Hello bookworms! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this time.
I wanted to thank Putnam Books for sending me a gifted copy of Lost Autumn by Mary-Rose MacColl! It was a welcome distraction from the news and I was so happy to receive this historical fiction novel.
Synopsis:
“A young woman’s coming-of-age in 1920, the royal tour of Edward, Prince of Wales, and the secrets that surface more than seventy years later.
Australia, 1920. Seventeen-year-old Maddie Bright embarks on the voyage of a lifetime when she’s chosen to serve on the cross-continent tour of His Royal Highness, the dashing Edward, Prince of Wales. Life on the royal train is luxurious beyond her dreams, and the glamorous, good-hearted friends she makes–with their romantic histories and rivalries–crack open her world. But glamour often hides all manner of sins.
Decades later, Maddie lives in a ramshackle house in Brisbane, whiling away the days with television news and her devoted, if drunken, next-door neighbor. When a London journalist struggling with her own romantic entanglements begins asking Maddie questions about her relationship to the famous and reclusive author M. A. Bright, she’s taken back to the glamorous days of the royal tour–and to the secrets she has kept for all these years.”
Thoughts:
- The novel was confusing at first with all of the different characters and I still couldn’t keep some of the minor characters straight even after 200 pages.
- I absolutely loved the dueling timelines and characters, hopping from 1920 to 1981 to 1997. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, especially when its told through different POVs and timelines!
- Lost Autumn was the first historical fiction I’ve read with a 1920’s timeline and featuring royalty so I liked being able to read about something new in the genre.
- A bit slow at first but once I got more invested in the characters I was hooked!
I ugly cried a lot and was not expecting that ending (I’m teary eyed just writing this review and still thinking about this incredible, unique, original novel). - It’s only April and it’s already going to be one of my faves of the year! Even though
historical fiction is one of my fave genres, I haven’t read it much lately since I wanted to try and get out of my reading comfort zone. But this book made me remember why I’m so in love (obsessed) with the genre and makes me want to read it more often, especially books featuring the monarchy! - I have also added more of MacColl’s books to my TBR because her storytelling style is fantastic and she could easily become a new favorite author for me!
Overall I’ve given this book 4.5 stars
Triggers Warnings: domestic violence, loss of loved one, suicide, PTSD, sexual assault
Thank you again to Putnam books and Mary-Rose MacColl for the gifted book! I hope you readers continue finding joy and escapism in books through these tough times, and thank you for reading my review. Leave a comment below and tell me what you’ve been reading during social distancing.