Reviews

Bittersweet and utterly beautiful to read. If you like WWII historical fiction and love in the time of war and after….this book is for you. I’m gonna go cry now.

reneek84's review against another edition

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4.0

The Skylark’s Secret is a story set in Loch Ewe, Scotland. It follows Lexie Gordon and her mother, Flora, in dual timelines as Lexie returns home to learn more about her parents and family history. It's a beautiful story and I would highly recommend it.

jennywrens's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

achoward's review against another edition

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4.0

There are some books that you can't say a ton about in a review, because it all involves spoilers. This is one of those books. It isn't to say that the details are worth skipping, because they are not. This is quite a good book about homecoming and relationships and how family members interact with one another and the world around them.

We have a protagonistic duo in this book - both daughter (to open the book) and mother (as we travel between time periods) are involved in making the story that is shaped by their experiences both in the small Scottish town in which they live but also by the larger world outside that town.

If you enjoy literary fiction with familial conflict and the secrets small towns can hold, you'll very probably like this book, even if you have never set a toe on Scottish soil.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to Amazon UK and NetGalley for the review copy.

thebookishpersuasion's review against another edition

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4.0

The Skylark’s Secret tells the asynchronous stories of a mother and daughter, Fiona and Lexie, and their lives at Loch Ewe in the Scottish Highlands. Fiona is an ambulance driver for the Wrens during WWII and Lexie is a washed up musical theater star with a young child. As Lexie returns to her home from London, she starts to explore her mother’s history and the past of the father who died before she was born. This story talks about life in the highlands during World War II and Fiona’s love affair with the laird’s son, Alex, despite the disapproval of his father. Lexie starts to unravel her mother’s secrets as we follow Fiona’s story as the war worsens.

The good:
This book was incredibly well researched and immersive. I felt very much a part of the story and the unique life in the highlands on the loch. I enjoyed Fiona’s story and definitely learned some things about history that I didn't know. I found Fiona’s story compelling and really loved Davie’s character.

The bad:
I’m not a fan of stories that tell split stories in two different times because I never feel like I get to know the characters as deeply. I felt like the storylines weren’t as well developed because only a portion of the book was dedicated to each one. I also had to look up quite a few words that were specific to the highlands and had very little context to help me unravel them, which I found a little annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book—I just wanted to hear more about Fiona!

snipinfool's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Lexie Gordon was a star on the London stage. She had been cast as the lead in a new play when circumstances forced her life in another direction. She returned to her hometown in the Scottish Highlands with her young daughter to begin their new life. Lexie's mother recently died, but she had not been home in years. She was unsure of how she would be received since it had been so long since she left. They lived in Lexie's childhood home surrounded by memories. As she told her daughter about growing up in the area, Lexie realized she wanted to know more about her father's life. He died in WWII before she was born. Her mother rarely talked about him or his family. She never stopped grieving his death.

Flora lived in the Keeper's Cottage on the Ardtuath Estate. Her father worked for the Laird on the estate. Her brother recently joined the Royal Navy. The loch nearby was used as a port for some of the warships, so there was a chance her brother would come into port. Flora also hoped to see Alec Mackenzie-Grant when he was in port as well. He was the son of the Laird and a close friend from childhood. Alec held a special place in Flora's heart and she hoped he would also remain safe from harm.

This story was told in two timelines. One was Lexie's in the present and one was Flora's life from the past. Flora's told her story of love and loss during the war. Lexie's life was vastly different from the one she had in London, but she found it suited her and her daughter. They were around people who knew Lexie since she was born and she realized she could lean on them when they needed support. As she found out more about her parents' life together, Lexie had greater admiration for the difficulties her mother faced raising a child as a single parent. I have always wanted to visit Scotland and pictures the author painted in words added to my desire to visit.

inkstainedthumb's review against another edition

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5.0

Absolutely beautiful book! I love how Lexie goes on that journey to discover her own history, essentially discovering who her mother was, and in turn who her father was. Flora, Lexie's mum, never told her who her father was. Shame had silenced Flora and thus, it wasn't until after Flora's death, and having a daughter of her own, that takes Lexie down a path of discovery about her path, with help from her mother's best friends.

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