The Forgotten Village by Lorna Cook
Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction, General Fiction
Read: 1st April 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 4th April 2019)
★★★★★ 5 stars
I'm a big fan of dual timeline stories and I'm always thrilled to come across them - whether it be historical fiction or mystery thrillers. An unforgettable and emotional read, THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE had me gripped from the beginning as the stories both in the past and present unfolded piece by piece and had me on the edge of my seat with every page and every chapter. Right up to the very end.
1943: With Britain at war, people are affected in many ways. And the village of Tyneham in Dorset was no different. The British Army have requisitioned their little village for training purposes and everyone must give up their homes - some of which have been farmed by generations. with the promise that once the war is over the resident can return. But with war comes great sacrifice and even those up at "the great house" - Tyneham House - are to leave their home too. But on the night before they are all to leave, tragedy strikes and lives are changed forever.
It wasn't long before I was drawn into the story of Veronica, Anna, Bertie and Freddie at Tyneham House. As much as I was drawn to them, some aspects of the story were hard to read and I found myself feeling such great sorrow and sadness for those involved. Abuse in the past decades is something that was not talked about, not acknowledged and definitely not seen as a crime - but rather a private matter between a husband and wife. I have read many books with an element of abuse but this one just tore my heart out. As Veronica planned her escape from her abusive husband with her maid Anna's help I found myself feeling such sadness and helplessness for them both whilst for Bertie I felt nothing but hatred. He was vile. But the whole desperation and helplessness of their story just made it all the more heartbreaking.
2018: Melissa is on holiday in Dorset with her boyfriend Liam in the hope for a romantic break together. But all Liam seems to be interested in is spending his days surfing, leaving Melissa to her own devices. However, the break turns out not to be a romantic one but something more permanent.
Tyneham village, now reopened to the public, was never given back to its residents - just forgotten. But now people can go visit and one day Melissa decides on a whim to explore the forgotten village. It is here that she sees a photograph of a woman that haunts her. The expression on her face - the fear - is forged into her memory and she finds she cannot let it rest. She MUST find out who the woman is, why she looks so afraid and what happened to her.
It is on her exploration of Tyneham that Melissa meets Guy Cameron, a famous TV historian, and together they discover their interest in the village. She tells him about the photograph of the woman who they learn to be Lady Veronica Standish and the man tightly clutching her hand is her husband Sir Albert from Tyneham House. When Guy reveals that his grandmother once lived in the village as a young girl and worked up at the great house as a maid, an idea forms in Melissa's head. Can his grandmother Anna reveal any clues as to what happened to Lady Veronica? But eliciting that information from Anna proves harder than expected. What is she hiding?
THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGE is a beautifully written highly captivating dual timeline story that is so easy to be swept up in. It tells the story of a time when Britain was in the grips of WW2 and rather than be bogged down in historical facts, they featured only as a backdrop to a beautiful yet sad story set during that time. The present day story was a little predictable (when it came to their budding romance) but that did not detract from Melissa and Guy's search for the truth. I found myself wanting to immerse myself further into Lady Veronica's story to see where it lead. The switch between the past and the present was done eloquently and at just the right time as the secrets were unveiled.
This captivating and emotional story is a simple plot and very easy to read. Whilst I found Melissa and Guy's relationship a little predictable, I don't think the rest of the story was despite having my own suspicions as to what really happened confirmed at the conclusion. And whilst love was obviously lurking in the air I didn't pick it up to read a romance but more the mystery from the past. The Epilogue was such a beautiful heartwarming touch bringing a closure to the story.
Nevertheless, I was not disappointed - except at Melissa's constant berating of herself when it was so obvious otherwise - as I love being swept away in the historical past with a mystery to solve. I look forward to more from this author in the future.
I would like to thank #LornaCook, #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for this ARC of #TheForgottenVillage in exchange for an honest review.
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