We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
An epic novel of a great house and the love that consumed it…
Judith Lennox’s The Secret Years is a moving story about life in the East Anglian Fens after the First World War. Perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Kate Morton.
During the golden summer of 1914, four young people played in the gardens of Drakesden Abbey. Nicholas and Lally were the children of the great house, set in the bleak and magical Fen country; Thomasine was the unconventional niece of two genteel maiden aunts in the village; Daniel was the son of the local blacksmith, a fiercely independent, ambitious boy who longed to break away from the stifling confines of his East Anglian upbringing. As the drums of war sounded in the distance, the Firedrake, a mysterious and ancient Blythe family heirloom disappeared, setting off an uncontrollable chain of events.
The Great War changed everything, and both Nicholas and Daniel returned from the front damaged by their experiences. Thomasine, freed from the narrow disciplines of her childhood, and enjoying the new hedonism which the twenties brought, thought that she could escape from the ties that bound her to both Nicholas and Daniel. But the passions and enmities of their youth had intensified in the passing years, and the four friends had to experience tragedy and betrayal before the Firedrake made its reappearance and, with it, a new hope for the future.
What readers are saying about The Secret Years:
‘Judith Lennox writes wonderful stories which are compelling and beautifully descriptive‘
‘What a page turner -a twisty turny tale!‘
‘A wonderfully written story… Couldn’t put this book down‘
Judith Lennox’s The Secret Years is a moving story about life in the East Anglian Fens after the First World War. Perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Kate Morton.
During the golden summer of 1914, four young people played in the gardens of Drakesden Abbey. Nicholas and Lally were the children of the great house, set in the bleak and magical Fen country; Thomasine was the unconventional niece of two genteel maiden aunts in the village; Daniel was the son of the local blacksmith, a fiercely independent, ambitious boy who longed to break away from the stifling confines of his East Anglian upbringing. As the drums of war sounded in the distance, the Firedrake, a mysterious and ancient Blythe family heirloom disappeared, setting off an uncontrollable chain of events.
The Great War changed everything, and both Nicholas and Daniel returned from the front damaged by their experiences. Thomasine, freed from the narrow disciplines of her childhood, and enjoying the new hedonism which the twenties brought, thought that she could escape from the ties that bound her to both Nicholas and Daniel. But the passions and enmities of their youth had intensified in the passing years, and the four friends had to experience tragedy and betrayal before the Firedrake made its reappearance and, with it, a new hope for the future.
What readers are saying about The Secret Years:
‘Judith Lennox writes wonderful stories which are compelling and beautifully descriptive‘
‘What a page turner -a twisty turny tale!‘
‘A wonderfully written story… Couldn’t put this book down‘
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
A gripping and intelligent romance
A sensitive examination of love and loss by this master storyteller
The characters are in many ways so normal, yet in other ways so unbelievably wonderful, in this gripping and heartfelt story
A compelling novel... Lennox's prose is detailed but never overly dense and powerful when describing prosaic scenes
Compelling storytelling
Praise for Judith Lennox: A fast-moving, complex story
A beautifully turned, compassionate novel. Judith Lennox's writing is so keenly honest it could sever heartstrings
Completely unputdownable... a lovely, entrancing book