The death of her father in World War II changed eight-year-
old Penelope Wallace's life forever. Ten years later, her
ancestral home, Milton Magna Hall, once one of the grandest
mansions in the countryside near London, is now a cold,
decaying tomb for lost dreams, and her beautiful but
mercurial mother, at the youthful age of thirty-five, acts
as if her spirit is dying along with Magna. But life takes
an unexpected turn on the day Penelope meets confident,
stylish Charlotte Ferris and her enigmatic cousin Harry.
Suddenly, she finds herself pulled out of her sad, lonely
existence and into the whirlwind of wealthy London
society.
Harry is desperately in love with his ex-girlfriend, a
wealthy American named Marina, who is now engaged to
someone else. Determined to win her back, he convinces
Penelope to pretend to be his girlfriend to make Marina
jealous. But pretending is only effective when it's real,
and Charlotte insists that Penelope and Harry are actually
in love with each other, despite Penelope's protests to the
contrary. However, when the ruse works on its intended
victim, and Marina calls off the engagement and then shows
up at Penelope's front door, demanding to see Harry,
Penelope doesn't want to admit it was an act. When Harry
comes to collect his prize and Penelope's heart begins to
ache, she must ask herself whether it really was just a
game; a game she lost.
THE LOST ART OF KEEPING SECRETS is a touching story that
explores the challenges facing a generation who grew up in
the aftermath of World War II. At the very heart of
emerging rock n' roll music and the rise of teenagers as a
social unit, the main characters show wonderful passion and
depth, as well as moments of self-deprecating humor.
Penelope is a delightful guide who speaks from the heart,
while Charlotte provides the perfect intellectual
counterpoint. What results is a heart-warming tale of
love, life, and self-discovery.
Set in 1950s London, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets
centers around Penelope, the wide- eyed daughter of a
legendary beauty, Talitha, who lost her husband to the war.
Penelope, with her mother and brother, struggles to maintain
their vast and crumbling ancestral home-while postwar London
spins toward the next decade's cultural revolution.
Penelope wants nothing more than to fall in love, and when
her new best friend, Charlotte, a free spirit in the young
society set, drags Penelope into London with all of its
grand parties, she sets in motion great change for them all.
Charlotte's mysterious and attractive brother Harry uses
Penelope to make his American ex-girlfriend jealous, with
unforeseen consequences, and a dashing, wealthy American
movie producer arrives with what might be the key to
Penelope's- and her family's-future happiness.
Vibrant,
witty, and filled with vivid historical detail, The Lost
Art of Keeping Secrets is an utterly unique debut novel
about a time and place just slipping into history.
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