Ember Island by Kimberly Freeman

Ember Island by Kimberly Freeman is a moving story that puts two brilliantly crafted female characters, in different eras, and seamlessly tells their stories. Ember Island is about hidden secrets, starting over, and the courage to follow your heart.

Book Description

“In 1891, Tilly Kirkland is reeling with shock and guilt after her tempestuous marriage ends in horrific circumstances. Fleeing to the farthest place she knows, Tilly takes a job on Ember Island in Moreton Bay, Australia, where she becomes the governess to the prison superintendent’s precocious young daughter, Nell. Tilly knows she must keep the past hidden in order to start a new life, but she doesn’t know that Nell is watching her every move and writing it all down, hiding tiny journals all over their rambling manor home.

More than one hundred years later, bestselling novelist Nina Jones is struggling to complete her next book. A reporter asking questions about her great-grandmother sends Nina retreating to her family’s home on Ember Island, where she hopes to find her lost inspiration somewhere in the crumbling walls. 

Though they are separated by years, both Tilly and Nina must learn that some secrets never stay buried, but what matters most is learning to trust your heart.” – Ember Island

My Thoughts

Ember Island is a book where the two main characters from a different ere connect, not through past life, but through diary reading. The main characters of Tilly and Nina are both likeable in their own right, but I enjoyed reading about Tilly more. Tilly wasn’t actually the owner of the diaries that were written about her, it was the young Nell, Nina’s great grandmother who wrote about her.

Freeman’s passion for storytelling is not just with the characters that inhabit her novels. She also pays attention to detail in the setting, so it brings the reader into the story to feel like they are there with the characters, living their story right along with them. I love this about her novels, and it is one of the main reasons I can finish her stories in a day. I highly recommend this book for you to read, especially if you enjoy setting oriented and detailed characters that will leave you thinking about them long after you finish the last page.

* Thank you to the publisher of Ember Island, Touchstone, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.