The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

The back cover of my copy of The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets says "Eva Rice's novel is an utterly engrossing read, in the tradition of Nancy Mitford and I Capture the Castle".  Now I Capture the Castle was one of my favourite books of my teenage years and Nancy Mitford is just...well words don't describe how amazing I think Nancy is.  I mean talk about a publisher setting expectations high, for this was the description from the publisher rather than a quote from a reader.

Although I might not agree with the description 100%, I do get where it's coming from.  The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is about upper class people who are simply marvellous darling, some of whom live in a decaying house in the 1950s which doesn't sound too far from the plot of a Smith or Mitford novel.  The story is told by Penelope Wallace, a young student, and starts when a chance meeting with Charlotte turns into a firm friendship which changes Penelope's life.  Charlotte introduces Penelope to her cousin Harry who is hopelessly in love with the engaged American Marina and much of the plot involves Penelope helping Harry to make Marina jealous.  We are also introduced to Penelope's family, her young, beautiful and widowed mother Talitha and her brother Inigo who has hopes of making it in the music business. 

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is a great book.  Yes, it's "in the tradition of Nancy Mitford" but I don't think it's as good as The Pursuit of Love because it's just not as funny (I would never normally bring something like that up but the publisher did so I feel like I should address it, you can't throw around comparisons to Nancy lightly).  It's absolutely got all the things you want from a romance novel about the upper classes in the 50s, it's got characters that I care about, decadent parties with beautiful people and stuff happening that I could never imagine happening in my own life and that's what I really want from a book like this. 

If you like books set in a different era, before people had mobiles and the internet but did have telephones and record players, then this is a book for you.  If you're looking for a novel that has a silly, romantic teenager as the heroine but isn't in the YA genre then this could be just your cup of tea.

One sentence back cover quote

A delicious novel full of romance and 'beautiful people'

Buy The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets at Waterstones