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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Katherine Reay is one of my favorite authors. After reading her first book Dear Mr. Knightley, I was a fan. This is a bit of a departure from her previous books and really shows her writing bone fides with regard to historical fiction. This story has something for everyone including romance, compelling family dynamics, heart wrenching drama, suspense, mystery, WWII history, spies, gourmet food, and high fashion.
The main theme centers around how lies and misinformation from the past affect the present. Caroline always believed she was named after her great aunt Caroline (Caro) who died of polio at age seven. When Mat, an old college friend, shows up at her work with a fantastical story he wants to publish about her family, her world quickly begins to crumble. Apparently, her great aunt didn’t die as a child and is accused of being a traitor and defecting to Nazi Germany during WWII. Vowing to redeem her family and discover the truth, Caroline begs Mat to hold off on the article while she travels to her family’s ancestral home in England, “the London House,” to search out what really happened.
Juxtaposed with this is Caroline’s own past. There’s clearly a history with Mat and one gets the sense that they were once close but something happened. This history is teased out throughout the book. The other issue affecting Caroline is the tragic death of her sister as a child which completely changed her and her family. Searching for the truth about Caro not only solves the mystery of the past, but provides Caroline with the power and courage to change her future. It’s a powerfully emotional story of family, redemption, sacrifice, and hope.
I would consider this a dual time period novel, but the past is uniquely told mainly through letters, diaries, and documents from government archives. It takes the reader to several fashionable locations,: Boston, London, and Paris and cleverly mixes the historical with the fictional. I loved learning a little bit about Schiaparelli’s avant-garde couture fashion house of the 1930’s-40’s in Paris, including the famous “Lobster dress.”
The story takes awhile to get into because of the need to build a strong foundation and introduce all the characters, but once Caroline begins reading her grandmother’s and Caro’s letters and diaries the story really picks up and doesn’t let you go. It’s a touching story that brought me to tears. The last third of the book I was completely engrossed and the suspense was intense..
Highly recommend this book! It’s definitely unforgettable. (There is an implied love scene, but no details are given.) Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc and to the author for a paperback copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
The main theme centers around how lies and misinformation from the past affect the present. Caroline always believed she was named after her great aunt Caroline (Caro) who died of polio at age seven. When Mat, an old college friend, shows up at her work with a fantastical story he wants to publish about her family, her world quickly begins to crumble. Apparently, her great aunt didn’t die as a child and is accused of being a traitor and defecting to Nazi Germany during WWII. Vowing to redeem her family and discover the truth, Caroline begs Mat to hold off on the article while she travels to her family’s ancestral home in England, “the London House,” to search out what really happened.
Juxtaposed with this is Caroline’s own past. There’s clearly a history with Mat and one gets the sense that they were once close but something happened. This history is teased out throughout the book. The other issue affecting Caroline is the tragic death of her sister as a child which completely changed her and her family. Searching for the truth about Caro not only solves the mystery of the past, but provides Caroline with the power and courage to change her future. It’s a powerfully emotional story of family, redemption, sacrifice, and hope.
I would consider this a dual time period novel, but the past is uniquely told mainly through letters, diaries, and documents from government archives. It takes the reader to several fashionable locations,: Boston, London, and Paris and cleverly mixes the historical with the fictional. I loved learning a little bit about Schiaparelli’s avant-garde couture fashion house of the 1930’s-40’s in Paris, including the famous “Lobster dress.”
The story takes awhile to get into because of the need to build a strong foundation and introduce all the characters, but once Caroline begins reading her grandmother’s and Caro’s letters and diaries the story really picks up and doesn’t let you go. It’s a touching story that brought me to tears. The last third of the book I was completely engrossed and the suspense was intense..
Highly recommend this book! It’s definitely unforgettable. (There is an implied love scene, but no details are given.) Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc and to the author for a paperback copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
The London House is a fantastic split time novel. Each timeline is its own solid story and the two are flawlessly combined. I love the use of letters and diary entries to tell the historical side. The twists and turns kept me turning pages to find out what really happened. More than once I returned to a passage just to savor it. This amazing, captivating story is not to be missed.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy and all opinions are my own.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy and all opinions are my own.
THE LONDON HOUSE has a dual-timeline format that was well researched and well written. I enjoyed reading about the famous people and fashions at the time of WWII in Paris and Britain.
Caroline is contacted by her college friend Matt revealing a secret about her great Aunt Caroline. He found information that she was a spy and betrayed her family and Country by marring a German. Caroline and Matt go to The London House that is owned by her Mother to see if the can find what really happened. Through letters, diaries, and research they begin to uncover the true story.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5. This was a lovely and engaging story, although I kind of wish it had been told from another perspective. So many great options!
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well done historical fiction with a dual timeline of WW II and present day.
Caroline's family is strained, and has been for - well forever. She is contacted by Mat, an old college friend, who stumbled upon the name of her aunt (and namesake) while researching which in turn sets off a whole chain of events to upset her family.
Loved the use of letters between Caro and Margo and Margo's diary to help us learn the story!
Caroline's family is strained, and has been for - well forever. She is contacted by Mat, an old college friend, who stumbled upon the name of her aunt (and namesake) while researching which in turn sets off a whole chain of events to upset her family.
Loved the use of letters between Caro and Margo and Margo's diary to help us learn the story!
I'm a HUGE fan of:
WW2 stories
Women protagonists
Epistolary Novels
Back and forth in points of view
Family sitatuational reality (drama)
Subtle romance where the romance isn't the main thing
Background and books that make me look stuff up
History
Because of these things I really enjoyed Katherine Reay's new novel. It was very different for her and out of her norm. I have read everyone of her books (except her non fiction one) and I was skeptical and a little bit afraid of reading this one. But I really enjoyed it. It was heavy on History and learning from the past and being objective!
I would have liked to seen some more character development and more of the "angst" resolved. It did seem a bit over the top in some places the family drama. But I get what she trying to achieve.
Would have loved more action but the back and forth in letters was great! Loved how it ended in that POV. What courage.
I realize she doesn't put much faith into her books- and I've always wondered why. Faith would have resolved alot of the pain. But I would still recommend it for those who love the same things I do and I own all her books now!
WW2 stories
Women protagonists
Epistolary Novels
Back and forth in points of view
Family sitatuational reality (drama)
Subtle romance where the romance isn't the main thing
Background and books that make me look stuff up
History
Because of these things I really enjoyed Katherine Reay's new novel. It was very different for her and out of her norm. I have read everyone of her books (except her non fiction one) and I was skeptical and a little bit afraid of reading this one. But I really enjoyed it. It was heavy on History and learning from the past and being objective!
I would have liked to seen some more character development and more of the "angst" resolved. It did seem a bit over the top in some places the family drama. But I get what she trying to achieve.
Would have loved more action but the back and forth in letters was great! Loved how it ended in that POV. What courage.
I realize she doesn't put much faith into her books- and I've always wondered why. Faith would have resolved alot of the pain. But I would still recommend it for those who love the same things I do and I own all her books now!
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated