The London House

I flew through The London House – even picked up my iPad in the middle of the night to read a little more. This is a great story about uncovering a family secret and solving a mystery. I really liked how the dual timeline is structured and uses letters, diaries and reports to delve into the past – my only struggle was that I felt like I wasn’t always keeping the timeline straight because the parts from the past do not come in exact order (I felt like I should make notes or use post-its – but wanted to just enjoy the story). It is obvious that Katherine Reay made tons of notes herself for this well-researched book. I appreciate the realistic detail around the places and events. This is an author that I will keep on my radar and buy whatever she writes next.I had an early copy to read and review a couple months ago (thank you Net Galley and Harper Muse) and ordered my own copy for my shelf. All opinions are my own.

More a 3.5-3.7, The London House somehow mixes the best and worst of Katherine Reay. It contains the compelling epistolary elements of Dear Mr. Knightley, plus some of the character development and enchanting places of her book-centered novels (Printed Letter Bookshop and Of Literature and Lattes). However, The London House also has a slow pace, some odd plotting choices, and not a lot of character development.The epistolary journey of Caro and Margo is easily the most compelling part of the book. It moves at a good clip, but is written in enough depth to let readers know who the sisters are and how they grow and change. I particularly applaud Katherine for exploring both a twin relationship and what happens when the roles in that relationship reverse. I've never seen it done in fiction before, at least not the way Katherine does it. I think I enjoyed Margo's development a bit more than Caro's, but that's simply because we see more of her in the book. Katherine's choice to focus more on the sister who stayed at home, who became the "secret keeper," was a unique choice for a World War II novel.Additionally, I liked where Katherine tried to go with the modern Caroline's journey. The parallels between Caro and Margo, and Caroline and Amelia, were set up as heart-wrenching and deep. I loved the little tidbits between Caroline and her mother, and wish there had been more of them, as well as a better exploration of Caroline's relationship with her dad. And, from what I saw of it, I could love the London House. Katherine tried to make it function as a character, a la Printed Letter. Although she didn't succeed entirely, what exists works well.Unfortunately, the good parts of The London House get bogged down in a lot of extraneous "fluff" or "stuff." As noted, the pace can be excruciatingly slow, especially during Caroline's part of the story. In fact, I question why Caroline's story had to be there at all. It starts out promising, with Caroline trying to find out if Caro was a traitor and Nazi sympathizer. But then we get bogged down in her interactions with Mat and her angst over Dad and Amelia. I say "angst" because although Caroline delves a little into these relationships and why they are the way they are, these elements seem unimportant or glossed over. Worse than that, her father at least makes absolutely no effort to reconcile, making excuses about how he can't because that's just not what his personality is. (Whaaaaaaat????)Mat is also a negligible character. I guess he's meant to be Caroline's love interest, and they do share some interesting moments, like at a pub that serves pad Thai. However, readers are given almost nothing about him. I mean, we don't even learn he has siblings until about page 250, even though Caroline mentions Mat has this big, warm family she loved (again, what???) Mat is dull, unexciting, and seemingly only there to chastise Caroline for how she acts and reacts. And by the way, it's spelled "Matt." That single T drove me nuts.Finally, and this is what I really didn't like...the WWII and Resistance aspects of The London House are also negligible. That is, we know Caro was involved in the Resistance, and we know she risked everything, including reputation and citizenship, not to mention family love, to help the oppressed. That's a great idea; I don't care if it's been done, it's always a great jumping off point, at least to me. And Caro's deep interest in fashion would've made that plot thread unique and memorable. I loved the part where she made the bra with the secret compartments, for one, because I thought something else was coming.As it is though, Caro's resistance work is barely mentioned. We don't really get a sense of what she's doing, except maybe focusing on one Jewish friend, Martine (which is okay but how exactly was Caro helping her except begging her to leave Paris)? Instead, we focus mostly on how Caro is in denial about the realities of war, which makes her look empty-headed and selfish. We also focus on a love triangle that, I'm sorry, pulled me away from the real story and felt completely ridiculous.I think during The London House, Katherine Reay was confused about what story she wanted to tell, and how. The book would've worked better if she had stuck to one time frame, Caro and Margo's, and developed it more. I also would've liked to see the whole novel as epistolary, which would've taken Katherine back to her roots. As it is, The London House is not at all a bad book. It kept my attention, and the parts that work, work great. But the problems are too big to ignore. I hope Katherine Reay returns to the style of her more recent books next time.

The London House is an amazing story of truth and healing! I find Katherine Reay’s stories impress me more with every new one. This novel reads in a voice uniquely hers, with an accessible contemporary setting and a near split-time feel because of the historical letters and diaries throughout (meaning it has an epistolary element like her beloved debut, Dear Mr. Knightley!). Reay’s love of literature and its application as a source of timeless wisdom is still evident, although this story is less lit-centric than her previous titles and more focused on family legacy and influence.Caroline is a likable and complex heroine whose depth and history parallels that of her mysterious great-aunt, Caro, in many ways. Her story is one of heart-wrenching emotion, healing, and discovery as she faces old wounds — both from her past and those which have been kept secret for generations. Caroline’s journey is encouraged by the endearing hero, Mat, who is also a catalyst for her growth in many ways. He matches her in strength and vulnerability, and watching their relationship unfold is a delight.My favorite aspect of this story is how it is a study in history’s power to shape humanity’s perception of the past or current perspectives. While perception might be hazy and (honestly) incorrect, truth is an absolute and ultimately comes to light. The stories of Margo and Caro, and Caroline and Mat’s search in the present, all demonstrate how to trust in truth to have the final say, no matter how comforting or uncomfortable, is enough.Thank you to the publisher for the review copy. This is my honest review.

The London House is such a good book. It's a split time novel set in the present and in the 1930s. Deep family secrets have haunted Caroline's family for decades. When her old boyfriend Mat calls her up with some news, she is determined to find answers. I also enjoyed the way the story unfolded through a combination of letters and in person. I really liked Caroline and Mat. I enjoyed getting to know them both. I loved learning about the sisters, Caro and Margo. Both had such different personalities. I knew very little about the House of Schiaparelli and the fashion industry before reading this book. Some of the outfits mentioned were so unique.There was a lot of depth to this story. I had a hard time putting it down. I liked how Katherine Reay weaved the past and the present together. She did a great job bringing the past to life for me.I highly recommend this book to my family and friends.I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. I also purchased a copy for myself. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.