The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets – Eva Rice

This is a perfect indulgence of a book, it is light and frothy, a joy to read, it makes you cry at the right bits but leaves you feeling uplifted and believing with love all obstacles can be overcome.

Set in London and the Home Counties in the 1950’s the chance meeting between two young girls, Penelope and Charlotte sets off a chain of events unearthing buried secrets between their two families. Penelope lives in a large but run-down house in Wiltshire, works in an antique shop and longs to be as beautiful as her young, tragically widowed mother. Charlotte lives in London, wants to be a dress designer and is helping her Aunt Clare write her rather racy autobiography; both girls worship the singer Johnnie Ray and rock & roll.

After a fateful tea-party between Charlotte, her cousin Harry, the archetypal Aunt Clare and Penelope the story takes off through a giddy social whirl of debutante parties, the discovery of rock and roll, beautiful clothes, drinks at The Ritz and a handsome sophisticated American man with a Chevrolet.

Penelope and her brother want to save the family home and make their mother happy again but she seems determined to live in the past and is apt to cry when her dead husband is mentioned, she spends money they haven’t got and seems oblivious to the swathes of men who fall in love with her after just one glance.

Harry is chasing Marina Hamilton who is engaged to George, Penelope finds herself dragged into preposterous plans to help Harry win Marina, all thoroughly disapproved of by Aunt Clare, who thinks Penelope would be better for him, something Penelope disagrees with.

Aunt Clare is the pivot in the story, her memoirs hold the key to the secrets and the moment she reveals the truth in a dramatic flourish you will need to get the tissues out then happily sob your way to the end of the book which has a satisfying proper ending.

This book is peopled with fantastic characters, the story romps along leaving you with a nostalgic rosy glow – even for those of us who don’t remember railway branch lines, being able to afford a taxi at the drop of a hat, and a world without Elvis Presley.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets – Eva Rice
Headline £6.99
ISBN – 0 7535 2550 8

If you enjoyed this book try:
Love In A Cold Climate – Nancy Mitford
The Weather In The Streets – Rosamond Lehman

Dianne Blashill

Disclaimer:

Some of the news articles on this website have been provided by third parties. Any views / opinions expressed in any article on this website don't necessarily match the views / opinions of the website owner.

Contact the website owner if you have any issues regarding a news article, remembering to quote the ID of the article (shown below the subject).