The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is one of those books that does really well on the book blogger circuit. It’s literary enough to catch a more discerning reader and sufficiently romantic to appeal to a more casual purveyor of books.
The Plot
Based in post-war Britain, this is a story of the friendship of three twenty-somethings – Penelope, Charlotte, and Henry. And that is just one layer of the story. Eva Rice transports the reader into the 1950s high society London and one can almost hear the clink of the wine glasses and smell the perfumes.
Penelope Wallace is the heroine – relatable, authentic, and endlessly engaging. You remember your teenage obsessions as she swoons over Johnnie Ray, you empathize with her shyness as she is overshadowed by a gorgeous and glamorous mother. Your heart aches for her as she struggles for her own confused feelings of love.
Milton Magna, house and home to Penelope, is no longer a place of happiness. A crumbling manor, falling in disrepair with the family having no means to keep it standing. Magna is the substitute death. There is this constant sense of repression inside its walls. It is no wonder that Penelope is always escaping to London to spend time with Charlotte and Harry.
Photo Credit – William Krause @williamk (Unsplash.com)
My favorite line of the book as it accurately captures the spirit of the story. The constant light-headed dizziness of being young and knowing that your whole life is in front of you; when being noticed and loved is what you want most! And nothing changes that – not being in post-war England, not poverty, not rationing and not even living in a dying house.
Verdict
Eva Rice’s literary style is breezy yet fun to read. Character development is beautiful, and that makes this book more classy than the others. The best part is that one doesn’t want the story to end where it does….one wishes that we could spend another day in the lives of Penelope and her friends.
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I think post war life must have been pretty bleak, but Rice really makes the lives of these people appealing despite that. I loved this too and am glad you enjoyed it as well!
Yes. It was mostly thanks to your blog and some other that really made me want to read this.
That’s a nice find! Wish I could find it here somewhere. Hope to get my hands on it sometime!
I think there are very few post war books that would deal with this sort of theme
Zoya – yes it was. I was very lucky. I am reading two very interesting books now – The Memoirs of Jane Austen and Superman comics ( okay the second one is not a book)
Superman comics? You should’ve blogged on your take on that 😀 I bought a couple of mangas last year which I’m sure are gathering dust in my shelves somewhere. Guess what! I found the digital version of this book by Eva Rice.
Wow you are so lucky! I hope u enjoy this book as much as i did
Sounds like a great book. I will add it to the list!
Samantha – Thanks for stopping by ! Yes it was completely charming book – exactly how a book based in england should be 🙂