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The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare

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Member Reviews

I loved this book! It is always fascinating when a writer can tell the history of a family and combine mystery and magic into the story as well. This book was hard to put down. This is a writer worth reading.

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I received a free e-ARC of this book through Netgalley.
This book was a lot more than I expected it to be. It is multi-layered with a lot going on as the modern (1945) women of the family figure out who they are by going into their family's past. This would make an amazing mini-series. I got bogged down a little in all of the details, but I have a lot going on right now so make sure you have some time to devote when you sit down to read this book.

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20th century history and 16th century history, and strong women connected to both.
I liked the characters, even if the main character seemed a little overwrought.

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A good story, and I love the Dare stones, and that they (at least some) are most likely real! Amazing! As you probably know by now, if you've read many of my reviews, I don't read a lot of books with cursing in them, so I'll let you know that this one does have quite a bit of that. It also has some sex outside of marriage, which I don't condone, but it isn't at all graphic.
Thank you to Harper Muse, and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

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Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
I enjoyed the book and like the characters. I thought it got a bit slow but it was worth it in the end. I love the time period and the setting.

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From my endorsement:


For readers of Patti Callahan and Kate Morton, this harrowing exposition on history and loss is a juxtaposition of love, hope and the wisdom that binds women across centuries.

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare’s plea that we learn from each other, grow from each other and empower each other is wrapped in an arresting, urgent voice that reads as much a rallying cry as a tract on the burden of women to suture the cracks of history. A magnanimous undertaking steeped in impeccable research, Brock offers a feast of a narrative that crackles with a resonant, binding echo of sisterhood across the centuries.

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I adore historical fiction, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world/time period.

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My thanks to Kimberly Brock, Harper Muse and Net Galley for the ARC of THE LOST BOOK OF ELEANOR DARE.
The title of this novel drew me in, but I realised quite early on that the book wasn't actually lost, but easy to find on the lectern in the church. The timelines were intrinsic to the story, but in truth, I found them rather confusing and the mystery did not reveal until much later. The writing is certainly beautiful and the setting haunting. I would have given five stars, but because of the confusion I felt within the structure of the story, I have given four.

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I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Not my normal read but I was compelled but the blurb and just wow I might have to read more about this amazing woman.

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It’s been a long time since a book ​has ​swept me up and folded me within the pages of its story​.

​"​Before she even opened her eyes Penn knew she was in love. Not with a boy but with a place. All night she dreamed of the Sea. Never before had she truly imagine​d​ the seashore would have stretched so long and wide. Or how the water would sparkling crashed in the little white fits that felt like the reward for everything good she had ever done, and forgiveness for all the rest​."​

There is so much magic and mystery in The Lost Book of Eleanor Day that I had to stay up late at night to finish reading it, I couldn't put the book down. ​This is a story that I will be thinking about for a long time, with its blend of history and family folklore. The amount of research done for this story is incredible and it compliments the journey of the characters both good and bad while drawing you deeper into each well written element of the book.

There​ were​ times in the book when the description or narrative seem​ed​ to run long and maybe ​felt ​unnecessary but then I realized that every paragraph, every sentence, every word held within it nuggets of valuable information and touching emotions that could not be left out or overlooked.​ ​I don't want to write any spoilers because this book should be on everyone's must read list for 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital ARC of this fantastic book. I can't wait to share it as one of my book club titles this year.

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I really loved the conceit of this novel. There were so many layers to The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare and -- after reading the author's note -- I see there were various layers to this story coming to be as the author herself grew, learned, and experienced. I'll admit I struggled with Alice's character a bit, even understanding where her hard edges originated from, but Penn was such a refreshing and hopeful character. I really enjoyed her and her discover of the Dare heirs. The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare is a novel you can lose yourself in, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a book!

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Note: Thank you to Netgalley & publishers for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review! Please note that all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The synopsis for this book is intriguing, and as a lover of historical fiction, I was pretty excited to read it.
For the most part, it was a good read. I found myself entranced by the beautiful mystery of Evertell that Brock paints a picture of.

“The unknown was powerful. It was the monster in the dark, the secret in the box, the poison in the wine.”

The Good Things
1. The story, overall, is a fantastic concept. It is fitting for historical fiction (at least the second half) and is a fast read, despite the merging storylines and multi-generational aspects.
2. The main character's sense of loss is profound, and reflective of
3. The dual timelines were written really well! I've read books where it takes away from the overall story, and that was definitely not the case with The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare.
4. The family's homestead is described exceptionally well. I find myself wanting to go there and see it for myself.
5. The writing is beautiful and seems heartfelt. It is clear that the author was passionate about the story and (most of) her characters. 


The Bad Things
1. The history aspects that I was looking forward to (Roanoke history) took way too long to get around to, and I'm still a tiny bit disappointed.
2. This is the first time in a while that I've read a book where one of the main characters is not exceptionally likable, despite the fact that she is clearly supposed to be.

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This was a really enjoyable book, made all the more so when I found out from the author's note at the end that Eleanor Dare was a real person and the stones mentioned in the story were actually found. The characters were well-drawn, complex, and sympathetic, and the plot kept me engaged to the end.

"A story matters not because it is true but because it has been shared" - this I will carry with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read this in advance.

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The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare was an interesting book. Although I did wish for the historical part of it to be more prominent.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the opportunity.

Release date: 12th of April 2022.

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Lately, I'm craving historical fiction books a lot. Even better when it's seemingly a feminist one, and connects the past to the present in any way. The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare had both of those in its pages, if I go by the synopsis and I was very excited because of it.

Once I have started reading it however, I ended up learning that it's much more rooted into real life historical events in The United States. Which someone like me, who's not that knowledgeable about it, ended up enjoying the connection a lot.

For the most part, I enjoyed following Alice and Penn as they slowly made their way back to where it all began. While, watching Alice battle her own demons and start unraveling the history surrounding Evertell. However, I did wish that the historical part of it, came to be much much earlier than when it did.

Until we got there however, I got the chance to see the community in Savannah. I enjoyed seeing how the locals are, the stories they have to tell and where the grudges against some might stem from as well. Given that it's set during WWII as well, and having it be a significant event was enjoyable to read.

Mainly due to it adding even more different sides of grief shown throughout the story. There is no one universal way to anything, and being around the two of them as they navigate this city and seeing this front and center was very good. Those who shared the same pains, those who had others, the aftermath of some decisions. Hidden parts to some of the stories, learning the truth and getting closure.

There are many things to see in this novel and it being as women centered as it was, before anything else, made it all the better for me. Even better with the mystery that's yet to be revealed.

The mystery is not solved immediately, it's given in smaller tidbits till the very end. And the great thing here is that Kimberly Brock has a way of making me want to know the rest of it. That of course, doesn't mean that Alice's story or Penn's for the matter, are not interesting. Not quite, but neither story is anywhere near as interesting as Eleanor's to me.

And that is the problem here to me. It simply takes way too long before this side of it comes to be.
And in turn, it makes the book much different than what I hoped or expected going in.

If it was just a contemporary read with Alice coming to terms with everything that's happened and tracing her roots, it would have worked wonderfully based on what I got. However, having the historical side in the backseat despite the teasing of the greater story here, made it not as enjoyable as it could have been to me. It dragged on a bit till we got there, and once it did, I wished for so much more.

There are many mentioned great women in the book, and having seen their stories as well in a way, would have been great in my humble opinion. And I didn't quite get that here.

It was an interesting read, and maybe in a different mindset it would've worked brilliantly for me. But, for now, I thankfully enjoyed myself for the most part and that's the biggest win I could ever hope for.

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I had never heard of Eleanor Dare and her stones before I read this book. I read about them as I read this beautiful story of love and loss, of transitioning from a feeling of shame to a keen sense of awareness and believing in oneself. The reader will learn the art of finding themselves as they read this story, of forgiving themselves, of letting the bad things go so that there can space for the good things to survive.

This book has a touch of both mystery and magic. There are parts where you find that the story is dragging a bit. But get through it and you will be rewarded with an enchanting tale of mother and daughter finding their true selves. The rich characters of the story are so engaging, that it is hard to give up anyway.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Muse for a digital ARC.

#NetGalley #TheLostBookofEleanorDare

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The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare is one of those books that I absolutely promise I really tried to love. The concept was great and I was highly intrigued by the synopsis. However, I was disappointed that much of it fell flat. While Alices’s decisions made more sense as the story goes along, it doesn’t make her less whiny. It took far too long for me to connect with her problems and attempts at solutions. The disconnect may have stemmed from a hard time distinguishing what was memory, what was thought, and what was actually happening. Penn’s chapters were much easier for me to follow because, although she had a lot of turmoil in her heart, she had a clear goal and ways to accomplish that goal. The progression of her character was both interesting and believable.

The synopsis promised a connection to the Lost Colony of Roanoke and it didn't come until much further into the story than expected. It was only finding out more about that part of the story that kept me going. Once those chapters started appearing more frequently, the story moved at a faster pace.

One of the most compelling parts of the novel was the complexities of life and culture in the south. The settings and characters outside of our main characters were beautifully written. I love a story that has characters outside of the main characters that are fully flushed out. This was one of those books that I could fully immerse myself in whenever there were sections of description. I had a harder time with the person to person interaction.

Normally, I would provide a short synopsis with this review, but this is such a complex novel that I feel I would be doing a disservice by giving it only a few sentences.

⅗ stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

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"A story matters, not because it is true, but because it's been told."

I normally love historical fiction and dual timelines, but this one was difficult for me to get into. The scene the author used as a "hook" in the beginning was just confusing, and as a reader I had no idea who was narrating or which of the 3 timelines we were in until much later in the book. I found myself liking a lot of the side characters more than Alice and Penn, but was glad to have their shifting perspectives to keep the story moving. It did do a good job dealing with grief and loss (especially loss without closure for both Alice's mother and Penn's father), but it just didn't quite live up to my expectations. At times it was hard to tell if the author meant for the Dare descendants to actually have visions and a little bit of magic or if it was just family folklore and knowledge of herbs & plants. The Evertell and Savannah setting were great and I loved watching Penn explore the property. Eleanor's book wasn't really "lost" so that killed part of the mystery almost immediately and I would have liked to see more direct excerpts from it rather than Alice just talking about what was in there. This story had so much potential but ended up just being another WWII Homefront story for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse, and Kimberly Brock for an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review

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THE LOST BOOK OF ELEANOR DARE is one of those novels that will reveal itself in as many different ways as there are different kinds of readers.

Yes, it is an historical novel built around the lost colony of Roanoke.
Yes, it is a coming of age story.
Yes, it is an inter-generational story of love and loss.
And, yes, it is a story that illuminates the pain and injustice inflicted by war.

I found the best way to experience this book was to let myself get lost inside it, but not search for answers or meaning. The characters do that for you and their journey was illuminating enough for me. I’m not sure I could “discuss” this book in a coherent way, but It allowed me to be “ a seeker” and I benefited from the quest.

Netgalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

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Kimberly Brock’s breathtaking prose takes readers on a brilliant story with a fascinating history and perfectly flawed characters. The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare is a rich, moving saga that will transport readers to the magic of the south, through heartbreak and love, through family secrets, to finding your truth and belonging.

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This book is a wonderfully balanced story of two timelines. The mesmerising way of writing and different POVs generate such a good reading

This book focuses on women who are descendants of Eleanor Dare and the Lost Colony. Alternating between the different timelines, one focusing around World War Two, makes the book a good historical fiction with a little bit of fairy tale and mystery.

Although a slow burn and sometimes a bit too crowded because of several characters, the book takes some time to get the attention of the reader. But when hooked, it’s another walk through history and is a wonderful plot to the lovers of Kate Morton.


All thanks to Netgalley for this eARC for preview. Loved reading it.

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