An absolutely brilliant read. It was beautifully written and very well structured with the two timelines. It was very moving and a real page turner. Iris is a wonderful story teller.

What a wonderful story this was. Despite finding it slightly slow to get into, once the threads started to show between the three stories I became transfixed. I needed to know the outcome. The story has three characters, each in a different time, 1916, 1918 and 2023. It doesn't become obvious until towards the very end how these three women are connected but the writing is excellent and the ending is very clever.

I liked all three women in the story, Edie who lives in the present day and is escaping to Cornwall following major disruption to the life she knew and loved. Kitty is a German woman who lives in the East End of London in 1916 and has to deal with so much prejudice. Kitty is my favourite character, I love her strength despite all that befalls her. Miriam is a German nurse and linguist working in a prisoner of war camp for British soldiers. They all have very different personalities but these work very well for each of their stories.

This is a really good read, full of plot twists, mystery and romance. It is a moving tale which is worth a read, despite a few minor plot flaws.

Three women's stories from 3 different locations who in their own journeys end up at the same cottage by the cornish seaside. Their stories have been woven together so intricately by the author it makes such a compelling read.

The story itself was intriguing, atmospheric, and heartbreaking at times. However I was truly entranced by each womans life and was truly invested in how each of them were to be connected.

Set between several different timelines the connection isn't revealed into much later in the book and the authors skill kept me guessing for much longer than I expected I would be however I was thoroughly enjoying the story too much to be guessing how it would all piece together.

A beautifully written yet harrowing story of life in the war, tragic loss, community, family and most of all love.

I received this advanced copy courtesy of Netgalley and Penguin Random House. Thank you.

Wow wow wow. it is very rare that a book makes me cry....but this one did. I love how it all tied up with a bow at the end. I'm not normally a lover of war books but this one didn't feel like a war book at all. I truly loved this book and feel it will play on my mind for a few days.

Katerina; a German alone in London during the First World War re-invents herself time and again in the face of hatred and ignorance.

Miriam; a nurse and linguist based in a German POW camp in World War One who risks all for love.

Edie; starting again anew in Cornwall after fleeing the East End of London after the violent loss of her husband.

Meet and fall in love with these three strong women whose stories of love, loss and tragedy are seemingly independent yet beautifully entwined in The Story Collector. A wonderful story of courage, endurance and love in all its forms.

This story is told by three women in different settings. Two of them tell their story
from the years of WWI and the other from Cornwall in the present day. The different parts of the story captivated me and really drew me in, making me wonder about a connection between them all?
I didn’t want to put the book down and if I turned the page and a new chapter started from one of the other characters of the book, it was a good reason to keep reading well into the early hours.
Edie’s story in the present day felt dark and threatening in places and I wondered if it were going to reveal something quite frightening.
There were unexpected twists to the story as the ending was woven into its reveal. I hadn’t predicted the ending and it held both sadness and joy.
I finished it with that sad feeling you get when you know you’ve finished a really good book. Very well worth reading.

Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and of course Iris for writing such a beautiful book.

"Stepping into 'The Story Collector' felt like time-traveling through the lives of Katerina, Miriam, and Edie—three remarkable women whose stories transcend eras. Katerina's resilience amidst wartime chaos in London, Miriam's dedication in a prisoner camp, and Edie's quest in present-day Cornwall were captivating and heart wrenching at times.

Exploring their worlds was like unlocking hidden treasures. The historical authenticity, especially in Katerina and Miriam's narratives, felt vivid and immersive, a testament to the author's thorough research. The mystery entwined with a found box added an intriguing layer, seamlessly stitching their tales together.

However, as I delved deeper, a few character decisions felt slightly disconnected, pulling me momentarily from the otherwise immersive journey. Yet, amidst these moments, the book's twists and emotional depth kept me completely engaged.

An interesting story about three very strong and independent women set over three different timelines and places. A prisoner of war camp in the first world war, the East end of London in the second world war and then the present day in Cornwall. It was difficult, at first, to understand the link between them but you were aware from the start that there was something special. Well written, believable characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for the advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book, its exactly the kind of thing I love.

The Story Collector weaves together the stories of 3 seemingly unconnected women, spanning time from 1915 to the present day. From the anti-German riots in WW1 London, to the beautiful Cornish coastline.

It's a story of love and loss, of friendship and family.

I love the style of writing each chapter from a different perspective so everyone's story is revealed slowly. My brain desperately tries to make the connections between them, which means I just keep reading and reading. I genuinely could not put it down.

This was a very unusual book in that it covers so many topics and inteweaves everything so well.
The story is set in 3 places with 3 different characters and gradually at the end it all becomes clear as to the connections.
The descriptions of the prison of war camp in Germany, the village life in Cornwall and the terrifying scenes in London during the war were so well written that I could feel for ll the characters. The different timelines, the mystery and the drama mixed wih grief and sadness made this a beautifully warm read. I like reading about WWII and the people that lived through it and this book filled everything that I love. History of the situations in Germany, London and including the Suffragettes was so well written. This story bring together not only the three women but also binding it all together with baking and tarot.
A fantastic read by an amazingly clever author.

A captivating and emotive novel featuring three main characters across different timelines which are skillfully pulled together in the final section.
In the present day we have Edie, a recently bereaved illustrator who has travelled back to Cornwall to stay in her late Great Grandmother's cottage in an attempt to re-build her life.
The book then takes us back to 1913 to meet a German lady Katerina, the owner of a bakery in the East End. When the war breaks out she is left in a very vulnerable position and finds herself adopting a different persona in order to survive.
Finally we are taken to Danholm prisoner of war camp in Germany where the story centres around Miriam, a nurse helping to care for injured imprisoned British military personnel. Miriam also is an assistant to a German professor conducting research in linguistics and using the prisoners for his studies.
Plenty of twists and turns and a bit of the supernatural is thrown in to this very intriguing, finely written book. A great book for book club discussions.

A fabulous story interweaving three separate timelines in an intriguing and steadily evolving drama and mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and became more absorbed in the characters as the book progressed.

Heartily recommended.

I so enjoyed this book – beautifully written, with finely drawn characters and scenarios and an elegant pulling of the past into the present. Three stories, three women, three themes, a prediction and a hidden box with surprising contents made for a compelling read. I confess I was irritated that I was unable to read it in one sitting. Whilst eager to reach the denouement, I wished this atmospheric, vital and emotive read hadn’t ended. It won’t be the last Iris Costello book I read!

This book tells the stories of three women living in different lifetimes and how their stories all converge. It’s cleverly written because at the beginning you can’t see how the lives of the women could be related in any way, but gradually it becomes clear..

Despite the subject matter of war and grief, this book is incredibly heartwarming and is like a warm hug in places.

I did, however, feel like the execution of the ending let it down somewhat. It’s disjointed and all too convenient to be believable.

All in all, not a bad read, but not one that I’d speak enthusiastically of.

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy in return for an honest review,

I absolutely adored this book, historical fiction especially about the World Wars is one of my favourite things to read and this hit the spot and some. Its written so beautifully and is like a puzzle all the way through which keeps you guessing til the end. I did have an idea of who certain people were and how some parts would fit together but I couldnt work it all out until it all came together.

I loved it all, the characters, the writing, the parts about the suffragettes, all of it, made me cry at the end so has to be a 5 star read from me and I will be reading the authors previous book very soon.

A captivating read. You were drawn into the lives of the 3 protagonists, and whilst their stories were very different you could feel the invisible hook that linked them all together.

Really enjoyed this book. Well read, good storyline.

Few different storylines that come together the end.

I reminds us that life was tough in the war and we don't appreciate what we have today between different cultures

Eddie, a renowned artist, is summoned to a publishing house and is commissioned to design a contemporary set of Tarot cards. Wary of taking on such a project whilst at the same time trying to recover from the tragic death of her husband, she accepts the commission but decides to leave London and escape to Moonstone Cottage in Cornwall, the cottage having been in the family for many years and now in the ownership of her father.

To take her mind off David’s death she takes it upon herself to renovate the very tired cottage during her non-working hours. Whilst ripping out old plasterboard sh discovers an extremely large hole in the wall, at the bottom of which is an old locked metal box but no key.

The reader is then transported back to 1915 where we meet Katherine, a German baker who took over her father’s business in Mile End when he passed away. Life has been good as her baking is exceptional, but things go wrong after the sinking of the Lusitania is announced and she is forced to go into hiding .

The following chapter introduces the reader to another German young lady by the name of Miriam, who, in 1918 is working in one of the POW camps, and is assisting one of the Commandants in recording interviews with British prisoners.

What connects these two German women to Eddie or her family?

An intriguing novel with much heartache and intrigue - I couldn’t put it down

This book follows a series of women over the years and I loved all of their journeys. I especially liked the recurrent themes of baking and tarot!
A great read of historical fiction, along with suspense and stories of love.

Present day Evie has moved to a family cottage in Cornwall following the traumatic death of her husband. Renovating the cottage she finds an old tin trunk and thus the story starts. Kitty, ex Katarina, worked in the family bakery in the East End of London at the start of World War I but is persecuted for being German. She escapes with the help of some suffragettes and builds a new life. Miriam, is now working in a German Prisoner of War camp recording the British inmates' stories for an academic project whilst also nursing. Also WWI era. The three lives are clearly outlined chapter by chapter but what really makes it annoying for me is that there just has to be a cliff hanger at the end of each chapter. You then move to the next character for a chapter and, bang, the same happens. This rapidly became tedious and lost the thread. The individual stories, and how they finally all merged, are both fascinating and interesting which notches the star rating back up. The WWI stories were definitely well-researched and intelligent, giving insight to lives of women during a time of crisis and change. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.