The Lost Letters of Rose Carey

Two women, one a famous movie star of the 1920s Rose Carey and the other a videographer Emmy, who is married to Lauren and desperately trying to have a baby in 2024 . Emma finds a box of old film, letters and photos in the Carrington Hotel store room; in the Blue Mountains, when she is working on a documentary. The box is going to be discarded so Emma takes it home with her and through the letters of Rose Carey it leads her on a quest to discover who Rose was. The chapters are told alternatively through Emma and Rose’s story. It is part mystery, romance, family secrets and loss.
The book is inspired by the trail blazing Australian woman Annette Kellerman.
It is an enthralling book which I couldn’t put down.

A hotel, a box of items some old dim canisters and a link to a movie star. Emma takes this in gets deep into the life of Rose Carey but discovers plenty more than that.

Love, loss, murder and reunions all come together in this wonderful story set in Australia. Very well worth the read.

If The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (TJR) and Force of Nature (Jane Harper) had a baby, this book would be it!

Although I am a bit biased because historical fiction is my favourite genre, it is a solid 4 stars.
This dual timeline and point of view story will keep you turning the page.

When the story started and until about half way through, I thought it was only a historical fiction dual timeline novel. At about the halfway point, it becomes part thriller and mystery which was an enjoyable surprise! There were some parts I felt could have been connected a bit more smoothly with more connection to the characters but overall, a great read.

Rose Carey was inspired by an Australian woman called Annette Kellerman, who is one of Australia's most fascinating women. After finishing The Lost Letters of Rose Carey, I went down the rabbit's hole trying to learn about Annette.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for allowing me the pleasure of reading about Rose Carey! #thelostlettersofrosecarey

I really enjoyed Julie’s debut novel The Understudy and was keen to try her second offering. Lost Letters moves away from the theatre to film and is based on Annette Kellerman, an Olympic swimmer who went from Australian Vaudeville to London theatre actress to Hollywood star. As with all good historical fiction it had me googling more, I’m so glad I got to learn about such an amazing woman.

Set between Sydney and Katoomba, the story unfolds over a dual timeline in 2024 and 1923, and through letters and newspaper articles. Emma is a videographer who is filming at the Carrington Hotel and stumbles across some letters, photos and film canisters belonging to Rose. I enjoyed both timelines and getting to know each of the women and see their connections. Emma is in a same-sex relationship, her partner undergoing IVF treatment and their relationship is under strain. Rose is trying to make a big movie which is plagued with issues. There was an intriguing mystery element that binds the two timelines together and made it hard to put down.

I did find I was more connected to Emma’s character as we get a lot more of her inner dialogue but then Rose was such an interesting woman, ahead of her time. Beautifully researched, I’m keen to visit the Blue Mountains now! Another fabulous historical mystery from Bennett.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an eARC of Julie Bennett's The Lost Letters of Rose Kelly.
I usually really enjoy historical fiction and this did not disappoint.
Set with a dual timeline with Rose in Sydney in 1920s and Emma in 2024 the tale begins in an old hotel in the Blue Mountains.
The discovery of a mysterious box of film, a camera and some 'love letters' leads Emma on a trail to unravel what happened all those years ago.
With strong female lead characters and a supporting cast of believable men and women who could be baddies or goodies, it will keep you guessing to the end. Also lots of surprises to add some spice.
I liked this book very much and recommend to historical fiction fans.

Present time, 2023. Emma Quinn is videographer, she’s working on a documentary at the historic Carrington Hotel, and just as she’s leaving she saves a box of vintage items from being thrown in a skip bin. Later going through the box, Emma finds old letters, photographs and canisters of film and she thinks they belonged to Australian silent film star Rose Carey. Emma wants to solve the mystery of why they were hidden away in a box in the Blue Mountains, and she starts by googling her name and asking her friend Simon. Emma and her wife Lauren have been trying to have a baby, the unsuccessful IVF attempts have really taken a physical and emotional toll on them both and she’s not sure if they can keep trying, financially if they can afford it and she’s dreading sharing her thoughts with Lauren?

The story has a dual timeline, it’s told from the two main characters points of view, Emma and Rose and is easy to follow and it really grabs your attention.

Sydney, 1923. Rose Carey knows at her age her Hollywood days are over, after an accident filming her latest movie in New Zealand and she and her manager Walter Ryan are in a pickle. Rose is working on a show stopping water act that could save her career and she’s committed to helping with the Olympic Ball. When another disaster strikes, Rose can’t ignore how many odd things have happened and someone's trying to kill her, she starts looking at her close-knit circle of acquaintances, everyone from her manager, costume designer, rivals from another Australian film company or in Hollywood, a Arial stunt pilot and her camera man?

I received a copy of The Lost Letters of Rose Carey by Julie Bennett, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for an unbiased review. Wow, what an amazing book, inspired by a real 1920’s Australian film icon Annette Kellerman, the first woman to swim in a one-piece bathing costume and it’s not predictable and the plots full of lots of twist and turns.

A story about being a female trail blazer, silent films, Hollywood, jealousy, betrayal, mystery and long kept secrets, and the two main characters are linked in a much unexpected way. The narrative highlights how hard infertility is, especially for same sex couples, ways they can become pregnant and how much stress it puts on their relationship. Five stars from me, the first novel I have read by Ms. Bennett, it won't be my last. I liked how she included the impact of throwing things away has on the environment, they end up in landfill and ways we can all reduce our carbon footprint.