The Sea Gate

By: Jane Johnson

Narrated by: Anna Cordell

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

One house, two women, a lifetime of secrets....

Following the death of her mother, Becky begins the sad task of sorting through her empty flat. Starting with the letters piling up on the doormat, she finds an envelope post-marked from Cornwall. In it is a letter that will change her life forever. A desperate plea from her mother's elderly cousin, Olivia, to help save her beloved home.

Becky arrives at Chynalls to find the beautiful old house crumbling into the ground and Olivia stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her home is made habitable.

Though daunted by the enormity of the task, Becky sets to work. But as she peels back the layers of paint, plaster and grime, she uncovers secrets buried for more than 70 years. Secrets from a time when Olivia was young, the Second World War was raging and danger and romance lurked round every corner....

The Sea Gate is a sweeping, spellbinding novel about the lives of two very different women and the secrets that bind them together.

©2020 Jane Johnson (P)2020 Head of Zeus

Critic reviews

"I was completely swept up in this.... Quite magical." (Rachel Hore)

Loved it!

I'm already fascinated by inter-generational stories and family histories. This book did not disappoint! It was interesting all the way through, with just enough information to keep me guessing and wanting to continue to the conclusion, with an added bonus of suspense and romance to round out the story. I love these family tales, even though they are fiction. Great read.

Great book

I loved this book. I listened to it while walking and loved the narrator too. I think this author is a great writer and I highly recommend it. ❤️❤️

Absolutely charming

The story is full of twists and turns, and the writing is wonderful. The Cornish setting is as charming and authentic as you could wish for.

The narration is a perfect performance of the humour and deep personal experiences of the characters. Even the accents are fine!

This is so much more than a holiday read/listen. For me, this is the gold standard of its genre. I could happily go back to the beginning straight away and listen all over again.

what a wonderful story.

I got tis book as an audible offer but would have happily paid full price for it. I loved this story and the narration. very highly recommended

A wonderful adventure

WARNING: This book contains a scene with subject matter that may be upsetting for people who have experienced s*xual violence.

Both harrowing and uplifting, this story describes how imperfect people can experience hardship and harsh treatment, yet come through the other side with experience on their side. While the plot is a little predictable in places, there are just enough twists to keep it interesting. The outcomes are not always what one would expect, especially when dealing with flawed characters. I thought this would be a "lightly entertaining" read, but found myself spellbound. Worth a purchase!

You can judge a book by its cover

I bought this audiobook in a 2 for 1 sale, attracted by its intriguing title and cover. What a brilliant buy that turned out to be. Honestly it was an absolute joy to listen to from beginning to end. I will be looking for more work from this author for sure.

A bit coarse in parts but good story.

In the early chapters of the book, I found the language a bit coarse, even though I'm used to a certain amount in novels. One character in particular nearly made me abandon the book... and I don't mean Gabriel the parrot, who I loved! 😆

I am glad it didn't put me off as I found the story improving as it went on. It held no great surprises, but was a good bit of escapism and was quite neatly resolved at the end.

The narrator was fine, except for mis-pronouncing "detritus" several times.

I'm not sure that I would seek out another novel by this author, but don't hold me to that.

A wonderful find

Bought the book based on the story summary and reviews. Loved it and couldn't put it down. Interesting story that goes back into the detailed history of what leads to the current day. Beautifully narrated. Will look for more by this author and narrator.

The Sea Gate

This story was a little slow to start but there were intriguing points that kept me listening. I am so glad I did. As the story unfolded it became a tale of love and passion, which told two stories, one from the present day and one from the war years. The ending was strong and in good Christie fashion, explained everything to everyone's satisfaction.

Delightful!

Such a refreshing original story! I couldn't wait to get to work to listen to it!
The narration was exeptional too! considering the different ages of the characters ... accents and language I never once thought it tricky! superb!

A discovery.

I bought this book on a 2for 1 offer.
I hadn’t heard of this author so it was a risk. I am glad l bought it. A slow start but then developed into an exciting story with interesting characters.

Got bored with it

Started off well, a no-violence type of book, just what I was looking for.

However I gave up with 4hours left to go. Very slow moving story, difficult to follow on occasions .
However in the beginning it was much better.
Just my opinion, but definitely won't be recommending, sorry