternoon when Tommy was out walking, instead of attending church with his family, that he found himself near the village of Arden and the silent halls of Heston Manor, where the feared Barridges had once lived before the death of their heir. Winthrop Barridge, a cruel and hateful man many feared, owned the mines of Arden and ran them with a brutal hand. He was in a daydream when he came across a pretty young slip of a girl with the blackest eyes and the reddest hair he had ever seen picking bluebells and violets for her sister's wedding. Her name was Josie.
At 11 years old, Josie Westgate knows she is nothing special. Her ma reminds her of that fact daily, should she ever get any ideas above her station. She is one of four daughters and one son, the second youngest with little Tansy the last of them all. On the day she meets Tommy, her ma sent her out to pick violets for her older sister Alice's hair for her wedding. At this time of year there was only one place she knew to find them...and that was in Heston Manor grounds. After collecting the violets she gathered some bluebells for herself until a surprise appearance by the gamekeeper in which he bullies her and tramples on those she held in her shaking hands.
In Tommy, Josie finds a kindred spirit. He comes to her rescue and warns her to steer clear of Heston grounds, for even in the village of Grindley folk knew not to cross paths with the Barridge's gamekeeper. Every Sunday, the two meet in the lanes between their villages to walk, talk and dream of a better life beyond that which is expected of them.
For both Tommy and Josie, life couldn't be more different and yet still be the same. Both are from mining families in mining communities living hand to mouth. And yet that is where the similarities end. Tommy is from a loving family with thirteen mouths to feed but they are happy. Josie is from a bitter and disparate family who have mainly daughters that cannot earn a living down the mines to keep food on their table...and a secret that threatens to destroy everything she has ever known.
One night, Josie is shocked to discover that her parents intend to send her down the mines and her dear friend Miss Embry knocks on Tommy's door in the middle of the night, begging for his help. After her father locks her in the coal shed and the house soon goes off to sleep, Tommy deftly opens the shed to rescue Josie and they run off into the night.
As fate intervenes and a chance encounter with a stranger at Heston Manor, Tommy and Josie find themselves at Silvermoor on a promise from one of the family. They are welcomed with open arms, given food and warmth and a place to sleep as both their stories take on different turns. Although Tommy remains down the pits, Josie is taken into service in York but spends many weeks and months back at Silvermoor with Lady Coralie, for whom she is now a lady's maid.
And all the while, both Tommy and Josie await for his chance at a different life... Will it come? Or will Tommy be destined to remain down the pits forever? And die the same death as his brother before him?
Told solely from Tommy and Josie's perspectives, THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is a beautifully written tale weaves both their stories together with an expert hand. As readers we watch those stories unfold as Tommy and Josie overcome heartache, tragedy and loss to find love, happiness and contentment. From Grindley and Arden to Silvermoor, York...and beyond!
Beginning in 1897 through to 1905, THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is a captivating journey at the turn of the century surrounding the South Yorkshire mining community and the house at the centre of it all - Silvermoor. It is a sweeping tale of love, loss and family that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
There is so much to just love about this book with plenty you'll love to hate and even more you'll love to love. A novel to get swept away in, to lose yourself for a day, to just enjoy the journey and to savour it once it's over. THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is everything and more. It is a must for fans of historical fiction. It is Catherine Cookson of the 21st century.
I would like to thank #TracyRees, #NetGalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #TheHouseAtSilvermoor in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
A rags to riches story in the vein of Catherine Cookson, THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is my first book by Tracy Rees and having devoured this one I am eager to read more.
Set in Yorkshire at the turn of the 20th century, Tommy and Josie are little more than children when they meet. Both are from mining communities in neighbouring villages that rival the other with nothing more than the knowledge that their paths had already been mapped out for them by generations of tradition. For Tommy, it's to go underground as a miner - for Josie, it's to be the wife and mother of a miner. Together they form an unlikely friendship, chasing dreams, asking questions and sharing secrets...as we follow their journey from children into young adults.
At the age of 12, Tommy Green leaves school to begin work at the mine where his father and brothers work, and where his brother had died before him. But Tommy yearns for an education, to learn more than just what's expected of him. On his final day of school, he asks the schoolmaster what he may do to further his education, but the schoolmaster just shrugs his queries off as shirking his responsibilities to his family of miners. And so down the mine Tommy goes. But surely there is something more than this life? What's wrong with wanting to better yourself? What's wrong with wanting something different rather than what's expected?
Tommy found himself fascinated with the Sedgewick family who lived at Silvermoor, and who owned the mines in which the village worked. Ever since his 5th birthday when the villagers were invited to attend the christening party of their newest addition Lord Walter, Tommy has felt an affinity to the family. He even secretly imagined that he was the long lost son of the Earl who would take him under his wing and that he would live at Silvermoor. But it was just a dream.
It was on one Sunday afternoon when Tommy was out walking, instead of attending church with his family, that he found himself near the village of Arden and the silent halls of Heston Manor, where the feared Barridges had once lived before the death of their heir. Winthrop Barridge, a cruel and hateful man many feared, owned the mines of Arden and ran them with a brutal hand. He was in a daydream when he came across a pretty young slip of a girl with the blackest eyes and the reddest hair he had ever seen picking bluebells and violets for her sister's wedding. Her name was Josie.
At 11 years old, Josie Westgate knows she is nothing special. Her ma reminds her of that fact daily, should she ever get any ideas above her station. She is one of four daughters and one son, the second youngest with little Tansy the last of them all. On the day she meets Tommy, her ma sent her out to pick violets for her older sister Alice's hair for her wedding. At this time of year there was only one place she knew to find them...and that was in Heston Manor grounds. After collecting the violets she gathered some bluebells for herself until a surprise appearance by the gamekeeper in which he bullies her and tramples on those she held in her shaking hands.
In Tommy, Josie finds a kindred spirit. He comes to her rescue and warns her to steer clear of Heston grounds, for even in the village of Grindley folk knew not to cross paths with the Barridge's gamekeeper. Every Sunday, the two meet in the lanes between their villages to walk, talk and dream of a better life beyond that which is expected of them.
For both Tommy and Josie, life couldn't be more different and yet still be the same. Both are from mining families in mining communities living hand to mouth. And yet that is where the similarities end. Tommy is from a loving family with thirteen mouths to feed but they are happy. Josie is from a bitter and disparate family who have mainly daughters that cannot earn a living down the mines to keep food on their table...and a secret that threatens to destroy everything she has ever known.
One night, Josie is shocked to discover that her parents intend to send her down the mines and her dear friend Miss Embry knocks on Tommy's door in the middle of the night, begging for his help. After her father locks her in the coal shed and the house soon goes off to sleep, Tommy deftly opens the shed to rescue Josie and they run off into the night.
As fate intervenes and a chance encounter with a stranger at Heston Manor, Tommy and Josie find themselves at Silvermoor on a promise from one of the family. They are welcomed with open arms, given food and warmth and a place to sleep as both their stories take on different turns. Although Tommy remains down the pits, Josie is taken into service in York but spends many weeks and months back at Silvermoor with Lady Coralie, for whom she is now a lady's maid.
And all the while, both Tommy and Josie await for his chance at a different life... Will it come? Or will Tommy be destined to remain down the pits forever? And die the same death as his brother before him?
Told solely from Tommy and Josie's perspectives, THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is a beautifully written tale weaves both their stories together with an expert hand. As readers we watch those stories unfold as Tommy and Josie overcome heartache, tragedy and loss to find love, happiness and contentment. From Grindley and Arden to Silvermoor, York...and beyond!
Beginning in 1897 through to 1905, THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is a captivating journey at the turn of the century surrounding the South Yorkshire mining community and the house at the centre of it all - Silvermoor. It is a sweeping tale of love, loss and family that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
There is so much to just love about this book with plenty you'll love to hate and even more you'll love to love. A novel to get swept away in, to lose yourself for a day, to just enjoy the journey and to savour it once it's over. THE HOUSE AT SILVERMOOR is everything and more. It is a must for fans of historical fiction. It is Catherine Cookson of the 21st century.
I would like to thank #TracyRees, #NetGalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #TheHouseAtSilvermoor in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
April 2, 2020
When I was approved for this book by Quercus via NetGalley, I literally jumped: Tracy Rees is one of my favorite authors ever and I’ve been checking on Amazon on a daily basis for her next work, ready to preorder it as soon as it would have been available.
Then one day it appeared on NetGalley, I requested it, quite sure I never would have been lucky enough to get it, and then the next day, despite my pessimism, I was approved for The House At Silvermoor and I started it right away, putting on stand-by every other book I was reading, because hell, it was Tracy Rees’ new book!
The House At Silvermoor, Tracy Rees’ fifth historical novel to date, it scheduled to be published on February 6, 2020.
The two main characters are Tommy Green from Grindley and Josie Westgate from Arden, two young friends, both belonging to families of miners.
I fell in love with Tommy right at the beginning, when he was a little boy of twelve on his last day of school, eager to continue his schooling but dissuaded by all the adults, his father and his teacher in the first place, because his future is in the mines.
He’s kind and clever, sensitive and passionate, something that can be said of most of Tracy Rees’ characters, but Tommy managed to become one of my very favorites: he’s just too sweet, smart and lovely, and quite the dreamy kind as well.
No real wonder I adored him from the very first word!
Josie was just as adorable, headstrong and easy to root for, definitely one of the best of Tracy’s heroines, in the same league of my beloved Florence Grace.
I loved just about everything about this book: the setting in the 1890’s South Yorkshire, vibrant and beautifully described, the characters, both main and secondary (in my opinion always the strongest point of Tracy’s novels and deep and lovable characters are usually what I’m most looking forward to in my reads), the story and the way it developed and unfolded in the end, leaving me satisfied but also not really ready to let it go.
I miss Tommy and Josie, I miss them now as I missed them when I turned the last page in November.
I gladly would have read a good two-hundred more pages about Silvermoor and the journey to India, about dear little Walter, charming Cedric and Coralie, Martha and Connie, Manus and Dulcie, the Sedgewicks and the Barridges.
I never wanted it to finish and I tried to make it last, but I was home with the flu and I just couldn’t stop turning the pages, especially when I reached the second part of the book and I actually became a little bit tachycardic, as engrossed in Josie and Tommy’s adventures as I was.
Yes, I would have liked a little bit more of romance, literally just a few pages more would have been enough, because the love story was so beautiful and I thought it deserved more space, but it was so well crafted that in the end I felt almost convinced it was perfect just as it is.
I will definitely reread this book in the future and there will always be a place in my heart for these wonderful characters and for the many more I hope Tracy will write about in the years to come.
I recommend The House At Silvermoor to everyone, lovers of historical fiction as well as people simply looking for a great, deeply enjoyable read with characters that will steal your heart, and I’ll never stop recommending Tracy Rees as one of the very best historical fiction authors out there.
I want to thank both Quercus and NetGalley a thousand times for offering me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this amazing book, which I savored and loved so much that this rambling review isn’t even enough to make it justice.
I seriously can’t wait for whatever Tracy will write next!
Then one day it appeared on NetGalley, I requested it, quite sure I never would have been lucky enough to get it, and then the next day, despite my pessimism, I was approved for The House At Silvermoor and I started it right away, putting on stand-by every other book I was reading, because hell, it was Tracy Rees’ new book!
The House At Silvermoor, Tracy Rees’ fifth historical novel to date, it scheduled to be published on February 6, 2020.
The two main characters are Tommy Green from Grindley and Josie Westgate from Arden, two young friends, both belonging to families of miners.
I fell in love with Tommy right at the beginning, when he was a little boy of twelve on his last day of school, eager to continue his schooling but dissuaded by all the adults, his father and his teacher in the first place, because his future is in the mines.
He’s kind and clever, sensitive and passionate, something that can be said of most of Tracy Rees’ characters, but Tommy managed to become one of my very favorites: he’s just too sweet, smart and lovely, and quite the dreamy kind as well.
No real wonder I adored him from the very first word!
Josie was just as adorable, headstrong and easy to root for, definitely one of the best of Tracy’s heroines, in the same league of my beloved Florence Grace.
I loved just about everything about this book: the setting in the 1890’s South Yorkshire, vibrant and beautifully described, the characters, both main and secondary (in my opinion always the strongest point of Tracy’s novels and deep and lovable characters are usually what I’m most looking forward to in my reads), the story and the way it developed and unfolded in the end, leaving me satisfied but also not really ready to let it go.
I miss Tommy and Josie, I miss them now as I missed them when I turned the last page in November.
I gladly would have read a good two-hundred more pages about Silvermoor and the journey to India, about dear little Walter, charming Cedric and Coralie, Martha and Connie, Manus and Dulcie, the Sedgewicks and the Barridges.
I never wanted it to finish and I tried to make it last, but I was home with the flu and I just couldn’t stop turning the pages, especially when I reached the second part of the book and I actually became a little bit tachycardic, as engrossed in Josie and Tommy’s adventures as I was.
Yes, I would have liked a little bit more of romance, literally just a few pages more would have been enough, because the love story was so beautiful and I thought it deserved more space, but it was so well crafted that in the end I felt almost convinced it was perfect just as it is.
I will definitely reread this book in the future and there will always be a place in my heart for these wonderful characters and for the many more I hope Tracy will write about in the years to come.
I recommend The House At Silvermoor to everyone, lovers of historical fiction as well as people simply looking for a great, deeply enjoyable read with characters that will steal your heart, and I’ll never stop recommending Tracy Rees as one of the very best historical fiction authors out there.
I want to thank both Quercus and NetGalley a thousand times for offering me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this amazing book, which I savored and loved so much that this rambling review isn’t even enough to make it justice.
I seriously can’t wait for whatever Tracy will write next!
November 14, 2021
Dit boek leek veelbelovend door de vele positieve recenties. Ik vond echter dat het erg traag op gang kwam, de eerste 100 pg kabbelde het verhaal maar heel langzam voort, nadien gebeurde er wel wat meer en werd het aangenamer om lezen. De schrijfstijl is wel vlot. 3 sterren omdat het verhaal te traag op gang kwam.
May 8, 2025
Conacul Silvermoor -Tracy Rees
Viața unor copii de mineri la începutul secolului al xx-lea, o viață dură, trăită la limita subzidentei și a căror viața era mereu în primejdie.
O ecografie a situatiei din perioada respectiva:remunerația slabă, conditiile miniere grele, condiții grele de trai, familie numeroasă, incultură.
Naratiunea din perspectiva lui Tommy, cât si a lui Josie, doi copii de 12 ani ce cresc frumos, ce visează frumos...
Tommy este fiu de miner, cu un tată dur ce a crezut că-l face bărbat dacă îl pune să vâneze iepuri, să stea închis în magazia de carbune o noapte întreaga( pentru a-i dispărea teama de întuneric), de a se trezi cu leșuri lângă el-ca oricum o să vadă în viața lui moartea, ce îl plesnea dacă plângea, și-l pedepsea cu bătaia dacă îi vorbea despre visurile lui, acelea de a părăsi ținuturile Grindley.
Atunci când termină scoala la 12 ani, i se adresează învățătorului, pentru a primi sugestii privind viitorul său.
✍️Visam la încăperi pline cu cărți
Dar cum poate un învățător să taie aripile unui copil cu atât cruzime? El, persoana cea mai în măsură, care i-ar fi putut da aripi, l-ar fi încurajat, să-l pună la pământ așa?
✍️....Ești fiu de miner, Tommy, nepot de miner. Nu ai pic de respect pentru ei și pentru munca lor?
Sunt întristat, Green, dacă ți-am dat speranțe false.
.......nu o să-i spun nimic lui taică-tău, dar, dacă mai aduci vorba despre asta, o să am grijă să-ți dea o mamă de bătaie ca să-ți scoată prostiile din cap."
Isi pierduse un frate în mină, pe Dan care avusese 17 ani, noroc că se modificase legea, înainte copiii munceau de la 5 ani în mină si mai avea încă 2 ani (până la 14) până să coboare și el in mină, muncă de care nu
scapă.
✍️Da’ mi s-a explicat clar că tot ce am sunt brațe pentru despicat și picioare pentru cărat și un cap pe care să mi-l sparg de un tavan de piatră în adânc
✍️Îmi dăduse darul curiozității, al visării și al râsului
Si Josie avea nenorocul de a fi născută într-o familie de mineri, preponderent de fete, lucru ce le conferea un dezavantaj familiei, dar faptul ca lucrau pt familia Barridge, li se permitea să lucreze.
Cei doi ( Josie si Tommy) sunt de pe moșii diferite, dar se întâlneasc, se împrietenesc si ajung sa îsi povesteasca unul altuia visurile.
Un accident nefericit il face pe Tommy sa ajunga in conacul Silvermoor, iar o sicanare, pe Josie sa se imprieteneasca cu Coralie, lucru ce o sa le aduca beneficii amandurora.
Contele ii ajută sa-si depășeasca conditia, Tommy se intoarce cu bursa la școală, iar Josie e cameristă.
📖O mie și una de nopți
📖basmele fraților Grimm,
📖Alice în Țara Minunilor,
📖Fiicele doctorului March,
📖 Gerard Appleby, care trăia la curtea regelui Arthur
📖Antoine de Pluvinel sau de La Guérinière.
Cartea junglei a lui Kipling.
Viața unor copii de mineri la începutul secolului al xx-lea, o viață dură, trăită la limita subzidentei și a căror viața era mereu în primejdie.
O ecografie a situatiei din perioada respectiva:remunerația slabă, conditiile miniere grele, condiții grele de trai, familie numeroasă, incultură.
Naratiunea din perspectiva lui Tommy, cât si a lui Josie, doi copii de 12 ani ce cresc frumos, ce visează frumos...
Tommy este fiu de miner, cu un tată dur ce a crezut că-l face bărbat dacă îl pune să vâneze iepuri, să stea închis în magazia de carbune o noapte întreaga( pentru a-i dispărea teama de întuneric), de a se trezi cu leșuri lângă el-ca oricum o să vadă în viața lui moartea, ce îl plesnea dacă plângea, și-l pedepsea cu bătaia dacă îi vorbea despre visurile lui, acelea de a părăsi ținuturile Grindley.
Atunci când termină scoala la 12 ani, i se adresează învățătorului, pentru a primi sugestii privind viitorul său.
✍️Visam la încăperi pline cu cărți
Dar cum poate un învățător să taie aripile unui copil cu atât cruzime? El, persoana cea mai în măsură, care i-ar fi putut da aripi, l-ar fi încurajat, să-l pună la pământ așa?
✍️....Ești fiu de miner, Tommy, nepot de miner. Nu ai pic de respect pentru ei și pentru munca lor?
Sunt întristat, Green, dacă ți-am dat speranțe false.
.......nu o să-i spun nimic lui taică-tău, dar, dacă mai aduci vorba despre asta, o să am grijă să-ți dea o mamă de bătaie ca să-ți scoată prostiile din cap."
Isi pierduse un frate în mină, pe Dan care avusese 17 ani, noroc că se modificase legea, înainte copiii munceau de la 5 ani în mină si mai avea încă 2 ani (până la 14) până să coboare și el in mină, muncă de care nu
scapă.
✍️Da’ mi s-a explicat clar că tot ce am sunt brațe pentru despicat și picioare pentru cărat și un cap pe care să mi-l sparg de un tavan de piatră în adânc
✍️Îmi dăduse darul curiozității, al visării și al râsului
Si Josie avea nenorocul de a fi născută într-o familie de mineri, preponderent de fete, lucru ce le conferea un dezavantaj familiei, dar faptul ca lucrau pt familia Barridge, li se permitea să lucreze.
Cei doi ( Josie si Tommy) sunt de pe moșii diferite, dar se întâlneasc, se împrietenesc si ajung sa îsi povesteasca unul altuia visurile.
Un accident nefericit il face pe Tommy sa ajunga in conacul Silvermoor, iar o sicanare, pe Josie sa se imprieteneasca cu Coralie, lucru ce o sa le aduca beneficii amandurora.
Contele ii ajută sa-si depășeasca conditia, Tommy se intoarce cu bursa la școală, iar Josie e cameristă.
📖O mie și una de nopți
📖basmele fraților Grimm,
📖Alice în Țara Minunilor,
📖Fiicele doctorului March,
📖 Gerard Appleby, care trăia la curtea regelui Arthur
📖Antoine de Pluvinel sau de La Guérinière.
Cartea junglei a lui Kipling.
October 23, 2022
geweldig boek, echte aanrader
January 12, 2020
I love, love, loved this book and would give it more than five stars if I could. It’s about Tommy Green, who is sure he isn’t meant to spend his life in the coal mines. And then there’s Tommy’s friend, Josie, whose life has an overwhelming story to tell. We meet Tommy’s family, Josie’s family, the Sedgewicks, the Barridges, Coralie, Cedric, Dulcie, Manus, Latimer, rich people, poor – very poor – people and so many more as we pass through the interconnected lives of all of these people.
The story is packed with interest as well as excellent and authentic writing. I didn’t think I was claustrophobic, but when the author described conditions in the mine as Tommy descended into the tunnels on his first day below ground, I could feel my chest tightening, my breath shortening, and my palms getting sweaty. The writing was extremely effective and well done. The story stayed compelling throughout.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and the author does an expert job of keeping everything on point. The research done in preparation for publication is unbelievably thorough. Yorkshire mining and happenings at the turn of the 19th/20th century were skillfully covered.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the advanced copy of The House at Silvermoor (aka The House of Stone and Stars). It’s definitely one of my favorites, and I recommend it to all my reading friends the very minute it comes out February 6th. Well done, Ms. Rees. Well done.
The story is packed with interest as well as excellent and authentic writing. I didn’t think I was claustrophobic, but when the author described conditions in the mine as Tommy descended into the tunnels on his first day below ground, I could feel my chest tightening, my breath shortening, and my palms getting sweaty. The writing was extremely effective and well done. The story stayed compelling throughout.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and the author does an expert job of keeping everything on point. The research done in preparation for publication is unbelievably thorough. Yorkshire mining and happenings at the turn of the 19th/20th century were skillfully covered.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the advanced copy of The House at Silvermoor (aka The House of Stone and Stars). It’s definitely one of my favorites, and I recommend it to all my reading friends the very minute it comes out February 6th. Well done, Ms. Rees. Well done.
November 5, 2020
I always like to read a Historical Saga after reading several crime novels as it gives my brain time to recover from melt down.
I decided on this as I had read another of Tracy Rees books and thoroughly enjoyed it and this one was no exception. Also my father was a miner and I had heard many harrowing tales of how the mines were run in my Grandfather’s era.
The mine owners were a mixed bunch, very much as described in the novel and mines were run to make profit for them. No health and safety inspectors or unions in those days.
It was so easy to identify all the characters both good and bad and the storyline flowed easily. Although it was obviously going to have a happy ending, as most Sagas do, I didn’t care. I just loved the escapism.
I will definitely read more by Tracy Rees.
I decided on this as I had read another of Tracy Rees books and thoroughly enjoyed it and this one was no exception. Also my father was a miner and I had heard many harrowing tales of how the mines were run in my Grandfather’s era.
The mine owners were a mixed bunch, very much as described in the novel and mines were run to make profit for them. No health and safety inspectors or unions in those days.
It was so easy to identify all the characters both good and bad and the storyline flowed easily. Although it was obviously going to have a happy ending, as most Sagas do, I didn’t care. I just loved the escapism.
I will definitely read more by Tracy Rees.
March 5, 2021
Wauw, wauw, wauw, wat een mooi boek!!
April 14, 2021
Toen ik de korte inhoud las van Het geheim van Silvermoor wist ik dat deze bovenaan op mijn veel te lange leeslijst zou komen. Het boek sprak mij dan ook onmiddellijk aan. Hoewel het verhaal vergeleken wordt met deze van Lucinda Riley, waar ik niet zo hoog mee op loop (sorry voor de vele fans), werd ik getriggerd om het te lezen.
Grindley 1897, het is de laatste schooldag voor de twaalfjarige Tommy. Na de zomer moet hij gaan werken in de mijnen, maar hij wil meer dan alleen maar werken in die donkere mijnen. Hij is een slimme jongen en droomt van een andere toekomst, een betere. Hij wil namelijk verder studeren, het dorp verlaten en vooral een beter leven zonder uitgebuit te worden. Dan ontmoet hij Josie, een meisje uit het naburige mijnwerkersdorp. Beide raken bevriend en de jaren blijven maar voorbij gaan, waarin hun toestand niet verandert. Hierbij vervagen hun dromen. Wanneer ze beiden bijna 18 worden ontdekken ze een geheim wat hun leven een gans andere wending zal geven. Zou hun droom dan toch nog kunnen uitkomen?
Ik heb het boek in één ruk uitgelezen. Het is een must voor wie van geschiedenis houdt. De auteur heeft zeer nauwkeurige research gedaan en heeft die ook op een mooie manier kunnen weergeven in haar verhaal. De omschrijvingen van het harde werk in de mijnen en hoe het is om in een mijnwerkersdorp te leven en op te groeien zijn gedetailleerd en beeldend. Het was alsof ik zelf doorheen de mijnen dwaalde en Tommy er aan het werk kon zien, samen met de andere mijnwerkers. Hiernaast kaart de auteur ook het verschil tussen de armere mijnwerkers en de rijke adel op een krachtige manier aan via de kinderen Josie en Tommy die beiden dromen van een beter leven. Maar via Manus wordt duidelijk dat het in die gegoede klasse ook niet allemaal rozengeur en maneschijn is. Het verhaal wordt verteld vanuit twee perspectieven, deze van Tommy en Josi. Via hen leer je dan ook alle personages kennen, we krijgen dus een beeld van hen zoals de kinderen hen zien, waardoor sommige ook wat oppervlakkig blijven. Maar Josie en Tommy hebben veel diepgang en als lezer voel en leef je echt mee met hen.
Alleen wat jammer van het einde, het laatste deel van het boek neigt meer naar een sprookje dan naar een historische roman, waardoor hier het realistische gehalte een paar deuken krijgt. Doch dit ontnam mij niet het leesplezier. Het blijft een mooi verhaal die je onder de huid kruipt (vooral het harde werk en leven van de mijnwerkers).
Ik vond dit een echte pageturner en hoop in de toekomst nog meer van Tracy Rees te lezen, zou er misschien een vervolg komen op Het geheim van Silvermoor? Het is vooral een aanrader voor geschiedenis liefhebbers.4.5 sterren!
Grindley 1897, het is de laatste schooldag voor de twaalfjarige Tommy. Na de zomer moet hij gaan werken in de mijnen, maar hij wil meer dan alleen maar werken in die donkere mijnen. Hij is een slimme jongen en droomt van een andere toekomst, een betere. Hij wil namelijk verder studeren, het dorp verlaten en vooral een beter leven zonder uitgebuit te worden. Dan ontmoet hij Josie, een meisje uit het naburige mijnwerkersdorp. Beide raken bevriend en de jaren blijven maar voorbij gaan, waarin hun toestand niet verandert. Hierbij vervagen hun dromen. Wanneer ze beiden bijna 18 worden ontdekken ze een geheim wat hun leven een gans andere wending zal geven. Zou hun droom dan toch nog kunnen uitkomen?
Ik heb het boek in één ruk uitgelezen. Het is een must voor wie van geschiedenis houdt. De auteur heeft zeer nauwkeurige research gedaan en heeft die ook op een mooie manier kunnen weergeven in haar verhaal. De omschrijvingen van het harde werk in de mijnen en hoe het is om in een mijnwerkersdorp te leven en op te groeien zijn gedetailleerd en beeldend. Het was alsof ik zelf doorheen de mijnen dwaalde en Tommy er aan het werk kon zien, samen met de andere mijnwerkers. Hiernaast kaart de auteur ook het verschil tussen de armere mijnwerkers en de rijke adel op een krachtige manier aan via de kinderen Josie en Tommy die beiden dromen van een beter leven. Maar via Manus wordt duidelijk dat het in die gegoede klasse ook niet allemaal rozengeur en maneschijn is. Het verhaal wordt verteld vanuit twee perspectieven, deze van Tommy en Josi. Via hen leer je dan ook alle personages kennen, we krijgen dus een beeld van hen zoals de kinderen hen zien, waardoor sommige ook wat oppervlakkig blijven. Maar Josie en Tommy hebben veel diepgang en als lezer voel en leef je echt mee met hen.
Alleen wat jammer van het einde, het laatste deel van het boek neigt meer naar een sprookje dan naar een historische roman, waardoor hier het realistische gehalte een paar deuken krijgt. Doch dit ontnam mij niet het leesplezier. Het blijft een mooi verhaal die je onder de huid kruipt (vooral het harde werk en leven van de mijnwerkers).
Ik vond dit een echte pageturner en hoop in de toekomst nog meer van Tracy Rees te lezen, zou er misschien een vervolg komen op Het geheim van Silvermoor? Het is vooral een aanrader voor geschiedenis liefhebbers.4.5 sterren!
February 7, 2020
1897 and 1905. In 1897 things were engrained in a system. One knew "one's place". Most people were very happy with the arrangement. You were born into an occupation, however hard, however overbearing your superiors you just went on. You lived in the same village, married someone from the same village and the whole pattern is repeated. Once in a while you get a changeling. Someone who questions, who wants a better life or a different life and then things get very tough for that person. Surprisingly the worst was from the family itself who could not understand why you wanted to bring the wrath of your betters on your entire clan, by wanting something better for yourself.
This was the hard part of the book, but was a fact of life in 1897. Josie was a bright spark and with Tommy also within a coal mining family in Yorkshire wanted education, wanted to see what the world could offer other than the mundane. This did not sit well with either family and this story chronicles their life story, their adventures, their search into their ancestry not always with favourable results and their life and happy future.
I loved reading about the various characters of this book, the lifestyle of both the rich and the grindingly poor. Surprising that revolutions did not happen more often given the condition of the majority of the people.
This was history as well as a saga of a village and family.
This was the hard part of the book, but was a fact of life in 1897. Josie was a bright spark and with Tommy also within a coal mining family in Yorkshire wanted education, wanted to see what the world could offer other than the mundane. This did not sit well with either family and this story chronicles their life story, their adventures, their search into their ancestry not always with favourable results and their life and happy future.
I loved reading about the various characters of this book, the lifestyle of both the rich and the grindingly poor. Surprising that revolutions did not happen more often given the condition of the majority of the people.
This was history as well as a saga of a village and family.
March 11, 2020
What's wrong with wanting more from life? What's wrong with questioning is this my lot in society? What's wrong with not wanting to follow in the Family's Legacy? Why cant there be more?
For young Tommy and Josie these are the fundamental questions you don't ask- or think about. You have to know your rightful earned place in the world. For Tommy its deep underground as a miner. For Josie, it's to be a wife and a mother to a miner.
So begins this aching story of longing for something more, set in Rural England, 1897 to 1905.
Tracy Rees recreates,with historical accuracy, the lives these poor mining families led. Filled with harsh moments, brutalities, and want, these characters don't leave you.
On the flip side, we meet the wealthy landowners and mine operators. These families have problems and secrets of their own, only they live behind the gates of their great houses, finely dressed, sparing no expense in the industry of their households.
These two worlds collide, creating dark consequences and sinister wants.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Ms. Tracy Rees for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The House At Silvermoor". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.
For young Tommy and Josie these are the fundamental questions you don't ask- or think about. You have to know your rightful earned place in the world. For Tommy its deep underground as a miner. For Josie, it's to be a wife and a mother to a miner.
So begins this aching story of longing for something more, set in Rural England, 1897 to 1905.
Tracy Rees recreates,with historical accuracy, the lives these poor mining families led. Filled with harsh moments, brutalities, and want, these characters don't leave you.
On the flip side, we meet the wealthy landowners and mine operators. These families have problems and secrets of their own, only they live behind the gates of their great houses, finely dressed, sparing no expense in the industry of their households.
These two worlds collide, creating dark consequences and sinister wants.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Ms. Tracy Rees for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The House At Silvermoor". The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.
March 12, 2023
Another great book by the author where I loved all the characters and couldn’t put the book down..
April 2, 2020
The House at Silvermoor by @tracyreesauthor
Tommy Green and Josie Westgate have grown up in adjoining mining communities. Mining is a part of life; as much a part of a person, as it is their income. No one questions their lot in life (at least not out loud) and one definitely doesn’t try to change it. The book follows their journey of friendship beginning as young adolescents and the challenges and tribulations they face. Together they explore what actually makes them happy and what it means to achieve it. How their dreams affect not only them, but their families.
And what would any small town be without some long-buried secrets? As Tommy and Josie are on this coming-of-age journey, there are revelations that made me say “Oooooooooooh my!” out loud (to those of you who know me personally, this is not shocking).
This book was delightful. The story had moments of triumph, but also heartbreak.
I fell in love with the characters. They were raw and I felt for them. I was cheering from the sidelines through their successes and cursing those that threatened to get in their way.
This was sugar and spice sprinkled with a touch of old-fashioned scandal and deception. For someone who hasn’t been able to leave her house in weeks, this book allowed me to be transported me to a small English village. I have the utmost praise for @tracyreesauthor.
Tommy Green and Josie Westgate have grown up in adjoining mining communities. Mining is a part of life; as much a part of a person, as it is their income. No one questions their lot in life (at least not out loud) and one definitely doesn’t try to change it. The book follows their journey of friendship beginning as young adolescents and the challenges and tribulations they face. Together they explore what actually makes them happy and what it means to achieve it. How their dreams affect not only them, but their families.
And what would any small town be without some long-buried secrets? As Tommy and Josie are on this coming-of-age journey, there are revelations that made me say “Oooooooooooh my!” out loud (to those of you who know me personally, this is not shocking).
This book was delightful. The story had moments of triumph, but also heartbreak.
I fell in love with the characters. They were raw and I felt for them. I was cheering from the sidelines through their successes and cursing those that threatened to get in their way.
This was sugar and spice sprinkled with a touch of old-fashioned scandal and deception. For someone who hasn’t been able to leave her house in weeks, this book allowed me to be transported me to a small English village. I have the utmost praise for @tracyreesauthor.
June 20, 2021
From the first chapter I knew I was going to be quickly hooked. The characters and prose were reminiscent of Catherine Cookson books I devoured in my early teens.
Stories with a class divide always have a feeling of honesty and reality to them, especially so for workers going down the mines; risking their lives and limbs for a paltry sum, whilst struggling to put food on the table for their poverty-stricken large families.
The two main characters are incredibly likeable, even as children in the first part; they are like little adults with so many heavy burdens on their shoulders and a future that feels bleak. To find a like-minded soul who loves to daydream and think ‘what if’ leads to an innocent and sweet friendship and into a life neither would have expected, achieving more than they were allowed to imagine by their mining families. They were expected to accept their lot and not question the whys and wherefores.
I found all the characters to be convincing and liked the romantic thread running throughout.
I really enjoyed this book a lot and wanted to pick it up and read as soon as I had spare time each day. Tracy Rees has been added to my list of authors to look out for and I look forward to reading more of her work.
For the sheer enjoyment I got from this book I have given it a 5 star rating.
Stories with a class divide always have a feeling of honesty and reality to them, especially so for workers going down the mines; risking their lives and limbs for a paltry sum, whilst struggling to put food on the table for their poverty-stricken large families.
The two main characters are incredibly likeable, even as children in the first part; they are like little adults with so many heavy burdens on their shoulders and a future that feels bleak. To find a like-minded soul who loves to daydream and think ‘what if’ leads to an innocent and sweet friendship and into a life neither would have expected, achieving more than they were allowed to imagine by their mining families. They were expected to accept their lot and not question the whys and wherefores.
I found all the characters to be convincing and liked the romantic thread running throughout.
I really enjoyed this book a lot and wanted to pick it up and read as soon as I had spare time each day. Tracy Rees has been added to my list of authors to look out for and I look forward to reading more of her work.
For the sheer enjoyment I got from this book I have given it a 5 star rating.
December 8, 2020
A historical fiction, rags to riches tale of two young friends who want to make a better life for themselves in the early 1900’s.
In a mining village on the South Yorkshire coalfield, Josie and Tommy meet and become fast friends.
Both believe they are destined for better lives and have a burning obsession with the wealthy Sedgewicks who reside at the House at Silvermoor.
As the beginning of the early century ticks over, the twosome become entangled with the glamorous family and secrets long buried are about to unravel.
It’s not a quick moving narrative and probably be best read over a week.
Touching, gentle and sugary without much scandal, intrigue and mystery.
Tracey has put a lot of research into this plot but I did find it a little slow in places.
It does take its time for things to begin to massage the mind but once it slowly takes off, it settles for a steady pleasant pace.
The secrets are no real surprise and while well written it tends to not really bring the shock value or have any real wow moments.
Certainly well plotted out, I just got frustrated with how long it took to make a point.
I quite enjoyed Tracy’s earlier work more so than this one and I will certainly still pick up and take a chance on her future stories.
In a mining village on the South Yorkshire coalfield, Josie and Tommy meet and become fast friends.
Both believe they are destined for better lives and have a burning obsession with the wealthy Sedgewicks who reside at the House at Silvermoor.
As the beginning of the early century ticks over, the twosome become entangled with the glamorous family and secrets long buried are about to unravel.
It’s not a quick moving narrative and probably be best read over a week.
Touching, gentle and sugary without much scandal, intrigue and mystery.
Tracey has put a lot of research into this plot but I did find it a little slow in places.
It does take its time for things to begin to massage the mind but once it slowly takes off, it settles for a steady pleasant pace.
The secrets are no real surprise and while well written it tends to not really bring the shock value or have any real wow moments.
Certainly well plotted out, I just got frustrated with how long it took to make a point.
I quite enjoyed Tracy’s earlier work more so than this one and I will certainly still pick up and take a chance on her future stories.
December 23, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! I thought the storyline was very interesting and the characters were well developed. Tommy and Josie were the main characters and I got to know their back stories as well as part of their future story. They both came from very humble backgrounds. The men in their families were coal miners. Even the young girls worked in some capacity for the mines. This is a dangerous, filthy, not very rewarding job. The main interest of the “lords” that own the coal mines, main interest is making money, lots of money. And they don’t care if their workers are hurt, sick or just lost a family member, they have to be at work. Tommy and Josie start out as friends from different “Burroughs.” They aren’t even supposed to talk to each other but they do and their friendship grows. I will definitely recommend this book to family and friends and will read another book from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest opinion.
August 21, 2024
⭐️3.5, soms moeilijk te lezen, makkelijker te luisteren. Kan aan de vertaling liggen. Verhaal kwam erg langzaam op gang, maar wel met de nodige details waardoor ik wilde doorlezen. De verschillende verhaallijnen op een originele manier aan elkaar vastgeknoopt. Het einde geeft voldoening en de rode draad van het verhaal hoop.
November 16, 2023
Read this as an audiobook on the background at work. Lovely to listen to while working! I definitely recommend.
April 10, 2024
DNF. Syns boka var alt for forutsigbar og treig i språket, så avslutter halvveis i boka.
November 16, 2024
Una storia commovente e coinvolgente di amicizia, di ingiustizie e di lotte per difendere i propri ideali.
February 1, 2025
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It was wholesome, feel good reading and I loved all the characters.
November 11, 2025
N-am nimerit-o de data asta.
Cu siguranță era o viață grea, dar n-am rezonat cu nici unul dintre protagoniști si nici stilul de scris nu mi-a prea placut. :(
Cu siguranță era o viață grea, dar n-am rezonat cu nici unul dintre protagoniști si nici stilul de scris nu mi-a prea placut. :(
April 12, 2021
Met veel gevoel weet Tracy Rees het leven in een mijnwerkersstreek weer te geven in Het geheim van Silvermoor. De grote verschillen tussen de manier waarop mijneigenaren met de mijnwerkers omspringen komt goed naar voren.
Het is een indrukwekkend en meeslepend verhaal, dat zich afspeelt in Yorkshire een mijnwerkersstreek, waarin zich verschillende mijnen bevinden.
Het is opgedeeld in drie delen en speelt tussen 1897 en 1905. Het wordt verteld vanuit Tommy en Josie.
In het eerste deel maak je kennis met Tommy en Josie , die ik meteen in mijn hart heb gesloten. Het tweede deel laat drastische veranderingen zien in het leven van Tommy en Josie.
In het derde deel zijn Tommy en Josie volwassen en eindelijk in staat om hun dromen na te jagen.
Verhaal
Tommy Green is voorbestemd om als mijnwerker door het leven te gaan. Hij is een mijnwerkerszoon, die niet de mijn in wil en graag verder wil leren. Alleen is er voor hem geen andere optie dan de mijn In Grindley, omdat het gezin waarvan hij deel uitmaakt straatarm is en het geld nodig heeft.
“Ik was bang voor dit bestaan, om te moeten leven als een wroetende worm, om een goed verstand te hebben dat ik nergens meer voor hoefde te gebruiken.”
Twaalf jaar is hij, als hij Josie tijdens een wandeling ontmoet. Josie komt uit het naburige dorp Arden. Deze toevallige ontmoeting zorgt voor een hechte vriendschap, waar niemand tussen kan komen. En dat is bijzonder, daar de inwoners uit Grindley en Arden vijandig met elkaar omgaan.
“De onmenselijkheid in de mijnen beperkte zich niet alleen tot het systeem, ze verspreidde zich in de manier waarop we met elkaar omgingen.”
Door toedoen van Tommy verandert Josie en durft ze te hopen op verandering in haar uitzichtloze bestaan. Samen dromen ze over een bestaan waarin ze hun eigen beslissingen kunnen nemen.
In hun weg naar de volwassenheid ontmoeten ze meerdere mensen, die voor hun verdere leven belangrijk zijn.
De sfeer en wanhoop van mijnwerkers proef je volop in het verhaal. Bittere armoede, honger en de eeuwige dreiging van de mijn. Komen de mijnwerkers ongeschonden de dag door?
De personages zijn goed uitgewerkt. Josie wil zich gewaardeerd en geborgen voelen. Ze is trouw aan haar familie, maar ondervindt in haar leven geen liefde van haar ouders.
Wat zou daar de oorzaak van zijn?
Tommy is een harde werker en wil heel graag studeren en de wereld verkennen. Zou hem dit gaan lukken? Hij valt op, omdat hij voor zijn omgeving ‘anders’ is en voor zijn mening durft uit te komen. Hij is een echte denker, die zijn tijd en milieu ver vooruit is!
Het verhaal heeft mij vanaf de eerste bladzijde gepakt en door de korte hoofdstukken en de wisselende perspectieven blijf je doorlezen. Het is vlot geschreven en Tracy Rees heeft een beschrijvende stijl.
Mijn verwachtingen zijn uitgekomen; mysterieus en een beetje spanning. Af en toe is er wat spanning in het verhaal, die steeds weer goed afloopt en zorgt voor verdere ontwikkelingen.
Ja, een verhaal waarin romantiek, klassenverschil, armoede en hoop op een betere toekomst niet ontbreken.
Het verhaal eindigt met een cliffhanger naar een volgend deel, waar ik naar uitkijk.
Het is een indrukwekkend en meeslepend verhaal, dat zich afspeelt in Yorkshire een mijnwerkersstreek, waarin zich verschillende mijnen bevinden.
Het is opgedeeld in drie delen en speelt tussen 1897 en 1905. Het wordt verteld vanuit Tommy en Josie.
In het eerste deel maak je kennis met Tommy en Josie , die ik meteen in mijn hart heb gesloten. Het tweede deel laat drastische veranderingen zien in het leven van Tommy en Josie.
In het derde deel zijn Tommy en Josie volwassen en eindelijk in staat om hun dromen na te jagen.
Verhaal
Tommy Green is voorbestemd om als mijnwerker door het leven te gaan. Hij is een mijnwerkerszoon, die niet de mijn in wil en graag verder wil leren. Alleen is er voor hem geen andere optie dan de mijn In Grindley, omdat het gezin waarvan hij deel uitmaakt straatarm is en het geld nodig heeft.
“Ik was bang voor dit bestaan, om te moeten leven als een wroetende worm, om een goed verstand te hebben dat ik nergens meer voor hoefde te gebruiken.”
Twaalf jaar is hij, als hij Josie tijdens een wandeling ontmoet. Josie komt uit het naburige dorp Arden. Deze toevallige ontmoeting zorgt voor een hechte vriendschap, waar niemand tussen kan komen. En dat is bijzonder, daar de inwoners uit Grindley en Arden vijandig met elkaar omgaan.
“De onmenselijkheid in de mijnen beperkte zich niet alleen tot het systeem, ze verspreidde zich in de manier waarop we met elkaar omgingen.”
Door toedoen van Tommy verandert Josie en durft ze te hopen op verandering in haar uitzichtloze bestaan. Samen dromen ze over een bestaan waarin ze hun eigen beslissingen kunnen nemen.
In hun weg naar de volwassenheid ontmoeten ze meerdere mensen, die voor hun verdere leven belangrijk zijn.
De sfeer en wanhoop van mijnwerkers proef je volop in het verhaal. Bittere armoede, honger en de eeuwige dreiging van de mijn. Komen de mijnwerkers ongeschonden de dag door?
De personages zijn goed uitgewerkt. Josie wil zich gewaardeerd en geborgen voelen. Ze is trouw aan haar familie, maar ondervindt in haar leven geen liefde van haar ouders.
Wat zou daar de oorzaak van zijn?
Tommy is een harde werker en wil heel graag studeren en de wereld verkennen. Zou hem dit gaan lukken? Hij valt op, omdat hij voor zijn omgeving ‘anders’ is en voor zijn mening durft uit te komen. Hij is een echte denker, die zijn tijd en milieu ver vooruit is!
Het verhaal heeft mij vanaf de eerste bladzijde gepakt en door de korte hoofdstukken en de wisselende perspectieven blijf je doorlezen. Het is vlot geschreven en Tracy Rees heeft een beschrijvende stijl.
Mijn verwachtingen zijn uitgekomen; mysterieus en een beetje spanning. Af en toe is er wat spanning in het verhaal, die steeds weer goed afloopt en zorgt voor verdere ontwikkelingen.
Ja, een verhaal waarin romantiek, klassenverschil, armoede en hoop op een betere toekomst niet ontbreken.
Het verhaal eindigt met een cliffhanger naar een volgend deel, waar ik naar uitkijk.
February 16, 2020
Set during the turn of the 19th into the 20th Century the author introduces us to Josie and Tommy who live in the neighbouring mining villages of Arden and Grindley in Yorkshire. We get to follow them through several years of their lives taking them from little more than children through to adults. In a nutshell that is the basic premise of the book - a coming of age tale for two disparate youths who paths cross one importune Sunday and change their lives forever.
Wow, that sounds really quite harsh and I did enjoy the book, enough to give it 4 stars after all. However, I did have quite a few issues with it along the way. The main one being that none of the characters bring anything new to the table at all and the vast majority of them are either subservient to their masters and accept their lot with nary a peep or they are either a Victorian Vaudeville Villain or overtly philanthropic; there is no middle ground, no nuance. Even our main protagonists Josie and Tommy are stereotypical dreamers constantly getting in to scrapes of their own devising. I was not convinced that this was an accurate reflection of the Victorian mining villages as their is no sense of pride in the work, just a daily drudge and grind and, coming from a mining family on my mother's side it was always imbued in me that it was a very hard life but one you could take pride in.
I did enjoy reading Josie and Tommy's story though, but for me it was more a historical fantasy than a historical fiction. The writing is undeniably good and despite all my reservations Ms Rees certainly pulled me in and kept me hooked - admittedly it took about 150 pages before I really became absorbed as this is definitely a slow burner. I even found myself wanting to know how things turned out for them and their plans to escape England to, of all places, Colonial India.
The author allows Josie and Tommy to tell their own stories but their voices didn't feel that different on the page and if it hadn't been for their very different storylines - Tommy and his loving family and life down the pit, Josie and her estrangement from her family and eventual life in service - it would have been hard to tell them apart. I will admit that my interest was piqued by Josie's time in service in York and was quite saddened at how little time we spent in that glorious city's snickleways.
It may take a while to hook you but it is definitely worth persevering with. An enjoyable read that gives you a sense of satisfaction when you complete it; even if it does have a very open ended finale.
THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM AMAZON.CO.UK
Wow, that sounds really quite harsh and I did enjoy the book, enough to give it 4 stars after all. However, I did have quite a few issues with it along the way. The main one being that none of the characters bring anything new to the table at all and the vast majority of them are either subservient to their masters and accept their lot with nary a peep or they are either a Victorian Vaudeville Villain or overtly philanthropic; there is no middle ground, no nuance. Even our main protagonists Josie and Tommy are stereotypical dreamers constantly getting in to scrapes of their own devising. I was not convinced that this was an accurate reflection of the Victorian mining villages as their is no sense of pride in the work, just a daily drudge and grind and, coming from a mining family on my mother's side it was always imbued in me that it was a very hard life but one you could take pride in.
I did enjoy reading Josie and Tommy's story though, but for me it was more a historical fantasy than a historical fiction. The writing is undeniably good and despite all my reservations Ms Rees certainly pulled me in and kept me hooked - admittedly it took about 150 pages before I really became absorbed as this is definitely a slow burner. I even found myself wanting to know how things turned out for them and their plans to escape England to, of all places, Colonial India.
The author allows Josie and Tommy to tell their own stories but their voices didn't feel that different on the page and if it hadn't been for their very different storylines - Tommy and his loving family and life down the pit, Josie and her estrangement from her family and eventual life in service - it would have been hard to tell them apart. I will admit that my interest was piqued by Josie's time in service in York and was quite saddened at how little time we spent in that glorious city's snickleways.
It may take a while to hook you but it is definitely worth persevering with. An enjoyable read that gives you a sense of satisfaction when you complete it; even if it does have a very open ended finale.
THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM AMAZON.CO.UK
January 30, 2020
This is the first time I have read anything by this author and after reading The House at Silvermoor I can honestly say this author is now on my radar. This is a historical fiction book that has a very nice romantic side to it.
The main two characters are Tommy and Josie, two young people from different villages who gradually form a friendship that will take them into the new century of 1900. The setting of the mines in Yorkshire provides a stark backdrop not only to Tommy and Josie but also everyone connected with the story. This makes friendships valuable as the unknown life or death existence in the mines are a constant reality and so the friendship between the two is a valuable thing. It is something that adds a spark of hope to Tommy life while working in the pit. For Josie, it adds a worry.
I like how the author has tackled the story of two villages, two mines and two different owners. She has successfully created a story that also shows the differences between life. One village has a more prosperous feel to it, even though things are still tight, there is just a better feel to it. The other village feels more dark and desperate. This contrast is down the mine owners and how well they treat their men and how much they pay. The author deals with the mining conditions, contrasts and how the men are seen very well, a little lean towards the political thoughts of the time but done in a wonderful way as to show the differences.
The story is such a wonderful one to delve into and it was no time before I found myself caught up with the dreams and hopes of Tommy and Josie. Both wanting so much more out of their lives, not wanting to live the same lives as their parents, or grandparents because that is what has always happened. Hope and dreams can be productive as they provide a goal to work towards, but they can also be destructive. The author weaves a tale that delves into the expectations of parents for their children, as well as the dreams and hopes of their offspring.
I loved this story a lot, it is a wonderfully written and it was an absolute pleasure to read. The author has some wonderful descriptions of the settings and they added to the overall feeling of being well researched. This is a story that deals with heartache, loss, working conditions but is so well balanced with hope, friendship and two friends wanting more from life.
If you are a fan of historical fiction and romance then I think you will really enjoy this book, it was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it.
The main two characters are Tommy and Josie, two young people from different villages who gradually form a friendship that will take them into the new century of 1900. The setting of the mines in Yorkshire provides a stark backdrop not only to Tommy and Josie but also everyone connected with the story. This makes friendships valuable as the unknown life or death existence in the mines are a constant reality and so the friendship between the two is a valuable thing. It is something that adds a spark of hope to Tommy life while working in the pit. For Josie, it adds a worry.
I like how the author has tackled the story of two villages, two mines and two different owners. She has successfully created a story that also shows the differences between life. One village has a more prosperous feel to it, even though things are still tight, there is just a better feel to it. The other village feels more dark and desperate. This contrast is down the mine owners and how well they treat their men and how much they pay. The author deals with the mining conditions, contrasts and how the men are seen very well, a little lean towards the political thoughts of the time but done in a wonderful way as to show the differences.
The story is such a wonderful one to delve into and it was no time before I found myself caught up with the dreams and hopes of Tommy and Josie. Both wanting so much more out of their lives, not wanting to live the same lives as their parents, or grandparents because that is what has always happened. Hope and dreams can be productive as they provide a goal to work towards, but they can also be destructive. The author weaves a tale that delves into the expectations of parents for their children, as well as the dreams and hopes of their offspring.
I loved this story a lot, it is a wonderfully written and it was an absolute pleasure to read. The author has some wonderful descriptions of the settings and they added to the overall feeling of being well researched. This is a story that deals with heartache, loss, working conditions but is so well balanced with hope, friendship and two friends wanting more from life.
If you are a fan of historical fiction and romance then I think you will really enjoy this book, it was a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend it.
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