Margo Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets ~ Eva Rice Publisher Review ISBN: 0-7553-2550-8 Book Type: Fiction. I found this book lovely to read, it's set in the 1950's just as Rock n Roll era is entering. It's about a family who have lost their husband/father to the war and how they struggle to make ends meet without him, and how living in a magnificent house, which many people adore, constantly reminds the family of their husband/father which at times is too hard to bare. It's about friendship as two girls Penelope and Charlotte become inseparable. I really did like this part of the book, it was great to see their friendship blossom and grow. It's also a story about love, and teenage girls crush on Johnnie Ray and how Elvis Presley influenced boys too. I found this a lovely read, not overly thrilling to read but I put it into my cosy category. Anyone who grew up in the rock n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inanna Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 I have this too read after hearing how much you enjoyed it Margo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahrob Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 I read this book over the weekend and absolutely adored everything about it, from the pink-tipped pages to the characters and story. I love the whole tone of it, it reminded me of those madcap heiress stories from the 1930s. I absolutely fell in love with Charlotte, and wanted to go and have tea and ginger scones with her myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Waterstones Synopsis Set in the 1950s, in an England still recovering from the Second World War, THE LOST ART OF KEEPING SECRETS is the enchanting story of Penelope Wallace and her eccentric family at the start of therock'n'roll era. Penelope longs to be grown-up and to fall in love; but various rather inconvenient things keep getting in her way. Like her mother, a stunning but petulant beauty widowed at a tragically early age, her younger brother Inigo, currently incapable of concentrating on anything that isn't Elvis Presley, a vast butcrumbling ancestral home, a severe shortage of cash, and her best friend Charlotte's sardonic cousin Harry... This is chick-literature set in the 1950s; and for me that worked. We get a look at life in England in the 1950s, just as rationing is coming to an end through the eyes of an eighteen-year old girl. I found this fascinating - looking at how people lived after the war, and how rationing and America influenced lives. I loved the history in this book - how Rice explores the generation born into the War; how they were worried about what life would be like without War, and how they reacted once rationing was ended. It made me chuckle that the thing Penelope missed most wasCadbury's chocolate! The other issue I found interesting was how the adults didn't seem taken with America. The parents in the book all seemed suspicious of the country, whereas the children didn't have any problems with the nation. I also liked how this book taught me things - such as who Johnnie Ray was - the guy who was popular before Elvis took his crown. This was not a quick read but enjoyable. This is chick-lit, but more complex as it has the historical element. It was a bit predictable, but Penelope's mother took me by surprise. I liked the characters and how we see Penelope slowly grow up. I wasn't a fan of Harry, but Rice wrote so well I enjoyed not liking him! Charlotte and Penelope's friendship was a joy to read about as well - I love the idea of going round to your friend's aunt's home for scones and tea! I wanted to live in Penelope's house as well, and it broke my heart to read of its decay; although I liked how Rice was realistic about how women were struggling to keep houses and to liveabove the borderline after they lost their husbands in the War. This was an easy read and I enjoyed it. It was touching as well, looking at how different people, different generations and different nationalities coped after World War Two. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I read this a few years ago when it was Richard & Judy read. I enjoyed it a lot, but I'm not sure the author got the sense of period right the whole way through - at times it felt too modern for the period it was supposed to be. But, a good read. I keep meaning to look out for this author to see if she's written anything else, but I usually forget! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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