We’re delighted to be sharing Elena’s thoughts about The Lost Sister by Kathleen McGurl.
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- ASIN : B08WK5H329
- Publisher : HQ Digital (12 May 2021)
- Language : English
- File size : 1183 KB
- Print length : 298 pages
Three sisters. Three ships. One heartbreaking story.
1911. As Emma packs her trunk to join the ocean liner Olympic as a stewardess, she dreams of earning enough to provide a better life for both her sisters. With their photograph tucked away in her luggage, she promises to be back soon – hoping that sickly Lily will keep healthy, and wild Ruby will behave. But neither life at sea nor on land is predictable, and soon the three sisters’ lives are all changed irrevocably…
Now. When Harriet finds her late grandmother’s travelling trunk in the attic, she’s shocked to discover a photo of three sisters inside – her grandmother only ever mentioned one sister, who died tragically young. Who is the other sister, and what happened to her? Harriet’s questions lead her to the story of three sister ships, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, and a shattering revelation about three sisters torn apart…
Don’t miss the latest novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Secret of the Chateau. Perfect for fans of The Beekeeper’s Promise and The Forgotten Village!
Book Review
The Lost Sister is a dual timeline story taking place both in 1911 and 2019. The story told in 1911 is about three sisters, Emma, Ruby and Lily who live in Southampton with their mother. Emma secures a job aboard the White Star Line ship the Olympic (sister ship to both the Titanic and Britannic). Fuelling her is both a wish to take part in the adventure of sailing to New York and an eagerness to help her mother financially by providing for her and her sisters. Ruby her middle sister is a rebel who hates being stuck in Southampton and her younger sister Lily has suffered with illness so is more vulnerable and sickly. The three sisters become linked to the three sister ships and their voyages and experiences shape their outcomes.
The second timeline is set in 2019 and focuses on Harriet, who has been recently widowed, and her daughters Sally and Davina. One day Harriet finds a photograph of her grandmother with two other sisters however she only knows about one of them who died when she was young. She tries to uncover the truth behind the secrets that her grandmother’s been keeping. As Harriet explores her grandmother’s life there are parallels between their experiences in 1911 and her life today with similar issues, hardships and family dynamics.
The way the book alternates between the two timelines is so clever and effective. I adore stories based around the Titanic and just love to imagine what it would have been like to travel aboard her.
The author weaves between the two timelines brilliantly and although there were many characters in the book (some of whom, I was surprised to learn, were based upon real people) I never lost track of them and their stories.
This is the second book I’ve read by Kathleen McGurl and it’s even better than the last.
The way she combines beautiful family stories in two completely different periods is so clever and effective and each historical timeline resonates beautifully with the present day.
I felt as though I was living on the ships such is the author’s attention to detail and thorough research.
I’m happy to say I got completely lost in this book and I couldn’t wait to pick up where I left off each day.
A stunning, rich and absorbing read that I thoroughly recommend.
Kathleen McGurl lives in Christchurch, UK, with her husband. She has two sons who have both now left home. She always wanted to write, and for many years was waiting until she had the time. Eventually she came to the bitter realisation that no one would pay her for a year off work to write a book, so she sat down and started to write one anyway. Since then she has published several novels with HQ and self-published another. She has also sold dozens of short stories to women’s magazines, and written three How To books for writers. After a long career in the IT industry she became a full time writer in 2019. When she’s not writing, she’s often out running, slowly.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathMcGurl @KathMcGurl | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathleenMcGurl | Website: https://kathleenmcgurl.com/