The Secrets of Saffron Hall by Clare Marchant
Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, Dual timeline
Read: 25th January 2022
Published: 6th August 2020
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Two women. Five centuries apart.
One life-changing secret about to be unearthed…
1538
New bride Eleanor impresses her husband by growing saffron, a spice more valuable than gold. His reputation in Henry VIII’s court soars – but fame and fortune come at a price, for the king’s favour will not last forever…
2019
When Amber discovers an ancient book in her grandfather’s home at Saffron Hall, the contents reveal a dark secret from the past. As she investigates, so unravels a forgotten tragic story and a truth that lies much closer to home than she could have imagined…
An enchanting historical novel about love and hope in dangerous times, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Kathryn Hughes.
MY REVIEW:
I thoroughly enjoy dual timeline tales and this one was no different. This mysterious and atmospheric story captured my imagination and my heart from the very beginning till the very end. This one, however, differs from the usual dual timeline missives in that the historical aspect is set five centuries before during the bloody reign of King Henry VIII. I don't know a lot about that period of time and it is not usually one that I read but it had me absorbed from its intriguing prologue, leaving me eager to discover what it meant.
1539: Set in Tudor England, in the wake of her father's sudden demise seventeen year old Eleanor finds herself without a home as a distant cousin William and his sour wife Elizabeth move in and everything she has ever known becomes theirs. To make matters worse, William has taken it upon himself to arrange her marriage to Sir Greville Lutton from Norfolk...a man she has never met nor knows nothing about. But within the space of a few weeks, her wedding is arranged and she and her companion Joan together with Eleanor's new husband make the five day journey to his home of Milfleet in Norfolk.
Despite the quick marriage, Eleanor learns very quickly that her husband is forever absent, his trade as a merchant has him almost permanently in London where he works hard to gain recognition of the King in earning his favour. His letters are few and far between, saying little of what keeps him so entrenched in London. But Eleanor cares little for his absence and taking charge of the household, she sets to work creating gardens for her herbs she uses to create medicinal aids. She also gains the permission to have the fields ploughed to enable her to sow the few crocus bulbs she has which thus creates the saffron that is to become her husband's fortune. But will it also lead to their downfall?
2019: In the present day we meet Amber, who is currently staying with her grandfather at Saffron Hall while she grieves the loss of her baby. Hiding away in the great Norfolk house, she is cataloguing her grandfather's expansive book collection leaving her vicar husband to grieve alone at the rectory where they live. Early in her stay, a resounding thunderstorm whips the winds and the rains around the stately old Hall during which lightning strikes the tower, resulting in it partially crumbling and in need of repairs. As a listed building there are restrictions as to how and who can repair the aging structure. However, it is while the builders are erecting the scaffolding that they come across an old book wrapped in fine linen, passing it on to Amber who immediately becomes intrigued with it.
Turning the pages of the old book, it soon becomes clear to Amber that it is the prayer book of hours and journal that had belonged to a woman called Eleanor 500 years ago. How is it possible that this book has remained in tact upon a window sill for five centuries? And what secrets does it hold? Amber is eager to uncover them but in doing so must translate it from ancient Latin, of which she's a little rusty, to unravel Eleanor's secrets and those of Saffron Hall.
As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that Eleanor and Amber have many things in common beyond Saffron Hall. Both women have loved and lost having experienced a similar tragedy, of which Amber becomes aware soon after discovering the journal with Eleanor's neat script etched at the front of the book with a puzzling missive that Amber feels she must unravel. And yet Amber struggles with her own grief whilst keeping her husband Jonathan at arm's length. The parallels between the two women is made more poignant as Amber feels Eleanor is trying to communicate something to her...thus highlighting her own journey of grief. Can Amber find the closure she needs both for herself and for Eleanor?
The stories are seamlessly woven together with the added mystery of the secrets that the tower, from which Amber is forbidden, has held for 500 years. From 1538 to 1841 we learn about Eleanor's life with, and without, her very much absent husband while in 2019 we work alongside Amber trying to solve the mystery Eleanor left behind. We learn enough about each of them to see them develop from whence they came and journey with them to the bitter end. There is grief, there is love, there is grief, there is loss, there is grief, there is heartbreak...and and did I mention, grief? It is what is at the heart of both stories as the 500 hear old secrets slowly unravel.
As I've said, I have not read anything set in Tudor times and know little of Henry VIII beyond his harem of wives and his penchant for beheading them. That, and his creation of the Church of England to permit divorce so as to rid himself of his unwanted wives when they have outlived their usefulness...or proved to be less than useful. He was a cruel King, that I know, and his reign was bloody. And while Eleanor's husband sought favour with the King, with her saffron crop increasing that favour...but if anyone knows anything about King Henry VIII, his favour never lasts. His eight wives are proof of that. But reading an historical tale set during the reign of King Henry VIII was something different for me and even rather refreshing.
I really quite enjoyed this tangent I took with THE SECRETS OF SAFFRON HALL and am glad I came across it. It combines contemporary fiction with historical with the dual narratives expertly entwined. My only complaint is that I would probably have liked an Epilogue to wrap everything up but that is an aside to what is essentially a wonderfully atmospheric tale transcending five centuries and intricately linking them together.
Beautifully written, expertly told, THE SECRETS OF SAFFRON HALL is a pure delight. I admit to being pleasantly surprised by Greville who was nothing like I imagined him to be who, paralleled with Jonathan in the present day, was a tender loving soul. I loved both men though not always Greville's choices. But then they were different times.
I cannot praise THE SECRETS OF SAFFRON HALL enough. Nor can I recommend it highly enough. A wonderfully absorbing read from beginning to end. I was almost sad to depart Saffron Hall and those of Eleanor and Amber.
I would like to thank #ClareMarchant, #Netgalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheSecretsOfSaffronHall in exchange for an honest review.
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