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!
Thanks Beauty & Lace & Allen & Unwin for this chance
What a beautiful story line written effortlessly between two eras easy to follow with great descriptive narrative Love the connection between Grandmother & granddaughter in this historical wartime/present time with love spanning decades
I really enjoyed this read & recommend to anyone who loves a good romance with a twist
Thanks to Allen and Unwin and Beauty and lace for the chance to read this lovely book. I loved the different perspective on this love story between Jack and Eleanor set in WW2 and 2010 when Eleanor’s Granddaughter Kathryn becomes part of the story. The War Artists Advisory committee is not an area known to me, the decoration of local restaurants and the idea of keeping certain artists safe for the duration of the war if they weren’t actively war artists intriguing to me as an artist. So lovely to see the value placed on art as a way to keep morale up. A good end of the day read where you can get to the end of a time era and get to sleep!
I thoughtI would love Eleanor’s Secret when I say the cover. It promised a story of art and love in a time gone by
I wasn’t disappointed. This book by Caroline Beecham tells the story of Eleanor a young woman finding her way in life in war torn London in the 1940s
It also flips to the current time when Kathryn (Eleanor’s granddaughter) travels home from her adopted country of Australia at her grandmother’s request
The setting moves back and forth from the 1940’s to 2010 as we learn more about the secret that gave this novel its title
This is a very descriptive novel. You are carried back to wartime. You fall in love as Eleanor did. This is a tale of hope and promise, a tale of a secret that endured generations
I really enjoyed this book and wish to thank Beauty and Lace Bookclub and Allen and Unwin got the opportunity to review it. A magical book that will transport you away to the past
I thoroughly enjoyed Eleanor’s Secret by Caroline Beecham. This book is set in two time periods. Firstly in 1942, War time England, where we meet a young Eleanor Roy, who is working for the War Artists Advisory committee. It’s through her work that she meets and falls in love with artist Jack Valante. They are eventually separated when Jack is posted overseas.
When we move forward to 2010 we meet Kathryn, Eleanor Roy’s grand daughter. Eleanor enlists her help in returning a painting to its artist, who just happens to be Eleano’s lost love.
It’s during this trip that Kathryn discovers a long held family secret.
As a fan of romance novels and historical novels this book did not disappoint.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Eleanor’s Secret by Caroline Beecham follows the life of Eleanor during the war in London in 1942 and later in her life in 2010, through her granddaughter, Kathryn.
In 1942 Eleanor is an art school graduate and is recruited by the War Artists Advisory Committee to help artists capture the war in any medium possible. Eleanor’s greatest dream is to become a war artist herself but this proves difficult for her and thus follows her story. Eleanor meets painter Jack Valente through trying to get him to sign up and provide art for the Ministry of Foods British Restaurants and the magnetism between them is palpable.
In 2010, Eleanor asks her granddaughter Kathryn to leave her family home in Melbourne and help her return a painting she has in her possession to the artist. During her search for the artist Kathryn uncovers a long held family secret.
Eleanor’s Secret is a mystery combined with a love story and very easy to read even spanning over the two timeframes. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for allowing me to read this magnificent book.
For most of the book I found myself getting half way through a page and realising I hadn’t actually read a word and having to go back and try to re-read. I think it might have been because a lot of the time it felt like Caroline Beecham was trying to prove that she had been to the places she was describing so the language was overly pedantic. It’s a shame because it’s an interesting premise for a story – I had never heard of war artists before. Plus, the reason for “Eleanor’s secret” was pretty weak so don’t hold your breath for something exciting.
Eleanor’s Secret is set across two different time periods. Eleanor is an artist living in London in 1942 during WWII. She is an art school graduate but currently works for the Ministry of Foods to recruit war artists to paint pictures for restaurants. In 2010 we see Eleanor invite her granddaughter Kathryn to visit her in London in relation to a painting from a war artist. It’s an interesting story but takes a bit of getting into and it wasn’t a story that had me staying up all night to read.
Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read “Eleanor’s Secret” by Caroline Beecham. It is an historical novel set in the 1940’s and focusses on War Artists and their role in WW 11.. The story travels over 2 timelines London in 1940 and Melbourne 2010.
It tells Eleanor’s story and that of her grand daughter Kathryn.
I enjoyed part of the story. It accurately portrayed the role of women during the war and the lack of equality. It was interesting to learn of the role Art played in keeping up the morale of the people in England, particularly London.
Kathryn travels from Melbourne to London at Eleanor’s request. Her grandmother wanted her help to solve a mystery and find a long lost ex lover. Jack.
I could not understand the reasons given for why Jack had not contacted Eleanor. Nor why they were written out of the official histories. This part of the story seemed contrived and convoluted.
The book was an easy read, good for a long plane trip or a lazy weekend.
Eleanor’s Secret was a great book that told a beautiful story capturing the tale from a Grandmother starting from 1942 to 2010 with her Granddaughter going to find what happened to her grandmothers sweetheart. It beautifully flowed from 1942 to 2010 with clues being found along the way.
Not wanting to give too much away – It was an excellent read and definitely a book I would re-read again.
Thank you so much Beauty and Lace Bookclub and Allen & Unwin for letting me read this beautiful story.
This is a beautifully crafted book that travels seamlessly between World War II London and contemporary Australia and London, weaving a mystery among the pages.
We often think of our grandmothers as always being the people we know them as, not often considering that they were young themselves, once, and did similar things to us. Such is the case for Kathryn whose grandmother, Eleanor, asks her to solve the mystery of her first love, Jack, who had gone overseas to work as a war artist, promising to return to her.
Life rarely turns out as we plan, though, and such is the case for Eleanor. Kathryn returns to England to help Eleanor solve a 60-year mystery and, along the way, she learns plenty she didn’t know about her grandmother, which has serious implications for her own life.
This is a book that may take a little reading to get into, but the story soon draws you in, and then won’t let you go until you reach that final word. However, the ending created more questions than it answered, so, unless there is going to be a sequel to this novel, readers will be left wondering.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to soak up this beautiful story.