Kirsty Manning based this historical fiction novel on the real "Cheapside Hoard" jewels that were dug up in a construction project in London in 1912. Manning develops a story around the poor Murphy family that is quite believable as to how the jewels could have been found and what it means to the family that finds them. She moves away from this strong narrative when she adds the upper and lower classes mixing plot line. Personally, I could have also done without the addition of the  jewelry historian love story. All in all, it's still a well-researched, good read. Thank you to the author and publisher Allen and Unwin.

I was disappointed in this book. I thought it would be a mix of adventure and romance with an airy atmosphere but what I got was a book that was clearly trying to hard to be something that it is not capable of achieving. The cover is stunning and it drew me in, The book itself it a bit on the silly side. I will not be recommending this to anyone.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

i really didn't except that ending, I was glad that the book had surprises with great characters and a interesting plot.

In exchange for a digital and paperback copy of this book, I am writing a review on Goodreads. Kate Kirby, a celebrated jewelry historian from the U.S., receives a phone call about the Cheapside jewels. She travels to London to explore the secrets and hoard of the lost jewels. While in London, she learns of many secrets that her great-grandmother, Essie Murphy, kept for decades. In 1912, Essie, an Irish immigrant, is spending time with her brother when a workman discover a plethora of jewelry from the Ottoman Empire through to the Jacobean period. Kate Kirby explores the colored history of the Cheapside jewelry and discover more information about her family and a small enamel ring that could hold the key to unknown secrets from her family and associated with the Cheapside jewels.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 
This was the first title I have read by the author Kirsty Manning and I was not disappointed. Manning presents a unique story with this new release that should appeal to all lovers of historical fiction. The transition between timelines is cohesive and not at all jarring or disruptive. Several good plot twists at the end make it a delightful page turner. Very enjoyable.

The Lost Jewels By Kirsty Manning 

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Publication Date: 8/4/2020

** Thank you to Netgalley, William Morrow, and of course, Kirsty Manning, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful and interesting take on historical fiction! I knew I was going to love it from the beginning of the first chapter. 

“Life is full of messy edges” - like uncut gems, imperfectly perfect. 
By basing her story on the true story of Cheapside Hoard, Kirsty Manning creates a beautiful story and world you don’t want to put down. 

The story focuses on Kate Kirby, a Jewelry historian from Boston. After she takes a trip to London, she moves down a path which unearths family secrets, specifically those of her great-grandmother who was a suffragette (our other perspective)/ In 1912 Essie is an Irish immigrant who is in the perfect setting when jewels are discovered near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. How can the jewels impact Essie’s life, and Kate’s in the future? 

An absolutely wonderful novel which I did not want to put down! One of the best historical fictions I’ve read recently, especially when it comes to an oversaturated genre! 

Great job Kirsty!

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An interesting duel-timeline historical story of a granddaughter searching for answers to her family’s history through antique jewels. The story of her grandmother’s past is rich and beautifully written, and the history of the jewels throughout the centuries is quite interesting. I really enjoyed this story and recommend it to readers who love a story that brings the past and present alive.

“Life’s full of messy edges.”

As soon as I read the first chapter I literally said out loud to myself “I’m going to love this.” I’m not a jewelry person at all, but I found myself fascinated by the journey gem stones take from being dug up to being worn by someone. Googling images of the places Kate went and the process of mining also added a great deal to the story for me. I thought Manning’s imagined scenario of the discovery of the Cheapside Hoard was very believable written. I loved Essie and could have just read her life story and felt fulfilled. 

There were a couple of things I wish could’ve been done better. For instance Freddie... his death is mentioned early on but never brought up again. What happened? When? I know it would’ve affected Essie, but it’s never mentioned. Also, the ‘present’ story had too many unnecessary characters. Only a couple were essential to the story. Surprising myself by saying this but I really wish this had been longer. Kate’s romance and the ending felt rushed... but, again, I did really, really love Essie and would’ve been happy for another 100 pages devoted to her later life. Overall, I did enjoy this quick read. 4 stars.

Thank you for this eARC to read and review! First, I was so drawn in by the synopsis - historical fiction, family histories, a potential romance, and a mysterious jewels?! I love that this was inspired by a true story, and I quickly went to read up on the Cheapside Hoard after finishing the book. 

Despite all the things to love, it never truly grabbed me! I loved learning about Essie and her character, but I wasn't really invested in Kate and her story. The present day storyline was just a bit dull - nothing too much was happening, I wasn't invested in the characters, and I felt like it added very little - other than to highlight the mystery and intrigue behind Essie's story. 

Overall, I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to those that love historical fiction.

This novel has two basic timelines that we follow:

Present: Kate Kirby is asked to write a piece about a horde of jewels dug up in 1912 called The Cheapside Jewels (an actual historical event). After finding some sketches that may link her beloved great grandmother to the jewels, Kate realizes that writing this article may also uncover some deeply buried family secrets.
Past: In 1912, when Essie Murphy is visiting her brother at his worksite, a stash of jewels is discovered by the men working there. Unbeknownst to Essie, this discovery would change the course of her life.

The interweaving of Kate and Essie's stories is well done. On a whole, I enjoyed Essie's character much more than Kate. Essie just felt like a much stronger and more fleshed out character. In addition to these two timelines, there are also little micro-stories peppered throughout the narrative that followed the history of how some of the pieces in the collection came into being. I loved these little glimpses of the past even though in terms of the story it just seemed like background the author wanted to show you because the stories themselves didn't seem to be things Kate uncovered in her research. They were interesting though and led you deeper into the history of the jewels.

Overall I had a good time with this story. I found all the past timelines more interesting than the present one, but Kate's timeline wasn't bad, just uneventful. I'd recommend to those who enjoy stories that interweave timelines, or lovers of historical fiction.

Historical fiction can combine a real event or thing, and create a story around it, as did this book with the jewels called the Cheapside Hoard.  Kate is a jewelry expert, called in to figure out the background of pieces.  After finding a picture in her great grandmother’s belongings, of a rare button similar to others exhibited in the Museum of London, Kate’s exploration begins.  As chapters jump between time lines relevant to the jewelry, the provenance of the pieces will slowly be uncovered, as Kate also begins to move beyond her own personal tragedy.  I did feel there were a lot of characters and time periods to wrap your head around, but I really liked the character of Essie, her strength and dedication to her family.  I would recommend for lovers of historical fiction covering different time periods.  Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Wonderful story based on true events.  It kept my attention to the end.  The author does such a wonderful job weaving both of the stories, past and present.  Even caused me to research the true story after I had finished the book.

This dual timeline novel is a fictional account of the story behind the Cheapside Horde found in London in 1912. Essie was in London at the time the jewels were discovered. Her great-granddaughter, Kate, the present day protagonist, is researching their history. 

The novel was well-written and researched. The story lines provided a believable and entertaining fictional history to the mysterious horde. It spanned 400 years during which time rough stones were discovered, transported, set into jewelry, owned, gifted, hidden, eventually discovered by workmen, and ultimately studied. All of this detail flowed together taking the reader through the life cycle of one specific piece of jewelry. However, the various timelines never became overwhelming or confusing. 

Kate also discovers the truth about her great-grandmother's reasons for leaving England. Researching the Cheapside Horde is the vehicle which inspires Kate on a journey through her own family's past.  

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the details of a jewelry historian was interesting, I liked learning about that occupation. I liked how everything tied together and how the main character learned a lot about her family history through jewels and tracking them. I liked both timelines as well. Really good!

The Lost Jewels is a true story about all exciting things,jewels,family,secrets money and surpises.. Follow  the trail from today to the last I  the history of the jewels,where did they ideal to,who they belong to! Characters are so wonderful believable and you will come to know them all. Received this from Net Gallery to read and review! It's a very much  of a read! Wait til you find out the surprise.. Such a historical story to read!

This is the best kind of historical fiction, as it is based on actual little known events.  In 1912, Essie comes across jewels that have been abandoned and then they disappear!  In the present day, Kate is a jewelry historian that receives a call about the jewels.  She begins on a journey that she couldn't have predicted.  The author did a great job of weaving the past and present together in her writing.  This was an enjoyable read!

Inspired by the true stories of “The Cheapside Hoard”, a large collection of expensive jewelry that was unearthed in 1912. Its great fodder for historical fiction because so little is known about it. Dr. Kate Kirby is sent to do a feature article on the Cheapside Hoard. It moves back and forth in time from the 1600’s to the present. As Kate is researching the jewels she discovers a personal connection to her great grandmother who emigrated to the US. Well-done and worth reading.

The Lost Jewels is an intriguing book that is difficult to categorize but definitely keeps you reading until the end. Manning combines a split narrative that tells the rags to riches story of Essie while also telling the story of Essie's great-granddaughter who is an art historian specializing in jewelry. While pursuing her latest research project on the Cheapside jewels, Kate soon finds herself in the middle of researching her own family history which has numerous twists and turns. Beyond these two main narratives, numerous other historical sidelines are intertwined with the story as the history of the specific jewels unfolds as well. 

Manning does a spectacular job of weaving all of the various plots and sub-plots together into a cohesive story. While readers may ferret out some of the mysteries along the way, Manning does a great job of keeping the story wrapped up until the big reveal. Enough mystery to keep you reading, a little romance thrown in, and strong female protaganists in both the modern and historical stories. A thoroughly enjoyable book!