A broken family, a house of secrets–an entrancing tale of love and courage set during the Second World War. After Rebecca’s mother dies, she must sort through her empty flat and come to terms with her loss. As she goes through her mother’s mail, she finds a handwritten envelope. In it is a letter that will change her life forever. Olivia, her mother’s elderly cousin, needs help to save her … needs help to save her beloved home. Rebecca immediately goes to visit Olivia in Cornwall only to find a house full of secrets–treasures in the attic and a mysterious tunnel leading from the cellar to the sea, and Olivia, nowhere to be found.
As it turns out, the old woman is stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her house is made habitable again. Rebecca sets to work restoring the home to its former glory, but as she peels back the layers of paint and grime, she uncovers even more buried secrets–secrets from a time when the Second World War was raging, when Olivia was a young woman, and when both romance and danger lurked around every corner…
A sweeping and utterly spellbinding tale of a young woman’s courage in the face of war and the lengths to which she’ll go to protect those she loves against the most unexpected of enemies.
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Another outstanding historical novel by Jane Johnson.
This time she has set her story in her native Cornwall. A dual timeline tale, with Olivia, a very elderly lady, in her nineties, who has more secrets in her life and family than most. In the Second World War Cornwall was the jumping-off, or arrival point for many visitors, some authorised and some not.
The Seagate is also a story of the tensions and fractures within families and within key relationships. Becky, the other main protagonist, has been living with an artist who is not what he might seem.
The author has set several of her previous books in and around North Africa. This time she has brought Africa to Cornwall, with great aplomb and authority, touching on a large swathe of modern North African history.
Even Chynalls, the house around which the story takes place, has secrets of its own. Some secrets are definitely too perilous to disclose. Nobody’s history is what it may seem.
Great characters, engaging plots and a well-written and pacy read. Highly recommended by me.
The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson is Historical Fiction with romance, mystery and thrills. It is told in two time periods 1940’s and modern day Cornwall with detailed descriptions of the place, time and people. The characters are complex and some have behaviors that are difficult to understand until the end of the book. I especially loved the Parrot. I am always captivated by each new book by Johnson and Sea Gate is exceptional.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars
Favorite Quotes:
Estelle swore in vehement French, which Olivia mentally noted down for future use.
She still did not believe there had ever been a Mr. Ogden. And if there had been he was probably, judging by his offspring, a hobgoblin.
The long mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door throws my image at me. There is little worse in life than being caught unawares by your reflection, before you’ve made the small adjustments all women make – I have avoided mirrors for so long that I have forgotten to look out for them – and there I am, thin and white and strangely shaped…
Olivia hated Sundays. Who on earth thought it was a good idea to have a day of rest and then make you get up early to go to church?
I feel nothing. Not regret, or hatred or even repulsion. Nothing at all. All my emotions appear to have burst out of me in that one punch. I imagine them flowing down my arm like Popeye’s spinach, pumping up the muscles, exiting in a cartoon-bubble POW!
My Review:
I adored this brilliantly crafted tale! The storylines were highly engaging, emotively written, colorfully and effusively detailed, insightfully observant, staggeringly eventful, and cleverly paced while hitting all the feels with a powerful punch and taunting my curiosity with a constant itch. The cast of characters was vastly diverse and well-drawn with despicable villains and endearingly flawed protagonists, but my favorite was the highly astute and humorously profane parrot. This was an epic tale that intrigued, squeezed my heart, amused me, and kept me well entertained and actively engaged while reading. This sly missive was my introduction to the wily Jane Johnson and has me greedy for more.
What a beautiful, evocative and empathic book this was! I haven’t previously read anything by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, I was initially attracted to the beautiful cover, when I read the premise, it was very appealing , being a dual time storyline revolving between the present and wartime Cornwall.
The two female protagonists are Becky , in the present and Olivia in the past. They are both Very interesting and engaging characters .
After the death of her mother, while clearing her mother’s possessions, Becky discovers correspondence from a distant cousin she wasn’t aware of . In the most recent letter, Olivia has requested assistance from her family or she will be taken to a care home, as she is deemed incapable of coping on her own, after a fall leaves her hospitalised.
I was quickly absorbed into the narrative , it was very poignant and thought provoking with mystery surrounding the house on the cove, in Cornwall and the tunnels running beneath it. The descriptive writing encapsulates the beauty and wildness of the area , transporting the reader to an idyllic setting.
The injustice and prejudice portrayed , suffered by characters both in tbe past and present was uncomfortable to read at times , but very relevant.
I couldn’t put this book down once I’d started it. You never quite knew where the author was taking you next and it kept you turning the pages to find out more. Both strands of the storyline tie up neatly by the end of the book. It was an enjoyable read and I thoroughly recommended it.
I received a copy of the book from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and all thoughts are my own and unbiased
This was a nice surprise! A little slow at first, so I wasn’t sure I would love it, but then it picked up and I never wanted to put it down. Beautifully written, this is a story of love and war and hope.
I love books with dual parallel storylines: one in the past and one in the present. This tells the story of modern day Becky as she travels to Cornwall to care for elderly Cousin Olivia; and WWII-era Olivia as she longs for family. At first, I thought Olivia’s chapters were a bit slow and I was irritated when we left modern day Becky’s chapters for hers, but then they slowly became more interesting.
Overall, this was a lovely novel. A bit sad at times, but so poignant.
The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson takes readers to Cornwall where Becky Young sets out to help her elderly relative, Olivia Kitto. It is a dual timeline novel that takes readers from the present day back to World War II. I thought The Sea Gate was well-written with developed characters and a complex storyline. The author is extremely detailed in her descriptions. While this allows readers to visualize the scenes, I did find it to be too much information because it greatly slowed down the pacing of the story (needed a better balance). I liked how the past storyline provided details on Olivia and what happened in the house. World War II was a dangerous time in Cornwall. There was fear that the Germans would try to invade and there was the constant threat of bombings. The mystery was quite intriguing and multifaceted. There were some unique characters in this story. Olivia is a cantankerous woman who has been shaped by the past. She is quite a character along with her parrot, Gabriel. I liked seeing Becky develop as the book progressed. The ending nicely wrapped up the novel. There is foul language as well as intimate situations in the novel. The Sea Gate has a mysterious artist, beautiful paintings, a lovely bracelet, a hidden tunnel, and much more. A few little tweaks, and The Sea Gate would have been a home run for me. The Sea Gate is a fascinating story about courage, secrets, war, forbidden love, danger, and perilous secrets.
A magnificent dual timeline set in Cornwall during World War 2 and the present day.
This brilliantly written and very moving story is full of hidden secrets, lies and surprises, and had me hooked from beginning to end.
Excellent characters, and a cleverly woven plot; I cannot recommend it highly enough.
“Scratch the surface of any family history… you ‘ll find a story that has been buried.”
This quote from The Sea Gate sums up the book quite well and is it not the truth with any family.
The Sea Gate draws you in slowly but you soon become wrapped up in the story of Olivia and Rebecca as Rebecca heads to Cornwall to help out her mother’s old friend.
The story is told from both their view points and it works quite well . Olivia is during the second world war and Rebecca in present time.
I felt like I was at Sea Gate with both Olivia and Rebecca and loved it when the stories merged.
A great read. Off to check out more of Jane Johnson’s books
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada , Simon and Schuster for the privilege or reading The Sea Gate,
Becky was mourning the loss of her mother when she finds letters from a distant cousin Olivia. Becky doesn’t know who Olivia is. Olivia is requesting that her mother come immediately to Cornwall as she needs her assistance.
Becky decides to go to Cornwall to meet Olivia for the first time.
She finds an old house by the sea, but no Olivia. Olivia is in the hospital.
The house is falling apart and needs to be renovated so that Olivia can safely live there. Becky decides to takes this on.
This is a dual time novel, alternating chapters between Becky and Olivia.
Olivia’s story depicts her childhood through World WarII in the house by the sea.
Present day Becky finding clues that she doesn’t understand, paintings and photographs in the attic.
Secrets emerge about Olivia and the War and mysteries of the house itself.
Becky discovers a tunnel that goes below the house and goes out to the sea.
This book is full of secrets and discovers. It is very well written.
The Cover is just beautiful.
If you enjoy mysteries and historical fiction you will enjoy this book.
Who is cousin Olivia? Rebecca remembered visiting her a few times when she was a child, but her mother didn’t mention her too often.
Finding letters from cousin Olivia addressed to her mother pleading for help had Rebecca on her way to Olivia’s house.
What a mess she found. The house was in shambles, Olivia wasn’t there, her finances were very bad, and Rebecca finds a hidden tunnel in the basement which had been used during the war along with other secrets from WWII.
We go back and forth from present day to 1943 and find out about Olivia…she is some character. The bird she has is even more upsetting than what Rebecca found out about Olivia.
It took a few chapters to get into the book, but it’s worth the wait.
I loved all the secrets of the house and Olivia’s life, and I loved Rebecca’s perseverance.
THE SEA GATE has great characters, pull-you-in writing, and a story line that will keep you turning the pages to a marvelous revelation of the secrets and an unraveling of Olivia and her life. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Rebecca is cleaning out her mother’s flat after her death. She comes across an old letter from Olivia, an elderly relative she did not know she had. Olivia is in dire need of help so Rebecca decides she needs to be there. She has no idea what to expect. And it turns out to be much more than expected!
The house is falling apart, literally, when Rebecca arrives. She also discovers that Olivia is in the hospital and cannot return until her house is fixed. Rebecca takes this on and discovers quite a few buried secrets and dangers.
I love Olivia. You talk about cantankerous and a tough old nut to crack…she is it! She has lived a tough life as Rebecca slowly discovers.
Then there is Rebecca. She is actually running away from home and Olivia is just a fabulous excuse to do so. She and Olivia slowly develop a like and a trust for each other. Rebecca also discovers she may have bitten off more than she can chew.
I enjoyed so many parts to this story. The mystery and the hidden secrets really captivated me. I did feel the flash backs to Olivia’s life during WWII slowed down the story. It is a necessary part of the novel. I just did not enjoy it as much as the present day portion.
The characters, the setting and the mystery really work so well together and I would love to have a sequel.
A beautiful, evocative story … This had me in tears
Rich, mysterious, and incredibly absorbing!
The Sea Gate is an alluring, dual-timeline tale set in Cornwall during WWII, as well as present-day, that is told from two perspectives; Olivia, a young girl struggling to survive in a world driven by insecurity and fear and ravaged by war, and Becky, a young woman who unexpectedly stumbles across a slew of long-buried family secrets and an offensive parrot after travelling to the home of her mother’s 90-year-old cousin to help fix it up and prepare it for her return.
The prose is vivid and expressive. The characters are resilient, brave, and determined. And the plot, along with all the seamlessly intertwined subplots, is an impressive blend of drama, emotion, family, secrets, mystique, love, loss, courage, passion, heartbreak, and self-discovery.
Overall, The Sea Gate is an evocative, immersive, moving tale that sweeps you away to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the personalities, feelings, and lives of the characters you never want it to end. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite novels of the year and another fine example of Johnson’s extraordinary ability to write exceptionally memorable storylines.