Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Secrets from the past, unravelling in the present…
Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life. On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone who doesn’t want it to be told.
Many thanks to SJV from Simon and Schuster for my copy of The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is the latest book from Rachel Hore. It’s told through the dual timeline format, set in 2010 on the Norfolk Broads and the early 1950’s where Nancy one of the main female protagonists studies science in a very much male dominated field. In the present day journalist Stef has just been made redundant from a national broadsheet newspaper and less than a year ago she broke up with her boyfriend. So to say she’s not having the best of times would be an understatement. She has previously written one book and is seeking ideas for her next. The topic of women scientists proves too irresistible to not delve further in to. Even more so when her mother Cara who has recently moved to the Norfolk Broads mentions that she has met a lady named Nancy now aged 81 who was once a scientist. Stef thinks she would make a good subject for her book. Looking up Nancy online Stef can’t gain access to Nancy’s thesis. Access denied. That’s strange. Why would that be? Has Nancy something to hide?
Leaving London behind for a while Stef goes to stay with her mother and hopes to speak to Nancy and learn more. But Nancy is evasive and not one to open up to just anyone. Why should she tell her story to someone who has appeared out of nowhere? Nancy’s grandson Aaron is not very forthcoming either. In fact Stef thinks he is quite rude but really he is only protecting Nancy especially seen as she is receiving threats that she must leave her beautiful cottage on the nearby reserve. A place which she has called home for many years with all her menagerie of domestic and wild rescued animals. The aspect of the plot regrading the threats fell a little flat to be honest and it was glossed over at the end as if the author forgot it was there earlier on in the book and needed to mention it in order to resolve any lingering plot threads. It needn’t have been there at all in my opinion. Over time Stef grows close to Nancy and they develop a good friendship. One in which Nancy feels comfortable in opening up and sharing her story.
Stef’s story does feature too but to a lesser degree. Similarities between herself and Nancy do occur in terms of family and relationships as Nancy’s vulnerability and defensiveness starts to break down but I found myself far more intrigued by Nancy in the past that Stef in the present. Stef was the glue that linked the past and the present and was very much a necessary inclusion as she by writing about Nancy was bringing important themes to the fore and helping Nancy with her own personal sadness which still hung over her regrading her secret. Romance does feature for Stef and there was a nice community feel created with her mother and Ted and learning bits about the reserve, the birds, the wildlife, the insects and the area in general but once Nancy’s story got going that’s when my attention really began to be held.
In the past we learn of Nancy’s family and home situation growing up and to be honest I got through those bits as quickly as possible because they weren’t overly interesting or adding anything to the story as I have outlined down below. Nancy in the early 1950’s was a woman ahead of her time and one of very few who wished to work in the area of science specifically zoology.The author deftly explores the societal roles of women at the time. The role of women was viewed as being in the home and if one wished to work and then marry then they would have to quit their jobs. As Nancy navigates school, then university we see her mix with fellow male students. One in particular James catches her eye but hers is an unrequited love. The plot regarding James really picked up in the latter half and no matter how much Nancy was obsessed with him there was just that little something about him for me that seemed to good to be true. I always felt he had ulterior motives.
Nancy was diligent, hardworking, intelligent and very ambitious. She strived to overcome the narrow minded opinions that women wouldn’t be any good in her chosen area. There were many obstacles thrown in her direction which allowed several twists and turns to develop. Her interactions and relationships with her fellow colleagues both male and female were explored as well as her love life. She wrestled with the fact that at times her heart was telling her one thing but her brain and her long term goals and what she wished to achieve with her research were telling her something else. She didn’t want to be one of those women who had to leave their studies and work because she might have gotten married. But at the time no balance could be struck and it just makes you realise how far we have come to the present day and without those who have gone before us fighting for what it right and just we could very well be in the same situation. Throughout it all a secret is at the heart of Nancy’s story and I hoped that when it was revealed that it wouldn’t be underwhelming or anticlimactic. Thankfully it wasn’t at all and the ending was perfect and helped bring things full circle.
Overall, I did find the book did take quite some time to get into. It was overly long and not in the usual sense that the ending was dragged out more so that the first half of the book was too long with not much happening. It was like one long big introduction and I was questioning would I ever get to the crux of the story because it seemed to be taking an awfully long time to get there. Reducing the length of what I termed the long intro would have benefitted the book overall in my opinion. I did wonder was this the book for me and once I’ve begun a book I never give up and persevere until I reach the end and with this one I was thankful that I did. That joyous moment when a book has only been so so up to a certain point and then bang something clicks and you are off on a journey and you find yourself rapidly turning the pages and before you know it a hundred pages or more has passed by in the blink of an eye.
Well, that moment came for me and despite my reservations about the first half I found myself becoming deeply invested in the story. In fact I’d go as far as to say that I was fascinated with all the research Nancy was doing regarding the effects of pesticides on locusts. Who would have thought that would have been interesting? Not me that’s for sure. Something that could have been boring and like wading through it and like reading a science textbook Rachel Hore made interesting and the further I read in the later half of the book the more curious I became as to what had destroyed Nancy’s promising career in science. The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge may not have been my absolute favourite by this author, her earlier books still hold a special place in my heart, but as I’ve mentioned up above get through the first half and you are in for a great read that wonderfully highlights the achievements of women in a male dominated world and how ambition and fighting for what you want in life will see you go far despite the many stumbling blocks placed in your path.
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