Spellbindingly spooky, this epic historical tale will take you on a wonderful journey. I went down many rabbit holes as I read and this is one of the things I really love about historical fiction. It brings history to life and I learn and read more widely as a result. This book has its roots in Guernica and the Irish Easter Rising and I read about these events to ground me in the novel. The xenophobia and hatred that people experienced then and now astounds me and it is brilliant to see it highlighted in this novel and threaded through the entire story. Teresa is a 10 year old who is evacuated to London from Spain after the horrific bombing of Guernica leaving behind her only family; her elder sister.

It was a notably mysterious start to the book as Corrine receives a phone call from a distressed woman, but when the emergency services get there the woman, and in fact the house, is nowhere to be seen. Not surprisingly, this both mystified and intrigued Corrine – and me as well. One of my favourite things about this book is the way Costello underlies the modern strand of the story with a whisper of the supernatural, and how the lives that have come before can seep into the fabric of the buildings left behind. There is something of the ghost story about this that gives it an enchanting extra dimension, and she plays with this very cleverly in how those ghosts are laid to rest at the conclusion of the tale.While it is a heartwarming story about the bonds of love and family it also explores darker themes including the toll of war, bigotry and racism. potential spoiler in this paragraph* I really truly did not expect there to be in twist in this story. The fact that I didn’t think there was going to be a twist meant I couldn’t even guess what the twist was but I LOVED IT. I liked Uncle Robin, Mary and Ronald, they seemed homely and familiar in a sense, all have their quirks, their light in spite of the darkness they have suffered, choosing to make the best of things and live life in little ways that make their souls shine. Firstly, Teresa’s writing in the diary during the air raid. I can’t believe that any 11 year old girl, whose first language is not English, would write so fluidly and eloquently. It read like it was written by a highly educated adult and just didn’t sit right for me.

I guessed some of the plot points way ahead of time but unlike other books I’ve read, i wasn’t certain, other things would surprise or enchant me that when it was revealed it was excited rather than feeling like I had read the rest of the book for nothing (as the rest of the writing was to solely build up to this big reveal). I enjoyed deducing and getting things right and wrong, it made it all the more interesting. As Corinne and her uncle dig deeper into the history, and the mystery of the phone call, they uncover family secrets which have been hidden for years. Secrets kept by their own family. I loved the idea behind the book, about being uprooted from the place you were from. I didn’t know about the evacuation of the Spanish children during the Civil War – this book has taught me something new. Spring 1937: Teresa is evacuated to London in the wake of the Guernica bombing. She thinks she's found safety in the soothing arms of Mary Davidson and the lofty halls of Rochester Place, but trouble pursues her wherever she goes. All the characters have a story to tell, one of staunchness in the face of much adversity and all suffer bigotry and racism at some point in their lives. I found the story very affecting, not least because there must be many real people out there who have lived very similar lives to the characters in this book. I find it incredibly sad the way it is always ordinary, innocent citizens who suffer the most from acts of war and this book brings those stories to life.I originally rated this 3.5 stars but had to up it to 4 stars after writing this review. I loved the characters and loved how the plot developed through the book. A beautiful story of love and survival, going on beyond the time. Just the location stays the same, Rochester Place. The first chapter of The Secrets of Rochester Place really thrilled me. What a brilliant start which set the tone for a whole book of mysteries and revelations! Corinne in the present day timeline is an emergency call handler, taking calls from people in dire situations and talking them through it until the emergency services arrive. A call she gets one particular night is different though. It’s from a woman called Mary, asking her to save her daughter who is trapped at Rochester Place but when the emergency services get there there’s no sign of Mary…..or the house. Was it a hoax? Corinne is used to them but something feels different this time.