Book review: Her Mother’s Secret

25 Jul 2017

Plot overview

Following the joy and relief of the end of World War I, Leonora East’s life is thrown into disarray when influenza takes the life of her father. But the inheritance she receives breathes new life into her dream of producing and popularising cosmetics in a prudish post-war society.

Leonora (or “Leo” as she is known) leaves England to start a new life in New York. But a chance encounter with the wealthy Everett Forsyth turns her world upside down. Leo falls in love with Everett, but is shaken to find out that he is already engaged – and expecting a child. 

And so Leo goes about making her own way in New York, hiring out the back of a Chinese medicine store to develop cosmetics. That is, until the discovery of her own pregnancy to Everett throws a spanner in the works. 

Fifteen years later, the outbreak of World War II threatens Leo’s thriving cosmetics business and old skeletons begin to work their way back into her life.

Review

An emotional story that highlights the obstacles faced by ambitious women in the early 20th century, Natasha Lester’s latest novel displays a rich tapestry of larger-than-life characters. 

The book explores the struggles faced by two kinds of people: those with the desire and strength to forge their own path despite their circumstance, and those who let their stories be defined by convention and the judgements of those around them.

As well as this portrayal of fascinating characters, Lester’s historical fiction brings the reader into the United States between the wars, in a time when status and appearance were the keys to success.

About the author

After a ten-year career in marketing and public relations, Natasha Lester went back to university to study creative writing.

As a child, Lester had always wanted to make others feel the way she felt when she was reading.

Since publishing her first novel What is Left Over After with Fremantle Press in 2010, Lester has written three other books, with her two most recent creations finding their footing in the genre of historical fiction.

In her spare time she loves yoga, shoes, teaching writing, red lipstick and spending time with her three kids.

Her Mother’s Secret is published by Hachette Australia, sponsor of our Annual Award for Literary Excellence. If you would like to enter, please email your submission to [email protected]