What a wonderful read. The first book in The Sevenstones Trilogy spanning 1940 - 1960’s and introducing us to Alice Jansen and Tom Raven. The books opens with sale particulars for a house called Sevenoaks and a prologue in spring 2004 where Emma Raven is clearing the house and finds a little bag full of treasures; china animals, stones and other oddities. A slow burning but completely compelling story, beautifully written and surprisingly uncompromising.

Briefly, Hudson Valley, New York June 1965 where Alice lives with her parents. It’s the day before her 16th birthday and she wants another treasure to add to her collection. After school her father takes her for an ice cream and on the way home he steps in front of a train and Alice sees it all. Two years later she runs away to New York. Galloway, Scotland 1955 and Tom is about to turn 9. He lives with his father but his world is about to be torn apart when he is taken to live with his aunt and uncle in London.

Two wonderful main characters both of whom have less than pleasant childhoods. I don’t want to give any spoilers but I have to say that there is one character, a big part of Alice’s story I absolutely hated! Despicable in just about every way you can imagine. There are some very tough issues dealt with in the book from racism and sexism to rape and drug use, but all dealt with sympathetically. I really enjoyed this book, it’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures, and I very much look forward to book 2.

Loved this book - desperately need the next book in the series to find out what happens next. Became totally immersed in the story and struggled to put the book down.

A synopsis of 50’s-60s American through the eyes of two people’s lives. Tough subjects handled with compassion. There was the Vietnamese war, abortion was illegal, having a baby out of wedlock frowned upon but hippies emerging in San Francisco. Alice Jansen and Tom Raven are from quite different backgrounds but their stories converge in time. Another great story from the author of The Whalebone Theatre.

This was a really enjoyable read. It follows two individuals, Alice Jansen, and Tom Raven, who have two interesting backstories that unexpectedly connect at the end of the story, in a heartwarming way.

I've read books by Harriet Evans before and have always enjoyed them. They are pure escapism and easy to read.

Thanks to Harriet Evans, Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Good storyline if at times a little depressing. However I really struggled with the sentences at times often being fairly short as this keep occurring in large chunks of the text. Personally struggled with the flow of the story due to this as it felt slightly jumpy and disjointed. Initially there is also a part where the tense is changed when describing her father. Overall at times I did have to flick back as I was a little confused especially initially when the story was being set out.

I love Harriet Evan's books and was delighted to be given an ERC of her latest... which is the first of her trilogy Sevenstones.

Alice Jansen keeps treasures.... her father gives her one each birthday... on her 16th birthday he takes her to the local cafe as normal... but on the way home he jumps in front of a train.

Tom Raven lives in the UK, when his Aunt dies a forgotten letter is found, and this leads him to Sevenstones on the Hudson

A great read - and I am looking forward to the remainder of the trilogy.

Unfortunately I don't think I'm the right audience for this book. I found it incredibly difficult to get into and also quite depressing. I found it weird in the beginning how one person, let's take Alice's dad for example, was referred to in 3 different ways because confused me and really stopped me reading fluidly.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I loved the Whalebone Theatre, but I struggled with this book. I couldn’t get into it, it was incredibly slow and I felt so depressed reading it.

Love the author, but this one just didn’t do it for me il afraid.

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the copy.

oh golly what a book. Harriet is one of my top authors. so when i saw she had a new book i was automatically yearning to read it. her books are always filled with the most heart and this one delivered that and more. i loved it more than i can say. and this being the first in a trilogy i am so involved already. and already care about this trilogy and where it will take us readers. i loved how hefty this book was! when done right i cannot begin to tell you how such length to a book is a true privilege. you'll want to have this on your book shelf to keep for sure.
the book takes us to Alice and Tom in this book. first we come to Alice Jansen who lives in New York and is a collector of things from keepsakes to figurines and mementos that she uses to try and make sense of seek comfort from her fragile family.
then we have Toms story to follow. he cant understand why he keeps losing his things and people that matter to him. but still he feels there is indeed something missing from his life.
what comes next is the simply but riveting telling of a family. over a span of time we are truly given their world and their experiences. we arent hidden from some really tough subjects. we cant shy away from what our characters go through. but to get to know them feels like we are indeed the lucky ones. Harriet has truly capture my heart with this book. i dont want to say too much because i really want you readers to find yourself pouring over these pages as i did with fresh " wow" or gasps from them. or tears or smiles throughout. its such a gorgeous book. i would have read so much more in one sitting if my vital limbs werent in danger of going numb!
not just the characters but the time we are visiting feels so vivid and real. we feel like we can touch and see the things they did. and it brought me to a whole new generation of time.
i cannot wait for more from this book and what will come next. this book took our two characters and made their arcs seamless. if the other parts of this is anything near as good as this then wow we are all in for a treat.
now i just have to live in fear of whether ill get the chance to read the others.
stunning. thank you so much Harriet for over the years bringing me so much utter joy and warmth. one of my favourite authors and has been from my very first book of hers.

This is beautifully written. Heart-breaking in places. It has the feel of a saga. Really pleased to see it's the start of a trilogy. Will definitely be getting the next ones.

I loved this latest from Harriet. As always she never shys away from very sensitive themes. Her characters are always recognisable as parts of ourselves.
Thank you so much for access.

The story begins with Alice in America, and how her childhood was brought to an abrupt end. It then moves to Scotland where Tom's childhood is also brought to an end on his ninth birthday. The two strands are then pulled together as both our main characters try and unravel family secrets that have been buried but still affect the next generation. It is the house named Sevenstones for the seven standing stones that surround it that pull the stories together and connect all the characters.
I found I enjoyed Tom's side of the story more than Alice's until New York when Alice comes into her own. Both characters are well described and their many relationships are authentic and sympathetic. Essentially this is a love story, or several love stories, but it is also about joy, sorrow, loss, grief and it touches on many themes of the day like the Vietnam war and racism in England and America, the Windrush generation, flower power, anti war sentiment, and the assassination of Martin Luther King. And the music of the time. The background to Tom's story is very sad and quite hard to comprehend in this day and age.
The ending is quite understated and I had to go back to the prologue to reread it and understand what finally happened. A heart wrenching and beautiful read and I look forward to the next in the trilogy.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect as it took me a few chapters to get going but once I did, I couldn’t put it down! I liked the way that Alice’s story was told first, then Tom’s, before cleverly piecing them together. There was so much heartache and tragedy which I felt was handled well, and throughout, I felt the story fitted well into that era. There was a lot of drugs in NYC which I think fed back to Sevenstones. Teddy’s story was so very sad, but I liked the way it came back to her. I felt the epilogue dragged on far too long, by which point I found myself skimming, I think I felt it needed wrapped up sooner. However, a solid 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars for me. I am really looking forward to the next book and hope we don’t have to wait too long for it!

4.5 stars

As a huge Harriet Evans fan, I was delighted to dive into an advance copy of her new novel. This is a wonderfully rich, slow-burn family saga spanning the 1940s to the 1960s. I particularly enjoyed the nostalgic details, especially the prominent feature of China animals – a sweet blast from my own past!

Don't let the gentle pace fool you; Evans doesn't shy away from depicting life's harsher realities. The book explores hard-hitting themes such as racism, attempted rape, extortion, lesbianism (in the 1940s), drug use, all rendered with a brutal honesty that is somehow still beautifully written. Harriet Evans' prose is as captivating as ever, and I'm eagerly anticipating the continuation of this compelling series.

I loved this. A wonderful and clever family drama. Right up there with the Cazalet series.

I loved the split countries and time line. The shattered and damaged people and the people doing their best. The way things were left in the air and left mysteriously absent.

I am so pleased I have discovered Harriet Evans and am thrilled to discover she has written 13 other novels. Not only that, I can see from her website this is the first of a trilogy of novels. Bliss.

Wow! I’ve only read one book by Harriett Evans before (The Wildflowers) I enjoyed it but this is so completely different you’d think it was by a different author. Absolutely loved it. It is not often a book moves me to tears but this one did several times - mainly when Tom and his father were separated- but also with Alice and Bob. The characters are all so very real and the book is very very hard to put down. My only slight criticism is that I felt the last third was slightly too angst-ridden & that part all went on rather too long, becoming a little too muddled and druggy. I guess that was realistic of the area and the times though so I’m not going to be too picky- 5* it is because it’s a brilliant read and beautifully written. Thank you Harriet Evans and thank you Net Galley.

I loved this book and can’t wait for the next two books in the trilogy. The characters are well described and grow with the book. The story, based around an English house starts in America and covers an interesting period in history with Civil Rights, Vietnam and hippies. Very well written by a new-to-me author whose back catalogue I’m looking forward to exploring.

A story about two young people who have an unexpected connection in the UK and NYC. It was beautifully told and a compelling read.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. The character were well developed and I actually really cared about what would happen to them. The writing is beautiful and draws you in. I believe this is the first in a trilogy and I really glad as I think ‘Sevenstones’ has more stories to tell!

A lovely story taking the reader through the Second World War to the swinging sixties. The story begins in America and we are introduced to Alice and her troubled father on the eve of her sixteenth birthday. Her father has always given her little figurines - her treasures which she hold dear and when she receives a phone calls from a young man called Tom Raven all the way from Scotland, making enquiries about someone she holds dear they both realise they have a connection. Her father has died in tragic circumstances and Tom is running away from a lost love. They eventually find each other in New York where flower power rules but the course of true love never runs smooth and this story is full of unexpected twists and turns but certainly keeps the reader entertained right until the end. I was worried for a while but so relieved when the author didn’t let me down! Beautifully written and I look forward to reading more please!