This is the first book I have read by this author, but it most definitely won't be the last!

A beautifully written story told over dual timelines of the 1940s, during WW2 and 2008.

Melham Manor, set in the Surrey countryside, has been the family home of the Bineham family for generations, but since WW2 has been solely inhabited by Nita, until in 2008, Beth is called to Nita's deathbed. Hardly coherent, she tells Beth that there are secrets hidden in the attic, that's the last words spoken to Beth before she passes away.

1940s Melham, Nita is offered a rare taste of freedom and independence by working for the local newspaper, The Bugle. With rumours circulating locally of a spy in their midst, Nita decides to try and solve the mystery in her own time with the help of her colleague Joe, a junior reporter. They fall head over heels in love and take every chance they can to be together, secretly, before he is called to war.

2008 Melham, Beth's life feels like it is slowly crumbling around her. She is suspended from her job, working for the family business. Her husband, out of the blue, has asked for a divorce, and she has now been tasked with dealing with the aftermath of her Aunts death and the family home.

As a diversion, Beth remembers Nita's last words and heads to the attic to try and work out what she could have possibly meant. This sets Beth on a journey of not only trying to unravel hidden past secrets but also finding out just who she really is.

I adored the characterisation in this book. Both main characters are similar in personality but also in circumstance. The main difference being that Nita was a headstrong and wouldn't follow the rules and expectations set out to herby her parents, where Beth, unbeknowingly, is ruled by her parents' expectations and until it is pointed out to her, is unaware of this fact.

A well written plot with great characterisation and location that had me hooked from beginning to end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of The Storyteller’s Daughter.

Beth arrives to see her great aunt Nita while she is in her deathbed. She has not seen her in decades but she loved coming to visit her as a child. Nita tells her that there are secrets in the attic and that she is sorry. Beth goes on a journey to find out what her aunt has been hiding and what she finds will change everything.

I enjoyed parts of this book like the dual points of view from Beth in current time and Nita during the 1940s. I did feel like the story drug on a little with a lot of unnecessary information. Overall the book was just okay for me.

Dual timeline story moving between the 1940s and the 2000s. Secrets to uncover and unravel, heartache and joy. A good read.

Moving between the 1940s and 2000s, this evocative well written novel hinges on a secret and the impact it has across the generations - the novel is full of twists and turns which I really enjoyed

Ok this is a dual story timeline featuring an aunt and a niece. It was ok at first but it did take a bit and reading several chapters for me to start to get into the story. It was good.

The Storyteller’s daughter is told in two timelines over a 40 year span. It was intriguing and I very much enjoyed it.

This book was definitely one that I wouldn't finish. Didn't care for the characters didn't care for the story, the writing the protagonists Finished several chapters and then deleted the book. My bad, I tried. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, sometimes stories don't work out for readers..

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my copy of The Storyteller's Daughter by Victoria Scott
This is a dual timeline story told by Nita in 1940 and her great niece Beth in 2008, and it's wonderful.
A great story full of love and despair, pain and hope.
I loved it.

This was such a cool story! Loved the two timelines and how they intertwined, there were so many layers to this story and I loved how it all unfolded.

Once I started reading this, I couldn’t put it down. Both Nita's story in the 1940s and Beth's in 2008 were so compelling. Both were bits of non conformists, and it was fun following Beth as she worked out Nita's secrets after her death. And what a story it was, and it impacted the present day through Nita's bequests. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, as both women worked towards the life that suited them. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A good dual timeline story with Nita Bineham and her family home Melham Manor the link between both timelines. In 1940/1 Nita, aged 21, lives with her very wealthy parents at their estate in Surrey. In 2008 Beth Bineham visits her great aunt in the now rather dilapidated Manor House and Nita’s deathbed conversation sparks something in Beth who starts looking into Nita’s past. Well written and satisfying plot with both timelines meeting seamlessly.

Briefly, Nita craves her independence and when she is given the opportunity to work for a local newspaper she jumps at it. She makes friends with Joe who also works for the newspaper and together they search for a German spy reputed to be living in their area. Beth’s job in the family firm is in jeopardy and her husband has told her he wants a divorce. As a child she loved visiting Nita but aged 10 the visits stopped abruptly and she never knew why. She immediately feels at home in the manor and when the house and lands are at risk she is desperate to stop the planners moving in.

There were a lot of similarities between Nita and Beth. Both loved writing, both kind and caring and both ruled by their families until they rebelled and found they were stronger than they thought. The Wiccan element of the book was interesting and added an extra dimension to the story. An enjoyable story about families and friendships, you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends and they chose well. Very entertaining read.

this is a dual timeline book, set in 1941 and 2008, about a niece and an aunt and about a house that links them together. good story.

Having previously read a novel by the same author I was already looking forward to reading The Storyteller’s daughter and it did not disappoint. With its dual timeline narrative (and the clue in the title) it wasn’t too hard to see what one of the major plot twists was but I still really enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy

The Storyteller’s Daughter by Victoria Scott is a beautiful dual timeline novel that I loved.
The action is set in 1941 and 2008. The periods are united by a family house and woodland as we follow a young woman in 2008 and her aunt in 1941.
Both main characters are similar in personality and circumstances. Both have been pressured by their families, having their personal lives squashed.
In 1941 Nita was expected to marry the man her parents chose for her – but Nita had a strong personality and would not be hemmed in by tradition and circumstances.
In 2008 Beth has always done what her parents wanted and has worked in the family firm. It was never her dream and now she decides to branch out on her own, having been re-united with her aunt on her death bed.
The ambitions of both young women was to be journalists. Now seems the ideal time to pursue these dreams.
Secrets are buried deep in the past. A death bed cryptic clue sends Beth delving into her aunt’s wartime activities – it is amazing what she uncovers.
The book has a serenity to it. The reader feels that despite of all the events, both Nita and Beth find and discover a peace within – this peace extends to the house and the reader.
We see the value of true friends. There are friends who go the extra mile and who will keep quiet as needed.
Wartime was a time of suspicion and patriotism. The characters are shocked at the thought of a spy walking amongst them.
Love blossoms where it will – and it remains, hidden secretly away.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Storyteller’s Daughter. It was an engaging read with a difference – a hidden event that I did not see coming! Grab a copy and see what I mean!
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Victoria Scott, The Storyteller's Daughter, Boldwood Books,
January 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

In this story that weaves together a narrative from the past with one from the present day, Victoria Scott combines World War 11 historical events, the role of women in work and family environments and their stories. This is a quiet page turner rather than a gripping read. However, quietly though the pages might be turned, turned they must be. The Story Teller’s Daughter begins slowly, but as the stories of Nita and her great niece, Beth, evolve it is impossible to leave them. Partly it is the evocative writing about the house and surrounds that have impacted the two women’s lives that is so engaging. The women whose stories combine their gathering strength, their preparedness to question their lifestyle and readiness to make change are also appealing. Nita resists expectations to marry and uses her voluntary work as a journalist on a local paper to change her life. Beth in an age where while her being employed is expected, as is a commitment to the domestic duties that remain to be done, lead to her making changes too. Some are forced upon her, others she chooses. Both women’s stories show them questioning themselves and the choices they have made that might need to be adapted to new ideas and events.

Nita and Beth have a past together at Melrose Manor. This past, and what becomes Beth’s present, has elements of fantasy about it, which are cleverly posed against the realities of class differences, the search for a spy during the war, the poverty of council housing and planning that can be undertaken to address this, or to exacerbate it and societal and family pressures against which Nita and Beth eventually rebel. Wealth and inheritance, social and family expectations and relationships, married, unmarried and enduring friendships between women are an important part of the narrative.

Scott’s thoughtful approach to the issues, personal and public that she addresses in this book enhances the stories of both women. These stories are of their time, but the parallels between them are significant without being forced. The resolution to each woman’s story is pleasantly satisfying.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early arc.

This book was kind of just okay for me. I didn't really love the characters and the character development just didn't feel like it was enough. Like so many things kept happening to these characters and then just wrapped up a little too quickly.

I did like Nita's POV more than Beth's. I just wasn't really a fan of Beth's POV. It was really more family drama and less investigating the secrets of the past than I wanted.

I also don't like the title with this book. It's supposed to be a big secret to one of the characters and it really is more of a spoiler. And along with that, we see Nita with her daughter well before Beth finding out and I think the timelines should have followed each other a little closer. It's like that for a lot of things and it makes it feel like what is the point of Beth's POV?

There were also some lines that I were a bit offputting, such as "her ample breasts are now pointing towards the sky, like anti-aircraft guns."

Hit all the feels and had me laughing out loud… Will propel you to your happy place. A must read!… Feel-good romance… Truly heart-warming… Such a cute read! I started and finished in one day – what can I say?

I really enjoyed this who doesn't love a dual timeline?
Set in 2008/9 and world war 2 . It follows the lives of Beth (2008) and Nita (WW2) it uncovers a lot of very surprising secrets and is a voyage of discovery for one of them.
If you like Judith Lennox this will be right up your street.

Victoria Scott has done it again. She’s written an engaging story with wonderful characters and added a bit of a mystery that I couldn’t wait to solve. You can tell the author has done her research impeccably, and I highly recommend reading her notes at the end.

This is in the dual timeline format (my favourite) with a 1940/41 timeline and a 2008/09 one. As is usual for me I enjoyed the earlier timeline more. We also get the points of view of both main female characters, Nita and her great-niece Beth. I loved Nita’s story so much and learning about how hard it was to be a woman reporter at the time, especially considering she came from such an influential family. What I found remarkable is that women are still fighting some of the same challenges today…trying to break through that glass ceiling in a man’s world while wanting children and family life. Both Beth and Nita face these challenges in one way or another 70 years apart. Nita was such a compelling character as was Beth and I was cheering them on and wishing them well.

I love when I can learn something from a fictional story and this one taught me a lot about the war, spies and Wiccan. This book made me appreciate the time I live in and my ancestors who fought in WWII. I also know to appreciate and celebrate our differences and not shun them no matter our beliefs or rituals. I highly recommend this one to historical fiction lovers who enjoy an atmospheric tale.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoy dual timeline stories , so in some regards this story hit the mark, in others not so much.. The present day story of Beth, a young educated woman from a prosperous family in Britain, and the story of Nita, her great aunt, who never married, was considered eccentric, whose story focused on her World War II experiences was at times an interesting story. I had some difficulty getting into the story, trying to find the connection, but once I did the story flowed. I can honestly say I enjoyed the dual timeline, I did not feel that there was enough character development, I feel that both women who were going through difficult times, was a real downer at times. The story had as possible a somewhat “ happy “ ending.