Jubilee [Kindle Edition]

When I started this I thought, "oh good, this is well-written," then as I read further I thought, "actually, this is really good",and finally I couldn't put it down and gave up a whole sunday afternoon to finishing it. The characters seep into you somehow. Centred around a child who disappears during a Jubilee party, I expected it to be an emotional read,and it is, harrowing in parts,but it is also a mystery that keeps you wanting to turn the pages, and with a satisfying twist in the tale.The action jumps about in time from the Silver to the Golden jubilee and from England to Thailand to Australia, but don't let that put you off, it's seamlessly done.

This book was highlighted by my local library as having a local setting, though I was reluctant to read it at first because of the subject matter. But although it deals with themes of loss and grief, it does end on a positive note, so if you wouldn't normally read a book about a missing child, I can recommend you try this one. I loved the sense of place the author manages to evoke & the little details of village life and celebrations, especially as I have spent most of my life in and around the Vale of the White Horse.

I often find that books which deal with three or four different 'threads' are confusing or disjointed, but Eliza Graham manages to weave together wartime, the coronation and silver and golden jubilee celebrations in a way that is easy to follow. Buy one to keep and one to give away, especially to anyone who knows and loves this area.

Jubilee's cover shows an idyllic, watercolour image of a young girl running in a field. Her back is to the viewer, evoking Jessamy, 10 year-old daughter of Evie Winter who vanished during a village celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977.

In 2003, Evie dies and her niece, Rachel, is left to sort through her belongings at the farmhouse, Winter's Copse, where she finds a series of letters that Jessamy's uncle, Robert Winter, wrote to Evie from a Japanese prison camp during World War II.

Jubilee consists of several, loosely connected narratives. Rachel's story is told directly, as she tries to make sense of her cousin's disappearance, and to come to terms with her own childlessness.

Evie's history is retold in the third person, while Robert speaks through his letters. The long reign of Elizabeth II gives structure to the linked plotlines, spanning sixty years.

Jubilee is an engaging, well-crafted novel. The story and characters, while moving and dramatic, are rendered quite subtly, never overreaching itself. It makes for a pleasant, thoughtful read, and with its intriguing narrative and strong female characters, would probably adapt well as a radio or magazine serial.

As a reader, I sometimes felt that the emotional impact could have been conveyed more forcefully, but nonetheless, in Eliza Graham's capable hands, Jubilee has a quiet authority which Queen Elizabeth might well approve of.