The Story Collector by Iris Costello - #bookreview #NetGalley

 

1914 - All is darkness. As I am led into the room, the blindfold tied firmly around my eyes, I hold out my hands to get my bearings and lower myself onto the silk-covered dais. From this perch I can hear the chit-chat of the men and women seated below me who are sipping their cockails and waiting.

"I hear she's very good,"

"Didn't she foretell the sinking of Titanic a couple of years ago?"

***

Three women. A long-buried secret. One voice will free them all…

London, 1915: Amid the wartime chaos, Katerina is hailed as a beacon of hope for her bakery, which offers divination alongside sweet treats. But the dark truth she’s hiding could cost her everything.

Germany, 1918: Miriam secretly vows to help a mute British soldier in the prisoner-of-war camp she’s stationed at. Soon she must make an impossible choice: will she save the one she loves, or herself?

Cornwall, Present Day: Edie is astonished to discover a mysterious box hidden in the wall of her newly renovated cottage. As Edie starts to investigate, she uncovers a secret that has lain hidden for over a century...

***

This book is worthy of five stars and was an absolute joy to read.

There is a triple timeline running throughout with three very distinct voices which were easily recognisable from each other. At no point was I ever confused as to which character I was reading. I have read books in the past where the voices completely merge into one another but Ms Costello has portrayed her characters in an unmistakably individual manner.

Each of the three women were excellent main characters in their respective time periods which the author has brought vividly to life on the page. It was the separate points of view of each of them that elevated this book above the average historical fiction novel. They were all engaging characters and it was easy to become invested in their individual stories.

Some of the themes running throughout the book made for an emotive and heartbreaking read; the futility of war and it's losses, as well as the sense of belonging and identity. I felt very moved when reading about the support and friendship that the women offered one another, particularly the sections set during the First World War. But these were also themes which touched Edie in the present-day section of the book. Equally, she was coming to terms with the loss of her husband and was trying to find a new fit for her life.

The plotlines were compelling and as the storylines progress the reader can reasonably assume there will ultimately be a merging of the three stories and I was not disappointed. The author concludes her story beautifully, and I sighed with satisfaction that everything tied up so completely. This is an excellent novel for lovers of historical fiction with a bit of mysticism thrown in and also for readers who like contemporary fiction and I highly recommend it.

ISBN:  978 0241999110

Publisher:  Penguin

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  400 (paperback)

***

About the Author:

As Iris Costello, she writes historical fiction that has been described as 'a triumph of storytelling'. She is also the author of six bestselling thrillers as Nuala Ellwood and was named by the Guardian as a New Face of Fiction in 2017. She writes mhery novels in a rickety Georgian house where she lives with her teenage son, Luke, and a resident ghost! 

(ARC coutesy of NetGalley & the publisher)

(media courtesy of Amazon)

(all opinions are my own)