A lovely story of love, loss & secrets. Told in two timelines, 1914 and 1997.
The early part telling the story of a life at university, making friends and trying to map out a life for oneself, even if others don’t approve. As the story progresses you think you may have worked out some of the secrets, that is until the later part of the story where Barbara and her daughter Penny start to uncover details that help to unravel the secrets.

It's a captivating story that will keep you tied to it until you know for sure!

I really enjoyed Grace’s story, sad though it was in places.

I really enjoyed reading this book
This is the,story of Barbara her daughter Penny and her mum Allegra,who have had to move from their university house due to the death of her father.. They move to the family home that has been leasehold and find they need to move again so that repairs can be carried out. As they clear it they discover a trunk full of letters and notebooks and pictures as they investigate they discover a story of their relatives and friends from the early 1900's and during WW1 a time of loss and social upheaval finding lots of family history they knew nothing about.
I loved reading this book and could not put it down

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eCopy to review

When I began reading The House at River's Edge, I was immediately captivated by its dual timelines and rich historical backdrop. The novel weaves together the stories of Grace Villiers in 1914 and Barbara in 1997, both connected by a family estate in Cambridge.

In 1914, Grace anticipates a summer of freedom at her friend's family estate, only to be surprised by the arrival of Algernon Lake. Initially wary of his reputation, Grace's perspective changes as Algernon teaches her to swim, and a deeper connection forms between them. However, the looming threat of war casts a shadow over their idyllic summer, changing everything.

In 1997, Barbara is grappling with the sudden death of her father and the challenges of living in a dilapidated house with her mother. While sorting through the house, she discovers a photograph of her grandfather with a friend, both soldiers at the start of World War I. Driven by a desire to uncover her family's history, Barbara embarks on a journey that reveals long-buried secrets and brings her closer to understanding her roots.

The novel's exploration of love, loss, and the passage of time is beautifully rendered. The characters are well-developed, and the dual timelines are seamlessly interwoven, creating a compelling narrative that kept me engaged throughout. The historical details add depth to the story, making it a rich and immersive read.

The House at River's Edge is a beautifully written novel that combines historical fiction with a poignant exploration of family and identity, making it a memorable and satisfying read.

My rating:

Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical Fiction


Review:
This is a beautiful story, told over a dual time line, one set in 1997 and one that starts just before WI and finishes around the end of the war, when the world had changed forever. The characters strong women who each suffer personal losses although the times and circumstances are different there are also many similarities in how they cope and deal with it.

The book is well written, atmospheric, highly emotional and has a nostalgic feel to it. The story flows well and has the right amount of mystery and suspense to keep you captivated till the end.The dual time lines are nicely interwoven and concluded into a satisfying ending. The characters are well developed; their personalities were explained with enough detail so that they felt realistic.

Overall:
An interesting story that captures you from the beginning, with realistic characters and the right mixture of mystery and suspense.

Review copy provided through Netgalley at no cost to me.

A group of friends decide to spend the summer together and to have the best summer ever. War is looming and that changes things.
In present day Barbara is cleaning out their basement and finds an old trunk. Together with her daughter and Mom they try to piece together what happened all those years ago.
I loved this book! It’s told through dual timelines and both were really interesting. It touches on some sensitive issues and the horrors of war.
A perfect book for historical fiction fans

Absolutely beautiful but also heartbreaking this dual timeline read kept me totally engaged. In 1914 secrets, love stories and life during the First World War are linked to Barbara in 1997 when her own life takes a turn after the death of her father. With her mother she moves into Oakdene, a house that belongs to her mother but one that is need of lots of work. After finding a photograph of her grandfather and another man in army uniform they find a trunk in the basement. Filled with notebooks and papers Barbara and her daughter Penny start to unravel an intriguing mystery. For me this was a story about family dynamics, lost love and vulnerability. Obviously well researched this explores many elements of human nature. Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

3.5 stars
In the summer of 1914, four close friends meet up at an estate in the English countryside. They make a pact to have as much fun as they can together, before life leads them in different directions. Those days turned out to be glorious ones, remembered fondly in later years as a time of deep friendship. Also, that summer season was reflected upon because of it being the last one before The Great War swept in and changed everything forever for them all…and for future generations.
This book is a must for historical fiction lovers!

* I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

if you havent read books by Rachel Burton then do so immediately. she is a masterclass in storytelling scoping many a genre. her talent is my luck and i do feel very very lucky to get to read the imagining of her mind. and this book is once again an exquisite tale.
this book follows a dual timelines linked by one house. the first takes us to WW1 and to a group of friends who are facing just what life is like in wartime. and how the moments they share together will go on to change everything.
the later years take us to 1997. we find ourself in the lives of three generations of woman who set off on a quest to find out just what secrets lie with their ancestors past and how they came to be. what they learn will shake up what they thought they new and bring to light some big events.
both timelines are just wonderful reads. i love how they linked and also held their own. they balanced perfectly and i wanted to know the story of both equally. the intrigue and sadness is tough at time. learning just what those who were at home during the war was really interesting. how life and emotions dont stop just because a war is on. and neither does the human nature and its ups and downs stop either.
the book held my heart from the get go. and i was gripped to learn the story and the ties of the past and present. the characters compelled me to know more and the book told each of them in such stunning descriptions that i felt their emotions and could see what they saw almost like i was a fly on the wall with them. the atmosphere and scene setting was done to perfection.
i couldnt get enough of this book and every time i put it down i was grappling with myself until i could get back to read more.
i was fully invested in this story and both past and present succeeded in being excellent moments in time for to escape to.
thankyou Rachel for giving us your talent to share. i feel so very very lucky indeed.

This is a dual-timeline book set between World War I and 1997. Just before WWI, five friends spent the Summer together at Egerton Lodge. As relationships develop, plans are thwarted by the war. In 1997, Barbara and her family prepared to have work done on her Mother's home, Oakdene. During the preparation, a trunk is discovered in the basement. Barabra's daughter Penny is a historical researcher who makes surprising discoveries within the chest. I really enjoyed this book.

a dual timeline set in WW1 and 1997, follow the story of a family and their secrets. good book was hard to put down.

This is an incredible story with two timelines telling of love in WWI and the secrets that love created for a family. The WWI story covers that of a young girl falling for a poet and of the relationship of her brother and their friend. The story of them is compelling and lovely. The war interrupts both relationships and begins a timeline of deeply held family secrets.
In the second timeline, the family of the men begins to unravel when a pre-WWI trunk is discovered in the basement. The daughter of one of the family women is a historical researcher on WWI poets and she begins to research the family’s past with surprising information.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another emotional historical fiction book from Rachel - a secret family history, tragedy but also the love of a family.

Full review to follow on the blog tour

The House At River’s Edge by Rachel Burton is a powerful dual timeline that I just could not put down. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep!
The two time periods are 1914-1919, and 1997. The chapters alternate as we follow a family through the first World War years, and again after a long-lost photograph is found. Along with the characters, we have questions about the ancestors of a family. All is not as we first thought.
The summer of 1919 was the final summer of freedom. “I hold on to the memories of that summer.” With the advent of war, lives would be changed forever. A generation of young men left enthusiastically for war. Many never returned. Those who did, had often left their minds on the battlefields. “When I sleep, I’m back there, in the trenches.” We see the devastating effects of shell shock. “They can talk about peace and armistice as much as they like; he knows he will never find peace again.” People often suffered from shell shock for the rest of their lives.
We witness the heartbreaking results when a loved one dies. “Death doesn’t care about those who are left behind.” Characters know they will never love again like they did, making decisions to support each other.
The modern reader is horrified by the prejudices of the day in 1914. “Why society has to label some love good and some love bad is beyond me.” Society judges, meaning that some people cannot be true to themselves.
There is also the outdated attitude to women in 1914. Women were expected to make marriage alliances and could be seen as ‘on-the-shelf’ by their mid-twenties if they were still single. Women could not vote either. The first World War would do a lot to advance their freedoms.
One thing which women did do, and is deplorable, was to hand out white feathers to young men – no questions asked. Not every young man who wasn’t fighting was a coward or a C.O. Some young men had health problems or were in required professions, and therefore did not fight.
In 1997 we meet a grandmother, mother and daughter. They are strong women who are all dealing with loss. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect it too but the three pull together. An old trunk full of documents and letters, holds some surprising secrets. As age-old secrets come to light, lives are renovated, along with an old property.
I thoroughly enjoyed The House At River’s Edge. It showed a bygone age, one last enjoyable summer of 1914 before lives would be transformed forever. I really loved it and was entertained as the two time periods were inter-woven.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

This is a well written.then and now book about 5 friends who spend a wonderful summer together just as WWI is about to start. Two young women, three young men, good friends and siblings who enjoy their days knowing they are likely to end soon. Two of the three men enlist, one serves but not in combat and the girls do their best. One mourns her very good friends decision, the other mourns her new love who is a poet but now an Officer at the Front. Current times, a picture of best friends is found hidden in an old home along with a trunk of pictures and poetry. Penny, working on her doctorate thesis wants to learn more about the people in the photo and, wonders if the poetry will be useful and important. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. I think it will be well received and was a very good book with much heart.

Burton’s latest historical mystery is an emotional and heartbreaking family story. Set near Cambridge, the story unfolds seamlessly over a dual timeline, alternating between the late 1990s and WWI. Both timelines were engaging and I enjoyed the little things that crossed both timelines- swimming, violins and a love of academia. Throughly well researched- both timelines came alive and I enjoyed all the 1990’s music and pop culture references and playlist at the end! Covering a range of difficult topics well- grief, PTSD, suffragettes, white feathers during the war, class and aristocracy and hidden homosexuality. The characters were engaging and I enjoyed meeting them all, the mystery kept the story moving nicely and I enjoyed seeing all the family secrets play out. Whilst the crumbling mansion Oakdene didn’t play as huge a role in this novel compared to some of her books it still tied the two storylines together nicely.

A dual time love story during WWI. It is easy to follow and has such a deep storyline. I was easily in love with the story. Well researched.

A beautifully told dual timeline story by the fantastic Rachel Burton!
Set in both 1914, before WW1 started, and in 1997, The House at River's Edge tells the story of a family and unearths secrets that rock and could shatter many.
In 1997, Barbara is helping her mother deal with her father's death and coming to terms with her own premature widowhood. They end up moving into her mother's ancestral home in Cambridge, and along with Barbara's daughter, Penny, they find subsidence that threatens to cut their stay short, and a trunk filled with paperwork that could prove all they know about their lives was built upon lies.
In 1914, we meet Grace, who is summering at her friend's house in Cambridge, not wanting to go back to France where her mother is continually trying to marry her off to one eligible bachelor or another. Here, she enjoys a blissful summer, filled with an innocence that is snatched away as the announcement of war is made.
The earlier story spans six years, and each section drips more information about Barbara and her mother's heritage as the more modern timeline entwines perfectly with the discoveries.
I was engrossed in this book and loved the subtle romances within.
Burton dealt with the way young people must have felt as they either signed up during the Great War, or if they were a person sat at home, anxiously waiting for news of a loved one who had been called up with great sensitivity.
Themes of sexuality, hiding your own self, and suicide feature within.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦 is a beautiful dual timeline historical fiction set in 1914 and 1997.

In 1997 Barbara is living with her Mother in Oakdene, a family owned house in dire need of extensive renovations, while doing some soul searching about her plans for the future and what she really wants out of life.

When Barbara and her daughter Penny discover old photos and papers belonging to Barbara’s grandparents they are determined to unravel the mystery of Oakdene and the family secrets within.

In 1914 Grace is spending a summer in Cambridge at her friend’s family estate. The world is on the brink of war and soon everything will change.

I was intrigued by the different characters in both timelines, although my favourite was definitely Grace. The slow unraveling of her story kept me turning the page as I wanted to know about her life and how it affected the family in 1997.

The portrayal of war time Britain was interesting and included food shortages, the post war flu outbreak and soldiers returning home with shell shock. The depiction of how these young lives were forever changed was poignant to read but the romance storyline added some lighter moments to the narrative.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦 is about secrets, family relationships and love and loss. It’s a beautifully written story about new beginnings after grief and allowing yourself to be open to new opportunities.

3.5 Stars.

The House at River's Edge is a historical fiction novel by Rachel Burton, with dual timelines, one set during WWI and one in 1997. Both timelines are set in the same location, a family-owned house located in England. In addition to being historical fiction, this novel has threads of family drama, mystery, and romance. The characters from both timelines are related ancestors, with more connections to be found through the course of the book. The overarching theme is Life and Loss.

Brief Plot Summary: (1997 Timeline) Reeling from the loss of her husband and her father, Barbara inherits some artifacts the imply previously unknown facts about her great-grandmother. Barbara joins her mother and daughter in an investigation of these artifacts and learn a great deal about their ancestors who lived during WWI. (1914 Timeline) We get an inside look at a group of friends whose lives are about to change with onset of WWI. Romance, drama, and secrets galore. Life brings both love and loss, and some losses might need to stay hidden forever.

My Impressions: This book reminded me of The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry, but with dual timelines and heavier personal and war-related themes like I would find in a Kristin Hannah book. The writing style was more plot-driven with less emphasis on atmosphere. The dialogue was simply written and straightforward, but the plot compelled me to keep turning pages. I had parts of the plot figured out early-on, but still enjoyed finishing the book to confirm my suspicions.

My favorite part of this book was the realistic picture of the challenges young people faced when heading into WWI. Their struggle during and after the war was very well depicted. Although not called PTSD at the time, it was clearly depicted as such. This isn't a feel-good lighthearted read, but a good reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought in WWI.

I did want more development of the romance in the early part of the book (it felt very rushed, no tension), and I wanted more development in the ending romance (also felt rushed). I personally didn't like the LGBT themes that were present in the book. I wouldn't have chosen to read this book if I knew those themes would be central to the plot.

Content Considerations: A few scant instances of light profanity, kisses and implied intimacy but completely closed door with no descriptive build-up, a few innuendoes, war related PTSD, some heavier LGBT themes, and a few other heavy themes that would be spoilers.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. My review is my own opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

A very easy 5 stars here.
I’ve read a lot by Rachel Burton and this may well be my favourite of hers. Her writing just gets better and better.
I loved the way that the two timelines (1914-1918, WWI and 1997) slotted today and we saw them overlap, and mirror each other.
It was full of emotion, both painful and hopeful, in both timelines.