A fascinating historical novel that alternates between the early 1900's era and present day. A story about secrets and their effects on those who keep them. A story about the power of a portrait and its significance through the years and across time. This is a well written story that eagerly keeps the reader engaged... always wanting more. 
Thank you to Net Galley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book in advance of publication. My review is my own and is in no way required by the publisher.

It took a few chapters before I really got into this book, but once I did there was no stopping. I was disappointed that I had to put it down to sleep!

The plot, to begin with, appeared to revolve around gentle reminiscing of times long past, but the multiple undercurrents soon dragged me deeper. Add to this a whole lot of dead ends, with twists and turns galore and this is one really clever mystery. With revelations you'll never predict, it keeps you guessing to the very end.

Brilliantly written, this is well worth reading

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I've read a couple of Ella Carey's books and find them sweet.  This one was no exception.  A little repetitive but, with likeable characters, that is easily forgiven. With art and music being the central themes,  this is a lovely book to get lost in.

This dual line historical fiction novel takes place in London in 1980 and France in 1913. The time lines are told by a grandmother and her granddaughter and mesh together perfectly to bring a fantastic story about the art world of the early part of the century.

1913 - Emma is an artist and a free thinker. She lives to paint and when she falls in love with Patrick, a fellow painter, she feels that her life is complete and they shared their lives together for over 50 years despite the fact that he was homosexual. He painted her portrait when they first met and she kept it hanging over her bed.

1980 - Emma is 90 years old when an art appraiser decides that the portrait that Patrick painted is a fraud and was painted by one of his students. This will not only make her question her relationship with Patrick - how could he have lied to her? but it also effects her granddaughter Laura and her studies at a prestigious music school. Her tuition was being paid by the collateral on the painting and if the painting is a fraud, then the painting is worthless and the bank will call in the loan. Laura needs to prove that the painting was done by Patrick and she works with the appraiser to try to find out the truth.

Emma must face the truth of her past to help Laura gain her future.

This is an excellent historical fiction novel with two time lines that intermingle to give the reader the answers to the mystery of the painting.

The Things We Don't Say is a painting by groundbreaking modernist artist Patrick Adams. The only portrait he ever painted of someone he knew. The sitter was the love of his life, Emma Temple. Now aged 90, Emma cherishes Patrick's memory so is devastated when an art dealer claims that it was in fact painted by someone else. The implications for her granddaughter are huge as her whole career is at risk...
The Things We Don't Say is a dual timeline book set in the 1910s and 1920s as well as the 1980s. Both timelines are written effectively and evoke the culture of the times.
The mystery of the painting is maintained throughout the whole book. Emma's granddaughter's future is at risk as they have used the painting as collateral to fund her music studies. There is a spark between Ewan and Laura but her anger and passionate defence of the painting's provenance is unwavering as is his claim of forgery.
This book is character driven rather than huge plot developments. The relationship between Emma and Patrick, their love that transcends the physical and endures despite his homosexuality. The narrative develops in a non linear way as the timelines are interspersed with each other. There is a gentleness to the style of writing which brings the characters to life and adds a richness to the historical detail.
Overall, The Things We Don't Say is an enjoyable book about the enduring power of love.

This story is very different to the ones I read recently. It has a loveable set of characters and a scenario which you hope in your heart will resolve itself.

Laura is the granddaughter of Emma Temple. The story alternates between two timelines – Emma’s youthful years and ~60 years later. Emma lived life on her own terms during a period, when very few (especially women) could do that. Emma moves on from her marriage after her first child and grows to be close to Patrick Adams – a famous artist. The passion for the arts binds them together, as also their free spirits. The relationships are complex with both Emma & Patrick. Patrick has never painted people he is close to – but makes an exception for Emma. 

Laura hopes to study music and has taken a loan from a bank with the painting (“The Things we don’t say”) as the collateral. An arts expert at a leading gallery declares the painting as a duplicate. The bank now threatens to call in the loan, which will all but dash Laura’s music aspirations. Laura attempts to trace the circumstances around the painting to prove that it is authentic.

The book is a slow mover – I do not mind slow storylines actually. However, it did feel like a short story stretched to the long form. The writing is good, and I did find myself rooting for Laura. A cute story but would have benefited with greater depth.

A sweeping and atmospheric emotional read, Ella Carey’s The Things We Don’t Say is another captivating page-turner by this talented storyteller.

At almost ninety years of age, most people would look at Emma Temple and dismiss her as yet another elderly lady. Yet, little do these people realise that Emma had once been one of England’s most influential artists who had a wild and passionate love affair that simply cannot be consigned to the past. Emma’s love affair had survived two world wars and is about to come crashing into the present. Is Emma ready to face up to the ghosts of the past? Can she find the courage to bring to light long-buried secrets that simply refuse to be forgotten? Or will regret and anguish plunge Emma into despair?

When her granddaughter Laura comes to stay with her and starts asking questions about the portrait hanging over her bed, Emma finds herself transported back to the past and to sixty years ago. The portrait in question was painted by the only man she had ever loved who had known her deepest and darkest secret. Emma has never had any reason to question the provenance of this painting – until a shocking expose in a newspaper is published which claims that this most cherished of portraits is a fake! Was everything Emma has always believed to be true a complete and utter lie? The answers to the questions she has in the present can only be found if she faces the demons of the past forcing Emma to travel back in time to 1923 and a sunny house in the South of France where her entire life changed forever…

Ella Carey’s The Things We Don’t Say is a powerfully written, exquisitely rendered and highly dramatic tale that touches the heart and keeps readers gripped throughout. A compelling tale about the secrets we keep, the choices we make and the ties that bind, Ella Carey’s The Things We Don’t Say is a poignant, absorbing and enthralling read from an immensely gifted writer.

Thank you #NetGalley for the pleasure of finding a second gem from Ella Carey. I’m pleased to offer my thoughts. 

The Things We Don’t Say, like Secret Shores, was a beautifully written revelatory story. It’s strong protagonists, Emma and Laura, each in their own way and time, take us on a journey through discovery of the art and music worlds revealing not just their own passions, but the way of life each holds dear. Their professional and personal feelings once exposed are so poignantly depicted they touched my heart. 

There are few authors who have the ability, dare I say gift, to be able to share with the reader in such a touching way. 

Emma was ahead of her time, leading an unconventional life as a wife, mother and lover. At the same time, she seemed conventional in that she put herself second in her partnership with Patrick. 

Laura, you might say, was more in step with her time and place, yet she held back when it came to her feelings. 

Grandmother and granddaughter so closely entwined and yet different. Fascinating!  

Wonderful work, EC.

The Things We Don't Say by Ella Carey is a historical fiction story that is told over several decades. A book I really found difficult to put down and an emotional read. Although I have to say, historical fiction when written by Ella Carey is always an immersive amd entertaining story. 
This particular book is about Emma Temple, an almost ninety year old woman. She has led a full and colourful life but what she isn't aware of is that her life as she remembers and how she experienced it is about to crumble around her. Laura, her granddaughter is curious about a portrait that Emma has hung above her bed. Emma is taken straight back to sixty years previous and the man who painted it, the man who knew her the most and the one she loved. A newspaper, claims the potrait is not genuine and from that moment every truth in Emma's life begins to come into question and she is taken back to 1923 in the South of France when her life changed forever.
Again, Ella Carey's research is immaculate and her characters are so believable that you can almost imagine yourself in that world. I believe that this is yet another book that may be fiction but is based on real events. Again Ella Carey is a master at spinning true facts and artfully blending these together in an entrancing and mysterious story that grips you from the start. A book, in fact an author that, if you want a book to catch you and hold you until the last word, I highly recommend.
Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the copy of the book in order to give you my thoughts on this entrancing book.

It is certainly no secret that I am a fan of Ella Carey’s books, so when given the opportunity to read and review this story I simply couldn’t resist. The storyline is unique and intriguing right from the start and i quickly lost myself in this beautiful story.

The chapters alternate between the past and the present which is something Ella Carey achieves beautifully. Emma’s complicated past is brought to life when her granddaughter Laura starts enquiring about a portrait that hangs above her grandmothers bed, Emma finds herself lost in her past as the memories come flooding back to her. The secrets from Emma’s past begin to unfold, and in turn, this brings Laura and Emma closer together as the story behind the intriguing portrait is brought to the surface.

This book was so beautifully written, It was impossible not to find myself lost in this story. The characters were unique and loveable, and their own unique traits added so many depths to the story as it unfolds. The romance that Emma and Patrick had shared was breath-taking and incredibly moving as their story is retold.

Beautifully written, full of emotion and a storyline that is impossible to forget. I adored this book.

The Things We Don't Say is my favorite type of historical novel as it features a duel time line.
Laura is the granddaughter of Emma who had a portrait painted for her back in the thirties when she was in her prime it is called, The Things We Don't Say.
Laura is going to sell this painting and use it to finance her schooling at the Royal College of Music.
When it's authenticity is called into question it's heartbreaking to Laura as she's going to use it as collateral for her art school but also Emma who now questions the authenticity of the only man she's ever loved Patrick.
I very much reading the earlier time in Emma's life. She has led a rich and full life . She had an unusual love affair with Patrick . Patrick was her only one true love but he is a gay man and she is a married woman.
I really enjoyed getting to know Emma's younger self but also as an older woman.
I was totally engrossed in this story as the mystery enfolds . The characters come to life with true to life emotions love,compassion,jealousy and ambition.
It's amazing how one's actions so many years in the past can affect one's family years into the future.
I'll look into what else this author has out to read.

Pub Date: 25 Jan 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This compelling story of love and secrets is amazing.  The flow of the story reads as if it is a poem, a love letter.  I loved getting to know Emma not only as an older woman but also as her younger self.  The escape to the South of France was exactly what I needed.  

The story of the mystery behind the painting unfolds slowly and so specifically as to not miss any details that the author is conveying.  It is amazingly written for the reader to enjoy. The love story of Emma and Patrick was very intriguing. Laura idolized her grandmother, Emma and I could feel the bond that those two shared.

The story spans across a period of sixty years, two World Wars and secrets so life changing that you can’t let go of them.  This book totally engulfs you. You will be whisked away at the very beginning only to experience this wonderful story for yourself.  There is so much I loved about this story, the emotional journey it took me on was fantastic.

Laura Taylor is shocked when she reads in a London newspaper that the portrait painted by famous artist Patrick Adams, the same portrait used as security for a loan to fund her tuition at the Royal College of Music, is a fake. The portrait entitled The Things We Don't Say has been pulled from the Tate's exhibition of gay 20th century artists after an appraisal by Ewan Buchanan, art dealer and owner of a well-respected London art gallery.

Laura's first thought is to shield her ninety year old grandmother from this news, for Emma Temple is the subject of the painting, gifted to her by Patrick as a symbol of his enduring love and which still hangs in her bedroom at Summerfield, the country house they once shared.

When Emma learns of the claim and how the bank is calling in the loan putting Laura's dreams of becoming a renowned violinist in jeopardy, her main concern is for Laura's future and how to raise the funds to satisfy the bank. But then the doubts begin to creep in that perhaps her life with Patrick, the one man she had ever truly loved, and his feelings for her were a part of a great deception. Unwilling to concede that she hadn't really known the love of her life, Emma is forced to reappraise their relationship, seeking the truth in her memories from when she first met Patrick in 1913 and how their Bohemian life together developed, significantly changing in 1923.

Those memories alternate with Laura's bid to convince Ewan Buchanan to change his appraisal. Thus, saving her career, but most importantly, ensuring her grandmother that life with Patrick and "the most treasured symbol of their entire relationship" wasn't based on a lie.

I'm a huge fan of Ella Carey's dual time frame novels. This one took me a little longer to get onboard than her previous ones. Although Emma's story engaged me from the start, shedding light on what moulded her character, her relationship with Patrick and the traits she handed down to her granddaughter, I found the 1980 part of the story stalled a little and went around in circles until Ewan re-entered the story and revealed his very personal reason for declaring the portrait a fake. I also couldn't believe that a supposedly valuable painting offered as collateral for a loan wasn't in a more secure place (i.e. the bank's vault) than an unlived-in and isolated country house or that the appraisal by one man, who initially refused to share why he thought the painting was a fake, was never challenged except privately by Laura and Emma. Yet, despite these niggles, Ella Carey's ability to write an emotionally charged narrative, with an enticing mystery element, won out and I can honestly say that when I reached the end I found that I had thoroughly enjoyed it.

The aptly named The Things We Don't Say is a wonderful love story. It is also one of jealousy, revenge and betrayal that certainly tugs at the heartstrings. Another triumph for Ella Carey.

The Things We Don't Say by Ella Carey is another of her historical novels written in two arcs: then and now. It is entirely fiction but was inspired by the early 20th century Bloomsbury group of artists and writers. Emma Temple had been her father's eldest daughter and so took over as his hostess, whether she wanted to or not. He was very traditional and the fact she was an artist meant absolutely nothing to him so long as she was home by 4 to serve tea. Then one day, he was dead and she was charged with taking care of her younger sister and brother. He had not left much money and a monstrosity of a house, which she promptly sold and began to live her own life. Her brother died, which nearly broke her. She married, although it was a mistake she knew and had a son, then pretty much stopped living with her husband who had gone back to his mistress. She painted and stayed up into the night discussing ideas. It was during this time she fell in love with Patrick. Patrick loved her in return but there was a problem: Patrick was a homosexual. They lived for years in this pseudo-friendship, until he died. In 1980 her granddaughter, Laura, discovers the painting of her, The Things We Don't Say, had not been painted by Patrick and as a result, was not as valuable as they had assumed, which caused problems with the bank that had lent money on it, earmarked for Laura's tuition: she was a violinist and geared to become the best, if she could stay in school.

This was a truly lovely story of love and loss and living the life you say you believe in. It is also about people who are there to take advantage of others, and hurt them when they can. Carey always writes a good story and this is no exception. She writes of relationships: where they go right and when they go wrong. She writes of goals and ambition and jealousy. Her characters are real and full of emotions, many just doing the best they can. It is also an amazing story of how one's actions can affect people many years later, and even those we love, after we are gone. It is full of lessons to be learned and put into use. It is full of innuendo and undercurrent and should remind us all to be who we are: ourselves. I recommend it. 

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Things We Don't Say, by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thethingswedontsay

Emma Temple leads a controversial lifestyle that most would call degenerate and immoral. She was part of a artistic group that believed in having other sexual relationships. During the war the group proclaimed they were pacifists and would not wear a uniform or fight in a war that goes against there principles. 

Emma has a relationship with Patrick who is also a homosexual. He is a famous artist and as time progresses his fame grows. The one particular painting of Emma that he does is probably the most important one of his collection. The authenticity comes into question after his death which causes issues not only for Emma, but for Laura the granddaughter as well.

The author starts out with a interesting storyline, but as it progresses it slows down for me. I felt that there wasn’t enough of a intrigue, but I am sure that others will like the artistic flair of the book.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

In 1980 Laura is pursuing a career in music and attending the Royal College when a news article proclaims that a portrait done of her grandmother by the famous artist, Patrick Adams is a fake. The portrait was used as collateral for Laura's school loans. In addition to threatening Laura's career it also calls into question the love her grandmother Emma had with Patrick. Did he lie to her all those years and a student really painted the portrait? Emma and Patrick had an unconventional love affair. They were the center of each other's lives but Patrick was gay and Emma was married. Ewan is a gallery owner who claims the portrait is a fake but resists telling Laura why.

The story is told in two timelines. One is Emma's POV from her early life starting before World War I. The second is 1980 when Laura finds out that the painting is a possible fact and her career is in jeopardy.

Even though this was somewhat of a mystery I lost interest. Emma seemed to embrace a bohemian life style of freedom from convention and letting people do what they wanted. To me it seemed like she would rather let people do what they wanted even if it hurt her just to avoid confrontation. I had no sense of who the younger Emma was. Emma's daughter, Clover, turned her back on all that and lead a very conventional life whereas her daughter is more like Emma and is passionate about the violin. There were so many secrets that if people didn't keep silent there would have been a lot less turmoil.

There were parts that made no sense to me or seemed glossed over like Emma's relationship with her dad and what happened to her brother. I kept reading and hoping for more depth.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC for review.

This was a very well written book and I throughly enjoyed it. I loved Emma’s story and found Laura’s story a bit harder to get into. Ella Carey is a wonderful storyteller

An intriguing dual timeline story focusing on the authenticity of a painting by the charismatic artist, Patrick Adams. As the story starts, we're introduced to Emma's younger self - her friendships and relationship with Patrick and the source of the painting, and we get a fascinating insight to the bohemian world of the Bloomsbury Circle of the time. Fast forward to 1980 and the story moves to the musical aspirations of Laura, Emma's grand-daughter, who needs to untangle the history of her grandmother and the portrait.

Wow.  I've never read a book what's art is key to the story and The Things We Don't Say didn't disappoint. I felt as though this was a true story.  Laura's relationship with her grandmother was divine as most are and Emma has stood guarantor for her granddaughter using her partners painting as collateral.  Unfortunately, an expert decrees the painting as a fake and the two ladies have a short time to find the truth.  A wonderful story of art, love and friendships..

The Things We Don't Say is the second novel I have read by Ella Carey. Like the previous one, this story takes part both in the past and the more recent past. The story focuses on a painting, titled The Things We Don't Say. It was painted back in the '30s and is now worth a small fortune. Emma, the subject of the painting has used it as collateral for a loan for her Granddaughter, Laura's tuition at the Royal College of Music. When it's authenticity is questioned, it puts not only Laura's course at risk, but also throws into question the love that she shared with Patrick who painted it.
This was an interesting and entertaining read. I loved the way that the characters were based on the Bloomsbury Group. I also enjoyed the crossing from the 1980s to earlier. The story unfolding in the 1980s is just as interesting as the mystery of who painted the portrait and how the belief that it might be fake has occurred.
There was one little thing that I didn't quite buy into. The loan that Laura has for her study is enormous. Even today, it would cost nowhere near that much to live in London and study at the Royal College of Music. Entry there isn't restricted by cost, but by talent. Even if she had completed her undergraduate degree there, fees weren't charged for bachelor degrees until the late 1990s. Why such a huge loan is taken out is never explained. Without it though, there would be little drive for the bank to make such a fuss. I suppose we can put it down to artistic licence, it just struck me as odd.
This was a very enjoyable read. I wasn't entirely sure how it was all going to resolve itself, but was happy with the way that it all played out in the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.