The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen: Book Review

Details

• Genre: Historical fiction with some mystery elements
• Series: No
• Length: 416 pages (Kindle edition)
• Publication Date: November 25, 2014

Tropes

• Small-town romance

My Rating

Book Description

“Abigail Foster fears she will end up a spinster, especially as she has little dowry to improve her charms and the one man she thought might marry her — a longtime friend — has fallen for her younger, prettier sister.

When financial problems force her family to sell their London home, a strange solicitor arrives with an astounding offer: the use of a distant manor house abandoned for eighteen years. The Fosters journey to imposing Pembrooke Park and are startled to find it entombed as it was abruptly left: tea cups encrusted with dry tea, moth-eaten clothes in wardrobes, a doll’s house left mid-play . . .

The handsome local curate welcomes them, but though he and his family seem to know something about the manor’s past, the only information they offer Abigail is a warning: Beware trespassers who may be drawn by rumors that Pembrooke contains a secret room filled with treasure.

Hoping to improve her family’s financial situation, Abigail surreptitiously searches for the hidden room, but the arrival of anonymous letters addressed to her, with clues about the room and the past, bring discoveries even more startling. As secrets come to light, will Abigail find the treasure and love she seeks…or very real danger?”

— from Goodreads

My Review

When financial problems force Abigail Foster and her family to move into Pembrooke Park, she discovers a decades old mystery involving a secret room said to hold a lost treasure.

Such a fascinating (though tragic) mystery! The hidden clues both in the dollhouse and the manor itself were a combination of intriguing and slightly unsettling 😅 (the dishes and food still there after decades, the headless brother doll, the sister doll in the closet, etc. )

The romance was enjoyable with plenty of sweet moments, and I was so relieved when they finally cleared up the misunderstanding concerning Louisa.

There are actually three men who showed interest in Abigail. However, early on, it was pretty clear who she would choose in the end. 

I enjoyed how the ending brought things full circle with Abigail wearing the emerald necklace and no longer being overlooked or taken for granted.

Favorite Moments

👒 returning from the Morgans’ party
🫖 praying for King George
👒 mulberries
🫖 conversation by the riverbank
👒 Abigail’s grand entrance

Favorite Quotes

“Candlelight glinted in Mrs. Webb’s blue-grey eyes. ‘It is not the ghosts you need worry about, Miss Foster, but human beings that are very much alive.’“

Julie Klassen

“‘Yes, yes. But has she anything more interesting to recommend her? Is she good company, able to laugh at herself, or a witty conversationalist? Has she any intelligence in her pretty head?’

‘Yes, definitely. All of the above,’ Abigail replied. ‘And she has read Pride and Prejudice three times, Sense and Sensibility twice, and Mansfield Park only once.’“

Julie Klassen

“Ah, the weary wonder of this life. Of faith. And family. And friends. The truest treasures we can ever know or possess.“

Julie Klassen

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