Cover Image: The Lost Memories

The Lost Memories

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

An interesting point of view of the heroing story of woman in war. The writing style is well done and the story flows well. Highly recommend if you like female centered historical fiction

Was this review helpful?

I did enjoy this book and I liked the characters. The early time of 1944 was a time of uncertainty and definitely a live for the moment time. The connection between Kitty and Charlie was endearing. I liked how the two timelines linked together and, although, I did guess what was the likely outcome of the story, there was a surprise. The ending was very heartfelt and I had to hold back the tears. I found this to be an enjoyable read that evoked the feelings of that earlier period of time. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Amy is busy with her new tearoom and catering business and has no time for her love life. However, one day, she meets a guy, an American photographer, who came to Suffolk with his father and grandfather for a ceremony commemorating American soldiers fighting in the war.

Amy enjoys spending time with grandma, Kitty, whose story takes place during World War II. Kitty was a lovely young lady when she fell in love with an American airman stationed in Suffolk. Her story from almost seventy years ago, was still hidden in a dusty diary in the attic, which was finally brought to light thanks to her granddaughter. You need to read this book to experience the love journey of both Kitty and Amy.

It is a story about the lives of two girls in very different worlds. I liked the dual timeline and POV format and was drawn to both Kelly and Amy.
Kitty was an amazing person full of energy, love and dreams that didn't last long. Her granddaughter, Amy, was strong and hard-working person who cared for her family and took further steps towards her grandmother's happiness.
This was a gripping story of love and war.

The ending was tense but very beautiful at the same time.

Was this review helpful?

A dual timeline, we have Amy in Summer 2011 and Kitty in 1944. Kitty is Amy's grandmother. She fell in love with an American airman who was stationed in the village during the war. The book alternates between both women's lives.
I loved this author's book The Hidden Letters, so was excited to read this one. However, the story fell short for me. I didn't feel like the characters were fully fleshed out and we didn't really get to know some of them in dept at all. It also took time to get going. The early chapters were slow and not a lot happened in them. There was secret upon secret but it took forever for it to all to come to light. It did pick up towards the end though.
I would recommend it to readers of dual timelines and war years stories but for anyone interested in this author, read The Hidden Letters!

Thank you to Avon Books Uk and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

Beautifully written book with a dual timeline. Lovely characters and setting. This one ticks all the boxes for me and didn't disappoint.

Was this review helpful?

In a small Suffolk village in 1944 local girl Kitty meets dashing American airman Charlie.
They never know if Charlie’s next mission could be his last, so they make the most of the time they have together.
In the same village in 2011 Amy is running her own tearoom with her sister. The village is holding a war themed day on the disused airfield, and the village in inundated with Americans, families of those who were stationed there during the war and some of the airmen themselves.
Amy literally bumps into Jack, an American photographer. Showing him the best places in the village to capture on film they begin to get close. But Jack has to go back home, and Amy is worried her heart may just go with him.
A lovely story told from the point of view of two young women, Kitty in 1944 and her Granddaughter Amy in 2011.
A story, of love, heartbreak, and bonds that can stand the test of time.

Was this review helpful?

Charlie and Kitty meet in 1944 in Suffolk. He is an American pilot based at the local airfield and soon they fall in love but will Charlie finish his final tour?
Kitty's granddaughter runs a tea room in Suffolk in 2011 and an American tourist Jack soon makes an impression on her.
Soon however, secrets begin to unfold but will there be a happy ending?

Was this review helpful?

Beautiful, Timeless, romantic, gripping, heartwarming. A perfect ending to the truest form of love. The Lost Memories is a highly recommended read, that had me captivated throughout the entire book.

I would like to thank Avon Books , NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

The Lost Memories by Lorna Cook is a dual narrative novel set in a little Suffolk across two different timelines - one in the days between D-Day and VE Day, and one in 2011. The story switches between Kitty during the war years and her granddaughter Amy in the present day. The East Anglian landscape is fairly familiar to me and really came through beautifully in the descriptions.

I really enjoyed reading about the the characters of Kitty, Amy, Jack and Charlie. My initial thought was that some of the plot twists were fairly predictable and to an extent it was, although happily I was proved wrong in the bigger storyline! My grandfather was also in the Airforce in WW2 who married my grandmother after her fiance died in the war so the characters seemed really real to me and I could imagine the emotion in the characters' situations vividly.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

When I started reading the book it began with Kitty telling her granddaughter about her life during the war. The next day I was finished and thought oh that book is very short. For some reason my kindle book had started half way through and I hadn't noticed.
I had to go back to the beginning so I was reading it knowing the ending which has spoiled it for me.
I am enjoying it though just unfortunate.
I enjoyed the war story and the present day story just as much as each other and it had a lovely ending.

Was this review helpful?

Slightly predictable in places (i.e. unmarried pregnancy) but an enjoyable and easy read. The characters were all very likeable and portrayed well. The book did make me want to visit the area and see the plaque and find out more about the local history (Duxford is amazing - I went as a little girl when they were filming the Memphis Belle movie!).

Would recommend to others and I always enjoy books by Lorna Cook.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and of course Lorna for allowing me to read an Arc copy.

Was this review helpful?

Suffolk, 1944. The Second World War is almost over, the allies have invaded Normandy and American pilot Charlie signed up for his second tour of duty and this doesn’t happen very often. Kitty works in her father’s pub, The Duck, filling glasses and cleaning up and she wants to join the Women’s Land Army. Kitty and Charlie meet, love blossoms between them, he promises Kitty he won’t take any risks and she counts the planes when they return to the airfield from bombing Europe.

The story has a dual timeline, its set in Suffolk, England and is told from the points of view of Kitty and her granddaughter Amy.

Suffolk, 2011. Amy runs a busy tearooms in Lavenham and her sister Caroline helps her. The town is full of American tourist and veterans for the 70th anniversary of the 487th Bomb Group who were stationed here during World War Two, they plan on holding a Heritage Day and unveil a plaque. Jack’s a photographer from New York he's travelled to Suffolk with his father and grandfather. Amy agrees to show him around in exchange for his taking shots of the local landmarks and she wants to sell them in her tearooms and of course pay Jack a percentage of profits. All that’s left of the old airfield is the watch tower, the landing strip and it once was farm land.

I received a copy of The Lost Memories by Lorna Cook from Avon Publishing UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read many stories set in England during the Second World War, this one is very different as it after the D-Day landings and the war is almost over and yet no one knows when it will end. The fictional narrative is based on a real village in Suffolk and the pub where the servicemen signed the walls all those years ago and sadly only a small number made it home.

Be prepared to go on an emotional roller coaster while reading Ms. Cook’s latest novel, it's set in a beautiful and quaint location, a story about young love, not knowing what the future holds, looking back at the past and big secrets are revealed. An amazing multi-generational romance, I haven’t cried so much since I read the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and five stars from me. I highly recommend The Lost Memories and Lorna Cook’s previous book The Hidden Letters.

Was this review helpful?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6345716885

Another wonderful read from Lorna ,Cook. She is such a good story teller and this one ticks all the boxes with a historical fiction dual timeline, beautiful setting and likeable, believable characters.

Hopefully the typos will be picked up before it goes to print as they did mar the reading experience .

Was this review helpful?

If you’re looking for a beautifully poignant dual timeline romance look no further. The story is shared between Kitty in the 1940s and her grand-daughter Amy in the 2010s.

I always find ww1/ww2 based books really interesting and I love a Lorna Cook novel so this was always going to be a winner for me.

I loved the characters of Kitty, Amy, Jack and Charlie. I thought the story was going to be fairly predictable and to an extent it was, although there were a couple of twists I didn’t see coming. The Suffolk setting was well described and easy to imagine; fascinating to learn it was based on a real world place.

So pleased to have read this. Thank you to netgalley and Avon for my review copy.

Note to publisher - there were quite a few spelling mistakes/typos which hopefully have been picked up before print.

Was this review helpful?

Beautiful story!

I absolutely loved this book. I flew through it, wanting to see more about Kitty and Charlie, and Amy and Jack. This is a dual timelines story, 1944-46 and 2011. Amy is Kitty’s granddaughter, her grandfather died when she was 4. Amy has her own business, a tea shop, but when her village has a remembrance ceremony for American soldiers who died there during the war, Amy meets Jack, there with her father and grandfather.

I don’t rate too many books 5 star, but this is one of them. Anyone who loves historical fiction in the UK will enjoy this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I was delighted to be chosen to read this book before publication. I have never read a Lorna Cook book and lots of my book club friends have recommended I do, so to be chosen to read her new novel was exciting.
I absolutely loved the dual story and timeline. I thought the story was beautifully thought out and it felt fresh, even though there are tons on WW2 fictional stories on the market, this came across as different. There was something captivating about the story, the characters came to life in every page. I enjoyed the authors note on the facts behind the story and this added to the overall 5* rating I gave on Goodreads. Lorna Cook has a new fan!

Was this review helpful?

I loved this one! Such a lovely heart warming story! I did guess that Grandad was Charlie Young but it made me so happy their story went full circle! A lovely easy read that I flew through.

Was this review helpful?

First of all . Dual timelines. It was a sweet story with a marvellous setting. I just did not get wowed by it. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Was this review helpful?

An easy comfortable book to read set in two time frames of grandmothers early life and grand daughter starting out in adulthood. Its one of those books which makes you want to snuggle up in a cosy chair and get involved in the characters and their story. Lorna cook always manages to create this type of atmosphere and this book sits well alongside her other works.

Was this review helpful?

Being local to the location of this story made it so easy to imagine the events and all the more poignant for it. Dual timeline story worked well and characters were well written and believable. Recommended

Was this review helpful?