The Secrets of the Lake

by Liz Trenow

The Secrets of the Lake is a gripping wartime novel, by the author of The Silk Weaver, Liz Trenow.

'Masterful storytelling, immersive locations, and characters that inhabit your heart from the first page' – Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife.

The war may be over, but for Molly life is still in turmoil. Uprooted from London after the death of her mother, Molly, her father and younger brother Jimmy are starting again in a quiet village in the countryside of Colchester. As summer sets in, the heat is almost as oppressive as the village gossip. Molly dreams of becoming a journalist, finding a voice in the world, but most of the time must act as Jimmy’s carer. At just ten years old he is Molly’s shadow, following her around the village as she falls under the spell of local boy Kit. Kit is clever, funny and a natural-born rebel. Rowing on the waters of the lake with him becomes Molly’s escape from domestic duty. But there is something Kit is not telling Molly.

As the village gossip starts building up with whispers against Molly’s father over missing church funds, everything Molly thought she knew is turned upside down. And on one stormy night, when she sneaks out of the house to try to put things right, Jimmy vanishes. Never to be seen again.

Decades later, Molly is an elderly woman in sheltered housing, still haunted by the disappearance of her brother. When two police officers arrive to say that the remains of a body have been found at the bottom of the lake, it seems like Molly will at long last have her answer . . .

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction, Mystery

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2021

About the author

Liz Trenow's family have been silk weavers for nearly three hundred years, and the company is one of only three still operating in the UK today, weaving for top-end fashion houses and royal commissions.

It is this remarkable silk heritage that has inspired many of Liz's four novels, including the most recent The Silk Weaver (UK pub Jan 2017) It will be published in the US as The Hidden Thread in May 2017.

It is set in London in the 1760s in the very house in which the family company began, just down the road from where the pre-eminent silk designer Anna Maria Garthwaite lived at the same time. It is the unknown early life of Anna Maria that has inspired the plot, set against the historical backdrop of racial tension and industrial unrest.

With beautiful illustrations of Anna Maria designs throughout, this will be a book to treasure.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Widower Reverend John Goddard accepts a job at the Wormley parish in Colchester, it's a change of scene for his teenage daughter Molly and a ten year son Jimmy. Molly’s very unhappy, she lost her mother Sarah a year ago, her father is struggling from the loss of his wife and his experiences during WW II.

Molly dreams of being a journalist, she spends a lot of time minding her brother Jimmy and he has downs syndrome. Jimmy's a sweet boy, he loves the country and he has a tendency to wander off. Christopher Waddington attends school in London, he returns home to the manor during school holidays and in the summer. Kit’s clever, funny and very kind to Jimmy. Kit takes them both out in his new row boat the Robin on the lake and Jimmy loves it.

Money has gone missing from one of the church accounts, being new Reverend Goddard is the main suspect and for his family everything starts to spiral out of control. One stormy night Molly decides to visit Kit late, her father and brother are asleep. The next morning Jimmy doesn’t come down for breakfast, he’s not in his bed and has he wandered off? The Police are called in, they search the area, they find no sign of Jimmy and of course they question Molly and Kit.

Years later Molly is an old lady, a successful children’s writer and still haunted by her little brother’s disappearance. Two police officers arrive to tell her they have found some bones in the bottom of the lake in Wormley, they request a DNA sample and Molly's sure they have finally found her little brother.

The story looks back at life in the village all those years ago, the legend of the medieval dragon, how fascinated Jimmy was by the ancient mystical tale and the events leading up to him going missing. The village had some interesting characters, dynamics and secrets, I really liked Eli Chadwick the local gravedigger and he was lovely man.
I received a copy of The Secrets Of The Lake from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful read that includes some of the first words of the childrens’ book the main character built her professional life on which is rather nice. There is some intrigue but nothing gut wrenching.

It’s 2019 Molly Goddard is an accomplished author now 84 is living quietly in a retirement village. On this particular day a visit from the Police brings flooding memories back and some that she doesn't want to revisit again. However circumstances are that with the visit from the Police she feels compelled to return to the village where just after the end of WW2 her father was given a posting as the Vicar of the Church at Wormley, a small village.

The story goes back in time when Molly is a teenager, just fourteen years old and her brother is ten. Sadly for this family their mother has just recently passed away and it's particularly difficult for Molly as she is the main carer for Jimmy who has a mental disability. He is much loved and her mother had instilled in her to love and respect him and challenge his learning ability, his physical appearance is his only difference. Fortunately in the country the vicarage has a housekeeper/cook, Mrs Diamond who has high regard for her position and “she would arrive just after breakfast and whip like a whirlwind throughout the house with her carpet cleaner, duster and polish, before settling into the kitchen to cook up a daily banquet of good, plain food”.

Still coming to terms of his war experience where he obviously still suffers with PTSD Reverend Goddard has managed to put most of it behind him and with Molly and Jimmy in schools he looks forward to new beginnings even though he is mindful that the initial rosiness will probably wear off and sadly within only a short time he finds himself embroiled in a church scandal, not of his own doing but church funds are missing. Alongside of this Molly becomes aware that the woodlands that are part of the church grounds developer Henry Blackman, treasurer and co-signatory on church accounts wants this land for development but at the present moment an old hermit lives there without a tenancy. Many of the events that follow are tied to Blackman, he is determined to get what he wants. Molly and Jimmy have become friends with the old hermit Eli and when approaching her father with her concerns, while the woodlands are not up for sale, it seems he has been blind sided on the matter.

Molly and Jimmy make great friends with the village children and in particular with Christopher Waddington (Kit) whose family through war have inherited a manor house with its wonderful grounds and large lake. Kit becomes a great mate to Jimmy and Molly has a crush on him; together they often head out on the lake with the family boat and on the occasion of Kit’s birthday a new wood and canvas boat (canoe?) given to him from his father makes for great excitement. However, as events escalate with Molly and her crush on Kit she starts to sideline her brother to take part in more adventurous activities and as a teenager just doesn’t want Jimmy to hang around her. Sadly this plays a part in the disappearance of Jimmy and is the part of her life 84 year old Molly has blocked from her memory, Jimmy’s body was never found. Her father had a total breakdown and was taken to hospital, the lost funds were discovered to be taken by others and revelations from Kit bring her some peace of mind and understanding of their relationship.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit the locations in the novel


The story is beguiling and very unique but add in the setting and the legend that inspired it and you have quite the novel. Liz always writes strong settings and immerses her fascinating characters into situations compelling to read about. This novel really grabbed me in the way that there is so much to enjoy and you can tell the research that has gone into it, yet it remains flowing, easy to read and utterly immersive.

The mystery around a local church, a missing boy and the role of a sister as his carer really tugged at the heart strings. You really feel for Molly and her brother as the characters are fully fleshed out and capture your attention from the off.

Always a good read when you pick up a Liz Trenow novel.

[Louise Fein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Secrets of the Lake! Liz Trenow’s writing pulled me in from the first page to the last. This atmospheric book is, on the surface, gently beguiling and evocative, but beneath float sinister undertones. Jimmy was a delight and my sympathies were with Molly from the beginning. The fusion of local legend into the plot, and the story Molly wrote for Jimmy, were both clever and charming. I loved it, right up to the poignant end. A really wonderful novel I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely but sad tale which I really enjoyed. A story that grips the reader and stays with them afterwards. Life in a picturesque village has a dark side with tragic results.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book by Liz Trenow before so was unprepared for how captivating her writing was. I do enjoy historical fiction and found when reading this that I was experiencing real life in 1940s rural England. It felt very authentic. A very small part of it took place in modern day and whilst interesting it was younger Molly’s story I enjoyed the most.

Molly has moved with her father and younger brother to the country, her father is the new vicar, her mother dead and she has to spend much of her time looking after her younger brother who had disabilities. As you would expect she often resented being his carer but was devoted to him and wanted him to settle in and be happy in his new life. I loved everything about Molly, her devotion to her family, her friendship towards Eli, her crush on Kit, her first book, which the reader could read within the novel, and her refusal to feel intimidated by Blackmore. It was a shame that there wasn’t more who were willing to stand up to the man, I found him despicable.

Alongside the main storyline, which is difficult to say much about because of spoilers there was also one which showed Molly’s increasing passion for wildlife and nature. Something which she never had the opportunity to experience when living in London. Sadly, many areas like this have been lost to property development, just like in the novel.

I loved this novel, it portrayed a wonderful example of a family struggling with grief caused by family loss and also what life must have been like for many after their experiences during the war.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liz Trenow’s new novel, The Secrets of the Lake, opens in the spring of 2019 where we meet Molly Goddard. She is old now and living in an assisted living complex but the events of summer 1950 still haunt her. They are difficult to let go and put to bed and who could blame her given the tragic and unknown circumstances. For during that long, hot, endless summer an incident occurred that changed her life. On the night of a terrible storm which had been brewing for days, her beloved brother Johnny disappeared never to be seen or heard from again. The specific details regarding this disappearance have never become crystal clear and even though many years have passed the guilt still eats away at Molly. Could she have done more to prevent the incident? Why does she feel so guilty? How could she have let her beloved brother down who needed her so much, in such a disastrous impactful way? But now new evidence has come to light. Bones have been found in the depths of what was once a lake but has now been cleared for new pipes to be laid by a water company. Could these remains be those of Jimmy having laid there for so many years?

Molly has tried to supress the memories she has of that summer but at times they threaten to overwhelm her. For it was not just Jimmy’s disappearance that meant life changed. It also set her father John, who was a vicar, on a path of self-destruction, the seeds of which had already been sewn thanks to various events in the village connected to his church. My initial impressions were that Molly actually did know what had happened to Jimmy and that she was hiding a major secret. She couldn’t even tell her daughter Bella what had led up to that night. Maybe I was being far too hasty in my judgements given it was only the beginning of the book but the way it was written gave off that impression. I could have been wide off the mark but this only made me even more keen to read on, I was eager to read after the first intriguing chapter to find out was I right?

The story is interspersed with chapters from Molly’s book, The Ugly Dragon. She had later gone on to become a successful children’s novelist but said story had never been published. Instead it had been begun over that fateful summer specifically written for Jimmy. I loved how The Ugly Dragon tied in so beautifully with the overall themes explored in the book and also connected so effortlessly to the stained glass window in the church. It could have been just too mythical, fanciful and over the top but instead it was interwoven into the plot to perfection and added an extra welcome layer to the story. I felt the chapters from Molly’s story offered a sense of lightness when things in her real life got too much and there were lessons to be learned from the dragon’s tale that could be applied in her life and those of the residents of Wormley.

Part Two sees the reader taken back to December 1950, where Molly then aged 14 and her brother and father are newly arrived to the village of Wormley. They are only getting used to life without their mother and John is finding life challenging. Settling into a new parish takes time and his nerves are not the best having suffered working as an army chaplain during WW2. I felt although Molly was so young she, perhaps unbeknownst to herself, took on the role of matriarch of the family. She was constantly on alert, always looking out for both her father and brother. She thought too much of what other grown ups thought of her when she should be living and enjoying her own childhood.

There is nothing specifically mentioned until much later in the book but you get the sense that Jimmy needs to be looked out and cared for. That he views the world differently to others and takes things at face value rather than being able to interpret things in a more meaningful and comprehensive way. Anything that is said he takes it as being literal. Molly is his protector but really should she have been expected to take on that role despite the sibling love she has for him? The love Molly has for Jimmy shines through but as summer approaches a love/infatuation of her own takes over and you sense that at times she tries to break away from the pressures, responsibilities and burdens that she has taken on. Someone that young shouldn’t have to live like this and you wonder did she take on these challenges unnecessarily? Should she just be free to explore this new and interesting friendship that she has found instead of endlessly worrying about her father, his state of mind and the lurking secrets and apprehension that surrounds his new job?

The author does a wonderful job of setting the scene and introducing a whole range of characters. There is Kit, the son of the Waddington’s who live at Wormley Hall. Kit becomes the apple of Molly’s eye and she can never understand why he blows so hot and cold. He intrigues and unsettles her with his arrogance but yet at times he can be sensitive and funny. There are periods of absence when he is way at school and when he returns it is like everything is wonderful but still she can’t fully reach him. His signals are misleading and for a young girl in the first flushes of what she perceives to be love this is confusing and hurtful. Molly can’t stop thinking about him. Everything about him is tinged with excitement and he makes her realise her own life is tame and dull. But the times spent with Kit and his friends near the lake bring fun and laughter to a life that has become increasingly fraught with tension, worry and anxiety. I thought Molly was more aware of adult issues that perhaps she should have been and I questioned whether she regretted taking on the role within her family that she had.

Eli is the gravedigger who lives in a hut in the forest. He is an unusual soul who has suffered trauma in his life, he likes to keep himself to himself and away from those that could cause unnecessary trouble or stress in his life. Molly and Jimmy strike up a friendship with him with perhaps Jimmy finding a kindred soul who really does understand him. But Henry Blackman, the church treasurer who is also a property developer, does not view Eli in the same way and in fact is a character who was very dark right from his introduction. He is an operator, secretive and insidious, and he creates such an unsettled feeling whenever he appears or is mentioned in the book. There are many twists and turns that occur that maybe the reader does not actually see as such as you read through the middle section of the book. But the feeling of apprehension and unease increases as the chapters pass by. The use of the weather really heightens the emotions being felt by the characters as things begin to unravel. The days pass by, the heat intensifies and the outside world becomes stifling and challenging. There is a sense of desperation surrounding Molly as she knows she has taken on an adult role and is trying to fight a cause best left to the adults. Although given her nature she can’t stand by and watch injustice being served on many levels.

Liz Trenow has written a story that draws you in right from the beginning. It’s packed full of mystery and explores a childhood that had the potential to be idyllic but things went out of her control and fell apart despite her efforts to rectify things if at all possible. The last few chapters were tantalising as the truth edges ever closer. There was a sense of ambiguity which could have left readers with so many questions but I think overall the ending was well done. The Secrets of the Lake is well worth a read and I would love if the author continued to write stories of this nature with a good solid storyline, interesting characters and a mystery at its centre.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters in the book, especially Molly and Jimmy, but overall I felt it was rather disappointing. The blurb on the back cover tells most of the story and I just felt a bit underwhelmed when I'd finished it. It's got a beautiful cover though. 6 out of 10

[Sarah - Sarah's Vignettes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review can be found at sarahsvignettes.wordpress.com

I was thrilled to be invited to read and review The Secrets of the Lake as part of this blog tour. I love Liz Trenow's writing, having discovered it for the first time last year when I read and loved Under a Wartime Sky. I am delighted to say I loved The Secrets of the Lake too, and it was everything I hoped it would be!

The Secrets of the Lake is an historical fiction novel - set in 1950's Colchester, bookended by the present day. The story begins in 2019, with 84-year-old Molly receiving a visit from the police who have new information about her brother Jimmy's disappearance from a village in Colchester in 1950. Following this, Molly asks her daughter Bella to take her back to the village one last time. Whilst there, Molly recounts a story from her past that she has never shared.

It was an absolute delight to spend time with The Secrets of the Lake and Molly Goddard - as her 16-year-old self and as an octogenarian. Moving with her father and 10-year-old brother to the village from London was supposed to be a fresh start. However, both the village and its inhabitants have secrets that Molly and her family cannot escape. I loved Molly and felt sorry for her. She was left to care for her brother Jimmy whilst her father was looking after the parish. At sixteen, she has to be a mother to Jimmy and support her father, which didn't leave her much time for herself. She seeks solace in school and her friendship with a local boy, Kit.

Molly is an inspiring writer and writes a story for Jimmy about a dragon based on a village legend. This is Molly's way of making sense of others actions and events going on around her. She shares these chapters with us throughout the story. I thought this was a great addition to the story.

Reading The Secrets of the Lake was effortless, which is a testament to Liz Trenow's skill as a writer. It is an accomplished novel, as I knew it would be from reading Under A Wartime Sky. Liz Trenow has carefully plotted the story to ensure the present and the past weave seamlessly together. It is also beautifully written, and I was pulled in from the beginning. The story is atmospheric with trouble bubbling under the surface - it ripples all the way through to the end.

I loved everything about The Secrets of the Lake and I highly recommend it!

My thanks to the publisher for sending me a paperback copy of the book in return for this honest review.

[Joanna Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secrets Of The Lake is an atmospheric, absorbing dual timeline read from one of my favourite authors.

As always I felt completely drawn into the story and into Molly’s life. The author’s brilliant descriptions helped put me into the story and into the sleepy village that Molly’s family go to life in. I felt I could envision the beautiful countryside and the lake so well that I could almost feel the cold water myself. The village is definitely an interesting place which seems an idyllic place to live but which quickly becomes apparent has some sinister undercurrents in it. I really enjoyed learning more about the village and getting to know the eclectic mix of villagers that live there.

Molly was a fantastic main character who I quickly grew to like and felt a great deal of sympathy with. My favourite character had to be Jimmy who was easy to fall in love with and through him it was interesting to see the attitudes of the time towards people with learning disabilities. My heart hurt to read about how awful people were towards him and how much Molly had to protect him.

Overall I thought this was a well written story that just flowed beautifully. The story is interspersed with bits of a children’s book that Molly had written for Jimmy about some of the local folklore that surrounds the village. This helped add a different quality to the book that was almost magical and made the book a fantastic read. I will be definitely be recommending this book to all fans of dual timeline historical fiction or just anyone looking for a brilliant read.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this book.

[Denise Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the Second World War, Molly moves to the countryside with her younger brother and her father, who has a new job a the village vicar. Struggling to settle in, she makes friends with Kit who lives in the big hall and Eli, a recluse, living in a shepherd’s hut in the woodland. Not long after her arrival, her father is accused of stealing from the church funds by the treasurer, who is feared by many of the villagers.

The book begins in the present day with the police having discovered human bones in the lake. From the beginning we are aware that Jimmy disappeared, was never found and is now suspected to have drowned. Throughout the whole book I was just waiting to hear about his disappearance. There were several false alarms of course, when he just wandered off on his own, but this expectation meant that when he finally did disappear it didn’t have the impact it should have done. The story was ok but it didn’t grip me.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tractor Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for a preview of this book in return for a honest review

Yet again Liz Trenow weaves a intriguing story with wonderful characters you can visualise in your minds eye.

After the war and the untimely death of their mother, Molly and her young brother Jimmy who has learning disabilities move with their father a Vicar to a village on the Essex /Suffolk border called Wormley. A fascinating local legend of a dragon in the local lake takes an interesting part of their first summer in the countryside. Molly and Jimmy make friends with an elderly gentleman Eli who lives in an old shepherds hut in the woods of the church.

Lots of twists and turns in the lives of the locals, Molly's father is suspected of syphoning off church funds, and at the same time young Jimmy goes missing.

The book is about their childhood and memories of Molly as she is in her twilight years.

[mrsbookburnee Niamh Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes there are books that just make your heart melt and this was one of those books ❤️

I never read post war fiction, this will now be changing and I have already added the authors other books to my to buy list.

I was so excited to read that this was set literally down the road from me, even mentioning a hospital that my mum worked at years ago.

I read this in a matter of hours, the authors writing style flowed beautifully, I couldn’t stop once I had started.

The relationship between Molly, her family, and her friends were endearing and I loved reading what they got up to and the bonds that the left.

The ‘stories’ within the story were such a lovely touch and I loved the illustrations.

Such a lovely lovely story, which whilst it does have some sad scenes, it manages to be uplifting aswell.

I highly recommend this to any fans of historical fiction.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

[Sara (thebookwebb) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely book, that I read on a rainy Sunday. From the perfect descriptive account of life in a sleepy, post-war, village to the cast of interesting characters, this book is perfect for fans of historical fiction. Add into the mix a conniving villain and a mysterious disappearance, and you have the perfect rainy day cosy mystery. I also really liked the inclusion of a character with downs syndrome and an insight into how people who were ‘different’ were treated in this era. The story flowed nicely and the the addition of the children’s story that Molly wrote for her brother, woven throughout the book was a lovely touch that gave the story an almost magical feel. This was a heart-warming yet emotional book, that I am so glad I got to read, even if it did cause me to shed a tear towards the end.

This was a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a wonderful evocative read, The story starts in 2019 when Molly dreams of her little brother who was so special in so many ways. He loved anyone who showed him the slightest kindness but his life was beset with problems and he needed care and support in everyday life. When Molly awakens from her dream she is brought back to the reality that her brother went missing so many years ago when they were children and that the police are coming to talk to her and to ask her to remember those awful events. The majority of the book is set around her childhood and her time in a small parish where her father was the local vicar. Some of it is idilic and some not so. The book is well written and the characters are brought to life with the descriptions of their day to day lives. I loved it

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
The Secrets of the Lake follows young Molly who lives in a fictional village near Colchester, which is home to a host of believable characters. Well written with revelations and secrets revealed at a good pace. A dual timeline plot, mainly focusing in the after wars years but with a plot about older Molly in the background. My only niggle, was that I didn’t feel that younger Molly was written as though she was a child; she still came across as much older. But aside from that, an enjoyable read which would appeal to fans of Lucinda Riley.

[Angela Soames · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book after listening to Liz Trenow talk at the Suffolk East Women's Institute Lunch.
Also being from Suffolk, but a difference part I was fascinated by the Dragon folklore story. I had never heard of it before and this made me want to read the book.
The book I really enjoyed and liked how the Dragon story was written into the story of Molly when she was a young girl.
I loved the descriptions of the Countryside and the comparison's to Molly's previous home life in London, being from the Country (but still a bit of a townie) I think you take some of the beauty for granted.
The story you knew wasn't going to turn out well, but it could have been worse!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointingly thin plot. Molly is a lonely 14-year-old, moved from 1950 London to an Essex village when her vicar father is given a living there. Having done a similar move in 1965 as a 13-year-old, I think the author has underplayed the culture shock.
We learn in the first few pages that Molly's disabled brother disappeared, and almost certainly died. Some plot strands are reminiscent of the much better Elizabeth Is Missing. The contemporary chapters are rather dull.

[joan caryl jewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from this Author

What a wonderful book this is, I have really enjoyed it.

It is the story of Mollie, her younger brother, who has Downes Syndrome and her Vicar father as they move to a new parish.
Her mother has earlier died of cancer and she has the responsibility of looking after her beloved brother Jimmy.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the Essex Book Festival, where Liz gave a fascinating talk, filling in the background to this moving, rather sad tale of a young girl, her father, her brother. The framing device gives some sort of closure, too. The sense of period, and place, is strongly suggested.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book really slow to get started. I read the reviews and they were all glowing, so I hung in there, and it did pick up towards the end. I didn't find it as amazing as a lot of reviewers.....the fact it took me 9 days to finish it, shows how much it drew me in......

[Lesley Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

Another great story by Liz Trenow which kept me captivated from the beginning. The different lives of the village came together with the imaginary dragon and her love for her family throughout the story.

[Steve Candler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story with some atmosphere of woods and myths. I felt it was a bit on the light side, didn’t grips me as much as I always hope a book will do. The mixture of past and present is very Lucinda Riley or Kate Moss. Worth a read, not my best recent read.

[Zoe Calloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shocked me as its not my normal sort of style I like to read.
I enjoyed it very much as didn't get the full story till late on which was fantastic.

[Lynda Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting read. Unusual and unpredictable. Well worth a read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable. I thoroughly enjoyed this - well paced, strong characters.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and repetitive.

[Alison J Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story set just after the 2nd war, lovely setting, lovely characters & a few twists along the way.

[Anne-Marie Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely well crafted story. It beautifully tells the story of each character and describes them in detail. The way that each person on the story intertwines is a lovely piece of prose