One house, two women, a lifetime of secrets…

Following the death of her mother, Becky begins the sad task of sorting through her empty flat. Starting with the letters piling up on the doormat, she finds an envelope post-marked from Cornwall. In it is a letter that will change her life forever. A desperate plea from her mother’s elderly cousin, Olivia, to help save her beloved home.

Becky arrives at Chynalls to find the beautiful old house crumbling into the ground, and Olivia stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her home is made habitable.

Though daunted by the enormity of the task, Becky sets to work. But as she peels back the layers of paint, plaster and grime, she uncovers secrets buried for more than seventy years. Secrets from a time when Olivia was young, the Second World War was raging, and danger and romance lurked round every corner…

My Thoughts:

I love reading books that flit from the past to the present. The past is set in World War Two which gives a good perspective on that time especially for people living in a small fishing village. The war here seems so far away but it will have a way of finding them. Olivia is a sixteen year old girl who is being brought up in World War Two, it changes her life in so many ways and have repercussions in her lifetime. When we head to the present we meet Olivia again as a ninety year old lady, who I loved. She is a brilliant character and is full of feistiness and very direct but why not be at her age. Rebecca has just lost someone close to her and needs a new direction so comes to Cornwall to help out Olivia. It was lovely to see Rebecca grow. I loved escaping to Cornwall in this beautifully told tale.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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