This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Written from two different points of view and on two different timelines , Sophie and her family in 2016 and Rachael's in 1956 we journey with them through heartbreak and loss, across foreign lands during times of war and in peace time and celebrate with them in times o happiness, joy and love.

Beautifully written, characters I absolutely loved , descriptive prose that took you right to the heart of the action and combining historical fact and fiction this was one fabulous read.

a novel I highly recommend .

Rachel faces many struggles in the 1950s and yet somehow still manages to savor life and live it to its fullest. Why is it so hard for us now? What are we missing? Sophie immerses herself in her grandmother's story and maybe there she will find the answers. Loved the alternating timelines and history of this novel.

A beautifully woven story done in historical fiction. Being an amateur photographer myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

This book was beautifully written. I don’t normally read this genre but I did really enjoy it. With great characters and lovely storyline I would read other books by this author

This story goes between Rachael 1958 in Italy and Sophie 2017 in England, Sophie is discovering the life of her grandmother when she escaped Hungary in the 1950’s.
A really beautifully written and lovely story about loss and family secrets.
Highly recommended

A touching family saga, alternating between Rachael's story in the 1950s and Sophie's story in the mid-2010s.

Rachael is a widow with a young child when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant in one summer in Italy. Sophie, Rachael's granddaughter, is struggling to get pregnant when she discovers a silk bracelet left by her grandmother. In the midst of her personal turmoil, she begins to unravel her grandmother's secrets.

This book is truly a page turner, one that you can't put down till you find out the ending, as you work through the family secrets.

This book was added to my shelf without me requesting it. I have tried to have it removed so it doesn't count negatively towards my ratio however Netgalley say they can't do anything about it which means I will never reach 100%. I feel that this is unfair so I an leaving a review without reading the book. I will leave 5 stars so that I don't have a negative impact on the book's score but for anyone reading this I want to make clear that I haven't actually read the book. I have done this to save my ratio. I never requested the book, I never had any intention of reading it and I have tried everything to get it removed. This was a last resort.

Loved this book! This was an emotional heartfelt romance. This novel has everything history and secrets! I recommend this for fans of Lucinda Riley!

I was given an ecopy of this book by Bookouture, Debbie Six publishers in exchange for an honest review. This is something I'm more than willing to do.

The story is told by two different women Sophie and Racheal across several different countries. The chapters act as dividers separating the women's lives alternating back and forth between Italy 1958 and the UK 2017.

It is a heartfelt story about tragedy, love, pain, family and friendship. A story set in four parts with the two stories woven together until they meet in the present day.

I absolutely loved this story, it is an incredibly powerful yet a tender and tragic story that highlights the decisions and difficulties faced by both Sophie and Rachael, two incredibly strong women and the knocks and set backs they both faced in their lives.

The Photograph is a story that is paced perfectly, the pace ebbing and flowing as both women encounter setbacks and tragedy time and time again only to rise out the other side stronger more determined to survive. I was totally absorbed, silent tears rolling down my cheeks, smiling the next - a totally uplifting read that demonstrates the strength of character possible when you are surrounded by love and support, family and friendship.

An uplifting read that is totally captivating and will squeeze your heart yet leave you uplifted. This is the first Debbie Six book I have read but it will definitely not be the last, I loved every single word from the beginning to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.
This is a good historical fiction novel with romance intertwined. It's also a story of 2 women, grandmother and granddaughter, who faced tragedy and loss but were still determined to survive and succeed.

My first book by author Debbie Rix, and it was an enjoyable read. I liked the story told in dual timeliness, in two different generations, Rachel in 1950 and Sophie in the present day. Both the grandmother and the granddaughter went through their own heartaches, and it was so easy to connect with them and immerse in their story.
One photograph takes the story to Italy where the secrets are revealed.
Overall, a little slower than what I am used to, but a fun read.

A satisfying book. A blend of historical fiction, drama, and mystery. The sort of book to curl up with on an Autumnal Day.

A lovely story telling the story of two women set in two different eras. Not my usual type of book but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.

What a fabulous story set in the 1950s and the present day. The stories are interwoven and the book' is an absolute joy to read.

The stories are about two women who are related - Rachael in the 1950s and her grand daughter Sophie in the present day. We learn the hardships and heartache faced by Rachael and her father when they have to leave their beloved Hungary and start again in London and Sophie is facing heartache of her own which her husband just doesn't seem to understand.

Rachael, her daughter Angela and her father spend one glorious summer in Italy, her father at an archaeology dig he's in charge of. Rachael experiences real love and heartache that summer.

Sophie is an anthropologist and is studying for her PhD in Roman Burials and is drawn back to Italy with a photograph of a young man and a handcrafted seasilk bracelet along with her parents and uncle. She finds glorious family connections with her grandmother Rachael's past and finds joy in her own life. I absolutely adored this beautiful read. So recommend.

The Photograph is the spell-binding journey of two women, generations apart, and their stories of love, loss and life. The story alternates between Sophie's life and experiences in the current day, and those of Rachael, almost 60 years ago.

Sophie is dealing with the struggle to conceive, yearning so much for a child that she does not pay much attention to how the people around her are dealing with things. She is a wonderful person at heart, but fails to see how her obsession affects her husband. At the brink of losing her marriage entirely, the husband and wife duo are confronted with a lot of decisions and forced to deal with their emotions. The best part of Sophie's story is her family, who is her support system, but who also act as voices of reason when required.

More than 60 years ago, Rachael, Sophie's grandmother loses her own mother, her husband and is forced to flee her home with her father so as not to get caught. In the midst of all this, she finds herself pregnant. As the father-daughter duo's journey continues west, they end up in England where her father takes up teaching anthropology at the university. Rachael fills her time and also builds bonds with the owner of the house they are staying at. As time passes, they move to Italy for almost a year so that her father can lead a dig and document the findings. What follows is a life of sun, some laughter and a passionate love that Rachael develops for a local of the island. However, the main part of her story comes from not being able to pursue this relationship and moving back home.

Rachael's life is filled with a lot of loss and tragedy, but through all this emerges a strong willed woman who raises two children by herself and lives to see her grandchildren grow up. A quiet but dependable presence in their lives, no-one knows that she harbors a strong secret about her life and her son's.

Sophie, in a bid to connect with her grandmother, while moving her writing desk from the attic to the living room, discovers a false back. This leads to the discovery of a photograph, the very photograph that the title refers to! What follows is a family holiday to Italy where Sophie sets out to discover the truth behind the photograph.

The story is gripping and will keep the reader hooked until the very end. There are so many emotions that are brought out in this book and the reader will experience them all along with the characters. The author brings out the repercussions of keeping secrets but at the same time she shows us the reasoning behind it and how it might have been necessary. Times change, the world changes and so does people's perception of things. A compelling story, The Photograph is a must read!

Rachael's story takes her from Communist Hungary in the 1950's, to a refugee camp in Austria, to London; on to New York and back to London, Rachael's story is beautifully told, atmospheric as well as with well defined characters. Alternately, we follow her granddaughter Sophie's story, as she navigates balance between work, starting a family, and marriage. Rachael faces many challenges in her lifetime, suffering losses, yet savoring life in its fullness. I was absorbed in both stories, and had a hard time leaving these characters once I finished the book.

Worthwhile reading .I was surprised by the content which has many real life events included which I could identify with.
Happy,sad a journey to be enjoyed...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2437775634** spoiler alert ** Rachael, had her share of sorrow. Sophie, Rachael’s grand-daughter, is having a hardship in her life. As Sophie, tries to find her ways she learns there were part of her grandmas life that she didn’t know.

Grabbed at my heartstrings when. Rix weaves the tale of Rachael with a pleasant to read melancholy tale. Bringing in Sophie, her granddaughter, to uncover the secrets that a single Photograph found in Rachael’s old desk holds.

Haven’t really been in a romance kinda mood but this story was just the right blend of romance and mystery that it was a page-turning delight.

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Rix for my advanced copy for an honest review.
3 likes

For me stories set across different timescales can be hit or miss. Sometimes I love them and sometimes I just get so confused that I can't get in to the story. Debbie is such a brilliant writer that The Photograph easily made it in to that first category. Rachael was a strong female lead from the very beginning - dealing with having to leave her country and the death of her husband so well. It took me a little longer to get behind Sophie and like her as a character, but I got there eventually!

I loved the link between the two timelines and the way we could see the stories clicking in to place. George was probably my favourite character and it was interesting to see how love was portrayed in so many different ways by different people! Well done Debbie!!