Author: Caroline Beecham
ISBN: 978-1-76029-566-0
RRP: $29.99
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Eleanor’s Secret is the sophomore novel of bestselling author Caroline Beecham, also set in war-torn London in 1942. I had big plans to have this one read and reviewed ready for the post to go live today but my strong start to the month fizzled quick. I have started reading it, and hope to have a complete review this week.
Caroline Beecham returns to London in 1942 where Eleanor Roy, art school graduate, is working for the War Artist Advisory Committee. Her dream is to become one of the few female war artists but breaking into the art establishment is still easier dreamed than done.
Eleanor is working with the Ministry of Food to organise artworks to decorate the British Restaurants that are keeping the citizens fed and aiming to help with morale. One of the artists she is sent to sign is Jack Valante, who won’t sign the contract and when Eleanor returns to try again he seems to have disappeared.
This novel is a dual timeline narrative with a compelling love story and a surprising mystery. The dual timeline is a great storytelling tool when you have a mystery to unfold.
Fast forward to Melbourne in 2010 and Kathryn has been asked by her grandmother, Eleanor, to help her return a painting to its artist in London. The search unearths a long held family secret and Kathryn is left trying to decide whether she races straight home to address the issues in her own immediate family or stay and help protect the past.
Caroline Beecham writes well researched and authentic historical tales that draw you right into the London she describes. I quite enjoyed Maggie’s Kitchen and I can’t wait to really sink myself into Eleanor’s Secret.
Caroline Beecham can be followed on CarolineBeecham.com and Twitter.
Eleanor’s Secret is published by Allen & Unwin and is available now through Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin 50 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading Eleanor’s Secret so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Thankyou to Beauty and lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read Eleanor’s Secret by Caroline Beecham .
The story is told in two time lines.
In London 1942 Eleanor Roy joined the War Artist Advisory Committee. Her job was to sign artists to sketch, draw and paint the war, so that every one at home could see what their loved ones were going through in the war. Eleanor dreamed of becoming a war artist herself. Through her work she meets artist Jack Valante. There is an instant attraction , but they are separated by his posting overseas.
In 2010 Eleanor requests her granddaughter Kathryn, who lives in Melbourne to return to London to help her with her search for Jack.
The romance story lines for both Eleanor and Kathryn are one aspect of the story.
The book is titled Eleanor’s Secret. As Kathryn discovers more about her grandmothers War years, the secrets unfold.
There is the historical aspect of World war 2. Showing how there were less options available to women than men. The book portrays the role of war artists and how the war affected people’s lives.
I enjoyed the book and learnt a lot about an aspect of World War 2 I hadn’t heard about before.
I recommend the book, and give it 4 stars.
Eleanor’s Secret by Caroline Beecham is a novel which features strong women from two generations of the same family – the grandmother’s story begins in London during the Second World War when as an art school graduate Eleanor Roy works with the War Artists Advisory Committee, her elusive dream is to become a female war artist. The story tells of her love story with artist Jack Valante and how they are separated suddenly when he is posted overseas.
The other generation featured is Eleanor’s granddaughter – Kathryn, a designer, who lives in Melbourne with her husband and son. Kathryn is at a crossroads in her life when she gets the request from her grandmother to fly to London to help her find Jack Valante.
I was drawn to this novel as I enjoy stories which jump across family generations and bring the generations together. Also as a fairly new Australian, originally from London, I identified with Kathryn and the issue of whether she should stay in Australia or return to the UK.
Kathryn’s persistence and hard work eventually uncovers the mystery but at times I wondered why Eleanor kept so much from her, it seemed a little strange. Why would you ask your granddaughter to fly halfway round the world to help with a search but not provide her with all the information you can to make it easier?
I found myself caught up in the search and while at times the story was a little predictable I still thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hard to put down.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and the Beauty & Lace Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
It was an interesting insight into the Second World War. Thought two painters eyes. I like the historical value of the book, but I felt that it was a bit long winded. I would give it three a half stars.
Thank you Beauty and Lace Book Club.
This story is set in two eras. The 1942 war years and 2010 and it jumps back and forth between them which makes for a great read. The main characters are Eleanor and Jack, both artists, but whereas Jack is a war artist, Eleanor would love to be. The 1940’s war years are a man driven world and there is no place for a female in the thick of the action which is what Eleanor yearned to be. Her role as expected from the powers that be, is the supposedly traditional one of keeping the home fires burning and helping the war effort in England. This novel portrays the harsh reality of war and the sacrifices that had to be made.
It shows love, compassion ,loyalty and strength of character to get through those years and also secrets and half truths that impact the future in 2010 and especially for Kathryn, Eleanor’s granddaughter.. These two women share a strong bond and the secrets of the past are peeled away slowly throughout the book. Will these secrets tear them apart or strengthen their bond?
I loved the novel and highly recommend it.
I love a good historical novel and this book was really an enjoyable read. It deals with World War two from a completely different angle. You usually don’t think of art much in a time of war. So it was beautiful to see how this beautiful art form of painting is part of a war love story. Actually wished I could “see” some of Jack Valante’s and Eleanor’s paintings they are so beautifully described in the book!
It also sheds light on the role women played during the war and the slow change in a woman’s place in society over the years. Loved the two alternating time lines between generations of the same family and the unravelling of the secrets of the past.
Overall a wonderful book . And sure to hit the mark with readers of historical fiction and art. Was a real delight to read and review it!
This story is a complex, multi-generational one starring Eleanor Roy. She was a young woman who joined the War Artist Advisory Committee during WWII where she had to sign-up new artists and talent under contract. A gifted painter herself, she forms a romantic bond with Jack Valante but things do not go according to plan.
Without giving too much away, the end product is a multi-dimensional tale that shares a few things with a forthcoming film called “The Wife.”
I loved reading Eleanor’s Secret as I found that it was an enduring love story but with a twist. The story is more about the War Artists during the second World War rather then a strong focus on romance. I would not class this book as a romance as such so for those that like a bit of grit and some mystery then this is the book for you.
Things start of simply enough with Kathryn indulging her Grandmother by flying from Australia to England to spend her time in trying to find a War Artist that her Grandmother was friends with during the War. As Kathryn finds more information about the War Artist she also learns more about her Grandmother and her Grandmothers past and along the way she learns more about herself as well.
This is a story that jumps from London in the 1940’s to 2010 in Melbourne and also England.
I found this a lovely read. Easy but still there was the mystery. I sis wish that some of the paintings that were described in the book had been printed as that would have been lovely.
Eleanor’s Secret by Caroline Beecham and published by @AllenandUnwinBooks is historical fiction and tells an intriguing story about family, lost love and the long-reaching, emotional effects of World War II on people’s lives.
The story revolves around the Eleanor of the title. It swaps between the war years of Eleanor’s youth in the 1940s, where (a would be war artist herself) she worked with the War Artist Advisory Committee, to more current times, where Eleanor is now a great-grandmother, and has enlisted her grand-daughter Kathryn to find a war artist who has seemingly disappeared. An artist with whom Eleanor had shared a special bond.
The story is very visually descriptive and it was easy to transport oneself to war-torn London, and to get a sense of the anguish and despair, the struggles and deprivation and the numbing shock of the war (particularly on those left at home). All this was cleverly done whilst also weaving into the story the interesting and largely untold role that war artists played.
Eleanor’s Secret was a compelling story and an enjoyable read.
Thank you for letting me read Eleanors Secret! I very much looked forward to it!
While not a true war romance novel in the usual sense but a drawn out love story over the decades. I felt sorry for Eleanor andI wished her a happier outcome but those were the times. I was glad once the truth came out.
Once again I enjoyed the historical facts of the book and found the story easily entwined with the truth. I was aware of war artists but not of the depth of thier participatolion or the degree of difficulty.
I only found issue with the reason of dragging her grand daughter so far but not really helping her or giving more back ground information. Whilst this helped with Katherines marriage, it wasnt intrigal to the story.
A good book hard to put down.
Whilst I’m not a fan of War novels, I really enjoyed the way Caroline described this time and it easily kept my interest. Both the main characters are intriguing and likeable. The story is written in 2 timelines, a love story that it not a fairy tale and nothing is given away. The way it is written really makes me want to delve into my own family history, If you like mysterious romance novels then this is the book for you