From the bestselling author of The Jade Lily comes a thrilling modern-day treasure hunt brimming with family secrets. Inspired by a true story, The Lost Jewels unfolds an incredible mystery of thievery, sacrifice and hope through the generations of one family.
Read some 5 star reviews from our Preview readers here:
The book was an easy read, with the story navigating between the past an present, cleverly intertwined keeping the reader’s interest and imagination. I thoroughly enjoy the book. – Helen, QLD, 5 stars
The lost jewels had me enthralled from the minute i started reading it. I’m not sure whether it’s because I love jewellery or whether I got caught up in the different generations with the mystery of the jewels & the modern day story of solving where the jewels originated from. The story goes from 1666 to 1912 to modern day so it keeps you intrigued the whole time & you just want to know what happens next. With everything happening there is also romance mixed in with each generation. If you like a bit of romance & jewellery mixed in with mystery then you will love this story. I know I did. – Donella, SA, 5 stars
This is the first book I have read is Kirsty Manning and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set between the past and present spanning across countries and keeps you guessing throughout. The leading character Kate was easy to relate to . I found the novel to be very well written, descriptive with a hint of mystery, a delight to read. Will definitely be reading Kirsty’s other two novels – Jane, QLD, 5 stars
Kirsty Manning is a talented Australian author. I’ve enjoyed her previous books and she has done it again with The Lost Jewels! In this story, Kate Kirby, a jewellery historian, is asked to go to London to write a magazine article on the Cheapside jewels. Little did she know just how closely her family were linked to these jewels, through her great grandmother Essie. The story is told through both Kate’s and Essie’s eyes, and is set mainly in the present day and the early 1900s. However, there are flashbacks to the 1600s which takes the reader back to the creation of these jewels. Because of this, the reader is aware of their history long before it unfolds for Kate and Essie. Whilst this story has many layers and is complex, these layers are beautifully bought together through Manning’s writing. The Lost Jewels has been inspired by the true story of the Cheapside Hoard, was now owned by the Museum of London which Manning has obviously researched well and I’d recommended The Lost Jewels for all lovers of historical fiction. – Cathie, QLD, 5 stars
What an amazing book, great story, great characters and the way it was put together kept me captivated. This book starts in the 1600’s and jumps between different periods in time where you slowly you learn about where a large number of jewels came from. There are two main characters Kate and her great grandmother Essie, the way these two stories unfold is simply magical. I devoured this book and was very satisfied when it ended. The characters were well written, and I fell in love with them all. For all those people that love to go on and research historical fiction more, there was a bonus at the end where the author added information on the jewels and supplied sites where you could find out more. She also explained what was true and what was added for readability. Thank you so much for sending me this book, I loved it. Five stars – Di, QLD, 5 stars
I love historical fiction, and The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning, is no exception. Based on the true story of the Cheapside Hoard (currently held by the Museum of London – check it out on their website), this is a story of mystery, intrigue and, ultimately, hope. For many, many, years a buried treasure lay undisturbed below one of London’s busiest streets. No one knew it was there until workmen started to demolish a building in Cheapside, in the summer of 1912. Our story follows Kate Kirby, a jewellery historian, as she delves into their history, and coincidently, her own. The book was well researched and benefited from Manning’s descriptive writing style. I enjoyed the slow unfolding of the story, complemented by a neat ending, and the way the characters jumped off the page. I would recommend this book and will certainly be looking to read more from Kristy Manning in the future. – Laura, SA, 5 stars
The Lost Jewels takes place over various time periods from the 1600s through to the current day following the trail of jewels and gemstones discovered in London in 1912. Kirsty Manning managed storytelling throughout the various periods without leaving me too confused as to who was who, which sometimes I find in historical fictions too bothersome. Each time period was so captivating, I never found myself longing to go back to another period or another character but it felt comforting to finish a chapter and be reunited again. Essie Murphy and her story in the early 1900s absolutely moved me. Kirsty Manning painted such a detailed picture of life in the poorer parts of London I wished I could dive in and help the poor souls. I thoroughly enjoyed travelling through history and uncovering the secrets of the Cheapside jewels. – Tamara, SA, 5 stars
Another sure fire winner from Kirsty Manning! I became involved with the cast of characters in this book from the outset. A wonderful tale moving between timelines – 1912 and present day and then other historical snippets thrown in. The main characters Essie and Kate proved to be caring, warm and brave humans. I loved the mystery woven through the story, and the ending did not disappoint. I would recommend this novel to lovers of Kate Morton and Tea Cooper, or anyone who enjoys historical and mystery tales. Excellent. – Karn, VIC, 5 stars
A gem of a story. This was a really hard book to put down. Reflecting across centuries, the journey of beautiful jewels is told, and the connectedness revealed. Moving between the centuries, mysteries are solved, secrets unveiled, love found and all through beautiful gems. The characters were genuine, interesting and inspirational, the settings detailed and believable and the story, although told across centuries was not disjointed. A really enjoyable read I’ll be sharing with friends. – Jodie, WA, 5 stars
An absolutely enjoyable read from beginning to end. The family secrets and the beautiful jewels made for an engaging read. It was really interesting to read about the various gems and jewels that formed the basis of the story. I highly recommend this book – Natalie, NSW, 5 stars
Thank you to Better Reading for my copy of The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning to preview! In 1912 in Cheapside, London, workmen in an old house uncover valuable treasure, but it quickly disappears again. In the present day, jewellery historian, Kate Kirby, receives a phone call about the Cheapside jewels and soon excitedly realises she is on the brink of an experience of a lifetime. Soon, Kate’s past and present threaten to collide while the truth about her family lie waiting to be revealed; just like the Cheapside jewels! I found this to be a very enjoyable read and found myself dying to pick it back up every day! I’m not usually a big fan of flicking back between time frames (from 1666, to 1912 to present day) and found myself having to go back check what year and which character I was currently reading about, I still felt very connected and interested in the characters and found the writing style to be easy to read, flowing well. I LOVED the description of all the valuable jewels located, the history behind them, and sometimes felt like I could have been wearing them myself! #BRPreview – Nicola, QLD, 5 stars
From the Prologue onwards this book compels you to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. Kate is employed to follow-up on a London story but London also has a family connection. Her great-grandmother Essie’s story originates in London and Kate wishes she has questioned her more on the secret of why she left and never returned. More so after finding sketches of two identical girls and a brooch or button with precious gems similar to a gift she received from her. The storyline travels in time backwards and forward and mixes some historic events with the storyline to unravel Kate’s family secret history. Suspense, romance and intriguing storyline makes you want to keep reading. – Josie, VIC, 5 stars
‘The Lost Jewels’ by Kirsty Manning is a wonderful story with interesting characters and historical insight. The book traces the origin of a stash of jewels and the people from foreign lands who mined them and were responsible for selling them. The first chapter begins in London in 1666 during the time of the great fire of London. The book moves on to the present day where Dr Kate Kirby a Boston jewellery historian is called in to investigate and research jewels found in a London worksite at Cheapside. These first discovered in 1912. Kate is working closely with a photographer Marcus Holt who is from Sydney. In researching Kate has a feeling that these jewels may be connected to her own family as her great grandmother Essie was living in London in 1912. The story gives us an insight of what life was like in London when Essie and her family lived there. An excellent read with mystery, historical fact and romance. – Gillian, QLD, 5 stars
This book tells the story of the Cheapside Hoard, a cache of ancient jewellery found in 1912 London, from several different timelines. The two primary times, 1912 and present day are linked by family members and the jewellery itself. The characters from both the 1912 and present day timelines are likeable and believable. While you can tell that the timelines will end up being linked, the result is very satisfying. – Mellisa, ACT, 5 stars
Books like this one is why I love historic fiction. I devoured this book in 2 days, which is fast for me and I found it hard to put down. I hadn’t even heard about the Cheapside Hoard/Jewels until I read this book and now have learned about an exciting piece of history. Kirsty Manning researched gemstones, jewellery making and mining really well and it shows in her beautiful descriptions of the jewellery pieces and the stones. She has wrapped an exciting story around a jewellery hoard from 1912 that dates back to the 1630’s. Anyone that likes stories about treasure and family secrets will like this book. Each chapter beginning has the year, place or person it’s about which makes it easy to follow where you are in the story. When finished the book it’s worth reading the author’s note at the back and take the time to do an internet search on the Cheapside Hoard and look at the photos of some of the pieces depicted in the book. Highly recommended. – Tracy, WA, 5 stars
The Lost Jewels by Kirsty Manning is a thoroughly enjoyable story, well written and easy to read. Kate Kirby is a jewellery historian, asked to do some research on the Cheapside jewels, discovered under an old house in 1912. As she is researching she uncovers links to her own great grandmother having a connection to the jewels. The story covers past and present, and ties everything in together. A great read. – Fay, VIC, 5 stars
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