Book Review: The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky

Two women—a century apart—embark on a journey to healing, faith, forgiveness, and romance.

In 2012, art historian Gwen Morris travels to England's Lake District to appraise the paintings and antiques of an old family friend, hoping to prove herself to her prestigious grandfather. While at Longdale Manor, she meets David Bradford--the owner's handsome grandson--who is desperate to save the crumbling estate by turning it into a luxury hotel. When Gwen stumbles upon a one-hundred-year-old journal and an intricately carved shepherd's staff similar to one in a photo of her parents, she's left searching for answers.

In 1912, after her father's death, Charlotte Harper uncovers a painful family secret she can only confess to her journal. She and her family travel to the Lake District to stay on a sheep farm, hoping eventually to find a home with Charlotte's grandfather at Longdale Manor, but old wounds and bitter regrets make it a difficult challenge. As Charlotte grows closer to shepherd Ian Storey and rebuilds her shattered faith, she must decide whether she will ever trust in love again.

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Carrie Turansky is a successful author in the world of Christian publishing, but The Legacy of Longdale Manor is my first exposure to her work. Fans of the writings of Julie Klassen, Erica Vetsch and Katherine Reay will find a similar approach to historical fiction through the lens of a Christian worldview. Turansky presents characters who are likable, yet flawed. They are damaged, but not beyond repair. Like myself and many with whom I am acquainted, they face disappointments, loss, and are sometimes hurt by those around them. The Legacy of Longdale Manor is a dual-timeline novel, but the themes of love, forgiveness and reconciliation echo back and forth across the century in which it inhabits. 

In the early 20th century, a Christian family faces the type of scandal which is still occurring today. The Harpers endure the loss of the family patriarch, and a secret sin is revealed. This husband, father and preacher was more flawed than they had ever imagined. How does one reconcile the hypocrisy of a Christian leader with their successful ministry and love of family? How does a now fatherless and husbandless family move on, with almost no resources to survive? As the main focus of this narrative thread, daughter Charlotte must navigate the tumultuous waters of grief, disappointment and betrayal. Her journey leads her through lessons of faith which teach her about forgiveness, healing and trusting. The issue of trust becomes most apparent as she begins to know shepherd Ian Storey. He seems like a kind, trustworthy young man, but certain issues bring doubt to Charlotte’s mind. She must not only learn to forgive her late father, but she must also come to trust in others again. The words of a local minister summarize a major theme of The Legacy of Longdale Manor:

“Jesus lays this choice before us. We can give our burdens and troubles into His care and live each day with the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts. Or we can hold on to the pain and wrongs done to us and harbor a troubled heart that hardens and grows bitter over time, stealing our joy and draining our days of the full life He wants us to enjoy.” (p. 152)

Like Charlotte Harper, another young woman struggles with similar issues in Turansky’s tale. In the novel’s alternate timeline, Gwen Morris of the 21st century has also faced pain, disappointment and family secrets. In 2012 she finds herself at Longdale Manor, trying to rebuild her damaged career while also wrestling with difficult family issues. She becomes friends with her Longdale clients, and as they work together to maintain and stimulate the legacy of this large estate, secrets are unearthed. Like Charlotte, Gwen is given the opportunity to grow in her faith through the exercise of forgiveness. While she might not struggle with the issue of trust as much as Charlotte, she does grow in that regard as well. The life lessons and matters of faith that both women address across the century are timeless and will continue to resonate throughout human history.

The Legacy of Longdale Manor was a delightful, light read, while at the same time addressing the difficult issues of Christian hypocrisy, disappointment and loss. The content does bring up adult matters, but the writing is squeaky-clean. If readers are looking for something with a bit of an “edge”, this is not the book for you. However, if you’d like a historical fiction title that is firmly set in the Christian worldview, with sweet romance and (mostly) happily-ever-afters, this might be a good match. As mentioned earlier, these characters are flawed. However, Longdale Manor is very family-friendly and has excellent messages for those who may be harboring bitterness or disappointment. The words of Charlotte Harper’s journal are good advice for us all:

“I’ve learned forgiveness is just as much for my benefit as it is for the other person. It’s like giving up my right to hurt someone back and letting God handle the justice of the situation as He thinks best.” (p.333)

Forgiveness does not excuse the hurt that was caused, nor does it erase the consequences of the wrong committed. It does lead to a process of healing, however. This theme is seen multiple times throughout The Legacy of Longdale Manor. Through that recovery, Carrie Turansky's characters not only find more peace in their hearts, but they are able to find sweet, romantic love as well. The Great Shepherd would be pleased with that restoration, as He is the author of love and healing itself.

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About the Author

Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of twenty-one inspirational novels and novellas and a winner of the Carol Award, the International Digital Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She loves traveling to England to research her Edwardian novels, including No Journey Too Far, No Ocean Too Wide, Across the Blue, and the Edwardian Brides series. Her novels have been translated into several languages and have received starred reviews from Christianbook.com and Library Journal. 

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Cover Reveal: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

In recent years I’ve come to appreciate the work of novelist Natalie Jenner. Beginning with her 2020 novel The Jane Austen Society and following with Bloomsbury Girls in 2022, she is proving to be a prolific and enjoyable writer of historical fiction. In May of next year her latest work will be published. Every Time We Say Goodbye includes characters and elements from the two previous novels, but it also will stand alone. As a returning reader, I’m excited about entering her world again, but it’s also encouraging to know that new readers can jump right in as well. Below I offer the newly-revealed cover art. However, before we get to that, here are some tantalizing details about this upcoming publication:

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is at a crossroads in life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Vivien's last chance for theatrical success. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. There she finds a vibrant moviemaking scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeate the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also searches for the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the fate of her deceased fiancé lost in battle. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a bold and moving exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

ADVANCE PRAISE

• “I’m in awe of Natalie Jenner’s new novel, which surprised me at every turn. At times it reads like the juiciest historical tell all, boasting cameos by enduring household names like Sophia Loren and Gina Lollabrigida, and featuring a party where Ava Gardner dances on the table. But most importantly, this is a story about damaged people who are still blinking into the light after the nightmare of the Second World War. This beautiful book balances and explores the most heroic aspects of humanity, and by extension the most evil. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a heartbreaking, engrossing, and thoroughly dazzling work of art that would make the filmmakers at the center of its story proud.” —Nina de Gramont, New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair
  
  

• “Every Time We Say Goodbye welcomes back beloved characters from Jenner’s previous novels along with a new fascinating cast in Italy for the production of post-war films. Well-researched and written in a perfect blend of harrowing and heartwarming, this is another fabulous Natalie Jenner novel that historical fiction fans will adore!” —Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London and The Librarian Spy
  
  

• “In her latest novel, Every Time We Say Goodbye, Natalie Jenner deftly weaves in elegant prose, the lives of the incredibly unique characters working to create a controversial war film at the Cinecitta in Italy, and the effects they have on each other and society. An emotionally poignant tale, that explores the human condition before, during and after war, and how those experiences change some while others remain unapologetically stuck. Ultimately, readers will find themselves swept along on a vivid journey through 1950s Italy, wading through the pains of the characters’ pasts and the sacrifices they made, in order to find a way to their hopeful future. Every once in a while, a story comes along that really grips you and inspires you to contemplate the choices we’re all given, and Jenner has done that here. An absolute page-turner, I couldn’t put this captivating book down.” —Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of The Mayfair Bookshop and Starring Adele Astaire

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A MESSAGE FROM AUTHOR NATALIE JENNER

Hello Dear Readers,

Every Time We Say Goodbye was the hardest book I will ever write, and the most rewarding.

It all started when I learned about the world-famous Cinecittà movie studio in Rome being used as a war refugee camp in the 1940s. People who had been stripped of everything—homes, possessions, even their most basic humanity—suddenly found themselves confined to life inside a “dream factory.” I decided to set my third novel during a very specific, very cool time in history—la dolce vita of mid 1950s Rome—while exploring the incredibly complex and haunting legacy of that city under German occupation during the Second World War.

I also wanted to know why Vivien Lowry, a character from my book Bloomsbury Girls, had been so angry all the time! I wondered if a woman could make the biggest mistake of her life and move past the regret in a way that benefitted her and the world around her. I never intended to write a dual timeline. I had been working on Every Time We Say Goodbye for nearly a year when the voice of a young female Italian resistance fighter codenamed la scolaretta—the schoolgirl assassin—suddenly showed up on the page one day. Having witnessed the bravery and sacrifice of so many to keep us safe during our world’s most recent challenge, I wanted to pay tribute to them. How fortunate am I, through the intimate and emotional power of historical fiction, to have the opportunity to do so.

I packed everything I could into this book: love and conflict, faith and religion, censorship and resistance, art and moviemaking, fashion and food, and cameos by favorite actresses such as Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner and characters from both The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls (I, myself am terrible at goodbyes!).

I hope, more than anything, that Every Time We Say Goodbye gives readers the entertainment, inspiration and food for thought that nourished me throughout its writing.

Best wishes, 

Natalie

Cover Reveal: Every Time We Say Goodbye

Publication Date: May 14, 2024

AUTHOR BIO

Natalie Jenner is the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, which have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer and career coach and once owned an independent bookstore in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs.

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Book Review: What Would Jane Austen Do? by Linda Corbett

It's a truth often acknowledged that when a journalist and Jane Austen fan girl ends up living next door to a cynical but handsome crime writer, romantic sparks will fly!

When Maddy Shaw is told her Dear Jane column has been cancelled she has no choice but to look outside of London’s rental market. That is until she’s left an idyllic country home by the black sheep of the family, long-not-so-lost Cousin Nigel.

But of course, there’s a stipulation… and not only is Maddy made chair of the committee for the annual village literary festival, she also has to put up with bestselling crime author –and romance skeptic – Cameron Massey as her new neighbor.

When Maddy challenges Cameron to write romantic fiction, which he claims is so easy to do, sparks fly both on and off the page…

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As summer draws to a close in my household, I was delighted to have the opportunity for a fun, light read from author Linda Corbett. Her contemporary novel What Would Jane Austen Do? holds a premise that was bursting with potential in my mind. Thankfully, I was not disappointed in this hope, and Corbett’s brisk read was the perfect title to finish out my last days of Summer 2023. 

Unlike the majority of the works of historical fiction that I review, What Would Jane Austen Do? is firmly set in the present day, with many references to pop culture, social media, modern communications and the like. However, main character Maddy Shaw has a significant portion of her heart set firmly in the 19th century world of Jane Austen. A Janeite of the first order, Maddy styles herself as a sort of modern “Emma”, providing romantic advice and wisdom as a columnist for an English periodical. She quotes Austen often and mentally considers how Jane would handle various situations. Through circumstances beyond her control, she finds herself sacked from the advice column position, living in a crumbling country estate, and planning a literary festival with no experience from which to draw. Making things even more complicated, life hands her another task. Maddy is saddled with a tenant– a grumpy, Darcy-esque gentleman who seemingly has no interest in romance.

What Would Jane Austen Do? is written at a lively pace, holding my attention well but allowing for plot and character development. An air of mystery also hung over the narrative, as Maddy’s deceased relation and benefactor Nigel Shaw had significant secrets which came to light over time. Romantic elements were expected, but as is mentioned by Maggie herself, the journey which characters take is what makes a work of romantic fiction interesting. While the tone of the story felt comfortable and familiar, the key elements never felt predictable, and I was often surprised at turns which occurred. This was especially true in the final few chapters, as questions surrounding the pasts of certain individuals were finally answered. 

From a content standpoint, Corbett’s writing is thoroughly modern and realistic, but the adult material is not overly graphic. There are a few colorful words on occasion and there is a clear implication of two characters becoming intimate, but the work is decidedly PG-rated in general. Many contemporary romances in the current age are far more colorful and steamy. I applaud Linda Corbett for her ability to write a compelling story in a way that fosters delicious romantic content without being heavy-handed with salacious details. I’m certain our dear Jane Austen would approve. 

What Would Jane Austen Do? is a fun summer read for those who enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope, even if the reader is unacquainted with Austen’s work. The main characters of Maggie and Cameron were compelling, as they go on a journey in which they learn lessons about themselves, their families and their literary culture. Because of author Linda Corbett’s obvious love of literature, English country life, and relationships, she has brought her audience a delightful work of fiction that any romance reader can enjoy.  

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AUTHOR BIO

Linda Corbett lives in Surrey with her husband Andrew and three permanently hungry guinea pigs. As well as being an author, Linda is treasurer and fundraiser for Shine Surrey – a volunteer-led charity that supports individuals and families living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. For many years she also wrote a regular column for Link, a disability magazine, illustrating the humorous aspects of life with a complex disability and she is a passionate advocate of disability representation in fiction. Love You From A-Z was her first published novel.

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Cover Reveal: The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay

Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing Katherine Reay's A Shadow in Moscow, which was a great way to begin my summer reading. I remarked, "It is certainly a Cold War spy novel, but it also conveys a message of resilience and hope to humanity in search of Light. Author Katherine Reay has crafted a fine work and should be congratulated for her achievement." I was thrilled to learn that for her next title, Reay will once again be abiding in the world of espionage. With an expected publication date of March 5th next year, The Berlin Letters will this time focus on the talents of the code breakers of the Cold War. I've been given a sneak peak into this novel of covert operations, familial heartache and a bit of romance. Read below for not only a more expansive description of the book, but also a message from Katherine with a final reveal of the fantastic cover art!

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BOOK DESCRIPTION

Near the end of the Cold War, a CIA code breaker discovers a symbol she recognizes from her childhood, which launches her across the world to the heart of Berlin just before the wall comes tumbling down.

November 1989—After finding a secret cache of letters with intelligence buried in the text, CIA cryptographer Luisa Voekler learns that not only is her father alive, but he is languishing in an East German Stasi jail. After piecing together the letters with a series of articles her grandfather saved, Luisa seeks out journalists Bran Bishop and Daniel Rudd. They send her to the CIA, to Andrew Cademan—her boss.

Luisa confronts Cademan and learns that nothing is a coincidence, but he will not help her free her father. So, she takes matters into her own hands, empties her bank account, and flies to West Berlin. As the adrenaline wears off and she recognizes she has no idea how to proceed, Luisa is both relieved and surprised when a friend shows up with contacts and a rudimentary plan to sneak her across the wall.

Alternating storylines between Luisa and her father, The Berlin Letters shows the tumultuous early days of the wall, bringing Berlin, the epicenter of the Cold War, to life while also sharing one family’s journey through secrets, lies, and division to love, freedom, and reconciliation.

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AUTHOR MESSAGE

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for your extraordinary support for my current novel, A Shadow in Moscow. I am still on tour right now sharing the story with libraries and bookstores, and I am beyond grateful each day as I see your reviews and support on social media. So, again, thank you! [See the schedule in the graphic at right for upcoming appearances.]

I want you all to be the first to see the cover for my new novel, The Berlin Letters, which will be released March 5th, 2024. After A Shadow in Moscow, it was the book I had to write. While Ingrid’s and Anya’s stories were sometimes difficult, they were also fascinating and took me to places I had not anticipated. The ideas of sacrifice, freedom, courage, love, hiddenness, and the shadows between perception and reality, rose within that novel and wouldn’t let me go.  

While still pondering a lot of those themes, I came across these photographs and many more. They are of the very early days — even the first day — of the Berlin Wall in 1961. I read stories of mothers passing their children over the barbed wire. I read of one East German soldier jumping over it himself. I began to envision what might happen… To the mother. To the father. To the child passed over the Wall on that August morning in 1961.  

Luisa Voekler, the story’s leading character, is that young girl and she doesn’t know of this past until the Wall’s final week in 1989. Then, like me, she can’t let it go. She starts a search. She plots a rescue mission. And in the process, she finds her father and she finds herself.  

Like A Shadow in Moscow, this is a split-time story. One POV will take you behind the Wall with Haris Voekler, Luisa’s father, while Luisa will tell you her own story and carry readers from Washington DC to Berlin. There are, of course, a whole host of other characters as well — some you’ll love, some you’ll question, and others you’ll simply worry about. You’ll worry because The Berlin Letters is a race, a chase, a spy novel, and a love story. And, I must say, there’s an old friend who comes to Luisa’s aid I developed a little crush on — you might find yourself sighing and swooning over Daniel too.  

Thank you so much for sharing the cover of this new story — I love it! You see Luisa front and center, in the exact outfit she wears during a scene in East Berlin, and you see her resting on a Trabant, just about the only car East Berliner’s could purchase at the time. I love the fact that the car is yellow too! And doesn’t that font just scream 1980s?  

And while the themes within this story focus upon many of the questions in our hearts, there is so much lightness and fun as well. And, once it’s out in the world, I hope you each will close that final page with a smile, a sigh, and a deep sense of hope.  

All the best to you! 

Katherine 

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COVER REVEAL: THE BERLIN LETTERS

Isn't this cover fabulous?!?  I love Luisa's ensemble, and what I can see of her reminds me of the actress Emma Roberts. The spunky yellow car also calls to mind the one seen in the recent movie Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1. Talk about chases and spy action! Clearly I have this kind of content on the brain. I also enjoyed the television series The Bletchley Circle, which focused on code breakers in 1950s Britain. There are so many intriguing elements to this upcoming novel from Katherine Reay. I know what will be on my nightstand this coming March. I hope you check it out as well!

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AUTHOR BIO

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels and one work of nonfiction.

For her fiction, Katherine writes love letters to books, and her novels are saturated with what she calls the “world of books.” They are character driven stories that examine the past as a way to find one’s best way forward. In the words of The Bronte Plot’s Lucy Alling, Katherine writes of “that time when you don’t know where you’ll be, but you can’t stay as you are.”

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Book Review: Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews

A chance meeting between the sheltered daughter and the forward-thinking son of rival Victorian families sparks a forbidden romance in USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews’s fourth book in her acclaimed Somerset Stories series. 

Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. She’s more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. There’s only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her father’s sworn enemy. 

Ivo Beresford doesn’t believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, he’s looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Meg Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parents’ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding. 

Resolved to put ancient grudges to rest—at least where innocent young ladies are concerned—Ivo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret friendship. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isn’t as though there’s any danger of the two of them falling in love…

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Within Mimi Matthews’ fourth title in the Somerset Stories series, readers will find the shy, faltering and beautiful Margaret “Meg” Burton-Smythe. At the youthful age of eighteen she is untried in the ways of the world, yet she is eager to make her debut in society as a gentleman’s daughter. As a sheltered young woman, she has a lively imagination, fueled by copious reading while living a quiet life on her father’s country estate. This fosters a longing for success not only on England’s marriage mart, but also for success in finding a chivalrous hero with whom she would fall in love. She faces several relational challenges in this diverting narrative, not the least of which is the veritable Shakespearian rivalry between her father and the nearby Beresford family. This decades-long feud is not unwarranted, but is a festering wound within the community. Meg befriends one of the Beresford sons, which leads to emotional confrontations on both sides.

Although Appointment in Bath is the fourth title in the Somerset Stories series, this reviewer has not read the previous two volumes. Thus far I have enjoyed Matthews’s title The Work of Art, the opening novel of this collection. With the publication date of Appointment in Bath occurring the week of this writing, I wanted to be a part of promoting this latest story. Although it was a bit of a risk to temporarily skip over Gentleman Jim and Return to Satterthwaite Court, I was nonetheless rewarded with a delightful tale. There are some references to those prior works, but Appointment in Bath works quite well as a standalone.

Mimi Matthews’s work is a pure delight. Her writing skill enables her to craft a compelling story, present well-drawn characters and avoid predictability in her choices. While much of her writing is firmly set in the 19th century, she presents characters who are relatable and accessible. The protagonists are likable, and the villains earn this reader’s disdain. She doesn’t avoid addressing difficult and gritty issues, but the content is not salacious or gratuitous. Mature themes are addressed in a realistic yet modest way. The romantic moments are simply delicious and leave the audience wanting more without drawing us deep into the minutiae of bedroom scenes. I loved the friendship of Meg and Ivo, and my heart broke for her as she yearned for more love and affection from her father. 

While Appointment in Bath does offer a satisfying, realistic conclusion, not every difficult issue is tied with a neat little bow. Characters face challenges that are common to many in our non-fictional, modern existence. Some readers may easily identify with Meg’s stuttering problem, her struggles with anxiety, and her growth as a young woman. Others will relate to Ivo as he works to improve his community in the face of a local township that is resistant to modernization. Between the characters’ ambitions, family conflicts, desires for reconciliation and romantic endeavors, Appointment in Bath offers an absorbing narrative that was thoroughly enjoyable. Due to Matthews’ excellent work in this as well as the opening novel The Work of Art, I look forward to retracing my literary steps in order to also read the other books in this series, Gentleman Jim and Return to Satterthwaite Court. A fifth title, A Lady of Conscience is also due for publication in June of 2024. Mimi Matthews continues to show herself to be a reliable and entertaining author, one who consistently earns my hearty endorsement.  

Hollywood Casting

As I read Appointment in Bath, I kept in mind several actors who could play the parts of Mimi's characters. While I didn't "cast" everyone in the novel, these mental images help me organize some of the personalities in my head.  Regardless of their current ages or nationalities, my imagination placed them at their ages in the story, with corresponding cultural accents when they spoke.

Would you like a sample of Appointment in Bath? Click HERE to read Chapter One!

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About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

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The Somerset Stories Series

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Book Review: A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay

In the thick of the Cold War, a betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6’s best Soviet agent and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit.

Vienna, 1954

After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.

Moscow, 1980

A student in the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards a flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she’s grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid regime at the height of the Cold War. Then the KGB murders her best friend and Anya chooses her side. Working in a military research lab, she relays Soviet plans and schematics to the CIA in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.

The past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery threatens all agents operating within Eastern Europe, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.

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Beginning with her 2013 debut novel Dear Mr. Knightley, author Katherine Reay’s work was firmly planted in the Austenesque community for some time. She showcased her love for and knowledge of Jane Austen’s characters with several winsome titles which delighted many. In recent years I noted that she began branching out into other areas of storytelling with much continued success. Her latest novel, A Shadow in Moscow held an intriguing premise, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review it for its Austenprose blog tour. 

It has been the better part of a decade since I’ve read a Reay title and in that time she has thoroughly honed her craft. As such, my experience with A Shadow in Moscow felt very fresh and was very different from my time with Dear Mr. Knightley. While there are a few minor references to Austen in the novel, this is a Cold War spy novel, through and through. Told with dual timelines, readers are taken into the secret and complex lives of two female spies as they navigate the intricacies of life under the gaze of the KGB. Ingrid and Anya love the land in which they live, but want more for the people of Russia than the oppression under which they are living. As cogs in an elaborate machine working to make the world a better place, these strong women make similar decisions while living in separate generations. Eventually their storylines begin to merge, but in general the plot alternates between the narratives of the two women to delicious effect. 

Katherine Reay’s research and dedication to the subject matter of Soviet history and spycraft is deep and meticulous throughout A Shadow in Moscow. The level of expertise she exhibited in her writing was truly impressive, and the education she most certainly received while preparing for this work can be respected at the highest levels. While I am no Russian historian or specialist in the world of espionage, the level of realism that Reay captured was astounding. Immersive and seemingly accurate, A Shadow in Moscow also features extremely well-drawn characters, a compelling plot and satisfying conclusion. The adult material that must be addressed when dealing with this time period and culture is handled carefully, yet difficult scenes and topics are not avoided. Reay’s writing is skillful enough to convey heartbreaking tragedy and mature themes without gratuitous detail. I not only appreciated her discretion, but also her willingness to address the dark underbelly of the world in which her characters inhabited. 

The only slight “hiccup” I had in reading A Shadow in Moscow came through the alternating timeline. As the focus alternated between the characters of Ingrid and Anya, this aided in keeping my attention for the most part. However, there were a few times wherein their similar struggles as spies in the Russian culture were similar enough that I occasionally lost track of which plot points had occurred with which character. This was not a huge problem, and does not detract from my hearty endorsement of the book. 

I came to read A Shadow in Moscow because of the delightful Katherine Reay, but also due to the premise of the novel. The expectations of an intriguing, exciting and satisfying story were well met. I loved the occasional references to authors such as Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy and Harper Lee, which have made me want to pull out my copies of works like Anna Karenina all over again. 

Tidbits of philosophy were also woven throughout the narrative, and one thought in particular has truly resonated with me. Many of the characters in A Shadow in Moscow were dealing with immense oppression. Ingrid does her best to rise above her situation not by escaping it, but by changing her attitude towards it. This alters her “internal landscape”, and through that adjustment she is able to face even the harshest trials. She carries a human dignity which she endeavors to share with the world. Like Ingrid, Anya also holds admirable ideals when she says in chapter fourteen, “I wanted to do everything I could to make the world a better place, one that honored the dignity of humans and allowed each and every person to thrive.” (p. 176) That is the essence of A Shadow in Moscow in a nutshell. It is certainly a Cold War spy novel, but it also conveys a message of resilience and hope to humanity in search of Light. Author Katherine Reay has crafted a fine work and should be congratulated for her achievement.

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About the Author

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children.

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