Having never read a book written by Kathleen McGurl before I was over the moon to get a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

What an amazing surprise!! After a few pages in I was so totally engrossed that I could not put it down. seriously this book would have had to have been surgically removed from my hand before I would put it down!!

When Laura discovers her boyfriend Stuart in bed with her best friend/ roommate Martine she quickly packs a bag and moves in with her gran Stella.

Stella suggests to Laura that’s she has a holiday. On the news they see a report on how the Bereswater Reservoir has dried up exposing the village of Brackendale Green. Stella had grown up there until they built the dam.

The chapters seamlessly go from when Stella is young to present time Laura on holiday . We discover that Stella was bought up by her dad Jed after her mother Edie dies, sadly her sister goes missing and is presumed dead!!

I practically read this in one sitting as I was totally transfixed by this beautifully written book, that takes us on a memorable journey with lots of secrets along the way.

Have to admit that at the end I might have had a tear in my eye and really did not want this book to end.

A very moving story where one act had devastating affects for generations to come.

Really enjoyable read especially for those who love the Lake District. The setting would be familiar to many people who have experienced this and the fact that it is set in the 1930's should be a reminder of how hard life was then for many people.
Characters that you can relate to and really like or dislike but are human.

I enjoyed this dual time frame story set in the lake district. Stella Walker's life is to be changed as the village of Brackendale Green is about to be submerged by a reservoir. Stella is merely 11 years old and trying to keep the family together after the death of her mother, whilst her father earns a living. But as the waters rise a terrible event leaves the family in tatters. Life will never be the same again and Stella spends her whole life under a cloud of guilt despite the fact that she could not have done anything differently.
Present time Stella is in old age and Laura, her granddaughter and carer has an opportunity to finally let Stella have peace of mind. She visits the site of Stella's childhood after a heatwave leaves the village ruins exposed. Stella insists Laura visit but is cagey about why. What develops is a mystery to be solved with a developing romance along the way I enjoyed the story - a great idea to dwell on the people and their livelihoods from a bygone time whose homes every so often surface through the waters. The unsolved mystery element was a bit predictable but all in all I found this an enjoyable read.

A great dual-time book in a thoroughly intriguing location. I guessed what had happened fairly early on but it made it all the more satisfying when I rocketed through the book to find out if I was right. Will definitely read more from this author.

Laura turns to her grandmother Stella when her boyfriend and best friend betray her. Life with Stella is quiet and safe, but her grandmother worries Laura is missing out. A TV news item brings Stella's secret past to the present and Laura is easily persuaded to help her Grandmother solve past secrets and enjoy an escape to the beautiful English Lake District.

The destruction of villages through the creation of reservoirs must leave its community with latent resentment. Even though the villagers are usually financially compensated this doesn't negate the sense of loss and destruction of a community. Stella village is resurrected after an exceptional drought and with it the chance to right a wrong and find the answers to some family secrets buried by the water.

The timeslip between the present day and the thirties is well written and adds depth to the story. The characters are complex and flawed but believable, and it's easy to empathise with the choices most of them are forced to make. The gentle romance between Laura and Tom is lovely and the ending when family secrets are revealed poignant and satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from HQ Stories via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Wow, this story literally grabbed a hold of me and sucked me in. I was gripped and sitting on the edge of my seat with ever chapter, right to the very end.

It didn't take me long to be drawn into the stories of both Jed/Stella back in 1935 and that of Laura in present day, I was captivated right from the first few chapters. I loved how the story went back and forth from 1935 to present day which was done so seamlessly.

It was highly captivating, dramatic and emotional read in places, I literally could not turn the pages fast enough, with wanting to find out what happens next and as to how it would all end.

I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I truly felt for Stella, everything she had to deal with as a young child and the effects it all had on her future.

Kathleen was a new author to me, but given how much I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this, I will definitely be looking to read her other books.

wow, what a great book! I couldn't put it down and raced to the end. Loved the dual time frame between the past and the modern/present day narrative. It's been a while since I was so engrossed in a book and I will definitely be looking out for more books by Kathleeen McGurl now!

Lovely light read, thoroughly enjoyed it. In 1935 Stella and her family were preparing to leave their village forever as a new dam had been built and they were flooding that area forever. When her sister goes missing and is believed drowned the submerged village keeps it's secret.
Years later after a drought the village is once again uncovered. Too old to go and see Stella persuades her granddaughter to go back to the village and do something that she failed to do for her dad before the village was underwater again. She meets another young man who also has ties with the village through his greatgrandmother. They uncover more than they bargained for. Lies and deceit years ago meant an innocent man, Stella's father had been charged with his daughter's murder. Eventually the truth comes out.

When a lake dries up and reveals the remnants of Brackendale Green, an old deserted village, Laura is spurred on by her grandmother, Stella, to visit. The village has a particular significance for Stella as it was where she grew up before having to leave to make way for the new dam. What secret does the village hold and will Laura be able to uncover it before Brackendale Green, once again, disappears underwater?

Like Kathleen McGurl's previous books (The Pearl Locket, The Emerald Comb, The Daughters of Red Hill Hall and The Girl from Ballymor), The Drowned Village has a dual time frame, told from the modern-day perspective of Laura, and her grandmother, Stella, in 1935, then an eleven-year-old girl. The stories told in both eras are equally as compelling and their plots tie together seamlessly to provide an entertaining read.

While there are elements of the plot that came as no surprise as the story progressed, this was not a problem as I was so engrossed in what was happening. It is testament to the author's description that, as I was reading, I was transported back to 1935, and could truly visualise the landscape and houses making up the village of Brackendale Green.

In stories of this genre, the two time frames are often generations apart so it was nice to have the same character, Stella, featuring in both. This also provided a stark reminder to anyone interested in their own family history that they should speak to older relatives now while they have the chance. Although Laura was able to discover the circumstances surrounding her grandmother's past, she realised that if it wasn't for the re-emerging of the village, there would be a fascinating and emotive story that would have gone undiscovered.

Due to my love of crime and genealogical fiction, Kathleen McGurl's books tick all the boxes for me and The Drowned Village is no exception. This is a great, easy read that is highly recommended.