Blog Tour: The House at River's Edge by Rachel Burton

 

In the summer of 1914, Grace Villiers, her brother William, his friend Bertie and his sister Winn come together at Egerton Hall to enjoy long sunny afternoons, play croquet, read and just generally enjoy the country life before they all go their separate ways. Grace and Winn are planning to continue at Girton College, despite the fact that women can't obtain a degree, with Winn keen to advance the suffragette cause. Bertie is looking for what he wants to do. He is the third son in an aristocratic family and is at a bit of a loss, as is William.  Into this close knit group, comes Algernon Lake, a published poet with something of a reputation. To say Grace is unimpressed is an understatement.

Everything is not as it seems at Egerton. Everyone is concerned about the news coming out of Europe, and what that might mean for both the immediate and long term future of them all. Soon Grace is spending more time with Algie, especially when he offers to help her to overcome her biggest fear of all. He wants to teach her to swim. Can she trust herself with this man?

And then war is declared, and everything changes.

Fast forward to 1997 and Barbara is reeling after the loss of her father due to stroke. For her mother, she has not only lost her beloved but she also now needs to move out of her home, as it was provided by Cambridge College where he was the master. Now he is gone, a new master will be appointed and the prospective master's wives are circling to take a closer look at what might be their new home. Fortunately her mother had inherited a home called Oakdene which she has never lived in it as it has always had tenants. Barbara had been intending to make a move to an apartment by herself, but it seems her mother has other plans for them both to move into the big house.

It turns out that Oakdene is literally falling apart around them, so they need to clear everything out to make way for expensive and lengthy repairs. They find a photo of two young men which appears to have been taken during WWI. On the back is the inscription The best of friends. The best of summers. Whilst her mum knows that one of the men is her father, she has no idea who the other is. Then they find a large trunk filled with letters, poems and a violin.

Barbara's grandparents love story is legendary among the family. They met, fell in love and married quickly during the war, but now things aren't quite adding up, and the reasons behind a long family feud are being revealed along with many other secrets. Barbara's academic daughter Penny is struggling to find what her dissertation is going to be about,  so the discovery of a long lost poems by a war poet could give her the direction she needs. However, that may mean publicly revealing many of the secrets that they are discovering as they follow the trail of history back to WWI. Is this something that the family is ready for?

Woven through both storylines are a love of the violin and of poetry. Barbara's husband was an influential rock violinist and she also played, but she hasn't picked up the violin since he died. Maybe the discovery of the violin in the trunk will help her, and she can start to move on? Her daughter certainly thinks it is time.

I really thought the author did a great job of building up the tension at various points in the book, especially the historical timeline. You could feel the underlying tensions whilst the group were enjoying that last summer before the war was declared, in the wait for news, and then in the difficulties faced once the war was over. 

There are some really big themes covered in this book including what it was like to be gay in Britain in the 1910s, the changes to society in the aftermath of The Great War, shell-shock, grief and so much more. However, the author balanced this nicely in both parts of the story, so whilst it was emotional at times, it was never overwhelming. I hadn't read Rachel Burton before but based on this book, I will be keeping an eye out for her books.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. 

Rating 4/5

About the book

The House at River's Edge

1914: Anticipating a long summer of freedom at her friend's family estate in Cambridge, Grace Villiers is disappointed by an unexpected addition to their party. Then the new arrival offers to teach Grace to swim, and she is forced to see there is more to Algernon Lake than his reputation. But, with war brewing across Europe, this will be a summer that changes everything.

1997: Following her father’s sudden death, Barbara finds herself living with her mother in a house that is, literally, falling down around them. As she tries to put their new home in order, she discovers a photograph of her grandfather as a young man with his friend – two soldiers at the start of the First World War. Setting aside her grief, Barbara becomes determined to uncover their story, hoping it will bring her closer to the family she feels slipping away.

But when her search for answers opens up truths she isn’t prepared for, Barbara will come to realise, some secrets may be best left alone.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/houseatriversedge

About the Author –

Rachel Burton is the bestselling author of historical timeslip novels and romantic comedies. Rachel was born in Cambridge and studied Classics and English Literature before starting a career in law. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband, a variety of cats and far too many books.

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