The Valley of Lost Secrets is an instant classic. A stunning mystery full of bravery, friendship and brotherhood from a truly gifted new voice – Lesley Parr.
Where do I start with this one… Wow. Seriously. Just wow.
The Valley of Lost Secrets transports us to the glorious Welsh countryside in 1939 during WW2 and follows the lives of two brothers – 12 yr old Jimmy and 6 yr old Ronnie. Because of the war, they have been evacuated! Sent away from their family in Islington to the small southern Welsh – and fictional – town of Llanbry. It’s a quaint mining town surrounded by reaching mountains and a close-knit community. You know, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and everyone has an opinion. Yeah, that kind of place.
But not everyone is weird and ‘judgy’. Some folk are quite the opposite, like Mr and Mrs Thomas who chose to welcome Jimmy and Ronnie into their home. Ronnie takes it all in his stride with a charming naivety but not Jimmy. Jimmy doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the town, the mountains, the people… they should not be here, they should be with their proper family.
One thing I love about Ronnie is that he knows the correct way to eat a custard cream… “He’s twisted the top off his biscuit and is licking the creamy bit”. Legend.
Anyway, everything changes for Jimmy when he discovers a human skull in the hollow of a tree. This poses more questions and gives Jimmy a new sense of fear and uncertainty of the potential secrets this strange place contains. And begs the question… Who can he trust?
What author Lesley Parr has created here is a masterclass in writing. I was hooked from the get-go and the way she describes the lush green scenery really does show her fondness for Wales. What I was also utterly enthralled in were the characters. How they grew and learned things about themselves and saw things in others that they couldn’t see before.
Take Florence for example (my favourite character in the book) Florence was someone Jimmy knew from back home but you didn’t talk to her, she’s weird and you might catch something. That is just some of the harshness thrown her way from the other kids at school but little do they know, life at home for Florence wasn’t great. There was a reason for her unkempt hair and ‘scruffy’ clothes’. But Florence seems to really love the new people who took her in, she no longer has to look over her shoulder and live in fear and as a result, really shines and show who she really is. A brave, funny, intelligent and fiercely loyal friend.
Lesley has created a book full of emotion and friendship which really hits home and shows just how important it is to have close connections to those around you and that when you are surrounded by love and kindness, the real you can flourish. If you don’t get at least a little emotional reading this I’d be shocked. An honestly magical book which EASILY walks into my top 3. I’ll be recommending this for years.
BONUS: (As if this book couldn’t get any better) Keep your eyes peeled for a secret code! Who doesn’t love a secret code!!
Leave a Reply