My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Secrets of Rochester Place’ by Iris Costello.

It is a historical mystery-drama that unfolds over three timelines and chronicles the lives of three women. While it is a heartwarming story about the bonds of love and family it also explores darker themes including bigotry and racism, and the toll of war.

In the Spring of 1937 eight-year-old Teresa is evacuated to London following the bombing of Guernica. She is placed with Mary and Ronald Davidson at Rochester Place, an elegant Georgian house in South London. Yet her troubles are far from over.

In the Autumn of 2020 Corrine, an emergency dispatcher, receives a call on her private mobile from a distressed woman, who identifies herself as Mary, about a fire and a trapped child at Rochester Place. Yet when the emergency services arrive at the address, there is no sign of Mary and the house itself is an abandoned ruin. While her coworkers label it a hoax, Corinne is intrigued and investigates, discovering secrets that once revealed will change her life forever.

While most of the novel focuses on Teresa and Corrine, there is the occasional chapter that provides details of Mary’s life from 1924 onward.

In her Acknowledgements Iris Costello provides details of nonfiction sources that she consulted as well as the names of those who provided anecdotes of their family histories of the Basque region and Ireland during the first half of the 20th Century.

That prejudice has long been a reaction by certain people towards immigrants, including the Irish, is addressed throughout the novel. It is difficult to read at times though unfortunately the dehumanising of the other has been an ongoing issue.

Overall, I found ‘The Secrets of Rochester Place’ an engaging and thought provoking read.

What a story! It had me hooked from the beginning. It was a little slow at first but, that didn’t bother me as I was so interested in the story. A dual time-line which I love and I throughly enjoyed this one. A beautiful story. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

An intriguing and compelling book where multiple stories and timeline mixes creating a coral story.
Well plotted, excellent storytelling, fascinating.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I’m not normally a fan of historical fiction but I must say I did enjoy this one. It was a captivating read with well drawn characters.

This is a novel with dual timelines; one starts off with Teresa escaping the bombing of Guernica in 1937 by travelling to Great Britain. The other is in 2020 with Corinne, an emergency services operator, receiving a call about a girl trapped in a building called Rochester Place. However, when the fire department gets there they find no such building exists. We switch between these timelines as Corinne investigates the call and tries to solve the mystery behind it. Along the way she uncovers some secrets about her own family’s past.

I much preferred the past timeline and thought that Teresa was a fleshed out and believable character. I enjoyed seeing her settle in London and find a family of sorts. The issues of racism that Teresa and Luc encountered was well handled and was an important point to highlight.

The characters in the present timeline were less well developed and although I liked them, I didn’t really connect emotionally with them. The mystery surrounding the telephone call was really intriguing at first and I was desperate to know how it had happened. However, I found the ending to be rather incredulous and far-fetched. The writing is great and I’d try another book by this author, this one just didn’t work for me sadly.

I could not put this book down and ended up finishing it quite late into the night as I just had to find out the ending to the mystery of Rochester Place!
The stories of Mary and Teresa in 1937, are weaved expertly with the modern story of Corinne and you really relate to all 3 main women who have to be incredibly strong to . There is a lot of history covered in this book and whilst there are many WW2 novels, this one also linked the Spanish Civil War and the Irish Troubles in a neat way. Themes of racism, bigotry and prejudice were apparent in both stories as well as understanding, hope and love.
I found it incredibly well-written and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Although the premise of this is good and it certainly has a very good beginning. Sadly I found the plot over complicated and the characterisation somewhat clunky. The story needed tightening and certainly the ending seemed to go on and on. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

The premise, the cover, the synopsis all drew me in. I wanted to love this story but I just couldn't engage enough with the 3 time lines to give it more that 3 stars. I was so desperately to love it but it just didn't float my boat sadly.

🌟 ARC REVIEW 🌟

I was lucky enough to receive a gifted digital ARC of the stunning historical novel #TheSecretsofRochesterPlace by @iriscostellowords and @penguinrandomhouse #netgalley.

Told over multiple timelines, 1924 and we are introduced to Mary, the sister of a Fenian lives in the remote Achill Island, off the West of Ireland. She escapes to London with the assistance of Countess Markievicz to begin a new life, hiding her Irish background and identity.

It's 1937 and little Teresa is forced to flee Guernica in the Basque Region of Spain, due to increased bombing during the Spanish Civil War. Torn from her only family, her older Sister Kaitlin puts her on the boat with other child refugeees bound for England.

Present day, Corrine a first responder receives an unusual phone call to her mobile, requesting urgent help. It sends her on a hunt for answers that will change her life forever.

How are these women linked... Rochester Place!

As an Irish reader I enjoyed the aspects of the story, referring to the fascinating Grainne Mhaol, a historically strong female along with the Basque Goddess Mari.

Written during a period of such signs as, " No Irish, no blacks and no dogs" were common, bigotry is a common theme in this book, as is the power of love and strength of women.

I've been encouraged to learn more about the suffering in the Basque Region during the Civil War, thanks to this book. Beautifully written, I loved the way the stories intertwine and the unexpected twists. I highly recommend this one to any fans of historical fiction, it's a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for me!

Swipe for a Synopsis.

Due to be released on 08/12/2022, just in time for Christmas. Add this one to your Wishlists.

🌟𝘼𝘿-𝙋𝙍 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩: 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 #𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 #𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.

****Spoilers****

A well written historical fiction novel, the story really starting with 9 year old Teresa on a ship to England after the bombing of Guernica in the 1930s. The story follows her life over the next few years, and beyond, with various timelines and lots of other characters being introduced as the story progresses.
I found the writing really good, there’s great character connection and scene setting, and I was drawn in by the warmth and depth of the writing also, it certainly generated emotion. The story is different too, it was brought together really well.
I did however, find a couple of things that didn’t make sense to me and this is where the spoilers come in, so please stop reading here if you don’t want to know anymore!!

Firstly, Teresa’s writing in the diary during the air raid. I can’t believe that any 11 year old girl, whose first language is not English, would write so fluidly and eloquently. It read like it was written by a highly educated adult and just didn’t sit right for me.

Secondly, Teresa running away from the bombed house and changing her identity makes no sense. Why would she do that? She didn’t know Mary was in danger or that her sister had come to look for her. By changing her name and background, and making it seem as though Teresa has died, it would make it near impossible for her sister to find her. And surely all she would have wanted was to be reunited with her sister again. It’s also dubious to me how Luca found her for this reason.

This knocked the rating down for me to a 3 out of 5 but I’ve had to increase it up to 4 because I can’t ignore the lovely writing. A good read for historical fiction fans who enjoy a mystery element and a dual time line.

An excellent read. Very good fictional storyline incorporating many historical and well researched features. I would throughly recommend this to readers who like both paranormal drama and historical facts.. Well written.

1937 - Teresa has been evacuated to England from Guernica and ends up being placed with Mary and her husband at Rochester place. Is she safe now?
2020 - Corrine, an emergency telephonist, receives a call on her mobile and hears someone called Mary asking for help. When the ambulance arrives there is no Mary and no house at that address. Corrine is intrigued and that sends her on trail which will end closer to home that she could ever imagine.

This will have you guessing to the last page when the final twist will be revealed.

We first meet young Teresa, sent to an orphanage in England during the Spanish Civil War to escape the fighting in Guernica. Mary Davidson adopts her and they go to live in Rochester Place.

In the current day Corinne, who is an emergency services operator in Tooting. She receives an emergency call on her mobile from a distressed lady called Mary and dispatches emergency services to Rochester Place. They arrive and there is no such building but days later Corrine discovers a woman called Mary lived there during the war...
Who is Mary? What happened at Rochester Place and why is it impacting on modern life?

As others have said, the first half is a bit slow to get going but the second half ramps up the pace! This is a clever dual timeline novel, with a twist...

This was such an intriguing concept which, at its onset, seemed to be about the lives of three women - with a dash of mystery and ghosts.

There are a couple of inconsistencies that made me twitch. For example, the spoken language of the children seemed too old (even taking into account the time period), especially as it is her second language and she doesn't learn it until halfway through the book.

Another nitpick of mine is that the medicine didn't make sense - ET tubes are used when patients are intubated (and unconscious) and so she cannot talk with one in. Most people would not be phased by this but it takes away from the rest of the book whose history is so well-researched.

The characters are so compelling and different, with different nationalities, races and sexualities represented. You root for them all, and even the "bad guys" have some attempt at character development.

Throughout the three timelines there are recurrent themes of racism, immigration, finding where you fit in, and dealing with grief. So there is a lot packed in, but it never feels too much.

Towards the end there were a lot of loose ends tied up in rapid succession - which was both satisfying to have answers but also a massive change in place to earlier in the book that some might argue is "too tidy" of an ending.

Overall, a lovely historical fiction which deals well with huge themes and a wonderfully varied cast.

A multi-timeline gothic historical story about three very different women, all connected by one thing; Rochester Place. This is an interesting tale with fairly brief historical exploration of events in the first half of the 20th century. It’s well written but I did find the start of the book a bit confusing; once I got everything clear in my head I found it to be an engrossing and atmospheric character driven novel.

Briefly, Mary moved from Ireland to London in 1924 to work as a nanny, to escape an unwanted marriage. Teresa is evacuated, reluctantly, from Guernica to London in 1937, she is just 10 years old. The present, 2020, and emergency dispatcher Corrine receives an emergency call, on her private phone from a distressed woman called Mary but when emergency services go to the address there is nothing there, literally nothing! But Corrine is convinced there is something that she needs to uncover and she begins to look into the past with some shocking results.

This was an good read with some surprising truths uncovered. Some great female characters, strong and inspiring. Love and hate, loss and discovery, truth and lies, life and death - it’s all here. A well written gothic story full of secrets and special relationships- a good read.

The secrets of Rochester place is a very interesting, emotional and truly passionate story. I really enjoyed the transitions used between present time and past descriptions, how the characters were presented and developed, how as a reader all the strings of the narrative had an ending and explanation recurring to historical references.
Some sensitive topics are also cleverly approached during this story. I believe that all historical fiction fans will love to read this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this multi time frame historical mystery.

The story begins with 8 year old Teresa, sent to an orphanage in England in 1937 to escape the Spanish Civil War in Guernica. She is soon adopted by a volunteer called Mary Davidson and goes to live in Rochester Place. Things continue to be difficult for Teresa however with the onset of World War Two.
Next we meet Corinne, an emergency operator living in present day Tooting. Corinne receives a distress call from a woman called Mary and so sends out emergency services. On their arrival there is no one to be found however. Corinne remains troubled by the call and further investigations lead her to Rochester Place where she starts to unravel secrets from the past.
Who is Mary? What happened at Rochester Place all those years ago?

I found this an atmospheric read and enjoyed the character driven story. Teresa had such a hard start to life I was hoping for happiness for her and Mary! I really enjoyed reading the diary entries from Mary from 1924 and her history as a girl in Ireland.
I did find the first half a little slow but the book picks up pace in the second half. The multiple storylines in the book cleverly intertwine in the last part to reach a very satisfying conclusion with a twist!
This is a story of love, loss, family and friendship as well as a shocking amount of prejudice and bigotry.
An interesting and enjoyable historical read.

This is a tale of love, war, heartbreak, and family- and wow, did it get to me by the final chapters!

I absolutely adored the narratives weaving throughout. The voice of a young Spanish refugee, combined with the Irish republican living in war-time London, and then to the modern-day Corinne, who is drawn in to this tale from the past through a mysterious phone call, begging for her help.

The stories from the past were told with such feeling and detail, I was fully engrossed and could imagine the terror quite easily. Moving onwards, the story of love and difficulties of war-time life and prejudices was touching and raw. And finally, how it was all woven together into such a seamless story centred around family was superb.

My first book by this author, but certainly not my last. For fans of historical fiction, I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

Multiple characters and timelines from 1937, leading to the beginning of the Second World War and the current day.
The Secrets of Rochester Place begins with a ship of Basque children being evacuated to England, following the bombing of Guernica in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. There is also detail about the Irish famine and the fight for independence from The United Kingdom, when Mary is introduced into the story, plus there is quite a bit about Grace O’Malley, the 16th century Irish pirate Queen. In short there is a lot of history, which roots the story and characters into their times and helps to illustrate their motivations.

The story moves on to the beginning of the Second World War and the Blitz. There is a lot going on in this book! Lots of further reading too, with a helpful bibliography at the end of the novel, for those who are interested in learning more.
There are a few mysteries at the heart of this book; what has happened to Theresa the young child who has been brought to England as a place of safety, who is Mary Davidson the woman who fosters Theresa and where is Theresa‘s sister? And many more missing people, but I will not reveal any more for fear of plot spoilers.
I was gripped. I really liked the quality of the writing, the pace of the book, the jumping back and forth in time and the (mostly) London setting.

The only thing that I did not like was the epilogue. I found it unnecessary to the rest of the book and slightly confusing, because of course we’ve reached the answers to most of the mysteries, whereas in the epilogue in 1996 the character has not.

Overall this is an absorbing read and one which I would not hesitate to recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and an advance copy of this book.

A really great read which will intrigue you from the very first page.
A story set in the present day and the 1930,s and the Second World War years.
The book is not what you expect from reading the first few pages it is not a time shift novel and it is not until the end of the book that the reason for how the book is written is resolved
It is a beautifully woven story surrounding Teresa an eight year old child who has escaped from Guernica and the Spanish civil war and brought to England were whilst in an orphanage waiting to be housed she meets Mary . They instantly become friends and Mary takes Teresa to live with her.
In the present day Corrine a first responder receives a distressed call from a women called Mary about a child trapped in rubble under a house that has collapsed at a given address however when the emergency services go to the address they say it doesn’t exist.
Disturbed by this call Corrine starts on a journey to discover more than she could have ever have imagined.