The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock is about the mother-daughter relationship between Alice Young, a World War II widow, and 13-year-old Penn. The story begins in 1945, just before the end of the war. When her father dies, Alice inherits a home just south of Savannah called Evertell. Alice and her father had abandoned the home after Alice’s mother died during treatment for hysteria.

Alice is one of the descendants of Eleanor White Dare, a survivor of the lost colony of Roanoke that was settled in 1587 by Eleanor’s father. Throughout the centuries, the women heirs of Eleanor have kept a commonplace book with recipes, cures, and survival tips. Many of the women, including Alice’s mother, believed that the Dare women would receive a vision of their future around the age of 13, just as Eleanor had. An old stone Eleanor purportedly carved to let her father know of her survival was being kept at Evertell. Soon after the stone disappeared, Alice’s mother went mad. The stone was mysteriously found in North Carolina in 1937.

Alice feels she is responsible for what happened to her mother. She takes Penn, who is grieving over the loss of her father and grandfather, to Evertell. Alice hopes that her mother left her a message in the commonplace book that will give her guidance on how to find herself and how to be a good mother to Penn.

I enjoyed parts of the story, especially when it discussed finding oneself, being brave, the forgiveness of enemies, the strong legacy of women, and healing from old wounds. Other parts were slow-moving and confusing. I didn’t understand the title since the commonplace book was never lost, only some of the pages had been removed.

3-stars. Many thanks to #NetGalley and Doubleday Books for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion. This book will be published Tuesday, April 12, 2022.

DNF… I really tried.

I have STRUGGLED through 60% and there have only been a couple tiny mentions of the history of the ‘lost colony’. I’m disappointed, because the premise sounded so good. At this point in the story there’s been very little development with the characters and the story is going no where. I should feel something for these characters and I don’t. Throwing in the towel.

***ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating historical fiction book filled with history, magic, mystery, legend ,family. #KimberlyBrock absolutely knocks it out of the park!

A lovely dual time line novel that moves between post WWII and the 1590s. Alice and her daughter Penn are bereft after Alice's father dies, not long after her husband and Penn's father, was killed in WWII. She takes Penn to Evertell, the family home, where she hopes they can heal but in search of truths about their family history. And possibly to sell it. Alice always believed she was a descendent of Eleanor Dare, whose book she was meant to inherit when she turned 13 but that didn't happen due to the tragic death of her mother. Penn is thirteen now and much to their surprise, they find the book. You, like me might find Eleanor's story more interesting but you will feel for Alice and Penn. Brock offers a compelling view of Eleanor, based part in fact and in part speculation. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Like many I am reading, I was expecting more of this book. I wanted mystery and answers. I didn’t get that. Sure, the Roanoke mystery is timeless. I teach it. But there was nothing added here. I feel abit mislead. I was often Bored by the tediousness. However, I wanted so much for the characters. I couldn’t give it and the author wouldn’t give it.

I was drawn to this book based on the title and the description. I thought a story about a survivor of the lost colony of Roanoke was very interesting. I was expecting more from that time period but most all of the book is set in a different time period. I was disappointed by the main part of the story because of this.
I also did not like the flow of the story and how the author wrote. Alot of time I had to read back over a section to figure out who was saying what. I didn't feel like it was always easy to go from one character to another when they were talking. I finished the book in order to review it and to find out the last part of Eleanor Dares story. Other than that, this story didn't hold my attention very well.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What if?
What if Eleanor Dare was a survivor of the lost colony of Roanoke, This a beautifully written story that follows her life in the New World, and those of the generations that followed her. Penn and her mother Alice have returned to the family estate during WWII, mourning losses. Alice carries a book that is said to have been passed down by the women in her family, telling their stories, charms and recipes. Alice is haunted by her past with her mother, what if she had done something different. The estate caretaker listens to shirt wave radio stories nightly said to be from POWs, what if they are, and not just German propaganda as the government claims. Penn had wanted to go to an exclusive girls school, what if she no longer wants to. A story of finding the truth and sharing it with family. The setting spoke to me, with family in Savannah I visit frequently and love the old tabby ruins on the rivers, the fog that rolls in, even St. Bonaventure cemetery makes an appearance. It’s a slow, long read as the various stories are peeled away, but definitely worth it. I appreciated the advance copy the publisher and NetGalley provided me with.

A beautiful story that deserves big praise!

This book is slow-paced and that's something I quite enjoyed while reading it. I took my time and was quite delighted in uncovering the story of Eleanor Dare. The desire to learn and to discover is the main focal point and it lingers in the minds of the readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock from Net Galley and Harpers Muse.

…so beautifully written that I was completely drawn in. For me it was a beautiful statement of resilience, in facing trials and tribulations and growing through the process…

The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock is an interictally woven multi-generational tale with, genuinely crafted characters, atmospheric setting, and captivating plots: it is a brilliant and complex tapestry of reality, fiction, love, family, grief, joy, regret, forgiveness, discovery, resilience, and healing.

It is the story of Alice, her daughter Penn, and the women who came before them right down to Roanoke survivor Eleanor Dare. Jumping timelines from WWII Savannah, Georgia with war widow Alice and her daughter Penn to Eleanor Dare in 1590 Roanoke.

After losing her father to a stroke, Alice and Penn go to their ancestorial family estate “Evertell” in Savannah to see about parceling some of the land and selling it to pay for Penn’s education. Although still a working farm and mill run by a long-time employee, they had left Evertell after her mother’s death and the secrets that surrounded it. Coming back Alice fights to forget the past, help her daughter heal and repair the house so it can be sold. The more time they spend in Evertell the more the past comes to the forefront, especially when they find the commonplace book of Eleanor Dare. Penn, a curious teenager, wants to make her mark and learn where she came from despite her mother’s need to forget. Both work on uncovering their truths with the help of each other as well as friends, new and old.

This book is not a fast placed, thrill a minute read but it is a heartfelt, mysterious, and spellbinding tale which unravels keeping the reader engaged right to the very end. It is unlike anything I have read and to be honest hard to describe but it was so beautifully written that I was completely drawn in. For me it was a beautiful statement of resilience, in facing trials and tribulations and growing through the process as well as finding family not through blood, but friendship. Although it touches on Roanoke it doesn’t delve too deeply other than discussing the legacy of the stones.

I believe this is a book you will either love or you won’t as reading is very subjective; I personally loved this memorable book and highly recommend it.

Sadly, I couldn’t finish this book. I tried so many times to keep reading it, but I just kept putting it aside and reading other books.
I really, really wanted to love this book but it just didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t get into it. The storyline really appealed to me to but I couldn’t get into any of the characters and it just couldn’t keep me focused.

Where do I even start?

I have been fascinated with the missing colony of Roanoke for as long as I can remember. I was the world's weirdest kid, between that story and the fairy tale Bluebeard.

Eleanore Dare ( and her daughter Virginia) were a constant star in my own mystery stories. What happened to this woman and her child? Kimberly Brock has given us a fascinating tale of possibility.

Alice, in post-WWII, newly widowed, returns to her birthplace in search of her identity. Her daughter Penn is with her and is the age that is supposed to have her vision of her future. Alice has long felt that she missed hers when she was of age.

This is a story of possibility. Of where we come from, of who we are, of our heritage, of our roots. Kimberly Brock is an amazingly talented writer and I can not WAIT to see what she does next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A wartime southern gothic tale at its finest. I absolutely loved the folklore woven throughout this piece. It's part southern. Part gothic. Part WWI. Part women's fiction. Part dual timeline. And I loved it all. I highly recommend for readers of gothic and southern fiction.

Brock has written another immensely readable book. Told from two different historical perspectives (1590 and Post WWI) the mystery of the lost peoples of Roanoke, Virginia is intertwined with generations of women searching backwards.
I enjoyed the research that Brock did to bring to life early Roanoke and a more contemporary Georgia. The atmosphere of both make it all the easier to slip right into this book.
History, mystery and a close examination of the mother daughter bond create a book I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.

Ohhh boy, this book. This book.

First off: That cover, y'all! For reals! That's what initially piqued my interest with this read--and the incorporation of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. I was looooong fascinated with anything Virginia and the colonial period growing up (hello, American Girl and the Felicity doll/series!), so this just brought all that right back to the forefront.

Secondly, Brock's writing style. The book itself is one of those that really deep-dives into its characters (albeit certain ones in particular). As other Goodreads reviews note, there isn't much on Eleanor Dare herself, per se; the focus is much more on Alice and Penn (and Penn entirely steals the show). But if you want a big fat read, this may be it: it clocks in at 464 pages; even for me, a fast reader, it took me nearly a month to complete (granted, while reading other things too).

That being said, I don't think I have highlighted a fiction read as much as I did this one in a while. Some of Brock's words, I just had to sit with for a while like, "Wow." And read, and re-read, and sit with, and think for a while. Beautiful.

I also loved the Georgia setting. I've got family down there and have visited a few times (plus did some grad-school courses through Brenau University, so that was an additional fun connection!). And Savannah! A glorious city! I'm ready to go back now. :)

I will note, there is some language and one intimate scene (that thankfully faded to black pretty quickly). Neither, I felt, were necessary, so that was a bummer. I was thankful for the many other beautiful things about the read!

Fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends, Madeline Martin's The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II, and Susan Meissner's Secrets of a Charmed Life and The Last Year of the War will likely enjoy this read.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was thrilled to be approved for this book. I have always been fascinated with the first great American historical mystery: the Lost Colonists of Roanoke. Brock does a good job of creatively explaining what happened to Eleanor and Virginia Dare. I have no ever heard of the Dare Stones.
Told mostly during the waning days of WWII, it’s a story about mothers and daughters and connecting with the past. I liked the parts about Eleanor Dare in the 16th century the best.
It’s an imaginative read about an unsolved mystery

I was expecting this to be a gripping tale of the mystery of the Lost Colony. Instead, it's a slow, meandering story about a town where old hurts bubble beneath uneventful, everyday lives. This book is not a good fit for me. DNF at 53%.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

“The fate of the world is often driven by the curiosity of a girl.”

I was so excited to come across this book - there is SO much to love about this story, and I’m not sure which aspect I love most 💕

* Gorgeous cover (and perfectly matched book surprises)
* Amazing tagline
* Mother-daughter relationships (with a bonus 15 generations of mother-daughter connections)
* Eleanor’s Commonplace Book and the amazing history included (Journal, scrapbook, recipe book, family tree…)
* Family legends
* The intensity of the desire to protect our daughters but also help them flourish in their own ways
* Dual timeline storyline
* Real-life historical elements that send me down the google rabbit hole 🕵🏼 The Lost Colony of Roanoke is such an interesting story!
* Slow reveal mystery

I wanted to hug this book and then proudly display it on my shelf.

While I appreciate the opportunity to read this, unfortunately this one will be a DNF for me. I struggled to get to the 25% mark and as a result, do not think this one is a good fit.

Thanks to Harper Muse, I was provided an ARC of The Lost Book of Elenor Dare by Kimberly Brock via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing April 12, 2022*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️A mother/daughter tale bonding over the discovery of their own family history of Elenor Dare, all the questions and mysteries surrounding Dare Stone, and their family home, the Evertell.

After Alice’s husband died in WWll , Alice takes her teenage daughter back to the family house, Evertell. Her hopes is it would help them cope with their grief. Penn and Alice each make their own discoveries with finding out the details of Evertell women who were heirs to Elenor Dare. What will they discover and will they get the answers they were looking for? Will they end up selling the home or will they fall in love with it?

A compelling read that is hard to put down! I loved how the book was from Alice and Penn’s viewpoints! It showed their struggles, and self discoveries. It was fun to see Penn discover who she is as a teenager and what she wants for her future, when trying to discover and uncover her family history. Great book for Historical Fiction lovers and book clubs!

To put it simply...I couldn't put this book down. Kimberly Brock weaves a delightful story about Alice Young and her daughter Penn who live in Georgia in the waning years of WWII. They make a journey to Alice's childhood home near Savannah where Alice grapples with her past and moves into the future. Both she and Penn are somewhat lost and the story is a journey about finding themselves. Eleanor Dare is an ancestor of Alice's and her story is held in a book handed down through generations of women. Through Alice and Penn's time in Savannah, Eleanor's book guides them to find their own truths in a timeless manner. I can't do this book justice with my words...just get a copy and learn about these amazing women.