From the author of The Song of the Jade Lily comes a thrilling story of a family secret that leads to a legendary treasure.
Why would someone bury a bucket of precious jewels and gemstones and never return?
Present Day. When respected American jewelry historian, Kate Kirby, receives a call about the Cheapside jewels, she knows she’s on the brink of the experience of a lifetime.
But the trip … Cheapside jewels, she knows she’s on the brink of the experience of a lifetime.
But the trip to London forces Kate to explore secrets that have long been buried by her own family. Back in Boston, Kate has uncovered a series of sketches in her great-grandmother’s papers linking her suffragette great-grandmother Essie to the Cheapside collection. Could these sketches hold the key to Essie’s secret life in Edwardian London?
In the summer of 1912, impoverished Irish immigrant Essie Murphy happens to be visiting her brother when a workman’s pickaxe strikes through the floor of an old tenement house in Cheapside, near St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The workmen uncover a stash of treasure—from Ottoman pendants to Elizabethan and Jacobean gems—and then the finds disappear again! Could these jewels—one in particular—change the fortunes of Essie and her sisters?
Together with photographer Marcus Holt, Kate Kirby chases the history of the Cheapside gems and jewels, especially the story of a small diamond champlevé enamel ring. Soon, everything Kate believes about her family, gemology, and herself will be threatened.
Based on a fascinating true story, The Lost Jewels is a riveting historical fiction novel that will captivate readers from the beginning to the unforgettable, surprising end.
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Inspired by a story, this book goes between three timelines (although focused mainly on two) and weaves together the history of the Cheapside jewels mysteriously found in the basement of a London tenement in 1912. u2063
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This story was so well researched and unfolds in delicate layers with really interesting characters. There’s thievery, sacrifice, lost love, betrayal… this story has it all. The only pet peeve I had was that the historian working to uncover the story behind the jewels happens to have a family connection. Although a little implausible, the author ties her historical curiosity to the mystery well and it really didn’t hinder my enjoyment at all.u2063
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I was so intrigued by the art of jewelry-making and the history that can be traced by each fine detail in it too. I really love learning about obscure careers that are so specialized only a handful of experts exist in an international circle. That aspect alone kept me engaged. u2063
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If you geek out on history, love jewelry, or love a read full of family secrets and strong women, this is a great book.u2063
An interesting duel-timeline historical story of a granddaughter searching for answers to her family’s history through antique jewels. The story of her grandmother’s past is rich and beautifully written, and the history of the jewels throughout the centuries is quite interesting. I really enjoyed this story and recommend it to readers who love a story that brings the past and present alive.
very enjoyable
A brilliant story, brilliantly told.
Based on the true story of the Cheapside Hoard, The Lost Jewels is a gripping mystery that skips between Edwardian and modern-day London. Intricately detailed and impeccably researched, the story grabs you from the very first moment, racing through history to uncover the bonds between generations of women and their connection to the infamous jewels. Thrilling, decadent and the perfect escape into another world. I adored this book.
Positively one of the best books I’ve read. I have been recommending to all my reading pals. I wish the characters continued on into another book.
A good quick read. Engaging characters and storyline
I was already familiar with the Cheapside Hoard, and had even seen the jewels in person at an exhibition some years ago. In 1912, a pile of jewels is found buried in the cellar of an old house that’s being excavated. The jewels are hundreds of years old. How did they get there? Who owns them? What is their origin? How’s that for a mystery to try and solve?!
In THE LOST JEWELS, Manning weaves a fictional story around the few known facts about the jewels. The story moves between the present day to the time of their discovery in 1912 and all the way back to the mid 17th century when some of the jewels are first mined.
I found the story to be highly engaging as mysteries are solved and present day connections to the jewels are revealed.
The Cheapside Hoard is still a mystery in many ways, and Manning doesn’t attempt to answer all the questions. What she does achieve is a credible and entertaining story that will please readers of historical fiction. Additionally, there’s a great list of further reading for those us whose imagination has been fired up after reading this book.
THE LOST JEWELS is the first Kirsty Manning I’ve read, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Review copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin, Australia