Kathleen McGurl is a quite wonderful story-teller – and I think this might be her best book yet. There’s a strong contemporary story, but I will admit I did struggle a teeny bit at the beginning. Tilly isn’t particularly likeable, and I found her less than sympathetic – we all have tough times, but she really does behave like a spoilt teenager. But I really loved her father, supporting her throughout, grieving gently for his wife three years on, finding a reason to go on through his involvement in the restoration of the local railway.

The story does develop beautifully – and it wasn’t too long until Tilly entirely won me over. You’ll see things hinge on the finding of a diary – and I really liked the way it played a key (and rather shocking) part in uncovering the truth and helping both the contemporary and historical stories reach resolution.

And then there’s the historical story – 1935 Dorset quite magically recreated, a world that’s now largely disappeared. The research that went into the railway setting and its exceptional detail must have been immense – I see it was based on the work and history of Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Association, but relocated to a beautiful and vividly described Dorset between the wars – and it really brings the setting to life.

Ted won my heart from his first appearance – such a lovely man, stationmaster at Lynford taking pride in his home and job, enjoying the day-to-day routine, friendless other than his visiting sister and her children, and lacking in confidence. He falls head over heels in love with Annie who catches the same trains daily to her job in the bank. It’s a wonderful love story, from those tentative first conversations after he finds out her name, his tender care in repairing the sleeve of her red coat, through making cups of tea and making iced buns for her tea.

Love blossoms, but there are major obstacles – the whole story made me ache, and I always had a really uncomfortable feeling that things might not turn out quite as I wanted them to. The author has a really perfect touch with the conventions and expectations of the time, but equally so with the emotional content: the story as it unfolded absolutely broke my heart.

The whole book, both threads moving together, builds to a dramatic and unexpected climax: all the issues, past and present and the grey areas in between, are clarified and resolved – with a few real surprises – and it’s quite superbly done.

If you like to escape into the books you read, this might just be the one for you – after the halfway point, I didn’t emerge for breath until I’d tearfully finished the last page. Wonderful stuff – and highly recommended.

(Copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Kathleen McGurl writes sweeping, satisfying and spellbinding timeslip novels that leave readers riveted to the page from beginning to end and she is back with a fabulous tale of love lost and found, dangerous secrets and healing from the past that is wholly mesmerizing: The Stationmaster’s Daughter.

In Dorset in 1935, stationmaster Ted is a man who is passionate about his job and the railway. Ted has no time or inclination for romance and instead is wholly focused on his profession and in ensuring that England’s most beautiful railway runs on time. Ted has always thought of romantic love as something which has no place in his life and as a relatively trivial occurrence which he wants no part of – until his life is turned upside down after a chance encounter with a woman who rocks the foundation of his existence: Annie Galbraith. Ted cannot stop himself from falling head over heels in love with Annie, but any hope he might have had of a future together with the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with is shattered when a terrible accident that occurs within the station grounds leaves not just his relationship with Annie hanging in the balance, but also the job that means the world to him. Will Ted and Annie ever manage to find their way to one another? Or will they be condemned to a lifetime of loneliness, misery and regret?

In the present day, Tilly is recovering from a broken heart after the end of an acrimonious marriage. Tilly cannot bear the thought of spending another minute surrounded by memories of her failed relationship, so she decides to lick her wounds by going to stay with her dad Ken in Dorset. Tilly hopes to spend some time resting and recuperating before she can figure out what she is going to do next, however, when she is convinced by her father to help with the restoration of the old railway, little does she realise that she is about to be embroiled in a spine-tingling mystery going back decades after discovering Ted’s diary in the railway office. Tilly soon finds herself swept up in Ted’s story and that fateful day when his life had changed forever – and things begin to get even more tangled and complicated after meeting an enigmatic stranger with whom she feels an immediate connection.

As Tilly gets even more and more consumed by events which occurred in 1935, will she be able to lay old ghosts to rest and begin a new chapter in her life? Or will she allow the past to continue to exert a malevolent hold over her?

The Stationmaster’s Daughter is a wonderfully written timeslip novel from an outstanding storyteller. Kathleen McGurl has a terrific gift for creating richly textured and multi layered worlds peopled by brilliantly nuanced characters readers simply cannot get enough of and The Stationmaster’s Daughter is no exception. Haunting, vivid, lyrical and poignant, The Stationmaster’s Daughter is a tale of sorrow, regret, new beginnings and second chances that will keep readers engrossed from start to finish and leave them wanting more.

An exceptional timeslip novel that is simply first class, The Stationmaster’s Daughter is another triumph for Kathleen McGurl.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book, it touched my heart and the descriptions of Dorset were wonderful. Would recommend to other readers.

The year is 1935 and stationmaster Ted loves working on the railway in Dorset to the point where he never takes any time off. All changes, however, when he meets one of the passengers, Annie Galbraith, and falls head over heels in love. Unfortunately, with the railway due to close and a terrible accident occurring at the station, his life is about to change forever.

In the present day, recovering from recent heartbreak, Tilly leaves London to stay with her railway volunteer father in Dorset. Finding a diary hidden in the old stationmaster’s house, she soon becomes engrossed in Ted’s story and makes it her mission to find out exactly what happened on the day the railway closed and why it had repercussions for so many people…

Kathleen McGurl is one of those authors where, as soon as I know there is a new book coming out, I have to have it! I was so pleased, therefore, to be one of the blogs opening the blog tour for her latest dual timeline novel. I love how the two stories in her books gradually come together, giving you a complete picture of what happened, and this was definitely the case in The Stationmaster’s Daughter.

If I had to choose, I would say that the part of the story set in the past was my favourite. Ted is one of those instantly likeable characters and I found myself rooting for him from the start even though you just know that things are not going to turn out well for him. I was transported back to a completely different time where circumstances prevented him from being with the woman he loved, even if I did feel that the woman of his dreams, Annie, didn’t help his cause a great deal! This part of the story was a direct contrast to what was happening in the present day with Tilly, who, although going through a tough time, was able to deal with her situation in a much more practical way.

The Stationmaster’s Daughter has a fantastic setting and Kathleen McGurl really takes you back to a time when life moved at a slower pace than what we are used to. A perfect summer read with an emotional backdrop, the author has, yet again, written another intriguing, entertaining story. I look forward to the next one!

I had previously read and thoroughly enjoyed The Forgotten Secret  and really looked forward to reading this timeslip mystery by this talented author - and, as I'd anticipated, I certainly found it a fascinating and engaging read.

After a series of tragedies, culminating in her husband ending their marriage on the day she's made redundant, Tilly has moved to stay with her dad, Ken, in Dorset. He's helping to restore the local railway and asks Tilly to help. This involves her discovering artefacts relating to the local stationmaster back in 1935. The story shares events from both timelines as Tilly starts to become enthralled in discovering just what happened to the last stationmaster, never anticipating just how there will be such a great twist at the end!

A great page turner, this story has a fantastic setting, great characters, dilemmas, discoveries and some heartwarming moments as Tilly mentally heals and starts to live again. It is a story I didn't want to put down until the end and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys uncovering the past to help the future.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and thoroughly enjoying doing so!

In 1935 Dorset, Stationmaster Ted Morgan is in charge of Lynford Station. He's a particular man, ensuring everything is done by the book, running on time and kept in order. A man content in his work, who looks forward to annual visits from his sister Norah and her children; Ted has never found romance or felt he was missing out. That is until Annie Galbraith arrives on the morning train to Lynford, where she works. Ted falls in love with Annie.
Tragedy strikes as Lynford station is forced to close and an incident occurs that changes the course of Ted's life.
In the present day, Tilly is recovering from three miscarriages and her marriage ending. She moves to Dorset to stay with her Dad Ken. Ken is working on a Railway Restoration project and in a bid to take Tilly's mind off her problems, encourages her to help out.
During the course of her research, Tilly finds hidden diaries, which lead her to Ted's story. The investigation and a chance encounter with unexpected consequences give Tilly thought to consider her future.
This was such a lovely book and slipped seamlessly between both times. I really enjoyed it.

I know from reading previous writing by Kathleen McGurl, that it deserves my full focus. I get drawn into another world and appreciate and enjoy full immersion.
While fully deserving of the label women's fiction or romance, this book is much more than that. There is intrigue, several mysteries to be unraveled, and history revealed.
Parallels between the different eras in this book come alive and make the reader also look at their own life. A wonderful escape read that is very satisfying.

When we meet Tilly, she is recovering from harsh realities of life. For a time she has trouble coping and makes poor choices, believing she has no choice of her own. Not wanting to disappoint or take advantage of those she cares about in life, she takes small steps to do something differently. Tiny steps, but forward steps. Soon she finds herself curious, drawn into a story decades old and a mystery.
She meets an older woman who stands between Tilly's father and forward movement of his own goals, his own way of dealing with a tragedy. Tilly strives to find out what has caused this woman to be embittered, and also to solve a mystery regarding the train station. I do not want to give away much plot because I enjoyed the way it gradually unfolded.

Ms. McGurl's development of characters is natural and I think each of us will interpret them individually. I think different readers will view Annie in different lights. I saw her as somewhat manipulative, but perhaps this was just her own way of lashing out at life's injustices.
Ted is a gentle soul but may also have been on the autism spectrum, not recognized in his time period. I am grateful he lived during a time of supportive family, yet he managed quite well on his own. There is much here to be discussed and considered. This makes for an excellent book club selection.

I found this a compelling book which I could not put down. If you love historical fiction which intertwines present day you will live this book. I loved every aspect of the characters, the charm of the railroad. All of it! I highly recommend this book.

An enjoyable, easy read. The Stationmasters Daughter tells the intertwining stories of Ted and Tilly. Alternating chapters tell us the story of Ted Morgan, the last Station Master of a country train station in Dorset which closes in the 1930s, and of Tilly, the daughter of the man who is involved in lovingly restoring the old railway to its former glory. Ted falls in love with the beautiful Annie but her father has other plans for her. Tilly is devastated by the breakup of her marriage and her father, still recovering from the death of his wife, brings her home to look after her and gets her involved in the restoration project.
It is a story of hope and redemption and I enjoyed it, despite feeling somewhat frustrated by the character of Annie Gilbraith. She was the love of Ted’s life yet I couldn’t figure out if she felt the same way about him.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Everyone will be struck by the extraordinary power and sympathy of this book. This story is a tapestry of many elements: love, secrets, tragedy, history, and redemption. You will be on an emotional roller coaster as you read it.
Many thanks to HQ Digital and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A poignant tale told in two timelines. This story tugged at my heartstrings.
This is a perfect read for a rainy day as the love and emotions make you feel warm inside

The author did a great job of writing about a period in our history that many do not know too much about. I found myself wanting to learn more after reading this book and spent time researching online. Definitely recommend this one!

Having used the branch line between Exeter and Barnstable as a child I found this book very evocative of the era of steam trains with very fond memories.
It was great how it dealt with the death of steam trains as essential travel to the rebirth as a tourist attraction.
It follows the story of two women seventy years apart and is both a love story and a mystery.

Tilly's at loose ends- she's 39, just divorced, and mourning the loss of what she thought would be her happy- so she goes home to Dorset where her father convinces her to sort through boxes of memorabilia related to the railway. Ted was a 40 year old unmarried man in 1936 who fell in love with Annie, who traveled every day on the train. Tilly finds Ted's diary and, as a result, a new purpose. Told in alternating chapters by Tilly and Ted, this is the story of love lost and found. I didn't find Annie as enchanting as Ted clearly did but that's neither here nor there- she was his person. There's a twist in the relationship (no spoilers) that was much more important in the 1930s than it would be today. I liked Tilly's voice and felt for Ted. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the gentle historical novel/love story.

A poignant tale set in dual timelines, the story tugged my heartstrings with its gentle unveiling of the story of Ted in 1935 and Tilly in the present times.

Ted found love with Annie in the same railway station where Tilly now found herself after a bitter divorce. The story unfurled with Tilly getting to the truth of Ted's story as it happened years ago and healing herself in the process.

My first book by author Kathless McGurl, the story was told in alternate chapters with Tilly and Ted's POV. I loved the cross section of their stories. It seemed that both were slowly moving toward each other. The characters were etched so carefully with a loving pen. I felt both Ted and Tilly were so lovable with equally unlikable, selfish partners.

Pain of a broken relationship brought a tear to my eye, I could see myself in Tilly. Ted was simply awesome, a generous, kind soul who sacrificed everything and loved from his very being. The author's control over the story had me rushing through the pages. There was an enticing magic in the prose which kept me read from beginning to end at one go.

It was a perfect read on a rainy afternoon where the emotions in the book enveloped me in its loving folds.

This book was a pleasant surprise . It had romance , mystery and a few twists .
Annie wasn’t a nice person but she was an integral pretty of the story.
Tilly on the other hand was nicer .

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did and would recommend it as a nice easy but enjoyable read

The author takes us into the tragic lives of two women 70 years apart.. One ends well, the other leaves a woman with the revelations of a secret past revealed. It is set in a picturesque village in England.

Enjoyed the book very much. Excellent narrative and wonderful depiction of the characters. Highly recommended!

This is an entertaining stories told in present day and in the 1930s. In present day, Tilly is let go from her job just as her husband leaves her, so she goes to stay with her dad Ken who is working on the railroad restoration. Ken asks Tilly to help sort thru the boxes of memorabilia found at the railroad, to get her mind off her troubles. In the 1930s, a stationmaster Ted meets Anne who travels back and forth daily to her job, and is attracted to her. They strike up a friendship, until Ted finds that Anne is engaged to a man who her father wants her to marry for financial reasons. Ted and Anne defy her father, have a tryst, and Anne gets pregnant. What to do?

I had a difficult time deciding whether to give this a 3 or a 4. It would have been a 4 because of how interesting this story's concept is, but the frustration that just grew as I continued reading stands out a lot more than I would have liked, so there. 3 stars it is.

The Stationmaster's Daughter takes readers through two stories, interchanging between chapters. One is of Edward 'Ted' Morgan from 1935, and Tilly in the present time. While Ted finds love for the first time, Tilly is undergoing a disastrous divorce. But both their stories intersect at the very same railway station at Dorset. In the midst of healing, Tilly finds clues to what really happened to Ted Morgan so many decades ago. What was a wonderful love story at first became something darker, a blob in the many years that the railway station had operated for.

So, the 1930s — a time when women were still mostly relying on men for their livelihood. It shouldn't come as a surprise to me any longer, really, but everytime I read about powerless women having their lives dictated as if they were nothing else but objects in a historical fiction, I get riled up. Annie Galbraith had no choice (or did she?), but it was because of this very thing that led me to doubt her feelings for dear old Ted, and that was... terrible. I felt so much anger towards her and her circumstances that I began to believe that Ted deserved someone better. But who am I to judge? It is so difficult not to. And because this holds up the crux of the story, and so much of it, I cannot even begin to ignore its existence.

That said, were it not for the connection I feel towards Ted, such strong negative feelings would not have prevailed. That speaks a lot. Sweet old Ted is such a kind, gentle character that I cannot help but feel for him. We have first a lovesick man, then a man who faces a kind of uncertainty that is relatable, and yet unjustified for so good a person. I really enjoyed reading his side of the story. Whether he feels sad, angry or happy, I was with him all the way.

Tilly's story, however, is not as attractive to me. Perhaps it is because she is 39, and I have not reached the stage in life that is similar to hers, that tempts me to turn away whenever her chapters come on. Even so, I am most sympathetic by the reason for her divorce, and sincerely hope that no married woman in this world has to face such a situation in their life. Ever. A question that I have so recently contemplated on has never been more relevant as I read about Tilly's situation, and here I shall voice it out: what is so wrong about adopting a child? I also feel that the dialogues for Tilly's father and friend, Jo, are often pretty awkward to read, and that contributes to my 'aversion' to her chapters.

What is most significant as I read this story is learning about how Ted's life unfolded. There's a sense of mystery behind it (the prologue is everything!), and I love that. It may not be as intense as a pure mystery novel, but it's there for readers who enjoy a slice of life story that is tinged with intrigue.