The Drowned Village is a beautifully written story about lost love, regret and the ability to move on.

The story begins as a love story between an American naval officer and young Welsh girl (Al and Elin) during WW2, but fate and misunderstanding have a cruel way of interfering and the two end up parting ways. A lifetime of years pass and Al returns to Wales to further research of his family and hopes to find Elin, but much to his surprise, the entire village as he once knew is completely gone, the entire village was forcibly flooded to create a reservoir for Liverpool.

This is a quiet read, the pacing is slow, and while the overall tone left me feeling somewhat melancholic, I still felt a sense of peace, hope and comfort. The author did a fantastic job vividly describing Welsh countryside, its dramatic landscape with high mountains, lush green valleys and glittering lakes. I felt as though I were actually there experiencing that first view with Al. I found the historical backdrop to be interesting. I had never heard of the forced flooding of the village of Capel Celyn in 1965 and found myself googling to learn more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC. I would be delighted to read more works by Norma Curtis.

Sad story but well written and kept m wondering. I liked the characters and the setting. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley!

Having The Drowned Village in your possession will be a great excuse to get in one more week at the beach. Lost love, lost years, and secrets.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a great story about a village in North Wales that was deliberately flooded to create a lake covering a sacred area and hidden secrets. A very unique tale. I loved the fact the story is set in Wales as its my favourite place to go. So this added to my enjoyment of the book. I felt the author did a fantastic job creating the characters each with there own quirks. Which I loved and connected with them straight away. With the exception of the captain but this could be done deliberately as he keeps his emotion to himself. Although I really enjoyed the story I felt it just need a bit more atmosphere and tension and they ending didn't leave me satisfied. It had so much potential for that wow ending we all love. Maybe im just being picky I will leave it upto you to decide. I am so glad I read the book as I did enjoy it.

Thank you to the author and publishers for bringing us this great unique and interesting novel.

This book has a far different storyline from most of historical fiction I read.
It has two timelines, present day and during World War II. What makes it different is although part of it takes place during the war, it plays very little part of the story. It is essentially a device to have the characters meet, because people didn’t travel overseas all that much in the 40s and 50s and this tells of an fractured courtship between a Welsh woman and an American man. Although the face of the story are the two lovers, separated by the war and misunderstandings, what is also interesting is the commonality they have regarding tracking down Lincoln’s family, and the drowning of the village where the young woman lives and the connection this will have on her life and the upending of the lives of the other characters in her story. I also found the references to Wales and Welsh customs interesting. I don’t remember having read much that takes place in Wales and it was lovely being swept away to those villages before they disappeared in the book and real life.

What resounded most to me that this book highlights so well, is that the decisions one makes as a youth can impact your entire life, and that one should really think through possible consequences of their actions before they do them. Even the little ones.
That, and don’t take advice from telegraph clerks.

This is rather meandering story, and I think one that will appeal more to lovers of historical romance rather than people who choose historical fiction where the history is as important as the story. Although for some, the references to the “drowning” and the war may be enough.

As if the war and the drowning weren’t heartbreaking enough, you now have Elin and Al’s story.
You’ve been warned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC and the opportunity to read this book.

A lovely book full of lost loves and regret. It gives hope that it's not too late to revisit the past and fulfill a destiny. The ending was complete.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publ;ishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Captain Al Locke is eighty five years old and is returning to the village that the love of his life, Elin, came from. Al is there for two reasons, he wants to find the proof that Abraham Lincoln's descendants have Welsh roots and Al hopes that Elin is still there; he has dreamed the last sixty years of finding her onec more. Al shows up at Ash Mountain House, the place he stayed many years ago, that is run by Sophie, the niece, of the original owners, Jane and Eric, he gets cleaned up, puts on his best and heads out for the walk to her village of Capel Celyn. Al remembers the walk and is absorbed in his memories, he realizes that the village is just over the next hill but when he gets there he finds a beautiful lake. Confused, Al thinks he may have taked a wrong turn but he knows that he hasn't, he returns to the mountain house only to discover that Capel Celyn was dammed and drowned almost sixty years ago. Al is confused and realizes that he may be unable to complete one part of his journey, perhaps both as the graveyard he wanted to visit is now under water as well.

A lovely tale of love and loss, of choices made and regretted. I really enjoyed this story even though it did not turn out as I hoped it might. I will definitely read more books by this author.

1955, love at first sight for US Navy man Al Locke and nurse Elin Jenkins. But local events conspire against them. In the present day, Al returns to Wales to find Elin but discovers the village where she lived has been drowned by a reservoir...
The Drowned Village is a beautifully written novel about love and loss, set in Wales in the 1950s and modern day.
I was completely swept up in the romance between Al and Elin. There are wonderfully beautiful moments followed by heartache and turmoil. There is an overwhelming feeling of sadness for lost opportunities over the course of the book, yet this is countered by the enduring power of hope and love.
The characters are so well written that I felt like I was there with them, completely immersed in the plot. Al and Elin's relationship is governed by external forces, his work, her community, other people's emotions, which ultimately keep them apart.
My only quibble was that I found the modern plotline about Sophie's unhappiness left me a bit unsatisfied. It almost seemed a little superfluous to the story and in my opinion there was more potential to develop this plotline to compare with the main love story.
Being a history graduate and undertaking my own family history research, I enjoyed the historical link to the search for Abraham Lincoln's ancestors. I was also fascinated by the history of Wales depicted in the novel and enjoyed finding out about love spoons.
The Drowned Village was an enchanting book about the enduring power of love.

The Drowned Village begins in the tiny Welsh Village of Capel Celyn in the 1950s. Al Locke is staying at a nearby B&B and meets Elin Jenkins, a young girl living on her family's farm. They fall in love and plan to be married before Captain Al Locke, a Navy Captain, has to report to Japan. At the same time Capel Celyn is fighting to save itself from being leveled and flooded for a reservoir to supply Liverpool. With plans for their marriage progressing, Elin is convinced to stay and help her families and friends fight. Sending Al a short telegram to let him know she has been delayed, to be followed by a letter explaining what was going on, things don't happen as planned. The letter is delayed by five months and changes both their lives. Present day. Al returns to Wales 65 years later to find Elin and find out what happened to her as well as to share why he made the decisions he did. He had no idea that instead of a village, he finds a lake. Will he be able to find Elin? Will they be able to finally learn the truth about what happened all those years before.

The Captain’s Wife is my first book by Norma Curtis and I will be watching for other books by this author. The story was different from other historical fiction I have read, but what it has in common is an enjoyable story, with great characters and an event I did not know about. I do not read a lot of stories set in Wales, so that was unique as well. The story is a slow burn, taking some time to get into, but when it does pick up you become lost in the story of one man’s journey to right wrongs and misunderstandings and in the process he hopes to reunite with the one he has never stopped loving. The romance of Elin and Al was sweet, but turned to heartache for both of them. One decision let to another and another that made Elin's life difficult, I felt so bad for her. As much as Al regrets the past, I was frustrated with his actions. He spent 65 years thinking 'what if' and wishing things could have been different, until he finally took the step to find out what really happened. This is a story where a marriage that didn’t occur, causes lovers to separate, and dreams unrealized. The ending was not what I was looking for, but thinking about it after a bit, I think it was realistic and perfect. As always I went off to learn more about "The Drowned Village" and was very interested in what happened to the places, graveyards etc. The synopsis describes the book perfectly "A beautiful and heartbreaking story about lost love, forgiveness and family secrets." It illustrates the repercussions of acting rashly and impulsively. Overall a lovely albeit heartbreaking story that I highly recommend.

So beautiful. Loved this one so much. The writing is just wow. I was absorbed, transported. Didn't want it to end.

Norma Curtis is a new author for me and despite a slow start to this book, The Drowned Village, I found it to be an enjoyable and very easy read. It’s different from the usual dual timeline books I read and there is a strong emphasis on the romance element of the story. Prior to beginning this book I discovered it had an underwent a title change and definitely this new title fits the story and its themes much more so than the previously title, The Captain’s Wife. It’s a slow burner but when it does pick up you become lost in the story of one man’s journey to right so many wrongs and misunderstandings and in the process he hopes to reunite with the one he loves so much but she unfortunately slipped through his fingers.

Set between the present day and the late 1950’s this engaging story uses its setting of the Welsh valleys to perfection. It is so visual and helps you come to know the characters and their motivations. In particular I found the rich imagery of the landscape, hills and mountains and the village of the title really came to life through the writing. I could picture every setting so clearly. American Al Locke spent his time in the navy and when his ship docked at Liverpool for repairs he met Elin who was originally from the village of Capel Ceyn in Wales but was working as a nurse in the city. Upon meeting Al’s life was changed forever and they quickly became a couple which initially seemed to me very fast indeed but you can feel the deep bond that has established between the pair.

Elin takes Al to her village and he is introduced to her parents. She shows him a grave of a relative of Abraham Lincoln which will go on to have a significant forbearing on his journey in the present day. I love history and delving back into the past but I’ll say from the outset that the strand of the storyline regarding Abraham Lincoln and Quakers and emigrating to America really went over my head. Not because I couldn’t understand it, I could and I could see the necessity for its inclusion in the story as a whole but honestly it really didn’t hold my attention and I found myself quickly reading through those parts. My attention was much more focused on the love story of Elin and Al and also that of the reasons for and the fate of the drowned village.

Elin and Al quickly become engaged and plans are set in motion for Elin to go to America to begin a new life. But when she discovers that her beloved village is in danger of being demolished and a reservoir put in its place in order to provide drinking water for the people of Liverpool she knows she can’t leave her parents to this uncertain fate. Not to mention her Aunt and Uncle Eric and Jane. She sends a telegram to Al who has gone home already and a letter will follow but miscommunication and heartache occur and Al marries Virgina. The cruel way in which this occurred was just so heart-breaking for Elin and piece by piece her story that followed unfolded and there are plenty of twists and turns. You feel so desperately sorry for her but deep down you know that she was right. She wanted to fight for her village and its heritage, and she soon had an even deeper and even powerful reason for doing so. A short few weeks brought Elin so much joy and she knew the wonder of being in love but secrets, errors and misperceptions put paid to all that. Can Al in the present right so many wrongs?

It’s not often in a dual timeline historical fiction book that the present day really captures my attention as much as the past but in this case it certainly did. Al arrives at Mountain Ash Bunk House in the hopes of recapturing the past and seeking the closure he craves. He is now a sprightly 85 and arrives to be greeted by Sophie who now runs the hostel having taken over from her Aunt and Uncle Eric and Jane. Sophie was the link that tried to bind the two strands of the story together. Personally, I found her to be a little lost and adrift following a break up and as for the romance element to her story it seemed to peter out as there wasn’t a satisfactory conclusion. Unless I missed something it was like it was forgotten about or left open to interpretation. As Al sets off to the village he remembers, that of Capel Celyn he is soon distraught to find it under water. His aim of returning is shot in one fell swoop. He is heartbroken and doesn’t know where to turn. Any questions he has regarding Elin and here whereabouts or whether she is still alive remain unanswered. A wall surrounds Eric and Jane who perhaps know the truth but are unwilling to share.

The story meanders along at a very gentle pace in the present, a few more little surprises and twists and turns earlier on in the book would have been welcome. As previously mentioned, the element featuring the Quakers and Abraham Lincoln was also part of Al’s quest but if it wasn’t present and instead the sole focus was on reconnecting with Elin it would have worked perfectly fine. By coming back to Wales, Al, also hiding some secrets himself, thought that he could reset his life and make sense of it. He had a heartfelt yearning for a secure place but will he find everything that he so desperately seeks and will resolution bring contentment?

The Drowned Village is a good read although I don’t feel come the end of the year it will have been the most memorable book that I will have read. I found the true story of the drowning of the village fascinating and I think the author worked the human, emotional and romantic side of the story around it wonderfully. It’s a quick read which I read in a couple of hours and I am glad I did so. The ending was different to the norm and it was brave to take this route but it was good that it wasn’t cliched but instead realistic. I would definitely try more of Norma Curtis’s writing in the future.

Britain, 1954 World War II has ended but there hasn’t been much help for the families to rebuild their lives. The tiny village of Capel Celyn still appears to be beautiful on the outside with its vibrant beautiful surroundings. But the residents of the village have no food and broken spirits. Soon they receive word that the village is going to be taken away from them, and they must be brave and once again fight for what is theirs. Al Locke, an American Navy Captain proposed to Elin Jenkins a young Welsh girl and the plan was for her to move to Pennsylvania and they would be married. But, things didn’t quite go as planned. Present-day retired Navy Captain Al Locke sets sail to the beautiful village of Capel Celyn, determined to find his fiancé Elin. Instead he finds the village underwater in the the depth of a huge lake. Now more than ever, he must find Elin and ask her to forgive him for his role in the loss of everything they held dear. This story was very intriguing to me and I loved that it was based on true events and that it is a time-slip novel. I always enjoy a book that teaches you about the past, and joins to the present day while uncovering everything in the middle. This story was both heartbreaking and hopeful. I found the characters to be very believable and I thoroughly enjoyed the detailed and beautiful description of Wales. This is a story that definitely leaves you pondering. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to those who love historical fiction with romance, heartbreak and forgiveness.

Thank you Norma Curtis for such a beautifully written true story filled with hope and inspiration. This story was a one that pulled you into the pages, and made you feel like you were part of the story. I enjoyed it very much and I highly recommend it.

Oh wow, I finished this on just one day! I loved it. Norma had me engrossed from the beginning. The characters felt like my family, the storyline so moving and the location is beautiful. Brilliant writing.

A good dual timeline story set 65 years apart in Wales. I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story and Elin and Al's stories, they were both good main characters and it was a great story of a tragic love affair that haunted them for years. A bit slow going in places but that didn't really detract from the story

Told in two timelines sixty five years apart Al and Elin have a lot of catching up to do. Al is in America
returning to Wales to put ghosts to rest and Elin unaware of Al's return is in for a surprise.

Years ago Elin gave up on love of a lifetime with Al to save her village from being submerged under a dam.
She thought (wrongly) that staying back cultivating a friendship with Rob the engineer in charge, wouldbe
enough to persuade him to choose another village for submerging rather than hers. Her parents livelihood would
be safe. She thought wrong and then discovered Al gone for good, and distraught at her non arrival marrying
the woman he knew for longest.

Returning back to Wales, Al was looking also for Abraham Lincoln's Welsh roots and to give his mother her place
in history. Amidst looking for Elin and to get the real story from her. The bunkhouse where Al was staying along
with the pub knew Elin's story but they hid it as they did not come out well in the telling. Al had to discover it
for himself.

Secrets that were finally spoken of, plenty of broken hearts and lives that could have been lived differently.

Imagine holding on to love without seeing the person for 65 years. Imagine taking a trip back to the place you met that person, but now you're 85 years old (hard to imagine a long journey like that at that age, isn't it?). You're filled with so many mixed emotions: dread, anxiety, anticipation, longing, hope.

You make it to the outskirts of the tiny village, Capel Celyn, top the hill, and gaze with anticipation of seeing the quaint village again. But, to your astonishment, the village is completely gone and a lake is in its place.

What follows is a dual-timeline novel telling the story of Al and Elin. Their meeting, their lives and their secrets. This book has all the ingredients of a moving, heartfelt book. It is a slow build, though, but don't get discouraged.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I went through a range of emotions while reading this story. I enjoy some of the humour, I got really annoyed at people interfering, some actions brought back early memories, such as using a sheet of newspaper to draw the fire but I also felt very sad because of what might have been. I liked some of the characters, others not so much. This story is set in the present day and also in the mid 1950s. I do like a dual timeline story and this one illustrates the effect on the population of a valley that is flooded. I will look for other stories by this author. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set between the present day and the years following the end of World War II in Mid Wales, The Drowned Village is a beautiful, but heartbreaking story. Sixty-five years ago, Elin Jenkins, a young Welsh girl, and Al Locke, an American sailor, had their whole lives ahead of them and, after Al proposed, the plan was for Elin to move to Pennsylvania and marry the man she loved. However, life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.

Present-day and Sophie is running a bunkhouse in Wales, and one of her guests is an elderly gentleman in his eighties...

I thoroughly love a book that is based on historical facts and makes me want to research more about what I’ve read, This is definitely true of The Drowned Village, I only live about 3 hours drive from Mid Wales, yet I wasn’t aware of entire villages that were flooded with water to create a reservoir, to provide water for industries, just over the border in Liverpool.

The descriptions of the Welsh countryside, with its towering hills, beautiful green countryside and sparkling lakes are perfectly written, and it’s apparent that the author loves the country she was born and brought up in.

I really enjoyed reading The Drowned Village and would recommend this to anyone who is interested in fiction, based on fact, with a good love story thrown in.

I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Drowned Village by Norma Curtis.

There are several points of interest for me in this historical romantic work of fiction. There was the item of especial note that was a once-upon-a-time tradition of the Welsh carving of love spoons, Welsh Quaker roots and the President Abraham Lincoln link. Some of his ancestors supposedly came from the area of North Wales; at least in this story. Al Locke, one of this story's protagonists, was interested in the history of Abe's family tree and was trying to trace these roots as they connected with his own. He learned of possible gravesite stones of one of these fore-mother's through Elin whom he naturally fell head-over-heels in love with. This narrative began during WWII time when Al was an American Navy man thus meeting Elin in her part of the world. The relationship, due to miscommunication and other events, became frutstrated. As an elderly man of 85 years, Al came back to pursue his search for ancestors to greater obsessive lengths, where he meets Sophie and her links to the past and to possibly to finding Elin. He was in for some shocks, disappointments and closure.

I found some objectional (to me) sexual content but overall I enjoyed the story for light reading. There was also some humor which always attracts me. Although this tale may not have had a totally "happily ever after" ending, the story did come to a satisfying conclusion, at least in my opinion.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

February 2022



Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

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Norma Curtis has written a look back in time at young romance during war times, family secrets, and bittersweet love. Present day Al is revisiting a Welsh village where he found love that had heartbreaking misunderstandings and lost chances. There is a gift of story-telling here in the vibrant descriptions of the village, the hostel, and even the Quaker meeting hall (without giving anything away). There are a variety of characters to learn about and distinguish - some of them you like and find endearing and others you don't necessarily route for. But they all leave a mark on you. The turns in the book are sometimes surprising, disappointing (on behalf of the characters) but endearing and there is still a hope. A snippet out of time of someone revisiting the site of a lost love, and the conclusions and impact on future actions. It is a story book with "hiraeth" .... heart.