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Fiona Valpy

The Skylark's Secret Kindle Edition

by Fiona Valpy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

17,667 ratings

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Loch Ewe, 1940. When gamekeeper’s daughter Flora’s remote highland village finds itself the base for the Royal Navy’s Arctic convoys, life in her close-knit community changes forever. In defiance of his disapproving father, the laird’s son falls in love with Flora, and as tensions build in their disrupted home, any chance of their happiness seems doomed.

Decades later, Flora’s daughter, singer Lexie Gordon, is forced to return to the village and to the tiny cottage where she grew up. Having long ago escaped to the bright lights of the West End, London still never truly felt like home. Now back, with a daughter of her own, Lexie learns that her mother—and the hostile-seeming village itself—have long been hiding secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew.

As she pieces together the fragments of her parents’ story, Lexie discovers the courageous, devastating sacrifices made in her name. It’s too late to rekindle her relationship with her mother, but can Lexie find it in her heart to forgive the past, to grieve for all that’s lost, and finally find her place in the world?

Print length

321 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Lake Union Publishing
Publication date

29 September 2020
File size

4526 KB
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Product description

About the Author

Fiona is an acclaimed, number 1 bestselling author, whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. She draws inspiration from stories of strong women, especially during the years of World War II. Her meticulous historical research enriches her writing with an evocative sense of time and place.

Fiona spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007, before returning to live in Scotland. Her love for both of these countries, their people and their histories, has found its way into the books she’s written.

Review

"A wonderfully immersive novel about mothers and daughters, lovers and friends, set against a vivid and beautifully described Scottish setting. I loved it!" --Victoria Connelly, bestselling author of The Rose Girls

"Love, love, loved it. I love Scotland and history so it ticked lots of boxes. Brilliant story, I was completely immersed in it, so moving and touching too. The research needed must have been hard to do but it brought the war and the arctic convoys to life. I felt cold just reading about it." --Lesley Pearse, author of You'll Never See Me Again

"A moreish story of love, war, loss, and finding love again, set against an atmospheric Highlands backdrop." --Gill Paul, author of The Second Marriage

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07X3NMHXJ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (29 September 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4526 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1542005159

Best Sellers Rank: 2,636 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 10 in Scottish Historical Romance
- 20 in Women's Fiction About Friendship
- 45 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Books)

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17,667 ratings

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Fiona Valpy

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Fiona is an acclaimed number 1 bestselling author, whose books have been translated into more than twenty different languages worldwide.

She draws inspiration from the stories of strong women, especially during the years of World War II. Her meticulous historical research enriches her writing with an evocative sense of time and place.

She spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007, before returning to live in Scotland. Her love for both of these countries, their people and their histories, has found its way into the books she’s written.

Fiona says, "To be the first to hear about my NEW releases, please visit my website at www.fionavalpy.com and subscribe to the mailing list. I promise not to share your e-mail and I'll only contact you when a new book is out."

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Chantal

Review

Reviewed in Australia on 11 January 2021

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What an amazing account of a fraught and terrible time in the history of World War 2. I recently watched a documentary talking about this place and what the crofting community did for the war effort. You managed to combine the history of what occurred with a fictional narrative that was completely believable and made me feel like I was actually there. What a wonderful story you have written. I found this book hard to put down even to get some sleep. It has made me determined to visit this beautiful place in Scotland when I get the opportunity to go overseas again. My father’s relatives came from Scotland and Ireland. He himself, traveled from Monaghan in Ireland, to Australia on a ten pound ticket and worked on the Snowy Hydro, meeting and falling in love with my mother at an Irish dance. They would often tell stories about the music, singing and get togethers as well as the hard times experienced as children during the war. You have proved that we all hold hope and freedom in our hearts and though we might live in different countries, often have similar shared experiences.
Thank you for bringing this bit of history to life in such an exceptional way. Thoroughly enjoyable story. Chantal

3 people found this helpful

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Grannysebooks

Really interesting read about a little reported part of WWII

Reviewed in Australia on 3 January 2021

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Set in Scotland during World War Two the story revolves around the loves, lives and losses of the inhabitants of Loch Ewe and the military importance of that area to the success of the Allies.
Interesting and informative, with excellent characterisation and intriguing subplot to add some mystery.
Set in the present and the past both stories keep the reader engrossed.
Lovers of a good romance and an historical novel will enjoy this book

2 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Heady, Hopeful and Healing

Reviewed in Australia on 8 January 2022

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A most wonderful story set in a part of history I knew nothing about. I couldn’t put this book down my head truly immersed in each character whose lives were beautifully entwined in a foreboding time in history. I would recommend this book to lovers of history and Scottish scenery and family ties. If I could have given it a bigger star rating I would have as I loved that much.

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Stevie Smith

Love, loss and hope

Reviewed in Australia on 4 May 2021

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Thoroughly enjoyed this tale of love and loss in Scotland in WW2. The two women Flora and her daughter Lexie were easy to identify with in their different tragedies in life. Finely drawn characters. The historical elements were very interesting and you could feel the cold when they spoke about ploughing through the Attic seas in the warships.
It was a great novel.

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Melbourne Gal

Uplifting Scottish story

Reviewed in Australia on 13 January 2021

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I listened to The Skylark's Secret on Audible. It was easy to listen to whilst working on other projects. I enjoyed hearing about the difficulties of living on a remote Scottish Island and the attitudes of two generations living in the same small village. Family history gradually unfolded, revealing the joys and hardships of life spanning WW 2 to 1980s.
I was disappointed that the lines from popular Scottish songs were read by the narrator, not sung.

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Lynette Lapham

True Story of amazing courage and Bravery

Reviewed in Australia on 21 January 2021

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I loved this novel - what an amazing sacrifice was made by these naval personnel in WWII in a remote region of Scotland and the arctic. The romantic story had an unexpected twist at the end - a great read from beginning to end.

One person found this helpful

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John Barrington

Tragedy, Love, Despair, Hope and more.

Reviewed in Australia on 25 November 2021

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Selected without thought, as from a lucky dip. Seeking a different type of story from the usual. This has fulfilled the need. Written with passion it is set in the hills of Scotland. A must read.

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Janice Weightman

The Skylark' s Secret

Reviewed in Australia on 13 October 2020

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I love this book, along with each of Fiona Valpy' s other novels. Well researched and peopled with believable characters that were beaut to meet. I highly recommend this author.
Thank you for your work Fiona.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Jeanie Mckinlay

Tragically beautiful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 September 2020

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With grateful thanks to netgalley and fiona valpy for an early copy in return for an honest review.
I have read all the other books by this Author so I knew it was going to be a good one.i didn't realise how good,this is one of the most OUTSTANDING authors it felt so real as if I was actually there even down to the colour of the sky and the sound of the skylarks singing, this dual time line worked absolutely perfect between flora in ww2 and her daughter lexie in the late 70's it flowed seamlessly it really is quite a tragic tale of love and loss
I really can't praise this book enough and can highly recommend this OUTSTANDING book.

41 people found this helpful

Lizzy neath

Lovely story that draws you in, believable characters in a wonderful setting!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2020

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I loved this book, I had pre ordered it as have read every one of Fiona Valpy's books. I think the way she draws you into a story and her characters are so believable I'm transported to wherever they are based which has come in very handy during lockdown! This is based in the Scottish highlands, it's about a young girl how she wanted to leave the village to be a star and see her name in lights, and how she felt having to return feeling she'd failed! The War changes so many things in the Scottish Highlands but the love of the people and the beautiful surroundings shines through! Fiona Valpy's descriptions of the area are so vivid I just have to visit myself, so Scotland here I come!

24 people found this helpful

L Thomas

A well researched and enjoyable read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2020

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Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, especially as my father was on HMS Ulster Queen and sailed from Loch Ewe on PQ15 to Murmansk and PQ18 to Archangel, returning on QP12 and QP15 respectively. Having made contact with the Russian Arctic Convoy Museum Project as few years ago, just in time to be part of the Arctic Star medal presentation team, and having made several trips north since then, I was really able to enjoy the book as I could imagine the places mentioned and the wild windswept road to Cove. I published my father's memoirs in 2015 (Through Ice and Fire: A Russian Arctic Convoy Diary 1942) and much of what he said in his book parallels Fiona's descriptions of the sense of trepidation of the men and relief upon their return. Fortunately my father did return, but I am eternally grateful to all those who had to sacrifice their lives so we could live in peace. I would love to have had the skill to weave a story around the events in and around Loch Ewe but Fiona managed to do this far more skilfully than I would ever have been able to do, having obviously done thorough research and made contact with those who could advise her well. I have shared the book on my own book's Facebook page and hope that others may enjoy what proved to be a very well written and enjoyable story set in a time and place often overlooked by history. Thank you Fiona.

23 people found this helpful

E W Macpherson

Another excellent novel by FionA Valpy.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2020

Verified Purchase

I liked that The Skylark's Secret is set in the West Coast of Scotland. In an area that is familiar. The characters are believable and interesting as is the setting.
I am just sorry that I finished the book in a day. Couldn't put it down!

17 people found this helpful

Elizabeth B

Another brilliant book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2020

Verified Purchase

I love Fiona Valpy's books and couldn't wait for this one to arrive. Another beautifully told story, full of detail and facts surrounding the lives of the men and women of WWII in the breathtaking north west highlands of Scotland. Every one of Fiona's novels makes me feel I am there, and every one is my favourite until the next one comes along. I love the way the stories flip back and forth between the two main characters and their eras. Yet again, this story would make a super film. Looking forward to the next one!

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