The Last Party at Silverton Hall

By: Rachel Burton

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Two women. Two centuries. A life-changing night...

1952: Vivien and Max collide in the thick London smog. Within a few years, their whirlwind romance sees them living a quiet life on the Norfolk coast, blissfully happy with their beautiful daughter—at least, that's how it appears...

2019: Isobel is hoping for a fresh start when she inherits her beloved grandmother Vivien's house in Silverton Bay. But when she discovers an old photograph of Vivien at one of the infamous parties held at Silverton Hall in the 1950s, Isobel is forced to question how well she really knew her grandmother.

Silverton Hall is a place Vivien swore she never went and never would—but why would she lie? And what other secrets was she keeping? Together with an old friend, Isobel searches for answers. But is she prepared for the truth?

©2023 Rachel Burton (P)2023 Head of Zeus

Stodgy plot

I am susceptible to plot holes and turns that aren’t sensible or explained well, but sheesh. To make this story work, a key character doesn’t return to England from America for nearly two decades because of a fear of flying, despite her elderly mother living there — and not until the end does someone seem to seriously suggest taking a boat. There are references to “other reasons” for not going home, but this is thinly referenced at best. Other plot turns rely on other characters having left town for decades and not staying in touch, which is strange in the age of social media and texting. A dying man entrusts a child to a friend and the dunderheaded way the plot goes about that (including decades of a child not knowing she was adopted despite many villagers knowing her story) is odd. Finally after literal decades of near estrangement, all is resolved in a summer’s time, complete with new jobs and new homes and a new romance. It’s probably important that all of these characters are fairly wealthy — some are “inherit six figures” and “beach house in Montauk” wealthy.

You either love or hate Imogen Church, and I love her, but I had to speed this up to get through (and it’s my own personal plot hole that I can’t stop until I finish something). There was so much foot dragging and worrying that even her cadence grew annoying!