A review by stephs_cozycorner
The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall

5.0

 Oh my word, this book was just beautiful and incredible.

I fell in love with Heather’s writing when I read Looking For Jane and she is back with this spellbinding new novel about a pianist in Berlin on the cusp of the Second World War and the choices she makes that carry through many generations.

The story is told in dual timelines which takes us from Berlin in 1939 to London in 2010.   

In Berlin 1939 we meet two friends, one Jewish and one British, as they navigate a world and country that is on the cusp of war as they navigate their friendship, loyalty, secrets, and even go into hiding as Germany is taken over by Hitler and his regime.

This is where we meet our main character Audrey and where the story begins as we follow along with her fight, her heroism and her heartaches.   

In London 2010 Kate is trying to move on with her life after a horrible car accident took the lives of her parents.   While looking through her parents’ belongings she finds pictures from their honeymoon where they stayed at an inn that just so happens to have a job opening.

Arriving at the inn Kate and Audrey’s worlds come together and intertwine as they grow close, and Audrey confides in Kate to finally tell her story.  

Audrey’s story is absolutely heart wrenching and compelling and I could not turn the pages fast enough.   This is where Marshall’s writing shines.   Her attention to detail and descriptions of the events that unfolded had me enraptured.  

It takes a lot for a book to bring me to tears and by the end of this book I was a bawling mess (in a good way)!   

Marshall has become an auto buy author for me and I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

Do not hesitate to read this book!