The Forgotten Secret by Kathleen McGurl. HQ Digital, 2019.

This book links two stories set in a farmhouse in County Meath, Ireland. In 2016, Clare considers leaving her critical, overbearing, unscrupulous husband of twenty-five years. In 1919, young Ellen and her Jimmy become involved in the old Irish Republican Army (IRA). Clare, having inherited the house once owned by Jimmy’s parents, finds personal records in an old chair she is reupholstering. Readers will be sympathetic to both women as their stories unfold in alternating chapters. The Irish history skilfully woven through Ellen’s story contributed to the book’s appeal.

This book’s cover compares it to those of Kate Morton, but is about half the length. I enjoyed reading it more than I have enjoyed Morton’s books.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Forgotten Secret via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Clare Farrell has inherited a house in Ireland. The old farmhouse provides her with the perfect opportunity to escape her unhappy marriage and build a new, happy life for herself.
The house is in much need of repair and as she makes a start Clare uncovers some mysterious items which bring us back to a different era.
In 1919, Ellen O’ Brien has her whole life ahead of her. She has her first job and she has found love with Jimmy. However, it is a volatile time in Ireland. A time where love and loyalty are put to extreme tests.
I enjoyed this book for the most part. Ireland’s history was extremely well researched. I was somewhat overwhelmed with the ending though, I think I expected just a little more from it.

Engrossing, character driven, dual time line story about finding yourself, family secrets and lost love.

Clare Farrell is a wife and mother of two grown sons. Her marriage has gone stale; her husband is selfish and takes her for granted. For years she's put up with everything being for his convenience. The unexpected inheritance of a house in Ireland gives Clare a chance to get away and reassess her life. Against her husband's objections, and with the support of her sons, she packs her bags and goes to stay at her new property, where a chance discovery reveals a family secret and a forgotten love story.

Normally with dual time line stories, it's the past that fascinates me. Not this time. Clare's story in the present is just as interesting and compelling as Ellen's in the past. What really stands out is the realistic characters. They are so well written that you feel you know these people. Right from the first page I drawn into the story and really cared about Clare's happiness. This story is slower to develop than many of this type, but it's so beautifully written that I didn't mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a copy of this book.

Kathleen McGurl’s historical novel, The Forgotten Secret, was an enjoyable read from beginning to end. The dual timelines added to the intrigue about the lives of two women from two time periods - 1919 and 2016- as they each searched for independence and strength during difficult times. The author was especially good at weaving historical details about the Irish War for Independence and the Magdalene Laundries, allowing the reader to be transported to 1919, thus gaining a deeper understanding of this period in Ireland, while also allowing for a current day (2016) perspective of that period. The entire story is believable and flows beautifully. I could not put this book down.

Although I don’t read an awful lot of out and out historical novels, I am quite a fan of dual timeline books that bounce back and forth between two storylines. I love trying to work out how everything is going to tie together by the end of the book, especially if it keeps me guessing pretty much to the end as this one did. I particularly enjoyed this one as I fell in love with Ireland many years ago on a road trip holiday, and anything that takes me back to that beautiful landscape is a winner as far as I am concerned.

I knew a bit about Irish history, the fight for independence that has stretched through the years, and the horrors of the Magdalene Laundries, but even with that knowledge, the introductory note was well worth the read as it sets the scenes well for the events of the book.

Although I enjoyed both Clare and Ellen’s stories, I did find myself more drawn to Ellen’s and the difficult life she led. Striking out on her own after years with a controlling husband can’t have been easy for Clare, but she always had her larger than life sons for support. For Ellen, living through a time when you had no idea who to trust, and at times being totally alone, it just must have been so frightening and my heart went out to her. As the two stories unfolded I found that I was totally invested in both Clare and Ellen, willing them along to the lives they deserved.

The Forgotten Secret is a beautifully written book that is devastating and heartwarming in equal measure, and is a story that I feel will stay with me for some time.

A quaint read about two women from different periods in history who both struggle to be independent and are committed to understanding the struggles of Ireland. This book has romance, mystery, intrigue and gives the reader a woman ‘s view on how Ireland struggled for independence .

This book covered a period of history I knew nothing about. The alternating chapters spanning almost a century interlinked really well, slowly revealing little pieces of the puzzle. As I usually read contemporary novels I preferred the modern day story of Clare as she escaped her abusive and manipulative husband for a new life in Ireland, but Ellen's story grew on me until I was really rooting for her too. The historical half of the book is poignant and very sad in parts but there are two big surprises in the closing chapters that were really well written and somehow, while being so unexpected, made the story complete. Who needs predictability? One thing I did not like at all was the history lesson before the novel began. I found it too heavy and off-putting, and having now read the story I feel it was unnecessary as the history revealed itself adequately through the storytelling. I would definitely read more by this author.

This is a well written novel which deals with two separate timelines with skill and insight. The two central female figures are both well- drawn and we see them develop as they gain a sense of their own self worth and ability to speak out and stand on their own two feet. Ellen is a young Irish girl who shows initiative and courage in her actions to support the fight for a free Ireland. At the beginning, she is under the thumb of her father and we see her branch out and mature. Clare maybe an older woman but she has been controlled by her husband and dominated by him. In her story, we see her wake up and begin to see the possibility that there is for an independent life.

The background to the Irish Question has been well researched and you feel the authenticity behind the descriptions of events. Told from the perspective of those fighting for Irish independence, you get a sense of the desperation that was felt. You really do feel that you are looking through a peephole into the past. The central theme which emerges however is the force of family and friendship which can cross borders and uncover common ground.

In short:Secrets from the past are uncovered.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

The Forgotten Secret is a dual time narrative one hundred years apart and begins in 2016 when we meet Clare in England who has just inherited an old farmhouse in Ireland. Her husband is a selfish, controlling, manipulative man who has eaten away at her self-esteem over their twenty year marriage and I was cheering her on when she decided to leave him and start a whole new life in Ireland.

In 1919, just as the War of Independence in Ireland was escalating, 18 year old Ellen is also beginning a new life, she's starting a new job as upstairs maid at Carlton House and is in love with Jimmy who's joined the Cause as a volunteer fighting for Ireland's future. As she looks to a future full of children, Jimmy has his own dreams of a future for a free Ireland.

I must confess that I knew very little about this time in Ireland's history, I grew up in fear of the IRA's bombing spree in England in the 1970's and 80's and didn't particularly want to know then about their cause, or indeed understand it. But after finishing this I can now understand some of their reasons and beliefs.

Author Kathleen McGurl very cleverly tells us the story from the other side and is very careful not to manipulate the reader as we are shown, in 1919, how the people went undercover, helping the volunteers and what they believed in and how they were prepared to die for their cause.

Overall, it is also a story of two women who seemed very different at the start but whose lives were both changed by circumstances which made them grow in independence.

The Forgotten Secret has treachery, secrets and betrayal but also love, compassion and friendship.

With main characters that I cared about, the story is well-paced, painting a picture of Irish life that kept my attention throughout, and I learnt a good deal about their history.

Set over two timelines, 2016 and 1919, this absorbing story takes a look back at troubled times in Ireland , alongside a woman taking control of her own life after many years of being controlled by her husband, and finding her own feet again at the age of 50.

In the present timeline, we follow Claire who has been left a Farm in Ireland by an Uncle, which is in dire need of renovation and the thought of that gives her goosebumps! Not so her husband, Paul, who is used to getting his own way and just wants her to sell it so he can invest the money in something else. Over the years she'd given up going against his wishes for the sake of her two sons, but now they're grown up and doing their own thing she gets the courage to do what SHE wants for a change and makes the big decision to leave her husband and set out on a new journey in Ireland.

And back in 1919, we follow the story of Ellen who is a young girl living with her Dad with not much money, but sets out on her life journey with a new job and a new romance that is put to the test early on as Jimmy is determined to join the cause to fight for Irish independence. Ellen's new boss is also involved with setting up clandestine meetings and Ellen finds herself passing on messages and doing all she can to avoid being detected by those out to thwart all those plotting against the English.

The two timelines worked so well with each other - we had the historical look back at some very troubling times and got to see how it affected the people living and working in Ireland at the time, and that is set against the backdrop of Claire who is looking to make her own way in life and explore the things she finds on the farm that had been hidden away for many years and to look back at the family history she didn't hear about. Some of the revelations are pretty shocking but dealt with in sympathetic ways but left you as a reader feel quite emotional about what went on, and how things were so different back then.

In The Forgotten Secret two seemingly unconnected women in different eras deal with the obstacles life has thrown at them. It’s a novel of their struggles, decades apart, on finding independence, on becoming strong and vibrant versions of themselves. We’re drawn into their stories with unique perspectives and challenges that each have to deal with, sink or swim.

The contemporary heroine, Clare, comes into an inheritance of a ramshackle Irish farmhouse, providing her with the opportunity and means to leave an abusive, manipulative marriage. Our historical heroine, Ellen, struggles with finding her way in love and loyalty as Ireland is torn apart in turmoil and civil unrest. A hidden secret in the farmhouse tie the two women together as they navigate their individual lives. A bridge is built between past and present as Clare researches further into the treasure she’s found.

Ms. McGurl does a wonderful job of negotiating the dual-timeline without leaving the reader lost. She paints vivid, colourful pictures and infuses her novels with real characters and strong emotion. She plucks the purportedly random strings of each story and weaves them all into a heartwarming tale of triumph and courage. Effortlessly, the elements between past and present intersect and we’re left with a multi-faceted gem that brings mystery, friendship, romance, and loyalty to a touching conclusion that may (or may not) have (but definitely did) leave me with tears of longing and joy. 4.5 stars from me!

I was provided with a copy of this title via Netgalley with thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Full blog post here: https://lifelovelaughterlinds.home.blog/2019/03/23/book-review-the-forgotten-secret/

I can’t believe I am only just reading Kathleen McGurl’s stories!! I am sure I say this every time I review a book by an author whose books I haven't read before, but I can’t!

The Forgotten Secret has everything I love in a story: contemporary and historical fiction, a mystery, characters I can easily connect with, well researched, beautifully told.

The story is told as a dual time frame, set between 1919-1920 and the present day. In the historical thread, Kathleen McGurl pulls us into Ellen O'Brien's life and the War of Irish Independence. I warmed to Ellen instantly and the love she has for her childhood sweetheart is beautiful. Ellen’s story was not easy to read at times and there were instances where I wanted to jump into the page to hug her.

In present day Ireland, we accompany Clare Farrell on her journey to independence from her broken marriage. Having inherited a run down farmhouse from her uncle, she seizes the chance to leave her husband, Paul, and start a new life. Gosh, I hated Paul. Even after a week, he still hasn’t redeemed himself. Well done to Kathleen McGurl for a writing a character who provoked this emotion in me! I did however really like Clare and was championing her on to really make a new life for herself.

I do love it when a house throws up a mystery to be solved and the farmhouse in this story is no exception. I will say no more for the risk of spoiling the story so you will have to read The Forgotten Secret to find out more.
I love how Kathleen McGurl intertwines both women’s stories, answering questions raised in one era in the other, tying it all up nicely at the end.

I do love reading the acknowledgements at the end of a book. Often, the author will give us an insight into where the idea for the story came from. The seed for The Forgotten Secret was a small nugget of conversation which became this great story.

Set across two timelines in Ireland this tells of the beginning of the struggle for independence in two very different ways. In 1919 Mary- Ellen goes to work at the big house where a wealthy English widow lives. She sees her boyfriend on her day off who lives at Clonamurty farm, and he is a keen fighter for the cause. 100 years later, Clare Farrell has decided to leave her controlling husband and take up residence in the house left to her by her uncle. Her husband really doesn’t think that she will manage and who is going to be there when the postman calls and to make his tea? Clare begins to embrace her new found freedom and put her talents to work- some she never knew she had. I’m not normally into historical novels but this one somehow drew me. Maybe the air of mystery and the likeability of the two main female characters. I really took to Clare and Ellen (as she liked to be known). The determination of both of them in very different ways and the strength of character was admirable. I learnt some history along the way too- an easy and wonderful way to do it. I really enjoyed reading this. Something interesting , something different and a wonderful story.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
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With duel time line, The Forgotten Secret, set in Ireland follows Clare Farrell who inherits a run-down farmhouse in Co. Meath and Ellen O'Brien, living in the same area one hundred years earlier. 

When re-visiting the farm her Uncle Pádraig left her in his will, Clare's filled with nostalgia, whilst looking at the potential the run-down building has. A view not shared by her husband. Back home, with the support of her grown-up sons, she decides to seize an opportunity to build a new life for herself away from her verbally abusive marriage. 

I admit, I didn't know much about Irish history before reading this novel and what little I knew was from a British perspective. Like Clare, I remembered the media and the news telling us about 'terrorist' incidents via the BBC. Therefore, I appreciated the research the author did and how she incorporated it into the narrative so I could understand the conflict between the UK and Ireland from an Irish point of view too. 

'I felt a pang of excitement and nerves. Too right I wanted to see!! It could be a cellar, or a buried box of treasure, or an entrance to a secret tunnel...I realised I had probably read too many Enid Blyton books in my childhood, but then again, who wouldn't be excited uncovering a concealed trapdoor?' 

Clare's enthusiasm for rebuilding her life is enhanced by her surroundings. Despite visiting her uncle's farm as a child, there's plenty to discover about the place and the past and I admired how she embraced her findings enough to research and seek out further information. Ellen's life, in contrast, highlights the difficulties of living in a politically volatile era where it is easy to end up in a situation which doesn't reflect your true views and feelings. I liked how the narrative highlights Ellen's plight and concerns and how a century later, the secrets are uncovered. 

Overall, a delightful novel reflecting the lives of two women who have to overcome difficulties within their lives. It's insightful and all ties up beautifully at the end. 

3.5 stars 

***arc generously received courtesy of HQ Digital via NetGalley***

Ireland, 1919: Ellen O’Brien is about to start a new job ‘up at the big house’ but the war in Ireland is getting closer to home. Soon, everyone around her is getting swept up in an increasingly violent situation with Ellen, herself, finding her loyalties torn.

Almost a hundred years later, after the death of a family member, Clare Farrell has inherited an old farmhouse in County Meath. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to escape from an abusive marriage, she leaves her past behind and embarks on a new life in Ireland. The house, however, is in a poor state of repair and, whilst working on improving her living environment, Clare discovers a long-forgotten hiding place containing some mysterious artefacts. With only the renovations to occupy her time, she soon uncovers a secret that has remained buried for several decades.

Ever since reading The Daughters of Red Hill Hall, I have become a huge fan of Kathleen McGurl’s time lapse stories, and I was really looking forward to this one. I’ve always liked how the stories are told in two distinct time frames yet their plots gradually converge so we are seeing the same story told from two different perspectives. In The Forgotten Secret we meet two main protagonists, separated by almost a century, but each embarking on a new life, not knowing what the outcome will be.

I found I had a lot of respect for Clare, a woman who seemingly had a happy home life. Looks can be deceiving, though, and when you scratched beneath the surface, we discovered how controlling her husband, Paul, actually was. Stopping her from working, isolating her from her friends, choosing her clothes… the list could go on. I was pleased when she finally took the plunge and left her husband, starting a new life in Ireland. The discovery of the artefacts and her subsequent investigation do not take a central role in her story, but do help to add some detail to the story of the other main character, Ellen.

The chapters featuring Ellen were my favourite, moreso as the book progressed. Set against the fighting in Ireland between the Volunteers and the ‘Black and Tans’, we see a young woman who is caught up in a war that she quickly needs to learn about. Although I have read other books on this subject, I did enjoy the way the author explained what was happening and was also grateful for the historical overview she provided. Ellen’s story is a fascinating, yet tragic, one and I admired her tenacity which saw her come out the other side.

Another part of Ireland’s history is also dealt with, and it is one that leaves a particularly nasty taste in the mouth – that of the Magdalene laundries. Although the descriptions are not overly graphic, Kathleen McGurl paints a bleak image of the conditions and made me feel so angry for the women who were incarcerated there.

The Forgotten Secret is not an action-packed but is much more a plot-driven book. One part did fox me, though, and provided a great twist that I was not expecting. This is another great book from Kathleen McGurl, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

When I first heard about this book I thought it sounded slightly different to what I’d normally read. This is Women’s Fiction, with some Irish History. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I loved Clare. She ended up being a lot stronger than people gave her credit for before she left her husband. She really is my type of woman. She left her very unhappy marriage, it may not have been physically abusive, although some parts are bordering, but it was most definitely emotionally abusive. I think I did an inside dance when she left him.

Ellen I also loved. Again a very very strong woman. Thrown into serving her country. But she was also a woman in love and would do pretty much anything for that love.

I loved the stories of these 2 women and the way Clare’s family past and Ellen’s kind of forge together. Although not directly. I won’t say anything else, as I’ll end up giving too much away.

I’d highly recommend this book and suggest anyone that loves Irish History and women’s fiction should definitely buy this book.

Love this book your pull into the plot straight away and hooked till the end i enjoy how it wrote the style do easy yo read a brill book

The story tells the tale of two women, of Clare in the 21st century and Ellen in 1919, with Ireland and its last few centuries of troubled history at the core of both stories.

The reader meets Clare when she inherits a dilapidated property in Ireland and uses this inheritance to free herself from under the oppressive thumb of her husband. After many decades of marriage and two grown children, she finally plucks up the courage to free herself from his constant verbal abuse and abusive control.

I think it's important to note that the author makes a deliberate attempt to show that abuse doesn't always mean something physical. Sometimes it means someone controlling, who isolates and verbally abuses a person, an aspect of abusive relationships which has only just become punishable by law.

Even Clare feels as if she has to say sorry for not not being physically abused and only abused in a non-physical way. This strange feeling of guilt and not being worthy of a concern is also the reason many don't feel able to report non-physical abuse, because they think they won't be taken seriously.
Ellen on the other hand finds herself in the middle of a question of loyalty. Not just any loyalty either.

In a time of great upheaval and the seeds of later violent discord, rebellion and terrorism are sown and begin to sprout in the proud inhabitants of the Irish Isles (choosing not to use a political term which could be construed as hinting at political overlordship).

It's historical and women's fiction with a strong political storyline, and yet McGurl contains the turbulence and focuses on the people, their lives and emotions. The result is a tale of mystery, heartbreak and forgiveness, which intersects when the past meets the present in the form of a well hidden secret.

I've been meaning to read a Kathleen McGurl book for ages and there just hasn't been the right time, so I'm really pleased to have been able to read The Forgotten Secret. I do love a dual timeline story.

The book begins with a historical note and I was really pleased that it was there and not at the end as it gives a brief overview of Irish political history, the rebellions and the wars, right up to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. I found this invaluable as I was largely ignorant of the details of the conflicts in Ireland.

The story itself starts with Clare, a 49 year old woman visiting a farmhouse in Ireland that she has just inherited from her uncle. She's there with her overbearing and controlling husband, somebody I took an instant dislike to. Thankfully, Clare decides to finally ditch him and move alone to the farmhouse and in doing so makes a new life for herself. In the house she discovers a couple of items relating to something that happened almost 100 years earlier.

Which brings me to the other part of the dual timeline, Ellen's story. In 1919 the First World War was just over but the Irish War of Independence was just beginning. Ellen gets a job working as a maid for a woman who is involved and her sweetheart is also fighting for an independent Ireland.

If I say any more then I am in danger of revealing too much. What I will say is that these two stories are intertwined in a way that I didn't guess, which I thought was clever on the author's part. I think I would have liked them to have started to join up a little earlier in the story but that's only a minor thing and I enjoyed both stories very much indeed.

Ellen's story in particular really interested me. As I said before, I knew little of the conflict in Ireland and I just didn't realise how much it had affected people for so long. I found it fascinating and also heartbreaking. The last 25% or so of the book really saddened me.

The Forgotten Secret is a lovely read and one that I thought was very well researched. I also found it really easy to read and I'd definitely read another of Kathleen McGurl's novels.

Well that was something special. I absolutely adored this book and found it a compelling and touching story. The writing was warm and engaging and had me hooked from start to finish.

The narrative explores life from two different periods in time but as the story gently unfolds it becomes extremely clear that they share common ties with one another.

Irish history is not my strongest subject so I found the historical elements to the story fascinating and moving. I felt that Kathleen McGurl approached the information with a great deal of sensitivity and care to create a special piece of writing.

The two female protagonists were thoroughly engaging and I was swept away by both stories...I found that I couldn't read fast enough to find out what would happen next.

The Forgotten Secret is an emotional journey that will move you completely with its passionate embrace for hope and love. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book and know it will stay with me for a long time to come.