The Secret Letter by Kerry Barrett

The Secret Letter Reviews

• 
  Karren Sandercock

  The Secret Letter has a dual timeline story that links two teachers together, both are fighting for the local children to receive an education in Kent and a century apart.
  
  Esther Watkins is a suffragette, she's just been released from Holloway prison, where she was locked up for a month and force fed. Esther’s a teacher, the school she works for terminates her employment, and she’s not welcome at her mother’s house and fellow suffragette Agnes Oliver employees her as a live in governess for her children. When she’s banished from London due to her involvement with the cause, she moves to Elm Heath, a small farming community, they don’t have a school, and Esther's determined to open one.
  
  Elizabeth Armstrong’s marriage has ended badly, she leaves London and is the new deputy head of Elm Heath School. Lizzie’s pleasantly surprised by her new job, her co-workers are friendly, the students and parents are lovely and she really likes the community spirit. The numbers at the school have been slowly dropping, the council is considering closing the school, Elizabeth and her fellow teachers need to come up with a plan to keep it open and be financially viable.
  
  Lizzie discovers the link between Esther Watkins the founder of the school, her being a suffragette, they use her story as inspiration, the whole community rallies together and saves the school from developers. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I look forward to reading other books by Kerry Barrett and four stars from me.
  https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
• 
  Bookread2day

  My review.
  www.bookread2day.wordpress.com. Twitter@bookpage5
  
  Paperback version
  
  I literally couldn’t put this book down, if I could have given The Secret Letter by Kerry Barrett more than give stars I would most certainly have done so. This happens to be my kind of book to read.
  
  My heart went out to Lizzie Armstrong who was in charge of an infant school in London, whose marriage ended because her husband who worked at Broadway Common school faked SATs results.
  
  Lizzie moves to Elm Heath as head teacher , but the school could close. Lizzie must come up with a way to save her new life as head teacher, and save the wonderful children from having to travel to a new school. Then an idea comes to light to find out more about Esther Watkins who was a suffragette and founder of the village school at Elm Heath.
  
  The two stories about Lizzie Armstrong and Esther Watkins are an absolute delight to read about. I highly recommend The Secret Letter, it���s totally unputdownable. Kerry Barrett has now become an author that I have fallen in love with her writing, and I have been looking up Kerry Barrett ‘s other books, and I have found that there are some more books that I want read.i have to say again, 100% recommend The Secret Letter. I am very happy that I now have to me found a new author to follow on Twitter and Goodreads.
• 
  Renee

  Charming & enjoyable dual-timeline story! In modern times, Lizzie, a head teacher reeling from her ex-husband’s betrayal, finds hope, healing & a bit of romance through the community brought together by a small village’s private school. As she leads the fight to keep the school alive, she finds inspiration in the life story of the school’s founder, a suffragette who sacrificed personal happiness to make life better for the children of her day and for future generations. As a teacher in a small private school, I found the modern day storyline very touching :)
• 
  Joanna Park

  I so enjoyed this enthralling, emotional dual timeline mystery from one of my favourite authors.
  
  The two main characters Lizzie and Esther were fantastic creations who I loved getting to know better. They are surprisingly alike as they are both very strong women who know exactly what they want. I really admired their determination to succeed and their ability to try again when things go wrong.
  
  The author has clearly done her research for this book and I liked the way she subtly included actual historical events into the story. The Suffragette’s fight for the vote is one of my favourite periods in history and I really enjoyed finding out more about it, especially as I could look up events on line to learn more too.
  
  I thought this book was perfectly paced and plotted to just draw the reader into the story. I soon found myself lost in the characters world and reluctant to put the book down. There are lot of very emotional moments which were hard to read at times as I had grown very fond of the characters. I had to put the books down at times and come back to it which is always a sign of a well written book. The ending was brilliant with the epilogue helping to finish the book off on a lovely, if poignant, note.
  
  Huge thanks to Jessica from HQ Digital for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
• 
  Ixxati

  This story was told from two point of views which is from Esther the past and Lizzy the present. Esther and Lizzy are related to Elm Health Primary school.There are some parts that make my eyes teary and I had to stop reading for awhile. My sensitive ass can't take it phewww
  
  Esther story as a suffragette was really interesting. Her relationship with Joseph the copper/police are forbidden and that make me feels sad.
  
  I enjoyed reading The Secret Letter. Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for this amazing book!
• 
  Sarah

  I am smitten with Kerry Barrett's writing - this story is incredible - It really is a tale of triumph and tragedy! I was enraptured through every single part of it. The story is set during the past and the present. What is the connection between a school teacher (Esther) during the early part of the twentieth century and a school teacher (Lizzie) during the twenty - first century? - these two characters (despite having never met, obviously) are very alike and they both know what they want and they strive hard to get it. We follow them on their bumpy journey but will they reach what they set out to achieve? I loved these strong female characters, they're very likeable as they seem so real and they want the best for others, no matter what. Even when they're treated so appallingly, they get up, dust themselves off and off they go again... The scenes that were set in the past I found intriguing; the courage that the women showed and I think that I enjoyed it more, knowing that some of those things actually did happen. And the importance of why they did it. The author is thorough in her research, nothing about the book seemed rushed and all of the elements are well thought out and well balanced. It has made for an interesting and very pleasant read. I was never confused with the dual timeline; I enjoyed each part equally and couldn't wait to get back to the lovely characters. I really enjoyed the surprises and the not knowing what was going to happen next! There is nothing worse than reading a story that is predictable! I liked the other characters who are quite charming, funny, caring, loyal, disloyal, dishonest, brutal... Yes, there's certainly a mixed bunch, but they fit into their roles perfectly. I was very pleased with the ending and the epilogue made me feel quite emotional. I was quite overwhelmed to see that Esther, who was never alone in her lifetime - even with her lack of relations - was also not alone as she passed. I am looking forward to reading more books from this very talented author and I definitely recommend her books! Thank you very much to HQ Digital via NetGalley for this fabulous read
• 
  Nessa

  I listened to this on audiobook and read on ebook too.
  
  Having loved a couple of Kerry's previous books, I just knew that I wanted to read her next one and so glad that I did.
  
  This has been a truly wonderful, heartfelt and emotionally charged story from start to finish. I loved how the story was told in two time frames, past in 1910 and present 2019. I especially loved the historical element as I learnt a few things that I never even knew, such as what it was really like for women of that era and what it actaully meant to be a Suffragette. I really should have paid more attention in my history lessons back in my school days lol.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and seeing how their lives played out, there were some emotional moments which bought tears to my eyes and then there were some shocking moments too.
  
  I just loved loved reading this story and how it all came together.
  
  Full book blurb: I signed the letter with a flourish. I wouldn’t send it. There was no need. But I wanted to keep it somewhere safe, somewhere I could find it if I ever needed to remember why I’d done what I’d done. The fight goes on, I told myself. The fight goes on…
  
  London, 1910. Twenty-one-year-old Esther Watkins would do anything for the Suffragette cause. Imprisoned, force-fed and beaten, she is determined to fight for what she believes is right – no matter what it costs her. With new love Joseph by her side, will she get the better future she dreams of?
  
  Kent, 2019. With her marriage in tatters, school teacher Lizzie Armstrong moves to sleepy Elm Heath for a fresh start, and her pupils and the community soon steal her heart. So when the school is threatened with closure Lizzie knows she has to fight, and she looks to the school’s founder for inspiration.
  
  What makes Esther, born and bred in London, a proud Suffragette, suddenly leave the city and escape to Elm Heath? And when Lizzie uncovers Esther’s heartbreaking secret, could it give her the strength she needs to save not just the school, but her new beginning too?
• 
  Jasmine

  The Secret Letter was a really interesting story. I was definitely a lot more interested in Esther's storyline as a Suffragette, although I did appreciate the subtle ways it was interwoven into Lizzie's modern storyline. I appreciated the forbidden romance element to Esther's life, perhaps one of the better parts of the book. I did think the romance was unnecessary in Lizzie's storyline and I wasn't a massive fan of Danny's character. The ending was a little too predictable and cliched for me, so I wasn't in love with it. I wasn't a huge fan of Danny and Lizzie ending up together in the end after everything. Also, I did think that Esther's final 1971 chapter should have been written in third person POV, as writing your own death scene in past tense first-person doesn't necessarily work.
  
  Overall, I think this was a well-crafted story. Not necessarily something I'd choose of my own accord in a bookstore, but definitely one that I enjoyed reading.
• 
  Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff

  I sometimes like historical romance that has dual pov, but this one was not as good as i had hoped.
  but i see many good reviews, so it might be a it`s me not you type of thing. Some parts just bored me and all.
  
  I got this eARC from Netgalley
• 
  Nicole B

  This book has you rooting for the strong female protagonists and what they stand for which I LOVED. Kerry Barrett does such an amazing job making you connect with these women and their journeys in a way that I haven't experienced much over the last few reads I've completed!
  
  We follow Lizzie, living in present day as she finds herself restarting her life after a divorce from her self-obsessed husband, Grant. She has a lot of baggage as she begins her new life as a teacher at Elm Heath Primary. This is a great school, founded back in 1911. Lizzie and the staff of Elm Heath Primary have to find a way to keep this school above water as a competitive school in another town becomes more popular and student numbers decrease gradually. Lizzie finds a heart for the community of Elm Heath and for a student's father named Danny. She tries to find some historical ties to make Elm Heath Primary a school worth keeping and investing in by diving into the history of how it began... which leads her to investigating the life of its founder, Esther Watkins.
  
  Esther Watkins' story takes place in 1910 (and was the story that I was most interested in following!). She is a suffragette who is advocating for women's rights to vote and investing in the future of women around the country. She has been dealt a difficult hand with her father being an avid gambler, passing away, and leaving Esther and her mother with an insurmountable amount of debt. When Esther is thrown in prison for her protesting, she loses her job and isn't sure that her reputation will allow her to continue her passion of being a teacher. With tensions high between her and her mother, Esther is able to live with Agnes (also a suffragette) and Chris Oliver and be a governess to their children while picking up the pieces of her life. After a time, Esther meets Joseph, a policeman or "copper", and their love story is one that reminded me of Romeo and Juliette. Forbidden and dangerous. Esther keeps her work with the suffragettes a secret from Joseph to keep them together for as long as she possibly can.
  The research done for this book is so incredibly thorough. Kerry Barrett did such an incredible job intertwining the lives of these two women into a story of love, loss, suspense, loyalty, perseverance, and hope. I absolutely adored this book and everything it stood for!
  
  Thank you so much, NetGalley and HQ Publishers for allowing me to read this digital copy! I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!
• 
  Sandra

  I thoroughly enjoyed this book it has a lovely story with characters that blend so well i will be looking out for more from this author.Thank you for the chance to read and review this book Netgalley and the Publishers.5*
• 
  Cheryl M-M

  Esther is brave and so are her fellow Suffragettes, but fighting to have a voice comes with a price. Prison, police brutality and being shunned by family, friends and colleagues are just a few things that come to mind. Having to find new homes and employment were no easy feat in 1910. Luckily Esther finds other like-minded women to support her.
  
  When she falls in love she doesn't expect that relationship to define the rest of her life and the choices she makes, but in a way it does. Those choices are also the beginning of the story Lizzie becomes wrapped up in.
  
  In 2019 Lizzie is recovering from betrayal, heartbreak and adjustments in her career. A bit of a pariah in educational circles she finds her way to a school in Elm Heath, which is in as much need of assistance as indeed she is. There she discovers Esther and the will to fight for what is right.
  
  It's a double time-line contemporary read and simultaneously also historical fiction.
  
  Barrett shows us women's empowerment and what that looks like in our day and age, and for women in the past. In the 21st century it's easy to forget the struggle of the women who came before us.The courageous women who had to endure pain, humiliation, violations and imprisonment for decades, so we can cast a vote just as easily as the opposite gender. The fact it isn't part of our conscious thought process it perhaps why so many throw away their heavily fought for right to vote away at each given opportunity.
  
  The Suffragettes would be appalled at the way many throw away the opportunity to have a political voice, but perhaps more so because of how hard they fought for it. Of course one could argue that choosing not to vote is also part of democracy.
  
  The story is all about collaboration, even when it stretches over decades, and acknowledging that sometimes we fight not only for ourselves, but also for future generations.
  *I received a courtesy copy*
• 
  Diane Secchiaroli

  This historical fiction novel is set in 1910-11 and 2019-20 with two different women. Esther relates her work as a suffragette and the hazards of the movement in the U.K. she falls in love with a copper (policeman) but can’t tell him she is a suffragette sine they are constantly fighting one another. Eventually Joseph find out and their relationship is ruined. Joseph demands that she leave London and she accompanied her friend Agnes to the country side. While there she sees a need for a school for the children and develops a school. Lizzie has some problems with her husband that reflects on her position as a head teacher and decides to move to the countryside for awhile and ends up as head teacher at Esther’s school which has experienced a decline in enrollment and there is talk of closing the school. Lizzie decides to fight to keep the school open. This part of the book relates lizzie’s growing relationship with Danny. However Danny unbeknownst to Lizzie is working for the company which wants to turn the school into condos. This betrayal is too much like lizzie’s betrayal by her ex. Will Lizzie and Danny have a better outcome than Esther and Joseph?. I would like to thank netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel. It is a fine historical novel that I would recommend to my friends.
• 
  Loves

  I received an early review copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review and all thoughts are freely given and unbiased.
  
  I loved some of Kerry Barrett earlier books , so when this book came up on Net Galley I jumped at the chance to read it. I wasn't disappointed .
  
  The storyline pulls you in right away from the first few pages and kept me reading , I found it hard to put down when I had to go to work, it was picked up as soon as possible when I got home.
  
  This is a dual timeline book moving between 1910 and the women's suffrage movements fight for the right of a voice of their own and the contemporary modern storyline about a small community fighting to keep their village school .
  
  It was really well researched and the descriptions of the abuse the suffragettes had to endure , the treatment from other women ,who were so prejudiced against any sort of change , the police brutality and the hardships of the women sent to prison for fighting for what they believed in. These women were truly inspirational and this story encapsulates their fight against adversity.
  This is such a thought provoking book , it shows how much we take for granted .
  Esther and Lizzie are the two heroines and such strong characters in their own right.
  I really enjoyed this book and thoroughly recommend it. It will appeal to fans of Lucinda Riley and Tracy Rees.
• 
  Kim (hundredacreofbooks.com)

  Once I started The secret Letter I was immediately drawn to its dual timeline as well as Esther and Lizzie both having an equal opportunity to narrate this story. I am fascinated by stories that shine a light on London during this period. A story that seemed to me to have a bit of fight a touch of romance but a whole lot of relatable character and the mention of suffragettes to sink my teeth into it.
  
  The secret letter is very well written and is able to tie both plotlines in together where necessary with what seemed like little effort. This book has enjoyable characters at its helm, in the beginning I was wondering exactly when the story was going to take off when it comes to Lizzie Armstrong but I didn’t have to worry, I just think I was growing a soft spot for Esther. I did eventually grow fond of Lizzie too.
  
  For full review head to
  https://hundredacreofbooks.com/review...
• 
  Leah Wheatley

  This was an audio book I have just finished.
  This did not totally win me over however the story was nice. It was a nice book. It is the story of Esther a suffragette set in 1910 which runs in line with another story today in 2020 of Lizzie. It is based around saving Elm Heath primary school. I like it when two storey’s of the present and the past intertwine. I was far more interested in Esthers storey though and did not care too much for the storey of Lizzie. There was a bit of romance thrown into the mix which would have appeal to the romantics out there. What made the book for me was the way the writer did the ending/epilogue it was a good end to a nice book.
• 
  Sonia Bellhouse

  Two interlinked storied make up this book and they are perfect companions for each other. Esther in 1910 is fighting for women’s rights after being left in poor circumstances due to her father’s’ death and gambling problems.In 2019 teacher Lizzie needs to begin again after being unwittingly implicated in her ex-husband’s less than ethical dealings. Both women need grit and determination to solve their problems and build a life worth living. I was cheering on the sidelines with this one and can’t wait to read more from this author
• 
  Mark Ludmon

  For fans of historical romantic fiction, The Secret Letter tells the story of Esther, a young woman active in the Suffragette movement in London in 1910, forced to decide between love and her belief in equality. It intertwines with a modern-day story about a headteacher, Lizzie, fighting to save the primary school that Esther founded, with her romantic tribulations echoing Esther’s over a century earlier.
• 
  Annarella

  A good historical novel, poignant and engrossing.
  I couldn't help being involved in the dual line story and I felt for the well written characters.
  The historical background is well researched and vivid.
  It was a good read, recommended.
  Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
• 
  Sarah

  This book does a good job of weaving parallel narratives together. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed following their stories. I also liked that Ester was a suffragette.
  
  I received an ARC from NetGalley.
• 
  Eddi

  I enjoyed this story, especially the part about suffragettes in 1910. I hadn’t been aware of the intensity of the suffragettes plight, and how similar the marches and potential for violence is to current day protest situations.
• 
  Kayla

  Intersting page turner, past mixed with present, but well written with plenty of mystery
• 
  Melinda

  Amazing
  
  I’m not a huge fan of dual stories, but I found myself in love with both of these women. Barrett never disappoints!!!
• 
  Anitajt

  What an amazing well thought out story, suffragettes and head teachers, just fabulous