The Forgotten Cottage

De: Courtney Ellis

Narrado por: Lorna Bennett, Helen Laser

Connected through time to her great-grandmother by a shared English countryside home, an American nurse tries to piece together her family's tangled history in this new historical novel from the acclaimed author of At Summer’s End.

England, 2014: Audrey Collins knows only two things about her beloved grandmother's past: She was born into nobility and she immigrated to America at seventeen years old. So when Audrey inherits her gran's home in North Yorkshire, she arrives expecting a sprawling country estate fit for lords and ladies. Instead, she finds an abandoned stone cottage perfectly preserved as Gran left it when she fled in 1941—ration book and all—and begins to uncover what secrets her family has been keeping.

France, 1915: Lady Emilie Dawes is working as a nurse on the Western Front, grateful to have escaped the restraints of her restrictive, privileged home life. But the independence she fought hard to earn is suddenly jeopardized when a familiar man shows up in one of her hospital beds. Facing him means facing her past, and the decisions she had made in fear. As the war rages around her, Emilie realizes she cannot continue running from who she is until she decides who she truly wants to be.

Over a hundred years apart, Audrey and Emilie each struggle to find purpose, love, and a place to call home in this enchanting family saga celebrating the courage of underestimated women—and the power a secret can hold across generations.

©2022 Courtney Ellis (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Great story!!!

It held my attention all the way through to the surprise ending! Loved the historical background!

Very good book!

Family history can so easily be lost, as it was for Audrey, but she persevered as the women who came before her had done and found a new life for herself. This is a very engaging read; in fact, I read it twice. The narrators were wonderful, especially the Audrey narrator. Emilie was a very brave woman who hated the restrictions placed on women of her class in the early 1900s. She defied her family and served her country in the volunteer nursing corps during WW1. What she witnessed, as told in the book, was graphic enough to give me a close enough picture of the horrors WW1 soldiers went through. I don’t think I could stand more. So this book is important because it gives a historical picture of a war that isn’t discussed that much. Audrey gives us a picture of a woman fighting her own war with alcohol addiction.Will she overcome? I wish the author could have found a way to let us know Dorothy better. Then there is Leslie, who is a complete surprise for Audrey. She never would have dreamed she could go hunting for the missing pieces of her Gran’s past and find a kind, interesting man like Leslie. I highly recommend this book. It’s well written and has sweetness as well as heartache woven into it.

FORGOTTEN COTTAGE

What an excellent depiction of many an English decedent's challenge to trace their family history. Fortunately for Audrey, her Grandmother left little tidbits in letters as Audrey must deal with pulling her own life

Exciting story!

What a good read! I love the parallel stories and the search for hidden truth. Just when you think have the answers, it takes a turn and you’re guessing again. It is both heartbreaking and heart warming. The Yorkshire references and dialect made me smile, as I visit there often. I thoroughly enjoyed being along for the ride!

Cross btwn 'The Women' and 'Downton Abbey'

liked the story, the voices, and imagery, as well as the exploration of parrallels between ancestry and modern day life choices

Tender story of resilience

The characters came to life as I listened to the stories of Emily and her granddaughter, Audrey. And the descriptions of the scenery could be imagined in vivid color. A most enjoyable listen.

Great book.

I don’t agree with some of the reviews that this was the worst narration. The narrator wasn’t the best at male voices but I have heard worse. This was a quick, easy and interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wonderful story

Loved this story and the back and forth between times. the story kept me engaged as did the characters.

secrets do hurt

War has us make hard choices. Emily fell in love, but was forced to make a decision for self-preservation.

the twists and turns

i liked it all! we written, well narrated.The story flowed and the characters consistent. their emotions palpable.