The Secret History of Audrey James - Heather Marshall
Genre: Historical Fiction, WW2

I am pleased to have been able to read The Secret History of Audrey James. This novel relates the stories of Audrey James and of Kate Mercer and how their lives intersect in surprising ways as they are a generation or so apart. Kate is recovering from a tragic accident and a broken marriage and accepts a job in a guest house - sight unseen where she hopes to recover some equanimity in her life. Audrey is the owner here and she begins to relate her World War II experiences in Berlin, Germany to her new young manager. Through flashbacks we relive all of these horrific moments with her. Once a promising piano virtuoso, Audrey becomes a housemaid and stays in the unsafe city to protect her Jewish friend Ilse - who has lost her entire family to the Nazis. She sees her father shot in the street and her mom and brother hauled away.
I am always drawn to WWII novels. I always learn something new, and I learned so much from this one. And I am always amazed at the resilience and strength of the folks who endured this war especially on the European Front. Audrey stands alongside her dear friend Ilse after they witness the brutal murder of Ilse’s father in broad daylight in the street while on a shopping trip. Ilse’s mother and brother are herded away. Soon after, the Kaplan home is taken over by Nazi officers. Audrey must think fast and becomes their cook and maid so that Ilse can remain safely hidden in the attic. From the moment Audrey makes that choice, she must pivot again and again as the circumstances change. Her resilience is stunning as she is forced to mature very quickly. Her devotion to Ilse has a strength that I can barely imagine. Kate also gains strength over the course of the novel. She finds her own strength and resilience both in her growing relationship with Audrey, and in making independent choices for her new life. I always value books that give me strong female protagonists and Marshall does just that. I learned much about the resistance, but must resist talking about it. No spoilers. But the suspense level here is just excellent. I stayed up later than I should rather than putting it down. Marshall
I had to really sit with this book for a while after I finished reading. The story and the threads of this book that tangle in a surprising way, really captured me. I am often so saddened by how lightly we take war. We allow people to pretend that evil events never happened, and we allow people to talk flippantly about going to war over the smallest of things. Maybe it is primarily the women who catalog and hold onto the tragedy that war brings. Somebody needs to, and I am grateful for Heather Marshall’s meticulously researched The Secret History of Audrey James. Read it and look for more novels by her. I did. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This WW2. historical novel has such a different story than any other that I've read and I loved it!
This book has two POVs, Audrey , set in Germany, late 1930s and Kate in northern England in 2010. At first, I was curious as to why the 'contemporary' timeline was over ten years ago, but eventually that becomes clear.
The story begins in Berlin with Audrey studying music while staying with the family of her friend, Ilse. Their families used to be neighbors, but Audrey's father returned to England a few years back. Ilse's family is Jewish, while Audrey's is not. As war is nearing, Ilse's family is torn apart, their home taken over and their lives changed forever. The story continues with Audrey and Ilse living secret lives among in Berlin.
In England,Kate , in the midst of divorce, moves to the northern countryside to take a job as a manager of an inn. The owner of the inn, Audrey, is a 90+ year old woman, who is hesitant at the beginning to accept the help of Kate. As the story continues, Audrey becomes more comfortable with Kate and that's how we learn of her time in Berlin.
The relationship between these two women was deep, emotional, wonderful and caustic all at the same time. This story marks all the wins for relationships, family. heartache , love, courage, and bravery.
This is the second book by Heather Marshall. Her debut, Looking for Jane, was just as compelling! Will be looking forward to Marshall's next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced copy in return for my review.
Publication 2/25/2025

Yes, this is a tale about two women during the Nazi rise in Berlin. Yes, I one is Jewish and the other not. Yes,, one hid in the attic and the other in plain sight. And Yes, it captured my interest. The author wove the past with the present beautifully. The lives of Ilse and Audrey are followed as they are young women through the present of old age. Audrey recounts her life as an aspiring pianist studying in Berlin, living with a Jewish family through the present to a young lady trying to find solace after the death of her parents.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

This novel follows the stories of Audrey and Kate, two women who navigate exceedingly tough hardships as they struggle for their own survival — Audrey in 1938 and Kate in 2010. Told in dual timelines, the novel focuses more on Audrey, pre-WWII Berlin and the resistance, yet incorporating Kate’s story (and Kate has lots of emotional baggage with which to deal) and her connection to Audrey makes this a really interesting read.

Audrey and Kate are two women who have both suffered unbearable trauma. Audrey during World War II and Kate in an accident that killed her parents. They meet at the inn where Kate gets a job. In sharing their stories they find some healing in their situations.

This is an excellent historical fiction book. It will grip you from the beginning and you will be there to the surprising end. You will want to know the full story for each of the women. It is one of the best historical fiction books I have read. I highly recommend reading this book. It would also make an excellent film.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #HeatherMarshall, and #SimonSchuster for a copy of this book.
#TheSecretHistoryofAudreyJames

I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL FICTION!!! This is a story of love, perseverance, injustices, heartbreak, and coming of age. Audrey James, a German, wanted to study at a famous music school in Berlin. So, reluctantly, her father allows her to stay with her friend Ilse and Ilse's family in Germany, and he moves to England. Tragically the two ladies see Ilse's father murdered in the street and her brother and mother taken away by Nazi soldiers. Living in the home of Ilse and her family, when the soldiers come to stay in the home, Ilse hides in the attic and prays for the best.

This book follows dual timelines: Audrey's and Kate's. Fast-forward to 2010, and we introduce Kate, a soon-to-be divorcee attempting to start over. As luck would have it, she is hired to care for an elderly hotel manager who just so happens to be Audrey.

This story unfolds beautifully, uncovering secrets, healing old wounds, finding new love, and revealing an extremely surprising treasure at the end. I was gripped by it from the very beginning. I really enjoyed how headstrong Audrey was, both in her old age and throughout her younger years. I shed tears in some areas, so that is an automatic five-star rating from me.

Heather, thank you for making these characters so real and relatable and for describing the era's narrative so well. I felt like I was in the dress shop with Ilse and Audrey, watching Ilse's family be abused and taken away.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books, and Heather Marshall for the ARC of The Secret History of Audrey James.

This story gave me goose bumps. I am still thinking about it. It has two timelines. One in 1938 where there is Audrey and Ilse are best friends. Ilse's family is Jewish and Audrey is studying music and piano in Germany. The other time is 2010 and centers around Kate. Kate is on the verge of divorce. Her parents died in an horrific auto accident and she is still recovering from that. She decides to answer an ad for an administrative assistant at Oakwood Inn in Alnwick. She gets the job and her and her dog Oz move there. She was hired by a housekeeper named Sue and has never met the owner of Oakwood. She is interested because she realizes her parents went there on their honeymoon. Kate feels if she goes there she may feel closer to her beloved parents that she is still grieving. She meets Audrey James. Then the story gets so very interesting. Audrey wants to tell her story of her time in Germany in 1938. The Jews were starting to get rounded out by Hitler's commands. She has to protect her friend Ilse, who she realizes is the love of her life. She is involved with the resistance and has to do things that she isn't proud of and to this day is still feeling guilty. This story is so beautiful. The friendship between Audrey and Ilse and then Audrey and Kate is just so heartwarming if not sad on some level. There are some twists in the story that will leave you breathless. Heather Marshall does her research and has centered Audrey around a real true courageous woman. She has based this book and her last one on women's issues, friendships, family and what you would do for love. I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to #netgalley, #ballentinebooks and @heathermarshallauthor for an ARC of this beautiful book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall which comes out in the US this week.

Inspired by stories of women and the German resistance during WWII, this book is about the bonds of friendship and the sacrifices we makes along with human connection. This is a dual timeline historical fiction that starts in 1938 Germany and throughout the war and then in 2010s England.


While this does have a little bit of a unique aspect to the World War II Historical Fiction genre, overall I didn't feel like it was anything special. I've read a lot of WWII historical fiction and I only read this because I loved Looking for Jane, but I won't remember this book. I did like the author's note about the women who she was inspired by when writing this book, I would have preferred if this book was just a historical fiction, we didn't need the modern storyline.

Loss has a way of challenging one's beliefs

In 2010 two women's lives intersect at a guesthouse in northern England. Kate is at a crossroads in her life, still recovering from a tragic car accident that took the lives of both of her parents and left her with scars both physical and emotional. It also was the catalyst that resulted in the breakup of her marriage. Struggling with survivor's guilt and in need of a fresh start, she is packing her belongings when she comes across a collection of photos of her parents on their honeymoon. Tucked in with them is one of the couple in front of a sign for The Oakwood Inn which, when she Googles the name, is not only still in business but is also seeking an assistant administrator. Kate takes it as an omen, calls the contact person and in short order has been offered the job and is headed to Alnwick. When she arrives she discovers that the inn's owner, Audrey James, had no idea that a position had been posted and the two women get off to a rocky start. Audrey discovers that Kate is struggling with the effects of traumatic events, and those struggles strikes a chord with her. Audrey begins sharing her own life story with Kate, one filled with loss and darkness. Audrey was born to an English father and a German mother who met during the first World War and settled in Germany after the war ended. When her mother died during childbirth, her father remained in Germany to honor his promise to his late wife to care for his mother-in-law, As a result, Audrey grows up in Germany and considers it her home country. She is a talented pianist and wants to live an independent life performing before crowds, and even after her father returns them to England she finds a way to go back to Germany to further her studies. She moves in with the family of her best friend Ilse, a Jewish family who lived next door to her and her father when they lived in Berlin. Even as the country becomes increasingly anti-Semitic and Ilse's family becomes more and more fearful of the future, Audrey is determined to stay the remaining weeks before her graduation from the conservatory where she studies. Too late it becomes clear that Audrey, Ilse and her family should have left when they were able, and their lives are ripped apart. When the family is dragged away, with Ilse and Audrey able to avoid the authorities it is Audrey who will act to protect Ilse, summoning courage she didn't know that she had and willingly putting her life on the line to do the right thing as war rages around them.
Weaving together the two timelines, the novel features two women who in the face of tragedy find the will to carry on. Each survives when those they loved did not, and end up helping one another to find peace within themselves. Audrey's life provides the drama, set in Germany in the late 1930's and early 1940's as war is waged and a genocide commences. She evolves from a naive young woman of privilege who chafes against the role to which she as a woman is relegated, using her intelligence and the skills developed performing on stage to deceive those against whom the resistance group she joins is fighting. Kate's journey is more introspective as she mourns the loss of her parents and suffers from nightmares in which she relives the stormy night of the car accident. The narrative is engaging, and I found myself drawn into each woman's tale. There were a few elements that I found either unnecessary or contrived....Audrey's professed feelings for Ilse, Kate's connection to the inn...but all in all I found it an interesting and well-crafted story that I found difficult to put down. Fans of Kate Quinn, Janet Skeslien Charles and Helen Simonson as well as readers of historical fiction (especially of the WWII era) will not be sorry if they give this a try. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for allowing me early access to this poignant tale of love, loss, loyalty and survival.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com and the publisher in exchange for a fair review. When Kate Mercer finds her life unraveling, she travels to the country and takes on a job at an old hotel near the Scotland border where she meets the elderly proprietress, Audrey James. The two women share a bond and both harbor secrets. Unfortunately, I don't care for books that toggle between the past and the present as this one does. As I usually find, the past story is the better of the two and probably could have been a great book on its own. Audrey James lived in France during World War II and worked for the resistance, along with a Nazi officer who tries to overthrow Hitler. The story was exciting and interesting. The current story of Kate Mercer was not as interesting although Kate was a likeable character. She didn't really add to the story as far as I am concerned. The 'plot twist' in the end seemed contrived and highly unlikely. Too bad the author didn't stick with the historical side of the book. She would have gotten five stars from me. I'm not sure why this is becoming a trend, but it seems to be and I find it tedious.

This is a dual-timeline novel about the resistance efforts in Nazi Germany during WWII, and it is inspired by true stories. The first timeline is set in Berlin in 1938. Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she’s been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan, when Ilse's entire family is taken. Ilse is forced to hide in the attic when high-ranking Nazi officers confiscate the house, and Audrey becomes their housekeeper so that she can take care of Ilse and keep her from being discovered. When things take a surprising turn, Audrey winds up volunteering n the anti-Hitler movement. The second timeline takes place in Northern England in 2010. Kate Mercer is still reeling from the tragic accident that killed both of her parents, as well as caused her to lose the baby she was carrying. Since then, she and her husband have decided to divorce, and Kate needs a fresh start somewhere new. When she is looking through her parent's wedding album, she sees pictures from an inn they stayed at, and she decides she wants to retrace their steps. She discovers the inn is hiring a manager, and she applies for the job. Once she gets settled into her new position and begins spending time with the owner, Audrey begins telling her the story of her life during the war. This is not only cathartic for Audrey, but gives Kate a much=needed distraction and purpose, as she begins to write the story down as Audrey tells it.

This book was very well written. I unfortunately had to keep putting the book down to take breaks, because it felt so much like reading the news. How scary it is that we have come full circle, and some have embraced this willingly. It boggles the mind. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then you will definitely enjoy this.

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall is a World War II historical fiction novel that takes place during the rise in power of Hitler and the Nazi Regime. This story is told in two alternating time lines. The novel is based a true person and the Red Orchestra Resistance in Germany. The two main characters are Audrey and Kate. Kate is a young women who is dealing with the loss of her parents. Audrey is a ninety year old women who owns and Inn. Audrey reveals her long storied past to Kate as a way of dealing with her demons in preparation for her own death.

I love these two strong women. While they do not see themselves as strong they are truly courageous women. They develop a surprising connection as they deal with their own horrible memories. These two characters are memorable, deep, likeable and unforgettable. The minor characters also leave the reader with a sense of not being able to forget them and a resounding lesson in don’t judge a book by its cover.

This is my first book by Ms. Marshall but I assure you it won’t be my last. While this was a long book, the writing moved the reader swiftly through its pages. I look forward to seeing what she has in store for us next. I would like to thank Ms. Marshall, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stories based on actual events from World War II are fascinating to read. They give us insight not only into the horrors of that time period but of the heroic actions of normal people, even if they don't realize they are heroes. In The Secret History of Audrey James, we get a glimpse of the life of a woman in recent times who is recovering from her own tragic past, and we are transported to the past through the eyes of her elderly employer/landlady into the dark times of Berlin 1930's and 1940's.

Heather Marshall weaves a masterful tapestry of secrets, survival, and redemption. There is much drama and suspense surrounding Audrey's life unfolding in Nazi Germany, and you feel the pain of Kate as she learns Audrey's history and comes to terms with her own trauma. If you are touched and inspired by historical fiction, this book is for you. There are heartfelt moments that may make you cry, but there is also the sweet taste of hope.

I highly recommend The Secret History of Audrey James. It is one that will stay with you for a good while.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Read this if you like:
•historical fiction
•fighting for what is right
•friendship

Told in dual POVs we follow Audrey in 1938 and Kate in 2010. Audrey’s journey with the resistance against Hitler and hiding her best friend truly show how strong of a person she is. Kate is going through a divorce and grieving her dead parents and she meets Audrey when she goes to work at a guest house her parents had gone to for their honeymoon. She gets to know Audrey and Audrey finally tells her full story of what happened during the war. This is a beautifully tragic story that will stay with me. Thank you Random House for the eARC!

This novel taught me about the Nazi resistance within the party itself which I had never heard of. The dual perspectives were woven together perfectly, and I appreciated the grief aspect of the novel and how the characters learned to deal with being a survivor after losing so much. Beautiful story.

The Secret History of Audrey James blends intrigue and suspense and is based on true World War II stories and their heroes. The novel straddles between two timeframes with two strong women who struggle with their difficult pasts.

Kate Mercer meets Audrey James and discovers their lives are intertwined. She applies for a job at The Oakwood Inn, owned by Audrey James, running away from a bad accident and a failed marriage. Audrey hires her reluctantly and they grow close enough to share their stories, both filled with grief and heartache. Kate’s accident has overwhelmed her but finds comfort that her parents stayed at the Inn many years ago. Audrey tells of her attempts to protect her friend from the Nazis and ends up in jail from attempting to kill Hitler.

Author Heather Marshall tells a story of strong women who try to get their lives back after experiencing painful loss and redemption. Marshall did extensive research of the World War II era and German Resistance Groups such as the Red Orchestra and White Rose, basing Audrey on the life of Mona Parson. I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Secret History of Audrey James. #NetGalley #The Secret Life of Audrey James #historicalfiction

Audrey James, a young pianist in 1940s Berlin, is born of English and German parents. Her mother died when she was young and her father stayed in Germany until Audrey's grandmother passed away. Audrey views Germany as home and ends up back in Berlin studying piano at the start of WWII.

Audrey's closest friend, Ilse, is Jewish. Audrey moves in with Ilse's family while she attends the conservatory but things rapidly deteriorate and soon Audrey is hiding Ilse under the nose of the Nazis. Audrey finds skills she never knew she had as she tries to survive and keep her friend safe.

Audrey's story is interwoven with Kate, a modern woman who is in the process of divorcing her husband and coming to terms with a tragic accident that killed both her parents and unborn baby. Audrey and Kate find each other in Northern England and untangle their stories to find they have more in common than they realized.

I enjoyed reading this - some of it was a bit far fetched at times and I was always in fear of them being found out.

WWII historical fiction set mostly in Berlin. It's the story of a young British woman, Audrey, studying piano in Berlin and her friendship with her close Jewish friend, Ilse, and how they experience the war years. The story unfolds via a dual timeline as an elderly Audrey shares her past with a young employee. Well-done, suspenseful, and moving. Inspired by true stories.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Heather Marshall, the author of Looking for Jane, one of my favorite historical novels, has crafted another compelling story in The Secret History of Audrey James. Set during WWII, this novel follows Audrey, a young woman studying in Germany when the war erupts. Stranded and unable to return to England, she takes a job in the home of Nazi officers. Audrey is forced to conceal many secrets, including the fact that her best friend is Jewish. Balancing her need to survive and protect her friend, she navigates an increasingly dangerous situation. This WWII story stands out from others I've read, offering a fresh perspective. Heather Marshall is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

After a tragic accident involving her parents, Kate Mercer and her husband separate. She decides to leave London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border. When she arrives, she meets elderly proprietor, Audrey James. Both women are keeping trauma and secrets hidden. As the months pass Kate learns Audry’s story, of being a student at a prestigious music school in Berlin in the 1930’s and her life during the war.

The Secret History of Audrey James such a great story, a dual timeline and dual POV. I absolutely love how Heather Marshall weaves the stories together. BTW, I cried…and I hate to cry…but I still loved this book. If you love historical fiction, make sure you read this.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader copy. #TheSecretHistoryofAudreyJames #NetGalley.