REVIEW
I bought this paperback a number of months ago, for my personal stack, as I had a strong feeling I was going to love it. Well, I certainly did! The Keepsake is an amazing dual timeline gem with enough twists and turns to keep your fingers chasing the pages and your mind guessing at the possible outcomes. It has a multi-layered plot and a complex female lead, (in the historical timeline) who is not satisfied with the regular activities of her day. Her heart craves adventure and travel and being part of something bigger than herself. This thirst for more, sets her on a perilous path that left me anxious and mesmerised.
Historical fiction character, Prudence Merryfield, has lost her father and awakens to some rude male designed plans for her life. She is thirty-five years old and not married but that is her choice. She is expecting to inherit her father’s estate but discovers he has set up an arrangement that means she must be under the control of yet another man. She decides to plan a course of action to free herself and to fulfill some of her desires. Once rescuing a young girl named Bessie, she trains her how to read and to become a maid. Then Prudence, sets sail for foreign lands, with her reluctant maid in tow, but fate conspires against them when a violent storm causes them to be shipwrecked in the Samoa Island region. Separated by the winds and waves, neither knows of the other’s outcome.
In the modern timeline, we meet Eliza, a future relative of Prudence. She is given a special family heirloom, a Georgian pocket book, that sets her on a journey of discovery and wonderment. It is known that Prudence travelled the world, was shipwrecked and returned to England but nobody knows why later she disappeared or what happened to her. With some friendly help, Eliza opens a pandoras box of secrets. A locket, painting and a little book with short bursts of diary entries help her solve a two hundred year old mystery.
This riveting tale entranced me. With its seamless transition between two time worlds, distinct descriptions, explosive plot, welcoming settings (on land and sea) and well-crafted dialogue, it sings with perfection. I was wonderfully transported deep into the heart of the story following every bend in the road and every swallowing wave of the sea. This is a rich tapestry. Although the Samoan and Somerset villages are products of an author’s imagination, it is clear that Julie has done extensive research on the Polynesian culture and that of early 1800s England to deliver such believable authenticity.
I highly recommend this moving novel. The Keepsake is for those who love a timeless family tale that delivers a fascinating historical mystery. I give it 5 Stars as that is what it deserves. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
