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Den skjulte dagbog
Familiemysterier og chokerende hemmeligheder, rørende venskaber og modige kvinder, som har sat tydelige aftryk under 2. Verdenskrig. Anna Stuart væver fortid og nutid sammen i sine hjerteskærende og velresearchede romaner.
Lorna Haynes sørger over sin afdøde mand, og hjembyen Norwich i det østlige England minder hende konstant om det ulykkelige tab. Derfor beslutter hun sig for at lægge Norwich bag sig og flytte med sine to sønner til landsbyen Latham, hvor familien har arvet et skovløberhus.
Til skovløberboligen hører et anneks, og da Lorna træder indenfor, synes hun med et at være kastet tilbage til 1940erne. Skjult i et toiletbord finder Lorna en rød, læderindbunden dagbog. Den første optegnelse er dateret d. 16. juni 1945: ”Mit navn er Nancy Jones. Og jeg har en hemmelighed …”
Lorna suges ind i Nancys historie og møder her en stærk kvinde, der også har lidt tab. Kan dagbogen hjælpe Lorna ud af sorgen, og vil hun mon lære Nancys hemmelighed at kende?
Lorna Haynes sørger over sin afdøde mand, og hjembyen Norwich i det østlige England minder hende konstant om det ulykkelige tab. Derfor beslutter hun sig for at lægge Norwich bag sig og flytte med sine to sønner til landsbyen Latham, hvor familien har arvet et skovløberhus.
Til skovløberboligen hører et anneks, og da Lorna træder indenfor, synes hun med et at være kastet tilbage til 1940erne. Skjult i et toiletbord finder Lorna en rød, læderindbunden dagbog. Den første optegnelse er dateret d. 16. juni 1945: ”Mit navn er Nancy Jones. Og jeg har en hemmelighed …”
Lorna suges ind i Nancys historie og møder her en stærk kvinde, der også har lidt tab. Kan dagbogen hjælpe Lorna ud af sorgen, og vil hun mon lære Nancys hemmelighed at kende?
322 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2021
1343 people are currently reading
1780 people want to read
About the author
Anna Stuart
29 books624 followersI wanted to be an author from the moment I could pick up a pen and was writing boarding-school novels by the age of nine. I made the early mistake of thinking I ought to get a ‘proper job’ and went into Factory Planning – a career that gave me some wonderful experiences, amazing friends and even a fantastic husband, but didn’t offer much creative scope. So when I stopped to have children I took the chance to start the ‘improper job’ of writing. During the baby years I wrote in the brief gaps provided by sleeps, playschools and obliging grandparents, publishing short stories and serials in all the women’s magazines.
But my ultimate aim was to write longer fiction and several years ago I published a series of successful historical novels under the pseudonym Joanna Courtney. I will continue to publish under that name but am delighted, as Anna Stuart, to also be able to write contemporary fiction. Bonnie and Stan is a true to life romance set in both the present day and sixties Liverpool and Four Minutes to Save a Life is a domestic drama about how small acts of kindness might just change the world!
But my ultimate aim was to write longer fiction and several years ago I published a series of successful historical novels under the pseudonym Joanna Courtney. I will continue to publish under that name but am delighted, as Anna Stuart, to also be able to write contemporary fiction. Bonnie and Stan is a true to life romance set in both the present day and sixties Liverpool and Four Minutes to Save a Life is a domestic drama about how small acts of kindness might just change the world!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
July 29, 2021
A hidden diary, a room, a cottage, brings about a merger between the past, of the 1940s into the present. Lorna Haynes, has recently lost her beloved husband, Matt. She and her two sons need to escape Norwich, where the memories of Matt pervade her every thought. With her children in tow, Lorna heads to Latham, where her mother, newly married to David have inherited The Gameskeeper's Cottage. It is a chance for Lorna and the boys to get away and start searching for some peace. It is in the annex of the cottage that Lorna discovers the red leather covered diary with the introduction of "My name is Nancy Jones. ....and I have a secret."
It is through this diary, that we learn of Nancy, and her friends, former ack ack girls whose job it was to fire at the Nazi planes that pervaded their town. It was a job never thought to be held by women but the scarcity of men out fighting the war in Europe and other environs, left the job to the girls. However, now the war is over, and for Nancy and her friends facing the "back to the real world" challenge was a trying ordeal. No longer were they content with the former life of being a housewife, a stay-at-home mother and other things considered "women's work" and Nancy knows that part of the world is not for her. As she and her husband Joe return to the family's home, Nancy finds herself as a part of the battle between new and old. She knows she is ever so proficient with a gun and could be a true asset to the family's job of gamekeepers, but the men, particularly her father-in-law are extremely opposed. Nancy feels hemmed in. She wants to be Joe's wife but struggles greatly with the choice she seems to be forced to make and as she pours out her heart in the diary, Nancy reveals many inner thoughts and desires, plus one large secret, she and her ack ack girlfriends have between them.
As Lorna becomes entrenched in the words of the diary, we get to relive both of the ladies' lives, their hopes and dreams and of course their sorrows. Lorna is ever so anxious to get to the end of this diary, but finds the last few pages have been ripped out. The diary has so consumed her thoughts, that she is determined to find an ending, to track down these former ack ack girls and find an ending. However, so many years have passed that it is doubtful any of the girls are still alive, but Lorna must try.
I enjoyed the story and felt the author did a fine job of merging the past with the present with a bit of mystery and suspense tucked within its pages. Thank you to Anna Stuart, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this story due out August 3, 2021.
It is through this diary, that we learn of Nancy, and her friends, former ack ack girls whose job it was to fire at the Nazi planes that pervaded their town. It was a job never thought to be held by women but the scarcity of men out fighting the war in Europe and other environs, left the job to the girls. However, now the war is over, and for Nancy and her friends facing the "back to the real world" challenge was a trying ordeal. No longer were they content with the former life of being a housewife, a stay-at-home mother and other things considered "women's work" and Nancy knows that part of the world is not for her. As she and her husband Joe return to the family's home, Nancy finds herself as a part of the battle between new and old. She knows she is ever so proficient with a gun and could be a true asset to the family's job of gamekeepers, but the men, particularly her father-in-law are extremely opposed. Nancy feels hemmed in. She wants to be Joe's wife but struggles greatly with the choice she seems to be forced to make and as she pours out her heart in the diary, Nancy reveals many inner thoughts and desires, plus one large secret, she and her ack ack girlfriends have between them.
As Lorna becomes entrenched in the words of the diary, we get to relive both of the ladies' lives, their hopes and dreams and of course their sorrows. Lorna is ever so anxious to get to the end of this diary, but finds the last few pages have been ripped out. The diary has so consumed her thoughts, that she is determined to find an ending, to track down these former ack ack girls and find an ending. However, so many years have passed that it is doubtful any of the girls are still alive, but Lorna must try.
I enjoyed the story and felt the author did a fine job of merging the past with the present with a bit of mystery and suspense tucked within its pages. Thank you to Anna Stuart, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this story due out August 3, 2021.
May 29, 2022
“Two women. One house. And a secret that spans decades…”
Whoa! Don’t take those tissues away, I’m not quite cried out just yet!
Happy tears, sad tears, who knows where one ends and the other begins!
Two wonderfully evocative, dual timeline tales, told in the voices of Nancy from 1945/6 and Lorna from the present day, both set in the lovely Norfolk countryside, with a quintessentially English ‘chocolate-box’ cottage at their heart. Nancy’s diaries, hidden for decades, help to tell her side of the story, through the capable voice of Lorna, for whom they are a healing and cathartic release from her own recent sense of loss and desolation. The unfolding saga is an important piece of cultural and societal history, an evolving love story which transcends time and generations, and a rich sense of family which held me close, welcomed me in and which I didn’t want to leave.
After a devastating loss, which has left Lorna a lone parent to her two young sons, they have gone to recover and begin the healing process, at the home of her mother and her new husband in rural Norfolk. The cottage has been in step-father David’s family since back before WWII (Nancy, it transpires, was his mother), and in fact, the separate annex where Lorna and the boys are to stay, hasn’t been decorated since then and still boasts all its original fixtures from Nancy’s day. History teacher Lorna discovers a secret drawer, in which she finds Nancy’s post-war diary. The ensuing journey of enlightenment for the entire family, is what forms the basis of this truly engaging storyline, with all its twists and turns and long-buried secrets. The complexities of the investigations help to begin the healing process for Lorna, as she learns that Nancy’s homecoming from her wartime service duties, as she tries to fit back into a woman’s role in peacetime, is every bit as fraught as her own journey of loss. But as two strong, resourceful and resilient women, divided by time alone, Nancy and Lorna prevail in spectacular fashion.
This complex, multi-layered story, is beautifully structured and richly textured, yet written with the lightest of touches and guiding hands by an author who knows exactly where she is leading her readers on their journey and just how many tears many of them are likely to shed along the way! Rich in atmosphere and offering a genuine sense of time and place, this is a real story to escape into. Anna is an author who is undoubtedly also a consummate storyteller, whose fluent way with words and descriptive style of writing, adds a unique depth and range to her work and keeps the dual timeline changes, clean and seamless. At the same time, she has an assured ease and confidence in her writing style and narrative, which makes the reading experience profoundly touching, visually descriptive and captures the emotion of those ‘heart and humour’ moments wonderfully.
Anna has created an engaging, multi-faceted cast of characters, from both time zones, who are completely relatable, well defined and developed, and in whom I was totally invested. They have been afforded a strong voice to tell their own story, which they do with some genuinely believable dialogue and in an addictive style, keeping true to the era. Anna has not been afraid to expose their individual emotional complexities and vulnerabilities, and their divergent family dynamics, which are dealt with sympathetically and with some excellent interpersonal interactions.
The promise of renewed hope going forwards, for those who dare to dream – thanks to those who have dreamed and been brave before us!
I read for many good reasons, which generally encompass all the ‘e’s: enjoyment, entertainment, escapism, emotion, education and engagement, and I really don't consider it too disingenuous of me to include enjoyment amongst those thoughts. Seldom does a single book meet all of these criteria in equal proportions, leave me wanting more and sad to have closed that final page – until now! Add to that: heart-breaking, heart-warming, uplifting and inspirational and you are still only beginning to scratch the surface of all the emotions this lovely story evoked.
Whoa! Don’t take those tissues away, I’m not quite cried out just yet!
Happy tears, sad tears, who knows where one ends and the other begins!
Two wonderfully evocative, dual timeline tales, told in the voices of Nancy from 1945/6 and Lorna from the present day, both set in the lovely Norfolk countryside, with a quintessentially English ‘chocolate-box’ cottage at their heart. Nancy’s diaries, hidden for decades, help to tell her side of the story, through the capable voice of Lorna, for whom they are a healing and cathartic release from her own recent sense of loss and desolation. The unfolding saga is an important piece of cultural and societal history, an evolving love story which transcends time and generations, and a rich sense of family which held me close, welcomed me in and which I didn’t want to leave.
After a devastating loss, which has left Lorna a lone parent to her two young sons, they have gone to recover and begin the healing process, at the home of her mother and her new husband in rural Norfolk. The cottage has been in step-father David’s family since back before WWII (Nancy, it transpires, was his mother), and in fact, the separate annex where Lorna and the boys are to stay, hasn’t been decorated since then and still boasts all its original fixtures from Nancy’s day. History teacher Lorna discovers a secret drawer, in which she finds Nancy’s post-war diary. The ensuing journey of enlightenment for the entire family, is what forms the basis of this truly engaging storyline, with all its twists and turns and long-buried secrets. The complexities of the investigations help to begin the healing process for Lorna, as she learns that Nancy’s homecoming from her wartime service duties, as she tries to fit back into a woman’s role in peacetime, is every bit as fraught as her own journey of loss. But as two strong, resourceful and resilient women, divided by time alone, Nancy and Lorna prevail in spectacular fashion.
This complex, multi-layered story, is beautifully structured and richly textured, yet written with the lightest of touches and guiding hands by an author who knows exactly where she is leading her readers on their journey and just how many tears many of them are likely to shed along the way! Rich in atmosphere and offering a genuine sense of time and place, this is a real story to escape into. Anna is an author who is undoubtedly also a consummate storyteller, whose fluent way with words and descriptive style of writing, adds a unique depth and range to her work and keeps the dual timeline changes, clean and seamless. At the same time, she has an assured ease and confidence in her writing style and narrative, which makes the reading experience profoundly touching, visually descriptive and captures the emotion of those ‘heart and humour’ moments wonderfully.
Anna has created an engaging, multi-faceted cast of characters, from both time zones, who are completely relatable, well defined and developed, and in whom I was totally invested. They have been afforded a strong voice to tell their own story, which they do with some genuinely believable dialogue and in an addictive style, keeping true to the era. Anna has not been afraid to expose their individual emotional complexities and vulnerabilities, and their divergent family dynamics, which are dealt with sympathetically and with some excellent interpersonal interactions.
The promise of renewed hope going forwards, for those who dare to dream – thanks to those who have dreamed and been brave before us!
I read for many good reasons, which generally encompass all the ‘e’s: enjoyment, entertainment, escapism, emotion, education and engagement, and I really don't consider it too disingenuous of me to include enjoyment amongst those thoughts. Seldom does a single book meet all of these criteria in equal proportions, leave me wanting more and sad to have closed that final page – until now! Add to that: heart-breaking, heart-warming, uplifting and inspirational and you are still only beginning to scratch the surface of all the emotions this lovely story evoked.
March 2, 2022
This is a Historical Fiction with dual timelines (one present day that follows Lorna and one post WWII that is told from a diary that Nancy wrote). I have to say this book pulled me in from the beginning, and it kept me wanting to keep reading. I found that normally when Historical Fiction books has dual timelines I will like one of the storylines better then the other, but I loved both of this books timelines. I really love all the characters, but I think Nancy was my favorite character. Great book that will take you on a wild heartwarming story of friendship and moving on. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Bookouture) or author (Anna Stuart) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
August 7, 2021
Historian and school teacher Lorna Haynes and her two young children, Charlie and Stan arrived at the Gameskeeper Cottage in Latham, where Lorna’s mother lived with her new husband, David. Lorna had recently lost her beloved husband Matt to a horrible accident and when her best friend suggested she and the children spend the holidays with Lorna’s mother, she agreed. The Cottage was beautiful and stepping inside was like stepping back in time. The annex where Lorna and the children would sleep was still the same as it had been back in the 1940s, with the garish pink wallpaper immediately taking the eye. When Lorna spied an old desk in the corner, she wondered… and yes, a click and a secret drawer was there with a small book inside.
Nancy Jones began writing in her little diary in June 1945, talking of Joe, her beloved husband, of the war and the ‘gunner girls’ of which Nancy was one. She talked of nursing up at the big house as the soldiers returned, injured and frail. She also spoke of her in-laws, Joe’s parents, Bette and Ted, who owned the Gameskeeper Cottage, and her frustration at not being able to help around the farm. She had been a strong, independent woman with her three friends, Connie, Dot and Peggy, as they shot the German planes out of the sky, but now she was expected to cook, clean, and work in the kitchen. But the gunner girls had a secret, one they wouldn’t tell a soul. Would Nancy write about it in her diary?
The Secret Diary is another excellent historical novel by Anna Stuart which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is my second by this author, and it won’t be my last. Moving between the mid 1940s to current day, Nancy and Lorna gelled as one and as Lorna learned more about Nancy, she, along with David and her mother, knew they needed to know it all. I found both ‘leading ladies’ to be strong, decisive and independent young women and filled their roles well. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Nancy Jones began writing in her little diary in June 1945, talking of Joe, her beloved husband, of the war and the ‘gunner girls’ of which Nancy was one. She talked of nursing up at the big house as the soldiers returned, injured and frail. She also spoke of her in-laws, Joe’s parents, Bette and Ted, who owned the Gameskeeper Cottage, and her frustration at not being able to help around the farm. She had been a strong, independent woman with her three friends, Connie, Dot and Peggy, as they shot the German planes out of the sky, but now she was expected to cook, clean, and work in the kitchen. But the gunner girls had a secret, one they wouldn’t tell a soul. Would Nancy write about it in her diary?
The Secret Diary is another excellent historical novel by Anna Stuart which I thoroughly enjoyed. This is my second by this author, and it won’t be my last. Moving between the mid 1940s to current day, Nancy and Lorna gelled as one and as Lorna learned more about Nancy, she, along with David and her mother, knew they needed to know it all. I found both ‘leading ladies’ to be strong, decisive and independent young women and filled their roles well. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2021
The story is told through dual timelines starting post WWII, 1945 to present day. In books with dual timelines, I usually like one timeline better than the other, but Anna Stuart did a terrific job of keeping me interested in both stories throughout the book.
Two women. One house. And a secret that spans decades…
Learn of the struggles Nancy faced during the transition from gunner girl to everyday life. The WWII gunner girls played such a vital role in the war and returning to a “normal” life where a women’s place was in the home, was difficult.
A second story, taking place 76 years later, where Lorna, a grieving widow struggling to find her new normal, decides to returns home with her children to gain comfort from her mother. Lorna, getting comfortable in her temporary residence, enters the bedroom she will be staying in. While examining the room, she uncovers a diary in a hidden compartment of a desk and the first entry states ‘My name is Nancy Jones. And I have a secret…’
I always have more than one book going at a time, and one genre you can always find me reading is Historical Fiction! I love that every time I read a well-researched story, I learn something new. The Secret Diary delivered a most interesting and unknown story to me that I really enjoyed! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn something new through a heartwarming tale.
Two women. One house. And a secret that spans decades…
Learn of the struggles Nancy faced during the transition from gunner girl to everyday life. The WWII gunner girls played such a vital role in the war and returning to a “normal” life where a women’s place was in the home, was difficult.
A second story, taking place 76 years later, where Lorna, a grieving widow struggling to find her new normal, decides to returns home with her children to gain comfort from her mother. Lorna, getting comfortable in her temporary residence, enters the bedroom she will be staying in. While examining the room, she uncovers a diary in a hidden compartment of a desk and the first entry states ‘My name is Nancy Jones. And I have a secret…’
I always have more than one book going at a time, and one genre you can always find me reading is Historical Fiction! I love that every time I read a well-researched story, I learn something new. The Secret Diary delivered a most interesting and unknown story to me that I really enjoyed! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn something new through a heartwarming tale.
August 7, 2021
Favorite Quotes:
Why can’t a woman operate outside the kitchen? Why can’t a wife work? She thought that when the war ended, the fighting would be over, but it seems that for her, and so many women like her, it’s only just starting… peace hasn’t turned out to be quite as simple as she’d hoped.
They were all set for me to go home and swan around with Mother, waiting for the season to start so I could put on a ridiculous extravagance of a white dress and catch myself a husband. Their main ambition was for me to get someone “with all their limbs”.
I sometimes think that so many of us gunner girls –and all the other servicewomen and factory workers and land girls –fought harder after the war than we did during it. Society wanted to slot us conveniently back into our kitchen-shaped holes, but we’d grown and we weren’t going to shrink ourselves to fit back inside. ‘It was the same all over Europe. We think of feminism as starting with the bra-burnings in the seventies but, let me tell you, it was the second half of the forties that got things moving.
My Review:
This was dual-timeline and historical fiction done right, and the feminist in me cheered. The storylines were thoughtfully layered and shrewdly paced with family drama, an intriguing mystery, romance, and insightful bits of history while it entertained and hit all the feels. The overall premise was eye-opening, as silly me, I had not stopped to think about the women of WWII this way.
The book drove home the realization that the post-WWII era was actually the kick-off of women finding their voice and value outside of domesticity on a larger scale across the globe. While the women may not have been all that interested in taking on the vacant jobs and roles of their men at war, they felt differently about themselves for having stepped up and into the fray, yet the returning men and peacetime societies weren’t receptive to women’s efforts to continue moving forward. While the end of the war was a good thing for the world, the war ending had ignited the beginning of women’s personal battles to get out of the kitchen, stay relevant, and hang on to their jobs and self-worth.
Needless to say, this book took me much longer to read as the story threads led me down a rabbit hole of Googling which was ignited by the inspiration of these endearing Ack-Ack characters, with Ack-Ack girls actually being my first inquiry. Anna Stuart was a new name for me when I picked up this book and I now have the deepest respect for her craft and appreciate the lessons learned from her endless hours of research and preparation.
Why can’t a woman operate outside the kitchen? Why can’t a wife work? She thought that when the war ended, the fighting would be over, but it seems that for her, and so many women like her, it’s only just starting… peace hasn’t turned out to be quite as simple as she’d hoped.
They were all set for me to go home and swan around with Mother, waiting for the season to start so I could put on a ridiculous extravagance of a white dress and catch myself a husband. Their main ambition was for me to get someone “with all their limbs”.
I sometimes think that so many of us gunner girls –and all the other servicewomen and factory workers and land girls –fought harder after the war than we did during it. Society wanted to slot us conveniently back into our kitchen-shaped holes, but we’d grown and we weren’t going to shrink ourselves to fit back inside. ‘It was the same all over Europe. We think of feminism as starting with the bra-burnings in the seventies but, let me tell you, it was the second half of the forties that got things moving.
My Review:
This was dual-timeline and historical fiction done right, and the feminist in me cheered. The storylines were thoughtfully layered and shrewdly paced with family drama, an intriguing mystery, romance, and insightful bits of history while it entertained and hit all the feels. The overall premise was eye-opening, as silly me, I had not stopped to think about the women of WWII this way.
The book drove home the realization that the post-WWII era was actually the kick-off of women finding their voice and value outside of domesticity on a larger scale across the globe. While the women may not have been all that interested in taking on the vacant jobs and roles of their men at war, they felt differently about themselves for having stepped up and into the fray, yet the returning men and peacetime societies weren’t receptive to women’s efforts to continue moving forward. While the end of the war was a good thing for the world, the war ending had ignited the beginning of women’s personal battles to get out of the kitchen, stay relevant, and hang on to their jobs and self-worth.
Needless to say, this book took me much longer to read as the story threads led me down a rabbit hole of Googling which was ignited by the inspiration of these endearing Ack-Ack characters, with Ack-Ack girls actually being my first inquiry. Anna Stuart was a new name for me when I picked up this book and I now have the deepest respect for her craft and appreciate the lessons learned from her endless hours of research and preparation.
November 11, 2021
Another outstanding historical fiction book by Anna Stuart! Told in dual timelines, it is a gripping, emotional read. I was hooked from the first page. All the characters were so well written but, I have to admit, Nancy was my favorite. The "past" story revolves around four women who comprised a unit of "Ack Ack Girls" aka "Gunner Girls." Of course, being the history nerd that I am, I had to look all that up.
"Ack Ack" aka "Gunner Girls" were were members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) that helped operate Anti-Aircraft Guns in the defense of Britain from German bombing raids during World War II. From From 1941 until the end of the war, unmarried British women aged 20 to 30 were required to join one of the Auxiliary services, which included the ATS. Women at the time were forbidden from operating deadly weapons. As a result, "Ack Ack Girls" worked as part of mixed-gender squads where men would load and fire the weapons with the women's support. The three main roles of the women were Spotters who used binoculars to find enemy planes, Range-Finding teams who calculated the distance a gun shell would have to travel to hit the target, and Predictor teams who worked out the length of the fuse necessary to make sure the shell exploded at the right height.
Women were subject to the same intensive training as men and had to undergo rigorous testing in terms of fitness, hearing, eyesight and nerves in order to be accepted. This was essential for enduring the hard conditions at the gun placements and to keep on task while bombs fell all around them. When the Germans deployed V1 flying bombs against Britain, 369 "Ack Ack Girls" were killed in just 3 months. Their sacrifice and dedication proved invaluable to the war effort, as well as providing a boost to civilian morale, the sound of the Ack Ack guns becoming a well recognized symbol of British resistance.
So many of the women who stepped out of the "traditional" roles they occupied at the time (homemaker, mother, etc.) and into roles and positions previously held by men to support their country's war effort led to women proving they were capable of so much more than previously believed in their "traditional" roles. This was way before "women's lib" in the 70's. I cannot imagine how difficult it was to be expected to go back to a way of life that existed for them before. Especially not when they realized they were capable of so much more. This book tackles that and so much more.
The tight relationships that developed between the four women who bonded during their life and death time during their service of WWII was a joy to read about. Their struggles after the war and their ability to continue on was portrayed beautifully here. We are learning all about them from a diary that is being read by a contemporary woman who is dealing with her own life-changing event. It all fits so perfectly together, especially when there is a big mystery involved.
I just loved it!
"Ack Ack" aka "Gunner Girls" were were members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) that helped operate Anti-Aircraft Guns in the defense of Britain from German bombing raids during World War II. From From 1941 until the end of the war, unmarried British women aged 20 to 30 were required to join one of the Auxiliary services, which included the ATS. Women at the time were forbidden from operating deadly weapons. As a result, "Ack Ack Girls" worked as part of mixed-gender squads where men would load and fire the weapons with the women's support. The three main roles of the women were Spotters who used binoculars to find enemy planes, Range-Finding teams who calculated the distance a gun shell would have to travel to hit the target, and Predictor teams who worked out the length of the fuse necessary to make sure the shell exploded at the right height.
Women were subject to the same intensive training as men and had to undergo rigorous testing in terms of fitness, hearing, eyesight and nerves in order to be accepted. This was essential for enduring the hard conditions at the gun placements and to keep on task while bombs fell all around them. When the Germans deployed V1 flying bombs against Britain, 369 "Ack Ack Girls" were killed in just 3 months. Their sacrifice and dedication proved invaluable to the war effort, as well as providing a boost to civilian morale, the sound of the Ack Ack guns becoming a well recognized symbol of British resistance.
So many of the women who stepped out of the "traditional" roles they occupied at the time (homemaker, mother, etc.) and into roles and positions previously held by men to support their country's war effort led to women proving they were capable of so much more than previously believed in their "traditional" roles. This was way before "women's lib" in the 70's. I cannot imagine how difficult it was to be expected to go back to a way of life that existed for them before. Especially not when they realized they were capable of so much more. This book tackles that and so much more.
The tight relationships that developed between the four women who bonded during their life and death time during their service of WWII was a joy to read about. Their struggles after the war and their ability to continue on was portrayed beautifully here. We are learning all about them from a diary that is being read by a contemporary woman who is dealing with her own life-changing event. It all fits so perfectly together, especially when there is a big mystery involved.
I just loved it!
July 27, 2021
The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart is an excellent dual timeline historical fiction novel that weaves a tale that kept me entertained from beginning to end.
I am very picky with dual timelines, but I really enjoyed this one. It intertwines between WWII and present day. I was impressed with her ability to tie in two different eras, two different stories, throw in twists/turns/surprises, and tying it all together nicely into a perfect ending.
It was fascinating to see the lives of so many brave women, and especially of the gunner girls, and all they went through not only during the war, but what they also had to face immediately afterwards as society yet again struggled between what once was and now what is was to become.
Nancy and Lorna’s stories may have been decades apart, but similar in so many ways. Both are strong women, stronger then they realize, have their own trials and complexities, and both are able to win their own respective battles.
The character cast is excellent, pacing is perfect, and I just loved how it all rolled out. I liked each story equally, and that says a lot.
I highly recommend this historical fiction.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
From the Publisher:
Book Description:
Two women. One house. And a wartime secret that spans decades…
Norfolk, 1945: Only a few months ago Nancy Jones was fighting for her country as a gunner girl. Now she’s struggling to adjust to her responsibilities as a gamekeeper’s wife. After a whirlwind romance, Nancy is deeply in love with her handsome husband Joe but there is still so much they don’t know about each other. When a secret from Nancy’s war years threatens to resurface, will the terrible truth about the worst night of her life shatter their new marriage?
Norfolk, 2019: Devastated by the sudden loss of her husband, Lorna Haynes escapes to the beautiful but crumbling Gamekeeper’s Cottage. There, she stumbles upon a locked room. When she enters, it’s like going back in time. A soldier’s uniform hangs on the back of the door, the flowery wallpaper still intact, the spindle of the record player frozen and ready to play. At the back of the room, Lorna discovers a red, leather-bound diary in a hidden compartment of a desk drawer.
As Lorna battles with heartache, she takes comfort in reading the ink-stained words. Turning the pages of the old book, she learns of the incredible bravery of the woman who lived in the house decades before her. And discovers a shocking wartime secret that will change the course of her own life…
Fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and Lilac Girls will love this unforgettable, poignant tale of love, loss and courage during the darkest days of war.
Author Bio:
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels. Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. You can reach her on Facebook @annastuartauthor or Twitter @annastuartbooks.
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3717o7f
Apple: https://apple.co/3nBgT4n
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2QA0IbN
Google: https://bit.ly/3vxlckc
I am very picky with dual timelines, but I really enjoyed this one. It intertwines between WWII and present day. I was impressed with her ability to tie in two different eras, two different stories, throw in twists/turns/surprises, and tying it all together nicely into a perfect ending.
It was fascinating to see the lives of so many brave women, and especially of the gunner girls, and all they went through not only during the war, but what they also had to face immediately afterwards as society yet again struggled between what once was and now what is was to become.
Nancy and Lorna’s stories may have been decades apart, but similar in so many ways. Both are strong women, stronger then they realize, have their own trials and complexities, and both are able to win their own respective battles.
The character cast is excellent, pacing is perfect, and I just loved how it all rolled out. I liked each story equally, and that says a lot.
I highly recommend this historical fiction.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Bookouture for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
From the Publisher:
Book Description:
Two women. One house. And a wartime secret that spans decades…
Norfolk, 1945: Only a few months ago Nancy Jones was fighting for her country as a gunner girl. Now she’s struggling to adjust to her responsibilities as a gamekeeper’s wife. After a whirlwind romance, Nancy is deeply in love with her handsome husband Joe but there is still so much they don’t know about each other. When a secret from Nancy’s war years threatens to resurface, will the terrible truth about the worst night of her life shatter their new marriage?
Norfolk, 2019: Devastated by the sudden loss of her husband, Lorna Haynes escapes to the beautiful but crumbling Gamekeeper’s Cottage. There, she stumbles upon a locked room. When she enters, it’s like going back in time. A soldier’s uniform hangs on the back of the door, the flowery wallpaper still intact, the spindle of the record player frozen and ready to play. At the back of the room, Lorna discovers a red, leather-bound diary in a hidden compartment of a desk drawer.
As Lorna battles with heartache, she takes comfort in reading the ink-stained words. Turning the pages of the old book, she learns of the incredible bravery of the woman who lived in the house decades before her. And discovers a shocking wartime secret that will change the course of her own life…
Fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and Lilac Girls will love this unforgettable, poignant tale of love, loss and courage during the darkest days of war.
Author Bio:
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels. Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. You can reach her on Facebook @annastuartauthor or Twitter @annastuartbooks.
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3717o7f
Apple: https://apple.co/3nBgT4n
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2QA0IbN
Google: https://bit.ly/3vxlckc
July 3, 2021
A duel storyline set in 1945 and present day.
Lorna has recently lost her husband and takes her two young sons to stay with her mother in a quaint cottage.
She finds a diary in a desk written after the second world ward by a former resident of the cottage.
A story about loss and courage.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lorna has recently lost her husband and takes her two young sons to stay with her mother in a quaint cottage.
She finds a diary in a desk written after the second world ward by a former resident of the cottage.
A story about loss and courage.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2021
Lorna Haynes has her two boys with her, Charlie and Stan, when she goes to stay with her mother shortly after the death of her beloved husband. Lorna and the boys will be staying in a house called The Gamekeeper's Cottage, beautiful on the outside, but definitely in need of renovation. She is a history teacher, so discovring a precious diary in a dressing table surely catches her attention.
The diary begins with the date of 16 June 1945, and was written by Nancy Jones Wilson. Nancy once lived in the Cottage, which was now her family hyome after marrying Joe, a man she met while they were both in the military in 1943. The two marry about a year later, and they had been seperated due to the war. With the war being over, Nancy and Joe move to his parents farm and take up residence. Nany may be happy with Joe, but she had learned quite a bit as part of the ATS, Auxiliary Territorial Service, on a gun crew with three other women. Becoming a housewife and cooking, cleaning and sewing is certainly not what Nancy now has in mind for her immediate future. Ted is Joe's father, and his passes his expectations about Nancy down to Joe.
These are among the things Lorna is now reading about in the diary. Finding the diary proves to be a very good distraction for Lorna, because her grief is almost more than she can bear. The deeper Lorna gets into the diary, the more curious she finds herself about Nancy and the other women.
This exceptional read is accompanied by very informative Historical Notes that are well worth reading. The women in the military, especially Nancy as this dual-timeline story, played pivotal roles, and this book shows their importance in Britain. Nancy Jones may have been a fictional character, but proved an exceptional portrayal of how important these women were, and how difficult it would have been to squeeze back into more traditonal roles.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
The diary begins with the date of 16 June 1945, and was written by Nancy Jones Wilson. Nancy once lived in the Cottage, which was now her family hyome after marrying Joe, a man she met while they were both in the military in 1943. The two marry about a year later, and they had been seperated due to the war. With the war being over, Nancy and Joe move to his parents farm and take up residence. Nany may be happy with Joe, but she had learned quite a bit as part of the ATS, Auxiliary Territorial Service, on a gun crew with three other women. Becoming a housewife and cooking, cleaning and sewing is certainly not what Nancy now has in mind for her immediate future. Ted is Joe's father, and his passes his expectations about Nancy down to Joe.
These are among the things Lorna is now reading about in the diary. Finding the diary proves to be a very good distraction for Lorna, because her grief is almost more than she can bear. The deeper Lorna gets into the diary, the more curious she finds herself about Nancy and the other women.
This exceptional read is accompanied by very informative Historical Notes that are well worth reading. The women in the military, especially Nancy as this dual-timeline story, played pivotal roles, and this book shows their importance in Britain. Nancy Jones may have been a fictional character, but proved an exceptional portrayal of how important these women were, and how difficult it would have been to squeeze back into more traditonal roles.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
June 20, 2021
The Secret Diary is about transitions. A young mother must learn a new life after the death of her husband and a young war bride must learn how to adapt after WWII. I liked so the chapters alternating time lines. I loved the finding Of a hidden diary and being privy to its secrets. I found Nancy’s story compelling and pretty accurate. Lorna’s story was good, but I liked the post WWII angle the best. It’s a good piece of historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the early read.
July 5, 2021
I love dual time line stories and this one was wonderful!!
Sometimes it takes a long time to set up the present story before the past one begins but not here. The author was straight in with both stories and this is what I like best.
Lorna, in the present and Nancy, in the past had two different but very interesting story lines. I normally read these books for the past story, as I love history but both timelines are equally good here.
It's a book about loss, love, family and endurance. For Nancy, who's living in a time where women were supposed to keep their place and be guided by men, it's especially hard as she's just spent years doing her bit in the war and now is expected to fall back into the old routines.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in this genre.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.
Sometimes it takes a long time to set up the present story before the past one begins but not here. The author was straight in with both stories and this is what I like best.
Lorna, in the present and Nancy, in the past had two different but very interesting story lines. I normally read these books for the past story, as I love history but both timelines are equally good here.
It's a book about loss, love, family and endurance. For Nancy, who's living in a time where women were supposed to keep their place and be guided by men, it's especially hard as she's just spent years doing her bit in the war and now is expected to fall back into the old routines.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in this genre.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.
March 29, 2022
This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it so much I ordered her other books! If you love Historical Fiction, you will love this unique book.
I love a dual timeline that looks into the past. During WW2 a gunner girl is trying to keep the skies safe, but she finds returning back home after the war, less than stellar. She wants to do more than be a wife and mother. She and her husband have survived the war and he supports her drive for more. Unfortunately they are forced to live with his parents, and things are difficult.
Fast forward, Lorna finds a journal hidden away and discovers something from the past. The journal has been hidden since 1945. The author does an excellent job in portraying the things women went through during the 40’s.
Thank you NetGalley, Anna Stuart, Bookouture for this advanced reader copy as I found a new author to admire.
I love a dual timeline that looks into the past. During WW2 a gunner girl is trying to keep the skies safe, but she finds returning back home after the war, less than stellar. She wants to do more than be a wife and mother. She and her husband have survived the war and he supports her drive for more. Unfortunately they are forced to live with his parents, and things are difficult.
Fast forward, Lorna finds a journal hidden away and discovers something from the past. The journal has been hidden since 1945. The author does an excellent job in portraying the things women went through during the 40’s.
Thank you NetGalley, Anna Stuart, Bookouture for this advanced reader copy as I found a new author to admire.
July 30, 2021
I love a WW2 historical fiction story and this one ticked a lot of boxes.
Set in the dual timelines of present day and 1945 war time Langham the story unfolds of ‘gunner girl’ Nancy and newly widowed Lorna.
Lorna, along with her 2 sons, seeks comfort and support following the sudden death of her husband from her mother and step-father in the Langham Gameskeeper Cottage. In the perfectly maintained 1940’s annexe she finds the post war diary of Nancy - her stepfathers mother.
Nancy had been based at Langham along with 3 other girls and had the task of coordinating the takedown of enemy planes. Her diary outlines the struggles to keep her new identity, freedoms and place in life when society wanted ‘girls’ to go back to how they were. The diary hints at a secret and documents Nancy’s new life as wife and daughter in law living away from her family. Through the exploration of the diary and trying to uncover the secret, Lorna starts to slowly regain some happiness and forge new friendships.
The characterisation in this book is great from grumpy set in his ways Ted, Homemaker Betty and the rest of the very different personalities of the gunner girls to free spirit Tilly, Loyal Aki and the boisterous boys who are dealing with their grief. There was not a character I didn’t like.
The present day sections were well written with recognisable comparators to daily life with children and the historical elements were written in a way that brought them to life. The story was engaging and kept me entertained and keen to read more.
I would have liked to have read more information about the work that the gunner girls did during the war and maybe have the diary start a little earlier.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and thank #NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of #TheSecretDiary in exchange for my honest review.
Publish date: 3 August ‘21
Set in the dual timelines of present day and 1945 war time Langham the story unfolds of ‘gunner girl’ Nancy and newly widowed Lorna.
Lorna, along with her 2 sons, seeks comfort and support following the sudden death of her husband from her mother and step-father in the Langham Gameskeeper Cottage. In the perfectly maintained 1940’s annexe she finds the post war diary of Nancy - her stepfathers mother.
Nancy had been based at Langham along with 3 other girls and had the task of coordinating the takedown of enemy planes. Her diary outlines the struggles to keep her new identity, freedoms and place in life when society wanted ‘girls’ to go back to how they were. The diary hints at a secret and documents Nancy’s new life as wife and daughter in law living away from her family. Through the exploration of the diary and trying to uncover the secret, Lorna starts to slowly regain some happiness and forge new friendships.
The characterisation in this book is great from grumpy set in his ways Ted, Homemaker Betty and the rest of the very different personalities of the gunner girls to free spirit Tilly, Loyal Aki and the boisterous boys who are dealing with their grief. There was not a character I didn’t like.
The present day sections were well written with recognisable comparators to daily life with children and the historical elements were written in a way that brought them to life. The story was engaging and kept me entertained and keen to read more.
I would have liked to have read more information about the work that the gunner girls did during the war and maybe have the diary start a little earlier.
Overall I really enjoyed this story and thank #NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of #TheSecretDiary in exchange for my honest review.
Publish date: 3 August ‘21
March 14, 2025
a very enjoyable read but not this author's best. At times I found it a bit slow. The author succeeds, as usual, in creating an emotional rollercoaster. Also, she excels in the use of descriptive prose.
June 29, 2021
“There is always, it seems, more than one place to keep a secret…”
One timeline in this historical fiction features is a gunner girl who has been keeping Britain’s skies safe during WW2 and after working so hard for the war effort, she discovers that returning to ‘normal’ life is more difficult than she ever imagined. The second timeline picks up 76 years later, when a grieving widow becomes a housemate across the ages. Realizing that her daughter needs emotional support, a mother offers the cottage on her estate to her daughter and young family.
This book frustrated me to no end! NOT THE WRITING, the mindset of the 1940s. I threw the book down several times, disgusted at the narrow-mindedness that was so prevalent in this time. High five to Anna Stuart for representing this monolithic thinking around gender roles so accurately. It came across so very authentic and the protagonist’s resentment was portrayed masterfully. It was as if someone was attempting to shove a beautiful, colourful puzzle piece into a part of the puzzle where it didn’t belong! What a shock to come home jubilant, a war heroine with a husband who survived the war, only to find there wasn’t much to celebrate. Necessity forced them to live with his parents who innocently provided them with nothing to celebrate, let alone a ‘home-sweet-home’ life.
The modern-day timeline is good, but perhaps not as equally strong. When Lorna finds the journal, hidden away since 1945, and reads about the gunner girls and the secret they’ve kept, it’s exactly what she needs to initiate healing. Where the first timeline’s theme is ‘transition’, this one is ‘moving on.’
I loved reading about these strong, formidable women whose very presence triggered significant cultural and social change and forced employers, unions and governments to rethink. There was a huge social shift occurring at this time in history and these women were part of the transition. Changing direction is very difficult, especially midstream, and especially in a post-war situation. It’s an ongoing process and women today still struggle to find a happy balance.
Stuart highlights infertility, the need for workplace nurseries, Churchill’s eagerness to include women in the war effort, and women in the military. Her extensive author notes at the end were like the giftwrapping of this spectacular story and I read them with as much excitement as I did the rest of the story.
My favourite take-away is:
“War has changed them all. The things they’ve seen, the things they’ve done, the secrets they’ve shared. The world is different now, and you can’t just pack the past away with your gas mask and your ration book and ‘go back to normal’, because normal is different too.
Replace ration book with hand sanitizer and delete the word ‘gas’ and what you are left with is our reality over the past 15 months. This quote hit me like a ton of bricks. Normal will be different. Let’s make it better.
This STEM teacher and strong woman will now hop off her soapbox and thank Anna Stuart, Bookouture and NetGalley for the gift of this advance copy. I was under no obligation to provide a review.
Publishes August 3, 2021.
One timeline in this historical fiction features is a gunner girl who has been keeping Britain’s skies safe during WW2 and after working so hard for the war effort, she discovers that returning to ‘normal’ life is more difficult than she ever imagined. The second timeline picks up 76 years later, when a grieving widow becomes a housemate across the ages. Realizing that her daughter needs emotional support, a mother offers the cottage on her estate to her daughter and young family.
This book frustrated me to no end! NOT THE WRITING, the mindset of the 1940s. I threw the book down several times, disgusted at the narrow-mindedness that was so prevalent in this time. High five to Anna Stuart for representing this monolithic thinking around gender roles so accurately. It came across so very authentic and the protagonist’s resentment was portrayed masterfully. It was as if someone was attempting to shove a beautiful, colourful puzzle piece into a part of the puzzle where it didn’t belong! What a shock to come home jubilant, a war heroine with a husband who survived the war, only to find there wasn’t much to celebrate. Necessity forced them to live with his parents who innocently provided them with nothing to celebrate, let alone a ‘home-sweet-home’ life.
The modern-day timeline is good, but perhaps not as equally strong. When Lorna finds the journal, hidden away since 1945, and reads about the gunner girls and the secret they’ve kept, it’s exactly what she needs to initiate healing. Where the first timeline’s theme is ‘transition’, this one is ‘moving on.’
I loved reading about these strong, formidable women whose very presence triggered significant cultural and social change and forced employers, unions and governments to rethink. There was a huge social shift occurring at this time in history and these women were part of the transition. Changing direction is very difficult, especially midstream, and especially in a post-war situation. It’s an ongoing process and women today still struggle to find a happy balance.
Stuart highlights infertility, the need for workplace nurseries, Churchill’s eagerness to include women in the war effort, and women in the military. Her extensive author notes at the end were like the giftwrapping of this spectacular story and I read them with as much excitement as I did the rest of the story.
My favourite take-away is:
“War has changed them all. The things they’ve seen, the things they’ve done, the secrets they’ve shared. The world is different now, and you can’t just pack the past away with your gas mask and your ration book and ‘go back to normal’, because normal is different too.
Replace ration book with hand sanitizer and delete the word ‘gas’ and what you are left with is our reality over the past 15 months. This quote hit me like a ton of bricks. Normal will be different. Let’s make it better.
This STEM teacher and strong woman will now hop off her soapbox and thank Anna Stuart, Bookouture and NetGalley for the gift of this advance copy. I was under no obligation to provide a review.
Publishes August 3, 2021.
August 5, 2021
The Secret Diary tells of life for the Gunner Girls after the war ended. It merges with the story of Lorna, a history teacher, who has recently lost her husband, Matt. Lorna and her sons leave Norwich to spend time with her mother and stepfather in The Gameskeeper's Cottage near Langham. She and the boys will be staying in the annex of the cottage. It is a red leather covered diary with the introduction of "My name is Nancy Jones. ....and I have a secret." Throught the diary, we learn about Nancy and her three friends who were part of the ATS, known as Gunner Girls, or ack ack girls. It was their job to sight the guns to shoot down German bombers. These girls or women left their day to day jobs and life to protect their country and not that the war is over, they're not ready to be relegated back to the kitchen. Nancy knows that part of the world is not for her, and as she and her husband Joe return to the family's home, Nancy finds herself in a battle between new and old. The men in the village, especially her father-in-law, are against women doing anything perceived as men's work, especially using a gun. Nancy shares her thoughts and feelings in her diary and as the story progresses, we learn that these friends have a big secret. As Lorna reads the diary, she begins to deal with her grief and finds comfort in Nancy's story. Are any of the Gunner Girls still alive? What is their secret?
I have not read anything dealing with this time in history. After the end of WWII, I can only imagine the difficulty so many women would have had trying to reconcile the life they had lived and the one that was expected of them. It was interesting to read about Nancy's difficulties and the things she did to try and be happy. There is another theme dealing with hate, but I don't want to give that away. I liked all the characters in this story. The Ack Ack girls were wonderful, very different, but all courageous and caring. The characters in the present had all had some loss in teir lives and I liked seeing how they supported each other. I enjoyed both timelines in this story, but it was Nancy's story in 1940 that really drove this book. This is a story of grief and loss, friendship, love, finding your place in the world, family, courage and secrets. Anna Stuart does a good job merging the past with the present with a bit of mystery and suspense. If you are interested in women's rights and their fight for equality, you will really enjoy this book. I recommend it to lovers of Historical Fiction, especially those who like a dual timeline. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
I have not read anything dealing with this time in history. After the end of WWII, I can only imagine the difficulty so many women would have had trying to reconcile the life they had lived and the one that was expected of them. It was interesting to read about Nancy's difficulties and the things she did to try and be happy. There is another theme dealing with hate, but I don't want to give that away. I liked all the characters in this story. The Ack Ack girls were wonderful, very different, but all courageous and caring. The characters in the present had all had some loss in teir lives and I liked seeing how they supported each other. I enjoyed both timelines in this story, but it was Nancy's story in 1940 that really drove this book. This is a story of grief and loss, friendship, love, finding your place in the world, family, courage and secrets. Anna Stuart does a good job merging the past with the present with a bit of mystery and suspense. If you are interested in women's rights and their fight for equality, you will really enjoy this book. I recommend it to lovers of Historical Fiction, especially those who like a dual timeline. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
July 28, 2021
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Anna Stuart's fascinating dual timeline tale THE SECRET DIARY.
There is always, it seems, more than one place to keep a secret...
In this case it is in a red leather-bound diary which is at the heart of this beautifully told story that spans the decades.
2019: Lorna Haynes, recently and tragically widowed, arrives at the Gameskeeper Cottage in Langham with her two young sons Charlie (9) and Stan (5) in tow. Norwich holds too many memories of life with Matt so Lorna has escaped to the country for the summer to find some healing and learn how to move on without her loving husband.
Upon arrival, Lorna is greeted loving by her her newly married mother Mary to the kind and gentle David, a retired GP and inherited owner of Gameskeeper Cottage. Mary leads them to the back of the house to the annex, an add-on to the quaint old thatched cottage after the Great War. And as soon as Lorna opens the door it is like stepping back in time. The annex serves as a separate living area with a kitchenette, living area as well as bunk beds for the boys and a bedroom for herself. It is, however, untouched from the forties in decor with it's old furniture, cerise wallpaper even down to the old wireless sitting on the mantle.
Once settled, Lorna takes in the history of the room and all therein, even the dressing table with its triple mirror. She opens the drawer and reaches in unconsciously for a hairbrush that isn't there. Instead she feels the telltale ridge of a secret compartment, commonly found furniture pieces of this era. With a tug and a pull and up comes the flap revealing a rich red leather-bound book that was obviously a diary.
Tentatively Lorna opens the pages and begins to read, transported back to 1945 and a different time...
1945: The war is over! And to commemorate the occasion, Nancy has bought herself a beautiful red leather diary to preserve the memories of her new life with Joe here at Gameskeeper Cottage. When Joe had first brought her home to this beautiful little cottage with the rose arboured entry and the slightly "squint" thatched roof, Nancy couldn't wait for her new life as a gameskeeper to begin.
But it seems her in-laws had other ideas. Ted and Betty were very welcoming of her as the daughter they never had but having lived through two wars, they had firm ideas on where her place should be. Not out on the estate shooting pheasants and getting her hands dirty. She may have been a gunner girl at the nearby Langham RAF airfield during the war, but in civilian life she was a wife with a home to keep, meals to make and laundry to do. There was no time nor place for her out on the estate with the men.
Joe, however, knew of Nancy's desire to be a gameskeeper and what's more he'd supported it. At least that's what he said. He'd fallen in love with a woman full of life that could he really see her tied to the kitchen and laundry and a life of domesticity? And then came 1st Ocotber - the first day of open season - and there was Nancy in her best frock serving finger food to the men who were about to begin the season. And then she saw Merry, daughter of Lord Langham, dressed and ready for the shoot. When questioning why Merry, being a woman, was allowed on the shoot and yet she wasn't Ted told her because she was aristocracy. Nancy was livid. She was so angered that Joe stood there silently beside his father and did nothing to back her up that she threw the most shocking words at him in front of the villagers joining the shoot before storming off to pack her bags and leave Langham.
However, that stand-off proved to be a turning point and life in the chocolate box little cottage turned something of a corner as Joe and Nancy made some compromises with Ted and Betty which served to enrich their lives in ways they didn't think possible. But still Ted was adamant on one thing - that guns have no place in a woman's hands. Nancy must then resign herself to a life of partial domesticity and helping out on the estate...but her desire to be a gamekeeper still burns deep within though Ted remained unmoved on the matter.
So Nancy poured her heart out on the pages of her leather-bound diary - her loves, her joys, her sorrows and frustrations...and even the secret that she and her fellow gunner girls swore to keep. Then in a moment of clarity, she ripped the pages of those entries out but not wanting to destroy them, sought another hiding place for them. For there is more than one place to keep a secret...and keep it she must.
This historical tale has a unique story to tell and Anna Stuart has captured it beautifully, weaving the two eras together seamlessly from present day to post-war Norfolk through the secret diary that has Lorna discovered. She discovers that Nancy is not so different from herself despite the seven decade gap between them and what the diary reveals is the difficulty that Nancy had adjusting to civilian life after the adrenaline of that as a gunner girl.
THE SECRET DIARY is a tale of transition for both women as they find their feet in a world so different to the one to which they had grown accustomed and must now get used to living without. Both women are stronger than they realise as they come up against challenges that force them to question everything they thought they knew. The traditional lifestyle to which Nancy finds herself within when she yearns to break out of the mould tradition had shaped for women. I can't understand why others find this aspect so frustrating to read about because it was just how it was then. Just because we live in different times doesn't make those that lived before us wrong. It was just a different way of life and while times have changed, not all of it is good. While people may look back and think men had no respect for women with their traditional views, it is in fact the opposite. Men had far more respect for women then than they do today and it is because they respected them that they preferred to maintain the traditional roles. It's not something that people today can understand and that's fine.
The present day story was good but probably not as engaging or as equally strong as Nancy's, which I loved. Each time I was in the present day, I found myself wanting to go back to the diary and lose myself to time and uncover the secret Nancy and her friends had vowed to keep. It was the past that was true escapism...for both Lorna and myself.
The story weaves seamlessly from past to present and back again in alternating chapters with Nancy's predominantly through her diary which is always a perfect segue into the past. It is so expertly done the reader feels as if they are the only ones privy to Nancy's thoughts having discovered the diary themselves.
A hugely enjoyable read, THE SECRET DIARY is the post-war tale of one woman trying to transition to civilian life and another endeavouring to find the strength to move on in the wake of tragic loss. I loved it so entirely that I didn't want to leave Nancy behind or the characters I had come to know and love.
Perfect for fans of historical WW2 fiction and dual timelines such as Lorna Cook and Kathleen McGurl.
I would like to thank #AnnaStuart, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSecretDiary in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
There is always, it seems, more than one place to keep a secret...
In this case it is in a red leather-bound diary which is at the heart of this beautifully told story that spans the decades.
2019: Lorna Haynes, recently and tragically widowed, arrives at the Gameskeeper Cottage in Langham with her two young sons Charlie (9) and Stan (5) in tow. Norwich holds too many memories of life with Matt so Lorna has escaped to the country for the summer to find some healing and learn how to move on without her loving husband.
Upon arrival, Lorna is greeted loving by her her newly married mother Mary to the kind and gentle David, a retired GP and inherited owner of Gameskeeper Cottage. Mary leads them to the back of the house to the annex, an add-on to the quaint old thatched cottage after the Great War. And as soon as Lorna opens the door it is like stepping back in time. The annex serves as a separate living area with a kitchenette, living area as well as bunk beds for the boys and a bedroom for herself. It is, however, untouched from the forties in decor with it's old furniture, cerise wallpaper even down to the old wireless sitting on the mantle.
Once settled, Lorna takes in the history of the room and all therein, even the dressing table with its triple mirror. She opens the drawer and reaches in unconsciously for a hairbrush that isn't there. Instead she feels the telltale ridge of a secret compartment, commonly found furniture pieces of this era. With a tug and a pull and up comes the flap revealing a rich red leather-bound book that was obviously a diary.
Tentatively Lorna opens the pages and begins to read, transported back to 1945 and a different time...
1945: The war is over! And to commemorate the occasion, Nancy has bought herself a beautiful red leather diary to preserve the memories of her new life with Joe here at Gameskeeper Cottage. When Joe had first brought her home to this beautiful little cottage with the rose arboured entry and the slightly "squint" thatched roof, Nancy couldn't wait for her new life as a gameskeeper to begin.
But it seems her in-laws had other ideas. Ted and Betty were very welcoming of her as the daughter they never had but having lived through two wars, they had firm ideas on where her place should be. Not out on the estate shooting pheasants and getting her hands dirty. She may have been a gunner girl at the nearby Langham RAF airfield during the war, but in civilian life she was a wife with a home to keep, meals to make and laundry to do. There was no time nor place for her out on the estate with the men.
Joe, however, knew of Nancy's desire to be a gameskeeper and what's more he'd supported it. At least that's what he said. He'd fallen in love with a woman full of life that could he really see her tied to the kitchen and laundry and a life of domesticity? And then came 1st Ocotber - the first day of open season - and there was Nancy in her best frock serving finger food to the men who were about to begin the season. And then she saw Merry, daughter of Lord Langham, dressed and ready for the shoot. When questioning why Merry, being a woman, was allowed on the shoot and yet she wasn't Ted told her because she was aristocracy. Nancy was livid. She was so angered that Joe stood there silently beside his father and did nothing to back her up that she threw the most shocking words at him in front of the villagers joining the shoot before storming off to pack her bags and leave Langham.
However, that stand-off proved to be a turning point and life in the chocolate box little cottage turned something of a corner as Joe and Nancy made some compromises with Ted and Betty which served to enrich their lives in ways they didn't think possible. But still Ted was adamant on one thing - that guns have no place in a woman's hands. Nancy must then resign herself to a life of partial domesticity and helping out on the estate...but her desire to be a gamekeeper still burns deep within though Ted remained unmoved on the matter.
So Nancy poured her heart out on the pages of her leather-bound diary - her loves, her joys, her sorrows and frustrations...and even the secret that she and her fellow gunner girls swore to keep. Then in a moment of clarity, she ripped the pages of those entries out but not wanting to destroy them, sought another hiding place for them. For there is more than one place to keep a secret...and keep it she must.
This historical tale has a unique story to tell and Anna Stuart has captured it beautifully, weaving the two eras together seamlessly from present day to post-war Norfolk through the secret diary that has Lorna discovered. She discovers that Nancy is not so different from herself despite the seven decade gap between them and what the diary reveals is the difficulty that Nancy had adjusting to civilian life after the adrenaline of that as a gunner girl.
THE SECRET DIARY is a tale of transition for both women as they find their feet in a world so different to the one to which they had grown accustomed and must now get used to living without. Both women are stronger than they realise as they come up against challenges that force them to question everything they thought they knew. The traditional lifestyle to which Nancy finds herself within when she yearns to break out of the mould tradition had shaped for women. I can't understand why others find this aspect so frustrating to read about because it was just how it was then. Just because we live in different times doesn't make those that lived before us wrong. It was just a different way of life and while times have changed, not all of it is good. While people may look back and think men had no respect for women with their traditional views, it is in fact the opposite. Men had far more respect for women then than they do today and it is because they respected them that they preferred to maintain the traditional roles. It's not something that people today can understand and that's fine.
The present day story was good but probably not as engaging or as equally strong as Nancy's, which I loved. Each time I was in the present day, I found myself wanting to go back to the diary and lose myself to time and uncover the secret Nancy and her friends had vowed to keep. It was the past that was true escapism...for both Lorna and myself.
The story weaves seamlessly from past to present and back again in alternating chapters with Nancy's predominantly through her diary which is always a perfect segue into the past. It is so expertly done the reader feels as if they are the only ones privy to Nancy's thoughts having discovered the diary themselves.
A hugely enjoyable read, THE SECRET DIARY is the post-war tale of one woman trying to transition to civilian life and another endeavouring to find the strength to move on in the wake of tragic loss. I loved it so entirely that I didn't want to leave Nancy behind or the characters I had come to know and love.
Perfect for fans of historical WW2 fiction and dual timelines such as Lorna Cook and Kathleen McGurl.
I would like to thank #AnnaStuart, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSecretDiary in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
August 4, 2021
Told from two timelines, present day and 1940s, this is a fascinating story of the strength and resilient of women and all they are capable of.
Lorna has recently lost her husband in an accident m so she goes back with her 2 boys to stay with her mother for the summer to try and deal with their loss. Their mother has recently married David, and they live in the house he inherited called the Gameskeepers Cottage. One day Lorna finds a diary hidden in a secret compartment of a desk in the annex of the cottage, and the diary begins with “My name is Nancy Jones and I have a secret.”
The diary contains the life story of Nancy and her friends, former gunner girls, who were required to shoot down he Nazi planes that flew over their town. It was a job that was usually given to men, but since they were all out at war, the job fell to the women and the women were awesome at it and loved it! However once they had to go back to normal life when the war was ending, they struggled with adapting to real life situations like relationships, and trying to deal with mean trying to keep them in “traditional roles” after accomplishing so much during the war. Nancy feels uncomfortable at her husband’s family home because they expect her to maintain traditional women’s work, but she knows she could be much more valuable to them in many other ways if they would just open their minds and see what she has to offer.
As we get firmly entrenched in both women’s lives in both timelines, we see Nancy and her friends moving forward and Lorna and her family learning to cope with their loss and Lorna getting further into the diary, she realizes that David is Nancy’s son, and in building a relationship with him through sharing the diary, she comes to terms with her loss and learns to move on.
This was gripping and emotional and I loved how strong the women were!
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
Lorna has recently lost her husband in an accident m so she goes back with her 2 boys to stay with her mother for the summer to try and deal with their loss. Their mother has recently married David, and they live in the house he inherited called the Gameskeepers Cottage. One day Lorna finds a diary hidden in a secret compartment of a desk in the annex of the cottage, and the diary begins with “My name is Nancy Jones and I have a secret.”
The diary contains the life story of Nancy and her friends, former gunner girls, who were required to shoot down he Nazi planes that flew over their town. It was a job that was usually given to men, but since they were all out at war, the job fell to the women and the women were awesome at it and loved it! However once they had to go back to normal life when the war was ending, they struggled with adapting to real life situations like relationships, and trying to deal with mean trying to keep them in “traditional roles” after accomplishing so much during the war. Nancy feels uncomfortable at her husband’s family home because they expect her to maintain traditional women’s work, but she knows she could be much more valuable to them in many other ways if they would just open their minds and see what she has to offer.
As we get firmly entrenched in both women’s lives in both timelines, we see Nancy and her friends moving forward and Lorna and her family learning to cope with their loss and Lorna getting further into the diary, she realizes that David is Nancy’s son, and in building a relationship with him through sharing the diary, she comes to terms with her loss and learns to move on.
This was gripping and emotional and I loved how strong the women were!
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
January 11, 2025
Two women. One house. And a secret that spans decades…
The past merges with the present in an unforgettable, poignant story of love, loss and courage in this beautifully written story set between World War Two and the present day.
Nancy was one of the war girls and this is her story after the war has ended and her gunner girl friends, intertwined with Lorna's story in the present day as she stumbles upon Nancy's diary.
As with all Stuart's books this is exceptionally well written with amazing attention to detail during WW2 era bringing the Gunner girls to life. I love this series and now I feel we have gone full circle by the writings in Nancy's diary.
Stuart blends two women's stories across dual timelines seamlessly not something that's easy to do.
From the start you're drawn in to be invested not only in her characters but also what the secret is that the Gunner girls have hidden for decades
Another brilliant piece of work from this extremely talented author.
Kerry Kennedy Author
The past merges with the present in an unforgettable, poignant story of love, loss and courage in this beautifully written story set between World War Two and the present day.
Nancy was one of the war girls and this is her story after the war has ended and her gunner girl friends, intertwined with Lorna's story in the present day as she stumbles upon Nancy's diary.
As with all Stuart's books this is exceptionally well written with amazing attention to detail during WW2 era bringing the Gunner girls to life. I love this series and now I feel we have gone full circle by the writings in Nancy's diary.
Stuart blends two women's stories across dual timelines seamlessly not something that's easy to do.
From the start you're drawn in to be invested not only in her characters but also what the secret is that the Gunner girls have hidden for decades
Another brilliant piece of work from this extremely talented author.
Kerry Kennedy Author
September 18, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
Yet another WW2 book, this one depicting the gunner girls. A duel timeline book, set in 1945-6 and modern day, it tells the story of Lorna, a mother of 2 young boys trying to recover in her mother's home from a terrible tragedy when she discoverers the diary for gunner girl, Nancy. Nancy, along with her friends Peggy, Dot and Connie have a secret that slowly gets uncovered.
Yet another WW2 book, this one depicting the gunner girls. A duel timeline book, set in 1945-6 and modern day, it tells the story of Lorna, a mother of 2 young boys trying to recover in her mother's home from a terrible tragedy when she discoverers the diary for gunner girl, Nancy. Nancy, along with her friends Peggy, Dot and Connie have a secret that slowly gets uncovered.
August 4, 2021
Poignant. Engaging. Heart breaking. Beautiful. I loved this wonderfully written, brilliantly researched, amazing book. A story that will stay with me for a long time. Just lovely.
July 24, 2021
From the very beginning I found myself pulled in to the storyline and I loved the dual timelines between Nancy and Lorna. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and this one added a bit of mystery as well. I enjoyed learning about the post-war challenges and the expectation for things to go back to normal among society - all of which was heavily endured by Nancy and her friends, the gunner girls. I couldn’t put this book down and I finished it in two days. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author. I received a digital review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2021
I found this an outstanding book and couldn't put it down. I felt as though I knew the characters and could emphasise with them. I highly recommend this book and will look out for other books by this author.
August 13, 2021
I loved The Berlin Zookeeper, so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into the story and never really connected to the characters. Lorna still seemed like a mystery to me. Nancy's diary didn't have some shocking reveal in the end. Every time something happened at the Gamekeeper's cottage, Nancy's first instinct was to run away. She expected Ted and Betty to completely change their view overnight. The diary really doesn't go into much detail about the time Nancy and her friends spent as gunner girls. Nancy was so proud of her time as a gunner girl but never talked about with her son.
Definitely give the book a try, it just wasn't for me. Look forward to reading more books by the author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Definitely give the book a try, it just wasn't for me. Look forward to reading more books by the author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
August 3, 2021
Whenever I read a really well-told story with a dual timeline, I feel compelled to say that it’s always something I particularly enjoy – and my goodness, I certainly enjoyed this one.
Devastated by the loss of husband Matt, Lorna and her two young sons decide to leave Norwich and all its difficult reminders behind for a while, and spend the summer with her mother – now married to ex-GP David, they live at Latham in a beautiful gamekeeper’s cottage with an annex where the young family will be able to have a little space when they need it. The annex is a wonderful surprise – frozen in time, furnished in 1940s style complete with original radio on the fireplace and blousy wallpaper in the bedroom, and with all its original furnishings. Lorna has a bit of a passion for old furniture, and finds the hidden drawer within the dressing table that she knows to be a common feature – but she doesn’t expect to find a hidden diary from 1945, and exploring its fascinating story (along with the loving attention of David and her mother) is what sustains her as she follows her journey to heal herself.
The diary is written by Nancy, newly married and having moved in with her in-laws after her wartime life as a gunner girl, a time fraught with danger as she worked as part of a group of four women who spotted enemy aircraft and prepared the guns that the men would fire to bring them down. Her husband promised that she could join him as a gamekeeper, but his family have other ideas about an appropriate life for a woman, and instead she finds herself frustratingly tied to the chores around the cottage and the more interesting life she’d hoped for out of her grasp. Her wartime years were a time of strong friendships, and all but one the girls have kept in touch – and there’s a mystery to be uncovered about the fate of the missing member of the team, and it’s something Nancy chose to conceal by tearing out and hiding the final pages of the diary, feeling it was a story that wasn’t hers to share.
When I say how much I enjoy a dual timeline, it does rather depend on both stories being equally strong – and I was very happy about the balance within this book. Laura’s grief is palpable and very real, and I loved her relationships both with her young sons and with her mother and David – her pursuit of the full story behind the diary and her path to healing drives the story, and I really enjoyed her involvement in the restoration of Langham Dome, where the practising wartime gunners were able to hone their skills. Nancy’s story is compelling, a wonderful slice of social history I’m not sure I’ve come across in a book before – I’d never given much thought to how very difficult women must have found it to slip back into their expected roles as wives and mothers, stepping aside to let the men pick up their former roles, and that struggle between more traditional views and the thirst for freedom is exceptionally well handled.
The characters are excellent – Nancy has a wonderful feistiness about her as she attempts to kick against convention, and there are some lovely moments where you find yourself cheering and urging her on when she makes her stands. Another one I particularly loved was David – his care for Lorna and the boys earns him the titles of “Dad” and “grandad”, the love with which he envelops them in rather sharp contrast to the austerity of the family joined by Nancy. The book’s emotional content really is beautifully handled – Lorna’s sense of loss is never far below the surface and makes your heart ache at times, but Nancy’s frustration with her lot and thwarted dreams for the future are equally palpable.
This is by no means the only book I’ve read that hinges on the finding of a diary, but the device is particularly well employed – the links between the two storylines are cleverly done, the transitions between the stories smooth and easy, the storytelling quite excellent, and the read compelling as we hope for a resolution to the remaining mystery behind the diary’s missing pages. And it’s one of those books that amply shows the depth of the author’s research, but wears it lightly as she recreates a very authentic slice of social history – the historical notes that end the book are simply fascinating, and every bit as readable as the story itself.
This a story that focuses on transitions – Lorna’s journey to recovery and future happiness, Nancy’s to a life that matches her post-war expectations – but all wrapped up in two engrossing stories. Highly recommended – I loved it.
Devastated by the loss of husband Matt, Lorna and her two young sons decide to leave Norwich and all its difficult reminders behind for a while, and spend the summer with her mother – now married to ex-GP David, they live at Latham in a beautiful gamekeeper’s cottage with an annex where the young family will be able to have a little space when they need it. The annex is a wonderful surprise – frozen in time, furnished in 1940s style complete with original radio on the fireplace and blousy wallpaper in the bedroom, and with all its original furnishings. Lorna has a bit of a passion for old furniture, and finds the hidden drawer within the dressing table that she knows to be a common feature – but she doesn’t expect to find a hidden diary from 1945, and exploring its fascinating story (along with the loving attention of David and her mother) is what sustains her as she follows her journey to heal herself.
The diary is written by Nancy, newly married and having moved in with her in-laws after her wartime life as a gunner girl, a time fraught with danger as she worked as part of a group of four women who spotted enemy aircraft and prepared the guns that the men would fire to bring them down. Her husband promised that she could join him as a gamekeeper, but his family have other ideas about an appropriate life for a woman, and instead she finds herself frustratingly tied to the chores around the cottage and the more interesting life she’d hoped for out of her grasp. Her wartime years were a time of strong friendships, and all but one the girls have kept in touch – and there’s a mystery to be uncovered about the fate of the missing member of the team, and it’s something Nancy chose to conceal by tearing out and hiding the final pages of the diary, feeling it was a story that wasn’t hers to share.
When I say how much I enjoy a dual timeline, it does rather depend on both stories being equally strong – and I was very happy about the balance within this book. Laura’s grief is palpable and very real, and I loved her relationships both with her young sons and with her mother and David – her pursuit of the full story behind the diary and her path to healing drives the story, and I really enjoyed her involvement in the restoration of Langham Dome, where the practising wartime gunners were able to hone their skills. Nancy’s story is compelling, a wonderful slice of social history I’m not sure I’ve come across in a book before – I’d never given much thought to how very difficult women must have found it to slip back into their expected roles as wives and mothers, stepping aside to let the men pick up their former roles, and that struggle between more traditional views and the thirst for freedom is exceptionally well handled.
The characters are excellent – Nancy has a wonderful feistiness about her as she attempts to kick against convention, and there are some lovely moments where you find yourself cheering and urging her on when she makes her stands. Another one I particularly loved was David – his care for Lorna and the boys earns him the titles of “Dad” and “grandad”, the love with which he envelops them in rather sharp contrast to the austerity of the family joined by Nancy. The book’s emotional content really is beautifully handled – Lorna’s sense of loss is never far below the surface and makes your heart ache at times, but Nancy’s frustration with her lot and thwarted dreams for the future are equally palpable.
This is by no means the only book I’ve read that hinges on the finding of a diary, but the device is particularly well employed – the links between the two storylines are cleverly done, the transitions between the stories smooth and easy, the storytelling quite excellent, and the read compelling as we hope for a resolution to the remaining mystery behind the diary’s missing pages. And it’s one of those books that amply shows the depth of the author’s research, but wears it lightly as she recreates a very authentic slice of social history – the historical notes that end the book are simply fascinating, and every bit as readable as the story itself.
This a story that focuses on transitions – Lorna’s journey to recovery and future happiness, Nancy’s to a life that matches her post-war expectations – but all wrapped up in two engrossing stories. Highly recommended – I loved it.
July 21, 2021
Two women in the same house, decades apart. A secret diary hidden and along with it some secrets that shouldn't come to light. Or should they? What exactly are the secrets and why did a group of women vow to never speak of these things again.
In a nutshell, that is how this book starts off and yet it is so much more. Lorna Haynes is grieving the sudden loss of her husband. On the advice of a friend, she decides to take her young sons and stay with her mom and step-dad for the summer. She is hoping the change of scenery will help with the roughest parts of the grief. What she doesn't know is she is about to embark on a journey of learning about the woman who used to live in the house her mom and step-dad now live in. The woman who fought for her rights to be seen not as a woman, but as a capable human.
Nancy Jones was part of a group of four women who helped spot enemy aircraft and do the computations for lining up the guns that the men would fire to bring the aircraft down. At the end of the war, Nancy and her husband marry and move in with her in-laws. Nancy is promised by her new husband that she will be able to be a gamekeeper like him, which is what she feels will help her transition to her new life.
Upon arrival, Nancy realizes her in-laws are very traditional and thus begins her fight to be seen as a person capable of doing whatever she sets her mind to. To help deal with her adjustments and frustrations, Nancy begins writing out her story in her diary. She stores it in a hidden compartment in her vanity. As she reaches the end, she decides that the final pages need to be ripped out and hidden so that certain parts of her story are never discovered.
When Lorna finds the diary, she cannot stop reading and becomes curious as to what the secret is. In talking with her step-dad, she learns that Nancy is his father and that there are parts of her story even he didn't know.
The dual timeline and switching back and forth to slowly reveal Nancy's story was so very well done. I loved how I would be on the verge of learning something new and the author would switch timelines to keep the suspense going. I also truly loved the way the author dealt with death and loss. The insights by the characters, often the children, spoke to me on such a personal level.
I highly recommend this story to fans of WWII historical fiction, dual timelines, and strong female characters. Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Stuart, and Bookouture for the copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
In a nutshell, that is how this book starts off and yet it is so much more. Lorna Haynes is grieving the sudden loss of her husband. On the advice of a friend, she decides to take her young sons and stay with her mom and step-dad for the summer. She is hoping the change of scenery will help with the roughest parts of the grief. What she doesn't know is she is about to embark on a journey of learning about the woman who used to live in the house her mom and step-dad now live in. The woman who fought for her rights to be seen not as a woman, but as a capable human.
Nancy Jones was part of a group of four women who helped spot enemy aircraft and do the computations for lining up the guns that the men would fire to bring the aircraft down. At the end of the war, Nancy and her husband marry and move in with her in-laws. Nancy is promised by her new husband that she will be able to be a gamekeeper like him, which is what she feels will help her transition to her new life.
Upon arrival, Nancy realizes her in-laws are very traditional and thus begins her fight to be seen as a person capable of doing whatever she sets her mind to. To help deal with her adjustments and frustrations, Nancy begins writing out her story in her diary. She stores it in a hidden compartment in her vanity. As she reaches the end, she decides that the final pages need to be ripped out and hidden so that certain parts of her story are never discovered.
When Lorna finds the diary, she cannot stop reading and becomes curious as to what the secret is. In talking with her step-dad, she learns that Nancy is his father and that there are parts of her story even he didn't know.
The dual timeline and switching back and forth to slowly reveal Nancy's story was so very well done. I loved how I would be on the verge of learning something new and the author would switch timelines to keep the suspense going. I also truly loved the way the author dealt with death and loss. The insights by the characters, often the children, spoke to me on such a personal level.
I highly recommend this story to fans of WWII historical fiction, dual timelines, and strong female characters. Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Stuart, and Bookouture for the copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
August 5, 2021
It’s Norfolk in 1945 and only a few months before Nancy Jones was a gunner in World War Two, fighting for her country. Nancy and her husband had a whirlwind romance and are soon married. But there is so much that they don’t know about each other. Things that occurred during the war begin to come to light. Norfolk, 2019, Lorna Haynes looses her husband and is on the verge of loosing her home, Gamekeeper’s Cottage. While at the Cottage she finds a locked room that she never knew about. When she enters the room, Lorna finds a red diary in a desk drawer. As Lorena reads through the diary, she learns about the woman who lived in the cottage decades before her. But reading through the diary, she reads the very secrets that were so desperately meant to be kept quiet. The secrets that change her life. This time slip historical fiction is an absolute must read. I devoured this book in its entirety. It is filled with suspense, romance, and plot twist and turns, that will have you flying through the pages. I enjoyed this book so much, that I am almost speechless. This is a definite must read, however, a box of Kleenex is mandatory. I absolutely loved this book…historical fiction at its best!
Thank you Anna Stuart for yet another well written story. I loved the dual timeline as it made it a fast paced read. The characters were relatable and the storyline was phenomenal and heartbreaking. I loved it, this one can’t be surpassed. Definitely worth ten stars.
Thank you Anna Stuart for yet another well written story. I loved the dual timeline as it made it a fast paced read. The characters were relatable and the storyline was phenomenal and heartbreaking. I loved it, this one can’t be surpassed. Definitely worth ten stars.
July 30, 2021
Another wonderful story from Anna Stuart based between the end of World War II and present day. We meet Lorna who has had the carpet ripped out from underneath her and persuaded by her best friend goes to stay with her Mum whilst she grieves and moves forward with her boys.
Whilst staying with her Mum she discovers a diary in the annexe from World War II and finds herself propelled into the world of the gunner girls and starts to heal her heart as she discovers long forgotten stories and a few secrets from these wonderful ladies.
A story rich in history, written with great care and empathy. I am a massive fan of this author and once again have loved devouring this story and learning more about the gunner girls and the importance of the role they fulfilled when so many men had been sent to war and they needed brave women to step up and join the ranks to help protect the country.
I loved being transported back in time in this story and found the descriptions vivid which really enhanced the story as it played out in my imagination. I can't wait to see what this author releases next as her books are always a superb read.
Whilst staying with her Mum she discovers a diary in the annexe from World War II and finds herself propelled into the world of the gunner girls and starts to heal her heart as she discovers long forgotten stories and a few secrets from these wonderful ladies.
A story rich in history, written with great care and empathy. I am a massive fan of this author and once again have loved devouring this story and learning more about the gunner girls and the importance of the role they fulfilled when so many men had been sent to war and they needed brave women to step up and join the ranks to help protect the country.
I loved being transported back in time in this story and found the descriptions vivid which really enhanced the story as it played out in my imagination. I can't wait to see what this author releases next as her books are always a superb read.
November 11, 2021
An insight into WW2
Great story, the characters wonderfully intertwined with the
Past and the present. You feel you are with those gunner girls protecting our skies
Great story, the characters wonderfully intertwined with the
Past and the present. You feel you are with those gunner girls protecting our skies
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