The Secrets of Saffron Hall: An absolutely gripping Tudor historical fiction novel Paperback – Import, 6 August 2020

Many thanks to Net Galley, Avon Books UK and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.To begin with, that gorgeous cover that had me requesting the book without even checking the blurb. And then my favorite genre of dual time story that had me in heaven.The Secrets of Saffron Hall is the story of 2 women spanning centuries who fights against unbearable grief and then learn to live with that pain making them that much stronger and tougher to face life.Eleanor at 17 in 1538 is married by her guardian to Greville Richard Lutton, a wealthy merchant looking to move into the exalted circle of the King’s men. Her only dowry is the bulbs of crocus that is given to her by the priests of the Priory to which Eleanor is infinitely attached. Eleanor and her faithful friend and companion Joan begin a new life in Milfleet, growing into the responsibilities of being a mother to Greville’s 3 yr old child, and as the new mistress of the hall. Each and every change in her life with the birth of Henry, adopting the young mute boy Thomas, bringing her husband riches and value in the form of the saffron she cultivates in the fields, Eleanor has her hands full. It is also the time in history when the King ordered the closure of abbeys and monasteries thus leading to daring acts of courage and bravery.Amber in 2019, recovering from a traumatic event has taken refuge at her family estate called Saffron Hall cataloguing her grandfather’s immense collection of books. When a Book of hours is discovered in a tower room abandoned by the family for centuries, Amber becomes intrigued and begins the search for answers about her family history and the significance of the name Saffron.There’s a gentle flow to the story that lures the reader in, a tug at your heart as the story of both women unfolds thru each and every page. The secret that is revealed is not much of a mystery as it is easy to guess the direction it is leading to. But the sense of the era thru Eleanor’s story was brilliant and fans of historical fiction are really going to be overjoyed reading this tale.The slow and painful process of struggling with grief and finding a semblance of peace to never let go of hope has been described beautifully. I loved the gentle pacing of love between Amber and Jonathan and the space and distance that they both struggle to overcome.A beautifully written tale of 2nd chances and not forgetting to live!

I enjoyed this story

The Secrets of Saffron Hall holds the reader's interest beginning to end, an obviously well researched historical novel intertwined with a modern day story. This is the perfect story for anyone who has dreamed of castles and bygone eras. Clare Marchant weaves her magic, switching back and forth from the present day to1538. It follows a period in the lives of Eleanor and Amber who share a common tragedy.Amber finds a prayer book Eleanor used as a diary to record her secret feelings and a desperate cry for help. The book of Hours is found in a crumbling tower on the property owned by Amber's family where a small portion of the former manor house still exists. She has taken a sabbatical and moved in to help her aging grandad sort through his library.Eleanor's fate is intertwined with her great love of her husband and his involvement with the court of Henry Vlll. Amber's story details her complex and strained relationship with her husband after the recent loss of their child.Through it all we learn how saffron is extracted from the crocus flowers to produce a precious crop. I will never look at a crocus the same way again.Switching back and forth from ancient to modern times is handled so well you will want to keep reading to see what happens to each character. It's easy to get lost in these pages. The Secrets of Saffron Hall is engrossing from beginning to end and I highly recommend it.

This is a dual timeline story, following the lives of two women living a quincentenary apart, but with a thread of shared experience that somehow binds them across the centuries. In the early sixteenth century, Eleanor is a young girl, reluctantly married but making a go of her new life at her husband’s grand house in Norfolk, growing saffron to increase his fortunes. It is a time of great upheaval in the country, as Henry VIII enacts the Act of Supremacy and begins to dissolve the monasteries. In current times, Amber has suffered an earth-shattering upheaval of her own, and goes off to hide at her family’s long-time home, Saffron Hall, where her future becomes inextricably linked with Eleanor’s past.The author handles the dual timeline brilliantly, expertly weaving the two stories together, so it is easy to follow whose story we are in, and how the one is feeding in to the other. She gives both women a strong, defined character and an equally important and well-developed storyline, so the novel feels well balanced and satisfying in both timelines. I was equally invested in the fates of both women, and completely sold on the idea that Amber’s future happiness, in her head at least, depended on her resolving the puzzle of Eleanor’s past.This novel deals with a very difficult subject matter and, as someone who has been through this experience herself, I found the author dealt with it sensitively and with great understanding and tenderness and honesty. Whilst it did bring back some difficult memories, it left me moved and comforted, rather than distraught, and I would not have wanted to be put off reading it, although I suppose some who have been through the experience more recently and for whom the issue is more raw, may want to proceed with caution.The author brings the life of the sixteenth century vividly to life in this book, and I became completely lost in the daily existence of Eleanor’s household and her duties and cares. It is a historical period that is rich in happenings and excitement and Clare mines them expertly and cleverly to provide the tension in the book. If you know any of the history of this period, the introduction of one character to the narrative will set alarm bells ringing, and you will be waiting for the fallout to ripple through the narrative. Clare has been very clever with the way she has woven real historical figures with fiction in the text, and I was almost reading the last part of the book from behind a metaphorical cushion, waiting for the inevitable. It is hard to get someone on tenterhooks when they almost feel like they know what is coming, so I take my hat off to this author that she managed it.This is a vivid, moving, evocative story with a hint of the supernatural, and I absolutely loved it. It is a must-read for fans of the time period, and for a great, dual timeline story. Excellent work.

Such an enjoyable book. Fun enough to be an escape but well written enough to feel worthwhile

Interesting tale with engaging characters and an unusual side story. At first I struggled to invest in Amber’s story but gradually learned to like her as she worked her way through her bereavement. Eleanor was easy to like and I enjoyed her chapters in the novel. I learned a lot about saffron, its production, and its importance in the 16th century world of commerce. Greville’s character was not as clearly fleshed out as his modern day counterpart, even though we spent more time with him. He seemed to be naive in his dealings with Tudor court life. I felt he was too intelligent to allow ambition to blind him to the dangers involved but that seemed to be Eleanor’s explanation for what happened.All in all, a good book. The ending seems realistic from a researcher’s point of view. Rarely do you learn everything that happened to your subjects and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions.