Michelle Montebello is one of my favourite independent authors. It is my great pleasure to have not only been involved in introducing her work to the members of Beauty and Lace Book Club but also for the opportunity to have provided some input into The Lost Letters of Playfair Street.
The story is set in Sydney where Walter Greene supplies steel from his steel mill to the company building the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We first meet the Greenes at the engagement party of Walter’s daughter, Charlotte, to the banker—and financier of loans to Walter—Floyd Clark.
Floyd moves Charlotte through the group until they come to the last man, Alexander Young, Bradfield’s chief engineer. As the introductions are made, Charlotte feels a stirring she has never felt before, and certainly something she has never felt with Floyd.
In the present day, Paige Westwood has moved to Sydney from Albury, after having her heartbroken. Her job is to set up the house on Playfair Street that her boss Xavier has purchased to run his business from. While cleaning the attic Paige discovers a trunk, carved with the initials CG, and containing bundles of letters carefully tied together.
As Montebello deftly guides us between the two timelines we are privy to information about Charlotte, Walter and Alex’s lives, that Paige and Ryan must seek to discover through the letters and modern-day research. At the same time we are taken on a tour of Sydney, and The Rocks, as we explore those areas from both the perspective of the 1920’s and 30’s and present day.
This is a beautifully written book that gives us a historical glimpse into Sydney, the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the impact of the stock market crash, all within the context of a beautiful, yet illicit romance. Montebello has smoothly woven fictional and real-life characters into a tale that will leave you wanting more.
Many thanks to Michelle Montebello and Beauty and Lace Book Club for the opportunity to read and review The Lost Letters Of Playfair Street. Highly recommended for lovers of historical romantic fiction, a definite 5 star read.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Lost Letter of Playfair Street by Michelle Montebello. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Hi, I’m Anna the Editor of Beauty and Lace.