A beautiful story about love, family and friendship.

The book has three timelines- Kitty in London 1915, Miriam in Germany 1918, and Edie in modern day Cornwall. We follow the women through their own personal hardships, and the author cleverly weaves their stories together, revealing small facts bit by bit.

I found the book hard to put down, each chapter ended with a snippet of information that made me want to read the next straight away. I really liked how the author had three strong women as her main characters, all of whom had their own struggles to overcome. Well written and a great story, I'll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

Wow what a beautiful heart rending and heart filling book!! What an interesting and unusual story.
Edie has been through a tragic traumatic experience and is trying to pick up the pieces of her life, as an artist she gets a new commission and goes down to Cornwall to the old family cottage to recover.
In 1914 Katerina is forging her very different life in the east end of London, but when the first world wars break everything changes.
Miriam is a German scholar at university when the war breaks and joins an esteemed academic to study linguistics at the German prisoner of war camps.
Absolutely fascinating at times, showing such interesting different angles of the First World War from the German perspective and from being a woman in the nineteen teens. With a great background of suffrage, hidden secrets, special gifts, Cornwall and London!
Really loved this wonderful book. There is so much food for the soul. Well written well thought out, and highly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read early.

This is the story of three women, Kitty, Miriam and Edie and we meet each of them in their own storylines. The story moves from London in 1915 to Germany in 1918 and then Edie’s story in the present day.
I loved each of the three characters and was always sorry to leave one POV for the next. At first there are absolutely no connections between the women but Edie gradually begins to find out more about the past and we see links begin to emerge.
I was gripped by this story, especially by Miriam’s story set in the POW camp .towards the end of WWI. The three main characters were portrayed really well but I also enjoyed the secondary characters especially the appearance of Sylvia Pankhurst.
For me, the book was a bit let down by the ending. There just seemed to be too many different links and connections which were revealed very quickly. I also found the motivation for one of the characters in particular not that believable.
Overall this was a good read and I recommend for any lovers of historical fiction especially in the early 20th century.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The three-way narrative meant it moved along at a good pace and I appreciated getting to know the characters in each of the different time periods. I did think some of the resolution was rather convenient but overall the characters and the structure of the story kept me engaged and guessing right to the end.

A great read that successfully pulls together three different threads in the end of a compelling story, fully recommend

Three different times and characters who tell their own stories and are interconnected eventually. Some nice sense of time and place and interesting perspectives, a gentle read that will satisfy.

What an incredible book- written over three timelines with remarkable characters. I found it hard to get into, but was glad I perservered. It depicts the horror of war and prison camps, but also the importance of friendships. Definitely one to lose yourself into as it’s hard to put down.

Beautifully written. I loved the way the three timelines engaged me as a reader. Not read anything by Irish Costello before, but will eagerly await the next novel

I loved this story, the setting, the characters and how it was told. It makes you get fully immersed.
The book is about three women and all the stories are linked by a secret that has been hidden for over a century.
It is evident that each of these women has a unique story to tell, and they are connected in an interesting way. This aspect makes "The Story Collector" an even more fascinating book, and it's going to keep you hooked until the very end as you unearth all the mysteries.
I think the author weaves the story of the three women in a masterful way, I had high expectations with this book but it has fulfilled them all. I think it is necessary more books like this one, with this kind of stories that talk about women. I highly recommend it.

A beautiful tale connecting three women’s stories and a secret - two of their journey’s explore their experiences during the First World War and the last one is in a village in Cornwall set in present day. I found all three journeys very interesting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down. A beautiful story with a nod to a history which I look forward to researching. (The acknowledgments offer a great source of material I will be looking into).

This book is well told - you really feel like you are there experiencing it all with the characters and I was very invested in concluding their journeys.

If I was to pick fault slightly it would be to say there is a couple of instances when I was taken slightly out of the story by the narrative not quite flowing as well as the rest of the book - such as characters sometimes moving from one place to another without adequate explanation. But this didn’t take away from the story at all.

An enjoyable, absorbing tale which slowly draws you in. Loved the way the three tales merged as the story progressed leaving one with a well-rounded, satisfying end.

I must have struck gold when I chose this book to be my first ever eARC, because it truly blew me away. I am rating this an easy 4.75 - it was heart-breaking, ghostly and raw.

I do enjoy historical fiction, but sometimes for me there's a blurred line between boring and interesting - this was 100% interesting, engaging and page-turning. I am *obsessed* with Costello's style of writing. She brings each time period to life, with enough description to perfectly set the scene and transport you to another time, but not too much to make the reader lose interest. Especially considering that 2 POVs within this book are set during The Great War, which for me personally, have the potential to be too politically dense and challenging to follow. Yet, those were the POVs that I enjoyed reading the most, so that say's it all really.

Costello also knows how to leave you hanging - the AMOUNT of POVs that ended with me gasping, and having to physically restrain myself from flicking through the other chapters just to continue where the POV left off.. . And, this book made me cry *actual tears*. I mean....

"So I vowed to find it again, dedicating my life to collecting voices, like butterflies in a net, in the hope that I would one day hear hers again" ... have you ever heard something to beautiful and heart-breaking in all your life?!

In particular, one of the love stories during the past POV had my complete and utter attention, and was literally clawing at my heartstrings page by page. And whilst I did guess perhaps the 'major' plot revelation, it literally didn't bother me at all as it was exactly how I was hoping the story would go.

SO, when this book is published in February, I implore you all to pick it up as it's one of the most phenomenal reads that I've had in a while. Thank you so much to NetGalley for granting me access to an e-copy!

The Story Collector follows the life of three women, Edie, Kitty and Miriam from modern day to world war 1.

A fantastic and easy to read book, weaving the story of these women and perfectly bringing them all together. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to further books by Iris Costello.

A very good read. Loved the way the storylines wove around and eventually came together to craft a masterpiece. Keot me guessing with an unexpected twist at the end. A cracking good read.

This is a really beautiful read. The story is narrated from three different view points. Each story is an individual story about grief, love and hope told by a strong and independent women. but all three stories weave together to tell one beautiful and complete story. A great combination of historical and modern fiction.

London, 1915: Amid the chaos of war, Katerina, a Tarot reader, strives to keep her life intact. Determined to bring hope to her community, she opens a bakery, selling delicious treats and divination. Her bakery becomes a symbol of optimism in a time of darkness. However, behind her cheerful facade, Katerina harbours a dark secret that could jeopardize everything she holds dear.

Germany, 1918: A British soldier, rendered mute by the horrors of war, finds himself in a prisoner-of-war camp. There, he crosses paths with Miriam, a compassionate researcher. Drawn to his gentle nature, Miriam silently promises to assist him. Yet, as circumstances unfold, she faces an impossible decision: should she save the man she loves or save herself?

Cornwall, Present Day: Edie, recently widowed, stumbles upon a hidden box within the walls of her newly renovated cottage. Intrigued, she embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets that have remained concealed for over a century.

These three women's stories are intricately connected by a long-held secret, spanning from the bustling streets of wartime London to a secluded German camp during World War I and finally to the windswept cliffs of Cornwall. This beautifully crafted story is an unforgettable exploration of love, sacrifice, and the enduring power of secrets.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of each of the three women in their own timeline. I loved following along as the tales unfold and unwind. A beautifully written story that is also a page-turner that kept me entertained until the last page.

A very well written sorry. It took a long time to find out how the three women were connected but this did not detract from my enjoyment. Fascinating at times, poignant and overall, a very good read. Recommended.

A really absorbing story with a interesting cast of characters. The characters really grow on you as the details, similarities and story complexities develop.

The time range of the story, from pre first World War Germany to present day UK, allows the write to create a story with depth and imaginative interest.

The conclusion is very satisfying, pulling the strands together beautifully.

Well worth reading.

This really isn't my usual sort of a book, but I loved it. I was stuck at home with flu feeling miserable and this gave me such a lift. A beautifully written book. The mystery is very satisfying.

"The Story Collector" is a complex, multi-stranded novel centred around 3 female characters. In the present day there is Edie, an artist, who is struggling to recover from the sudden death of her husband. During World War 1 there are two German women, though one of them has been living in London for many years. Katerina, or Kitty, is a clairvoyant and baker who is harassed because of her race. Miriam is a linguist and nurse working at a PoW camp for British soldiers, and assisting the story collector of the title.

The hardships for women during WW1 are described, with the work of Sylvia Pankhurst featuring strongly. The difficulties and futility of trench warfare and its affect on the soldiers is also part of the story.

There is a satisfying conclusion when we find out how these 3 women are linked.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.