Synopsis
‘Utterly compelling’ Heidi Swain
‘Evocatively written, poignant and compulsive' Emma Curtis
‘Brilliant, twisty’ Sara Sheridan
Three women. A long-buried secret. One voice will free them all…
London, 1915: Amid the wartime chaos, Katerina is hailed as a beacon of hope for her bakery, which offers divination alongside sweet treats. But the dark truth she’s hiding could cost her everything.
Germany, 1918: Miriam secretly vows to help a mute British soldier in the prisoner-of-war camp she’s stationed at. Soon she must make an impossible choice: will she save the one she loves, or herself?
Cornwall, Present Day: Edie is astonished to discover a mysterious box hidden in the wall of her newly renovated cottage. As Edie starts to investigate, she uncovers a secret that has lain hidden for over a century...
Sweeping through the cobbled streets of war-time London, a German WWI camp, and the sea-swept cliffs of Cornwall, The Story Collector is a thrilling, richly woven story about three women, bound by a long-held secret.
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PRAISE FOR IRIS COSTELLO
'A rich and tender story' Ruth Hogan, The Keeper of Lost Things
'The perfect winter read' Amanda Prowse, To Love and Be Loved
'Spellbinding, addictive, and beautifully written' Sophie Irwin, A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting
'Richly atmospheric, evocative and moving' Abbie Greaves, The Ends of the Earth
‘Makes for a spellbinding read' Rhiannon Ward, The Shadowing
'Beautifully written with a story that draws you in' Jane Corry, I Died on a Tuesday
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241999110
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 197 x 127 x 25 mm
- Weight: 280g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Immersive and Generation-spanning
‘The Story Collector’ is a historical fiction book, which spans generations, involving long buried secrets slowly being uncovered.
The book has three i... READ MORE
Historical fiction and great female characters
An engaging read! Iris Costello’s novel moves between WWI to the present day and involves the stories of three women: Kitty, Miriam and Edie. All of the wo... READ MORE
A Thought Provoking Story
This is a story about three women during three time lines .Kitty in 1915 Miriam in 1918 and Edie in present time .All these women are connected somehow and... READ MORE
Another story to keep in my heart
I was so glad I was sent a copy of this. Iris Costello is truly magical. She writes about three stories, which don't seem to have any connection to each ot... READ MORE
Moving and compelling
Historical fiction is a genre that I return to time and time again, and I really loved the sound of #TheStoryCollector when I spotted it on #NetGalley. The... READ MORE
The Story Collector
The Story Collector is a book by Iris Costello set in 3 different years and locations. we have Katerina/Kitty in 1915 living in London, Miriam in 1918 in G... READ MORE
This was a brilliant read
An absolutely brilliant read. It was beautifully written and very well structured with the two timelines. It was very moving and a real page turner. Iris... READ MORE
Another hit from Iris Costello
Having enjoyed Rochester Place I was looking forward to this book. And it didn't disappoint. Three different lives, three different times (just), and a mys... READ MORE
An absorbing, fascinating story.
This has been a fascinating book, not just the book itself and the beautifully told, poignant story that unfolds, but as a result of its content and wantin... READ MORE
Cracking Book
A lovely book well presented, ideal for a Winter read.
A tale of three different people throughout the ages, but all interconnected. At first it does n... READ MORE
An elegant weaving of past, present and the interconnectedness of our lives.
I so enjoyed this book – beautifully written, with finely drawn characters and scenarios and an elegant pulling of the past into the present. Three stories... READ MORE
Loved it!
This is a story of three women that at first seem to have no connection to each other- although you know that they will have.
Katerina is a baker in 191... READ MORE
Good book
Katerina Drechsler also known as Kitty left Germany as a young child to live in East London with her father and elder brother Otto. Katerina has a gift, sh... READ MORE
I ADORED this wonderful book
The Story Collector is a triple timeline story set in 1915, 1918 and the present day. In wartime London Katerina is trying to keep her father's bakery goin... READ MORE
Fascinating story
This was a very sad story set in World War 1 but moving backwards and forwards in time. A German professor wants to collect the dialects of the British pri... READ MORE
Brilliant story
Thanks to the author in advantage, NetGalley and penguin general UK for the access to this ARC. "The Story Collector" by Iris Costello is such a well wri... READ MORE
Highly recommended
I enjoyed this story, which appeared to be 3 separate stories in 3 different timelines, but which all came together very cleverly at the end.
In London... READ MORE
Captivating and emotive
A captivating and emotive novel featuring three main characters across different timelines which are skillfully pulled together in the final section.
In t... READ MORE
Beautiful Story!
This was such a beautiful story, following Katerina, Miriam and Edie over different timelines (from 1915 until the present day). I wasn't sure how the stor... READ MORE
A heart warming historical fiction/romance
I read The Secrets of Rochester Place last year and loved its cleverly interwoven tale of dual timelines and mysterious family connections so when I saw Th... READ MORE
Lovely and heartwarming
This story is told by three women in different settings. Two of them tell their story
from the years of WWI and the other from Cornwall in the present da... READ MORE
A beautiful heart-wrenching story!
Eddie, a renowned artist, is summoned to a publishing house and is commissioned to design a contemporary set of Tarot cards. Wary of taking on such a proj... READ MORE
What a Gem!
This has to be my favourite book of 2024 so far.
A wonderful and captivating tale of three women; Kitty, Miriam and Edie and their lives spanning three ... READ MORE
One Families Secret
This book blends three seemly disparate female narratives and keeps the reader guessing.till the very end. In WW1 London, Kitty is a German immigrant in ... READ MORE
Three stories come together...
The Story Collector entwines three women's stories: a German, Katerina, who lives and runs a bakery in the East End of London; Miriam, who is working as a ... READ MORE
Atmospheric, addictive and emotive
I so enjoyed this book – beautifully written, with finely drawn characters and scenarios and an elegant pulling of the past into the present. Three stories... READ MORE
Absolutely brilliant!! Heart rending and heart filling!
Wow what a beautiful heart rending and heart filling book!! What an interesting and unusual story.
Edie has been through a tragic traumatic experience an... READ MORE
Enjoyable 3 timeline historical fiction
This was a very good read. A historical fiction drama, loosely based on the authors interest in tarot and a documentary she saw about a wartime linguistic ... READ MORE
Powerful story
Iris Costello has written a very powerful story set over three timelines and from different POVs.
London 1915
Katerina Drechsler is living in the "Little... READ MORE
A roller coaster of a read
A roller coaster of a read, it takes the reader through stories from both sides of the First World War, through to today, nicely weaving the stories togeth... READ MORE
A big warm hug for a cold winter night
I thoroughly enjoyed "The Story Collector" by Iris Costello and imagine many people curled up, reading this in the winter months. At first, it isn't obvio... READ MORE
Wonderful
A wonderful story about three ladies who are connected in some way which doesn’t become clear until the end. Three storylines set in different times. A con... READ MORE
I couldn't put this book down I just had to know the ending
What a wonderful, fantastic book. I had to read it in one sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down! The story jumps between three women in three time... READ MORE
Brilliant
What a wonderful book with a bit of mystery and so interesting. It is a dual timeline story.
We have the present time and the years at the time of the ... READ MORE
Wonderful storytelling.
A fabulous story interweaving three separate timelines in an intriguing and steadily evolving drama and mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and... READ MORE
Beautifully written historical fiction book
First off, I would like to say a huge thank you to Iris Costello, Penguin General UK and NetGalley for allowing me to have my very first E-ARC. Thank you f... READ MORE
Powerful story
Iris Costello has written a very powerful story set over three timelines and from different POVs.
London 1915
Katerina Drechsler is living in the "Little... READ MORE