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A review by book_concierge
The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice
4.0
Penelope Wallace meets Charlotte Ferris at a bus stop, when the latter insists Penelope accompany her to her Aunt Clare’s for tea. It is 1950s London, and the two young women, seemingly very different, become fast friends, moving through elegant parties, sharing a crush on singer/heartthrob Johnnie Ray, and exploring various love interests. Together they weather the changes in British post-war society, and in their own family situations.
I really enjoyed this novel. Through her characters, Rice lets the reader experience a taste of high society and Bohemian counterculture, landed gentry living in genteel poverty, the excesses of youth, and the fascination with flashy Americans. Despite our many differences (age, nationality, social standing, etc), I connected to these characters. I loved how they developed as they matured. Penelope, Charlotte, Harry and Inigo are witty, thoughtful, confused, eager, charming and vulnerable.
I applaud Rice for what she did “not” have the characters say and do, as much as for what she did have them comment upon and experience. They felt real to me, and while I have no desire at all to relive my teens, I was happy to go along with them on their journey towards adulthood.
I really enjoyed this novel. Through her characters, Rice lets the reader experience a taste of high society and Bohemian counterculture, landed gentry living in genteel poverty, the excesses of youth, and the fascination with flashy Americans. Despite our many differences (age, nationality, social standing, etc), I connected to these characters. I loved how they developed as they matured. Penelope, Charlotte, Harry and Inigo are witty, thoughtful, confused, eager, charming and vulnerable.
I applaud Rice for what she did “not” have the characters say and do, as much as for what she did have them comment upon and experience. They felt real to me, and while I have no desire at all to relive my teens, I was happy to go along with them on their journey towards adulthood.