Product Description

Set in the 1950s, in an England still recovering from the Second World War, THE LOST ART OF KEEPING SECRETS is the enchanting story of Penelope Wallace and her eccentric family at the start of the rock'n'roll era.



Penelope longs to be grown-up and to fall in love; but various rather inconvenient things keep getting in her way. Like her mother, a stunning but petulant beauty widowed at a tragically early age, her younger brother Inigo, currently incapable of concentrating on anything that isn't Elvis Presley, a vast but crumblng ancestral home, a severe shortage of cash, and her best friend Charlotte's sardonic cousin Harry...



Eva Rice's novel is an utterly engrossing read, in the tradition of Nancy Mitford and I CAPTURE THE CASTLE.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24744 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-24
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Marie Claire
'This charming pastiche of a Fifties coming-of-age novel follows in the tradition of Nancy Mitford and Molly Keane'

Vogue
'A delight of Nancy Mitford-esque trials and tribulations'

Prima
'Enchantingly written and the perfect read for fans of all things vintage'

Customer Reviews

Refreshingly different..
I read a lot of modern fiction aimed at women, (i.e. chic-lit, usually of the intellectual vacuum variety!). This was different and broke the mould. Stick with it, and you will be rewarded. Engaging characters, no reliance on hackneyed stereotypes - as is so often the case. The writer's perspective on somewhat traditional English life was really unique. Really imaginative and a rewarding read. I flew through it and was genuinely sad when I'd finished it and no longer had the pleasure of reading it.

great read
This novel has engaging and fun characters, (especially Inigo). The main plot, the developing relationship between Penelope and Harry, is intriguing and though predictable, keeps you reading right to the end. i would recommend it for an enjoyable, light read.

Lovely, just lovely
This sort of book is not usually on my reading itinerary, but it was one of my impulse buys and I'm so glad I picked it up. I echo earlier reviewers' comments on how charming it is, and I loved the 'feel' of the 1950s which are evoked in such a realistic way - I can tell that Eva loved reading that stash of 1950s magazines she borrowed and she passed that love of the era on to the reader of this book. I found that when I finished it, the characters lived on in my imagination and I wished I could read more about them - maybe a sequel, Eva?