The Forgotten Room

Boring and trite, this book was so full of cliches I could have used it as a teaching moment on what not to do when writing a novel. The females? Beautiful and spirited .... The males? Handsome, charming, kind .... It's hard to believe it took three women to write this.

Love

Ive read all your books in one week. All my life!', Ive written and read. You are excellent! The ending of Harry's story is so weak. I believe you did not write it; otherwise, all other books of yours are superb.

This is the story of a large mansion in Manhattan, in particular of one special room in it, and of two families with ties to the mansion. The story spans three generations, with Dr. Kate Schuyler in 1944 working as a WWII doctor in the hospital the mansion had been converted to, and reaching back in the past to her grandmother Olive in 1890s Gilded Age Manhattan and to her mother Lucy in post WWI 1920s Manhattan.

It's a love story, or rather three love stories. It has a bit of a mystery to it, as 1920s Lucy and 1940s Kate try to puzzle out some unexplained mysteries in their mothers' lives and, in the case of Kate, also of her grandmother Olive's life. There's a ruby necklace tied to all three women, handed down from mother to daughter for three generations. And an old painting of a beautiful woman wearing that necklace, a woman who looks just like Kate.

These women are from the Van Alan family. Olive's father was an architect who, in the 1890s, designed that mansion for the Pratt family, yet was not compensated for this work, was ruined financially and committed suicide. Olive wants to understand what happened and why, so she gets herself hired as a maid in the rich Pratt family household. She's bitter and resentful of the family, but then she meets son Harry, a budding artist and charismatic young man.

In the 1920s Lucy Young, Olive's daughter, is not only puzzled about her grandfather's suicide and ruin but also wants to know who her real father is. When her father Hans dies, her paternal grandmother tells her that she was actually a 'cuckoo in the nest'. Complications arise during Lucy's search for the truth through her relationships with Philip Schuyler, lawyer for the Pratt family and stepson of Prunella Pratt, Harry's sister, and a certain art dealer, John Ravenel, who recognizes Lucy's ruby necklace as that worn by the beautiful woman in the already-mentioned painting.

And 1940s Kate still has not learned much from or about mother and grandmother and the mysteries within the Van Alan family and their relationship to the Pratts still puzzles. Not to mention that a certain Captain Cooper Ravenel, wounded in the war, comes to the former mansion now serving as hospital to have his injured leg treated and he seems to recognize her and her necklace.

We learn lots of secrets, enjoy going back in time with three generations of Van Alans and Pratts, and are treated to three love stories, two of them bittersweet. The book moves along in alternating chapters, beginning with Kate in the 1940s , then to Olive in the 1890s, followed by Lucy in the 1920s and then repeating the alternation until the mysteries are finally resolved. Everything develops fairly seamlessly. The three authors have coordinated the story's main themes perfectly and their writing styles mesh well.

Kate's story is told in 1st person POV and the other two in 3rd person. I don't know if that was done purposefully so that Kate's story, which finally brings the Van Alan/Pratt saga to a successful ending, is set apart from the other two, or if it is just because that is the preferred writing style of one of the authors. It works, whatever the case. Curiosity, BTW, sent me off trying to find out which author wrote about which woman of the book, but I was unsuccessful. Not sure if it's because I read an ARC and that info had not yet been added to the book or if, again, this was on purpose to keep the reader in the dark. I even checked out each individual author's website but got no clues from that either.

All three authors have done a very good job in collaborating in this effort. I admit to finding Olive's story the most compelling and the most emotionally impacting but all three sections were well written and contributed to a very entertaining book.

I cannot believe Karen White was one of the writers of this book. I did not find her in "The Forgotten Room." I had to skip over half of it.
If you could rate a book I would rate it XXX. Sorry but no comparison between this book and "a long time gone," and "the sound of glass."

This is three love stories of multi-generational women who share a beautiful ruby necklace and the choices they make. Olive is the daughter of the architect that designed the Pratt mansion only to commit suicide. Olive becomes a maid in the mansion to find the reason Mr. Pratt refused the last and final payment, an act that destroyed her father. Lucy goes to work for a law firm that represents the Pratt family to discover who her father was. Finally, Katie, a doctor, falls for her patient and together they find clues to a mystery in the attic room being used to house patients returning from the war in Europe. The Pratt family is the key to all the answers they are looking for.

I enjoyed this book, I was leery at first due to the 3 authors and concerns that the story would not flow, but to my delight it did. I enjoyed all the characters and the way the story moved between each of the 3 main characters. Each woman's story being told over time until the final mystery unfolds.
Highly recommend

If you were to ask who might like The Forgotten Room, I'd mainly recommend it to other women who enjoy historical fiction and love stories. The novel follows the stories of three women who live very different lives in the Pratt Mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan: Olive Van Alan who works in service to the Pratt family during the Gilded Age (1890s); Lucy Young who takes a job in a law firm in Manhattan in the 1920s and resides at the women's only residence, Stornaway House; and Dr. Kate Schuyler (1940s), a young woman doctor treating US servicemen during World War II at Stornaway Hospital in New York City.

It is not clear that what ties the women together nor how the men that they are drawn to share a tie to the Pratt Mansion, the uncertainty and mystery continues throughout the novel. The complicated histories, the unusual love stories and the obstacles that each of the women face are skillfully intertwined and result in an unusual mix of love stories. I thoroughly enjoyed The Forgotten Room even as I was trying to decipher the clues that the authors skillfully embedded.

Not to be confused with the recently released novel of the same name by Lincoln Child, The Forgotten Room is a story of three generations of women from the same family. It is set in three different time periods and the book alternates between the three periods. One story is contemporary, one is set in the Gilded Age and one in the Jazz Age. Although the time periods jump around, it is easy to follow and will make sense as you read the book. I enjoyed reading the descriptions and picturing all the imagery of the different time periods, the three main characters were well developed ,and the story had a good pace.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will avoid commenting directly on the plot. Suffice to say that the three women, Olive, Kate and Lucy, have rather parallel stories that are somewhat predictable. It is not a heavy read, but it is enjoyable. I think that some of the sub characters could have benefitted from more development. Most reviewers LOVED this book, and I think most readers will as well. Maybe it was a case of bad timing for me, but I felt like I wanted this book to end quicker than it did.

You’ve heard the saying that everything comes in three? The Forgotten Room is a good example of that saying: 3 authors, 3 voices, 3 romances, 3 generations, 3 betrayals…and 1 house. The Forgotten room is a complex and gripping tale of three women in late 19th/early 20th century America.

When I picked up The Forgotten Room, I didn’t notice that it had three contributing authors. In fact, I didn’t notice that there is more than one author until preparing to write my review. That says a lot about the seamless writing and editing involved in creating this novel.

Since there are three story lines, each featuring a different lead female character from different eras, I assume that each author wrote the story of one of those women, and then they pieced their stories together like master quilters. The one oddity, which I didn’t notice until the last few chapters of the book (because I was that engrossed in the story), is that the one story in the present time period is told in the first person, while the two storylines from past generations is told in third person perspective. Since The Forgotten Room starts and ends in the present time period, and is ultimately about the characters in the present era unlocking the secrets of the past, I can appreciate that a third person perspective is used for long-dead characters’ stories.

The Forgotten Room is rich and complex. The thrill of this book is in the multi-era journey of finding the figurative keys that will unlock the mystery of the beautiful forgotten room at the top of the Pratt mansion. In this room, each of the women (Olive in 1892, Lucy in 1920 or Kate in 1944) finds seemingly ill-fated love. Are these relationships doomed or did the women misinterpret their worry over disappointment and regret? Is it passion, or not following your passion, that leads to disappointment and regret? It might be hard to decide which is true when your gender and station in life restrict your expectations and aspirations. Beyond that little pondering, I will not ruin a good read by divulging any more of the sumptuous details.

The slow reveal of the mystery, the changing time periods and the interconnections between the three storylines can feel overwhelming, but stick with the story. All will be revealed as the three storylines come together. Relish the delicious details as you learn the connections between the characters in each era and with characters from past eras.

From the first page to the last, I was captivated by the compelling characters, the vivid imagery, the complex plot line, the sense of destiny, fate and just-missed opportunities, and, of course, the house. I found myself reading long past my bedtime because I just had to know how the characters are related and what ultimately happened to each of them. Days after finishing The Forgotten Room, I’m still thinking about the story and having little “a-ha” moments as I remember small, telling details that are important now that I know how the storylines fit together.

I haven’t read any of the authors’ prior work, but I’m definitely putting their books on my TBR list after reading The Forgotten Room. I think this book will appeal to fans of historical fiction and/or historical romance (such as Susanna Kearsley novels). A 5-star, highly-recommend read for me; The Forgotten Room is as beautiful and magical as an Augustus Ravenel painting.

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I received a copy of this book through Penguin's First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

The Forgotten Room masterfully weaves together the stories of three women from different generations, who not only share DNA, but also a room in a mansion that was never theirs. At first, I had a little trouble keeping the three ladies straight, but after about the sixth chapter I felt like I had a pretty good handle on who they were and keeping them separate became much easier. In spite of that issue, I liked how the story rotated through the women's lives, changing characters with each chapter. I also felt the authors did a wonderful job of blending their tales together. It certainly didn't seem as if this book were written by three different authors.

I enjoyed the way the mystery built from chapter to chapter, giving us little clues but more questions in the process. I was made to believe things, some of them true, some not. I felt triumphant for figuring some things out long before the characters did, and like a fool when a reveal proved me wrong.

One of the underlying premises of this story seemed a little odd and a bit disturbing to me. There was more than one occasion when I thought things were going to happen that really shouldn't happen, and it bothered me on a primal level.

Overall I give The Forgotten Room 4 out of 5 stars because it had me hooked by the mystery until the end, but the characters did blend together a little at first.

Reviewed on Just Another Girl and Her Books blog

Weak sauce.

I love intergenerational stories and seeing how the past informs the present. But for me, the weakest link was the third story – that of Kate’s. The biggest problem I had with Kate was how even after she learned the fates of her mother and grandmother and their cautionary tales about letting true love slip by, she turned down Cooper because….reasons. Kate needed a slap upside the head and just who delivers this metaphorical slap you ask? SPOILER!!! Why, none other than heretofore spoiled, heinous Prunella!

This puts the lie to what another character in the novel said about people basically being “who they are”. Up to now, we’ve only ever seen Prunella portrayed as an outright witch, but at novel’s end, *she* out of everyone gets a redemption story? END SPOILER! Yeah, riiiight. Sorry, not buying it.

Of the three main characters, the only one whose story really felt authentic for me was Lucy’s. Given the time period, I could believe that she didn’t want to break up a family, to be perceived as a home wrecker, so her decision felt the most realistic of the three in this novel.

Another problem I had with “The Forgotten Room” was the sheer coincidence of all three protagonists having a deceased parent who was conveniently not around to provide key information or context and meaning to any of the heroines of the story. Rather than heartfelt conversations between a daughter/mother or granddaughter/grandmother pair, it smacked too much of a plot contrivance having Kate find the hidden material in the bricks and reading the tragic stories of her family. The lack of the presence of the preceding matriarch to the current storyline meant an emotional heft was missing in the story for me.

The concept of “The Forgotten Room” is fantastic, but the execution could have been greater. Maybe this novel suffered from having one too many cooks in the kitchen.

Naturally the idea of a hidden room and finding clues about the past are intriguing.

However I found this book confusing. It keeps leaping from each generation to another but the story of each female is similar enough, they don't stand out as you read.

The biggest problem for me was, it was as if the three authors forgot to read the story when they were done to be sure their parts meshed

The bricks in the fireplace. Each time that part comes up, it is not the same. Sometimes is it several bricks that pop out and other times one. How the brick(s) open isn't described quite the same way either. Details make a story and when they change in midstream, they stand out as glaringly wrong.

The part about the landlady letting them go up to the hidden 7th floor room alone, was completely and utterly out of character for her. Not only that, but how CAN the room be secret, when it has a ton of windows. Surely someone has looked up at the house from the outside and said, gee, that little windowed top room I haven't seen. Glaringly obvious I'd think.

And surely Olive, in light of her reason for seeking employment at the Pratt home, would have used not only a different last name but also first.

Wouldn't being the daughter of his mother's lover, make Olive an uncomfortable choice for Harry? That didn't seem to make sense.
The book tried too hard to intertwine all these people. The circumstances that brought these generations together, in the same house, were far fetched as is the possibility that each set of star crossed lovers should produce children with others who are magically attracted to each other, the instant they meet.

Nor can I imagine, a small painting, completely captivating any small boy, to be kept as he grew up and taken into war.

While it has the "happy ever after ending", the feeling the book leaves you with, is loss. Somehow the depth of feeling is lacking at the end, that couple loses the spark and becomes just people on a page, rushing toward the conclusion for the book.

One lovely book – three authors – three story-lines that converge in one house.

It is the story of the Pratt House, a mansion in Manhattan on East 69th street. The first story-line takes place in 1892 when Olive Van Alan, the daughter of the house’s architect goes to work there as a maid. Her father was never reimbursed for his years planning and building the magnificent dwelling and has committed suicide as a result of his despair and loss of reputation. She plans to find proof of the nonpayment so that she can honor her father’s memory. But there she meets the son of the house, Harry.

Harry is an artist. He is also very handsome and charming. As a result Olive finds herself posing for him in his attic studio – henceforth called the forgotten room…

Then we jump ahead to 1920, when we meet Lucy Young. Lucy is a legal secretary who lives in the forgotten room at the house which has been converted over into a ladies’ boardinghouse. She has a job working for the attorney Philip Schulyer. As this is the firm that handles the Pratt family’s affairs, she plans to covertly search his files in her quest to understand her lineage. Through her work she meets the client Mr. Ravenel who finds her face eerily familiar…

Then skip ahead once again to 1944 where we meet Kate Schulyer, a doctor who works at the house which is in it’s third reincarnation as Stornaway Hospital. While working there she meets an injured soldier named Captain Cooper Ravenel. He has a portrait miniature of ‘Victorine’ that he always carries. Remarkably, she looks exactly like Kate! And what is more she is wearing the same ruby necklace that Kate’s mother gave her upon her death.

The reader quickly realizes that all three protagonists must be related – and are in fact three generations: grandmother, mother, and daughter. But what is the hidden story? Why is their connection shrouded in secrecy?

I confess that I was a tad confused with the interweaving relationships. Enough that I actually created a family tree on paper. That doesn’t mean I liked it any less – I quite enjoyed the attempt to ‘puzzle it out’.

“The Forgotten Room” is a delicious love story where the memorable protagonists whisk the reader away to another time. A story of love, loss, secrets, illicit liaisons, artists and their muses, and choices made. A story of passions versus practicalities. A cautionary tale of the regret that comes from not following your heart, this novel is also an interesting review of woman’s social history.

I have only previously read one of the three authors of this book, Karen White. I have never before now had the pleasure of reading Beatriz Williams or Lauren Willig. The narrative flows smoothly making it difficult if not impossible to discern where one author left off and another began. The writing explains why all three are New York Times Bestselling Authors!

Recommended highly to readers who enjoy strong women’s fiction with more than a dash of romance and history.

Dr. Kate Schuyler is treating very wounded soldiers in a New York Hospital in 1945. She has to deal with a huge amount of resentment and anger from her male colleagues. One of the wounded soldiers, Captain Ravenel, insists she looks familiar to the woman in the miniature portrait he wears around his neck. Add to that she’s wearing a ruby pendant that was passed down to her from her mother but one that Ravenel recognizes immediately later on in the story.

Then there’s Olive Van Allen, a maid in the home of the man who once refused to pay the architect bill and therefore ruined Olive’s father together. Olive’s persistent desire for revenge is palpable; but instead she’s serving as a drudge maid who is exhausted from the pace of cleaning, etc. that this job entails. Then she meets one of the Pratt sons, and her life begins to dramatically change. She wonders if her motives will eventually be exposed at the same time she is becoming romantically attached to Harry’s romantic and artistic skills.

Finally, there is Lucy Young, who has come to work in New York but really is seeking out the identity and presence of her father. She is actually coerced into serving as a companion to someone who just might know about the secret solution Lucy is seeking.

The three women in this novel live in different times but their stories begin to coalesce. The discoveries gradually and sensitively revealed are shocking to each of the three women. Their quests will and will not be fulfilled, but the roller coaster ride is sure to satisfy every lover of adventure and mystery fiction.

These three notable authors have managed to create a smoothly plotted but solvable mystery with a life-threatening, hostile ending sure to send shivers down every reader’s spine.

Very nicely done!

Written by three authors, The Forgotten Room revolves around three women over six decades: Olive, her daughter Lucy, and her granddaughter Kate. Olive's father was an architect hired by the Pratt family to build for a mansion in NY. When the final payment does not occur, and tragedy befalls Olive's family, she vows to get revenge on the Pratt's. She infiltrates the household as a maid, and this is where her story begins. The next chapter introduces the reader to Lucy, who lives in the mansion many years later, as a boarder, hoping to discover secrets related to her mother's past. Lastly, Kate's chapter begins with her working at the mansion two decades later as a doctor, as the house has been converted to a hospital during WWII. Though it sounds a little confusing, and the first few chapters were for me, by chapter seven, after reading two rounds of each woman's story, I was able to easily follow the three distinct paths.

The premise of the story, what happened during Olive's life to have such an impact on her granddaughter 50 years later, is very compelling. We are witness to each woman's circumstances, unspoken wishes, and misunderstandings that give the reader insight into their lives and decisions. All three fall in love and then face the consequences that are attached to their situation. The book was both engaging and frustration at the same time, as I wanted the woman to be with their true loves, yet it was evident that they could not.

Overall, though there was some disjointed plot symmetry in the beginning of the book, it does come together and flow well. After reading about each woman, I wanted the chapter to be longer, to continue. That is my biggest criticism, and one that is common when there are chapters from different character's perspectives. If you like a good love story with a little intrigue and a dash of heartache, The Forgotten Room is for you.

This is one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished it. Much like Danielle Steel's Thurston House, it draws you in and holds you tight until the last page. I was actually sad when it ended. Other reviewers have already given synopses of The Forgotten Room, but one thing that really drew me in and kept me was how likeable the three main female characters were and how well White weaves their lives together to tell this story. You feel like you know each woman, and by the end feel like they are old friends you've just spent time with.

I am a SAHM, so I did not buy this book. I borrowed it from my local library, where I have avidly been reading all of Karen White's other books :-)

I received this book during a workday – big mistake. After quickly reading the first chapter and being introduced to Kate and the wounded captain, the rest of the day was utter torture. My hands kept twitching, yearning to keep on reading.

Foolishly, I had made plans with a friend after work. I toyed with the idea of cancelling but … was a normal and polite human and resisted the overwhelming urge. You will not get me to confess that I snuck in some covert reading during our dinner by excusing myself to go to the bathroom. No sir, that was not me.

Finally, finally after a long day, I got home bone tired. Was I sensible and told myself to continue reading the next day? Of course not. My curiosity overcame my weary eyes and I kept on reading, racing through the pages and the eras spanning turn-of-the-century to World War II because I had to find out what happened to Olive and Harry, Lucy and John, and Kate and Cooper. I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning and was a zombie at work that day but it was worth it.

In other words, I could not put this book down. I was captivated by all three stories, set in different time periods, all linked by an enchanting secret room of a New York mansion and a ruby necklace handed down through generations of women in one family.

Since there are three authors, I at first tried to figure out who did what. I have read three of Lauren Willig’s books (and loved them all) so I thought I would be able to spot which style and storyline was hers. However, I quickly abandoned playing detective and simply gave myself up to the lure of the interweaving stories, which have a theme of lost love, regret and how choices that might once have been made rationally can have an impact years, and even generations, after.

The Forgotten Room is sumptuous, entertaining, and heartbreaking.

Three women, three different stories, three different eras and yet their stories are all intertwined. The wonderful authors of The Forgotten Room pulled it all together, tying up loose ends, and telling an amazing story that kept me hooked from the first page to the very last.

The Forgotten Room is a love story that spans eras. It starts with a mother which leads to a daughter and ends with a granddaughter. The love that Olive, Lucy, and Kate find is not an easy love. It is a love that has withstood time and heartbreak. There are things that stand in the way of these women finding their happy ever after and they must make tough decisions on what they want for their lives. While there is love, there is also hardships, sadness, and separation.

The love story part was the main story there was also the mystery of what happen to Harry Pratt, the first part of the love story. I had ideas, I tried to follow the clues, and I thought I had it figured out. Yet I found I was truly clueless. Until closer to the end of the story I did not have it figured out right. This could frustrate some readers, but to me it just added so much to the story. I love to be kept guessing and kept wondering while reading. If the author gives away the secrets too soon it takes so much from the book.

I could not put The Forgotten Room down and highly recommend checking it out.

I got this book because Lauren Willig is one of the coauthors. I've only read one other book by Karen White (The House on Tradd Street) and one by Beatriz Williams (A Certain Age). While I somewhat enjoyed their books, I wasn't in love with them like I have been with Willig's work since the first Pink Carnation. The Forgotten Room is what I love about Willig's work as well as other authors like Kate Morton. It's a great blend of stories, characters, and time periods that create a nice, big picture. It doesn't hurt that there's a little romance included as well.

For the first time in history three women authors have gotten together to tell a story. This story is written one seamless story. The Forgotten Room is one such novel. I also know that they are working on another project.
Synopsis:
Olivia Van Alen is a maid in the Pratt mansion in New York. She has taken the post to get revenge for her father’s death. Will she be able to find the proof that she needs? Or will she be distracted by one of the sons? Their story remains a secret until we meet Lucy Young who takes a job with a law firm. Her boss is a Schuyler and one of his clients is a Ravenel. When Lucy is asked to take this client out will she find that they have more in common than she thought? Then in the Second World War the mansion has become a hospital. Doctor Kate Schuyler who is Lucy’s daughter makes a case for taking on an extra patient. This patient is Cooper Ravenel. What will they discover about their common pasts?
My Thoughts:
I loved this novel! I am a fan of at least two of the authors Karen White and Beatriz Williams. I have yet to be able to share one of Lauren Willig’s novels. I hope to in the future. I loved that the story is seamless from beginning to end. The plot in this book will keep the reader hooked from beginning to the end! The story is set in three different time periods the Gilded Age, The Jazz Age, and the World War Two era. I found myself wanting to skip ahead to find out what happened next. I know that the authors worked hard on making these characters gel together in one seamless way. I might have liked the pacing to be a little quicker in the novel.
I can’t wait for their next novel together!

Following the stories of 3 generations of women and the men they loved, the Forgotten Room is the story of Olive, Lucy and Kate and the interconnectedness of each of their love stories with a particular room in a mansion that has changed ownership/purpose over time. The room was originally the family home of the Pratt family, then became a girl’s boarding house and finally a hospital during WWII. The premise seems to be that this forgotten room at the top of the house designed by Olive’s architect father is where each woman spends the most pivotal moments of their lives making decisions that will define them and who they become.

Though billed as a historical mystery/romance, this is essentially historical romance. There is a small mystery that can’t be discussed without a spoiler, but the focus of the mystery is intertwined in the three women’s love lives. The story flows well considering there are three different writers and does a good job of keeping the pace despite the jumps back and forth in time.

The issue for me is that I’m not a big reader of romances. I enjoy them when written into the plot, but not as the stand alone subject. As a mystery reader and having liked Karen White’s The Sound of Glass, I was expecting some kind of Southern Gothic mystery but found more of a romance that seemed overly dramatic at times. I will say however that despite my reservations, I did get into the plot. I even got so attached to one of the stories that I was still upset about how it turned out a day later. Now that’s a talented writer. Overall I give this 3 stars mainly because I feel it shouldn’t be billed as a mystery about a room, and because, as I said I really didn’t like how one of the stories turned out (which I admit is unfair). For those who love romances – especially historical romances and star crossed lovers – this is the perfect book. It is a dramatic historical romance with plenty of character development and passion; it just wasn’t what I was looking for.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced ARC of this book from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

(Audio CD book) I can't believe I loved this book so much. It is kind of harlequin-romanc-ey, but very well written and superbly constructed. My favorite genre is historical fiction, so i loved the 3 generations story: Guilded age, Jazz age, and WW2. I listened to the audio CD version, and did not realize til the very end of the book that there were actually 2 narrator/readers -- that is how well their voices blended. Since I was not reading a paper version, I had to listen carefully to keep the characters straight, since I could not "flip back" and refer. Also, I was trying to figure out the mystery, which I pretty much did, though there were some heart-breaking surprises. The final message of the book applies timelessly. Highly recommended.

Told from the present day (set in 1945) we read about Kate, who finds herself working intimately within the walls of a mansion that has become a large part of her life, even though she doesn’t know about the many secrets hidden within its walls and foundation. While trying to fight against the beliefs she’s instilled within herself (it’s more important to have a career than to find a man to settle down with), she can’t help but find herself drawn to Captain Cooper, a man she feels she’s known all her life, even though they’ve never met before.

Kate’s mother, Lucy, knows all too well what can happen when you blindly lead by love. Having been stuck in the middle between two men, one who engulfs her very soul, the other who imparts on her the practicalities of life, she wishes she could make the right choice. Does she side with her heart, or with her head? Will her heart let her down? Maybe it’s best to rely only on yourself, wisdom she’s made sure to pass on to her daughter, so she won’t make the same mistakes.

It all begins with Olive, a young woman who sets out to make the wrongs in her world right again, only to end up falling in love with someone she knows she can never have, not fully. Maybe in another world, another time, but not for her. Why does life have to be so hard? It’s only within the walls of the magical room can she forget all her troubles.

I absolutely loved The Forgotten Room. The story was seamless, told with the utmost perfection. Not once did I feel lost within the three different time periods, or three different female perspectives. Each point of view blended beautifully into the next, and I was instantly drawn in. It was so nice to be privy to the secrets held within the walls of the mansion, and to witness the transition between three women who don’t realize just how important they are to one another.

The Forgotten Room
By Beatriz Williams, Karen White and Lauren Willig.

Three amazing authors piece together a literary masterpiece, a fateful and at times painful journey featuring lies, deceptions and ill-fated love. It spans three generations and alternates through three different time periods staring three women protagonists and a stable of exceptional co-stars including the forgotten room itself. Readers are faced right away with a dilemma, a mystery that these outstanding authors spend the entire novel solving with their vivid depictions of people places and things and a flawless, fluid prose like and period perfect narrative, and so seamless it’s hard to believe it’s coauthored. Amongst the OMG revelations fans of each individual author will see tell tale clues specific to each, and all readers will see an unforgettable, keeper shelf jewel. So be prepared to laugh and to cry and to lose your heart to this incredible sweeping epic tale.

The audible edition of the novel is expertly narrated by the duo of Morgan Hallett (narrator the 1942 characters) and Susan Bennett (narrator of the characters from 1892 and 1920 – and the voice of Siri) who each represent their characters flawlessly and effectively highlighting the traits of each time period and player while providing a more all-encompassing, three-dimensional experience of the novel.

Three generations of women from one family each share a personal and familial connection to a forgotten attic room in a New York mansion built at the very end of the Gilded Age. If only walls could talk.

In 1944 critically wounded Captain Cooper Ravenal returns to the US from the fighting in France and ends up in a Manhattan mansion turned military hospital. Tending him is the very unconventional Dr. Kate Schuyler who just happens to have a striking likeness to the woman in the miniature portrait painted by his famous artist Grandfather.
In 1892 Olive Van Alan gets one step closer to exacting her revenge against the family who ultimately cost her father his life and her family everything when she gets hired as a housemaid for the Pratt family in their Manhattan mansion. Then she meets beautiful artist Harry Pratt and suddenly everything changes.
In 1920 Lucy Young is hired by the firm who handles the legal affairs of the Pratt family, a family Lucy just may be a member of if she can prove she’s the illegitimate daughter of one of the Pratt sons. While working for the firm Lucy meets a Mr. Ravenal a SC art dealer who has a miniature portrait of a woman who looks like her, a woman who was the assumed muse and suspected mistress of Mr. Ravenal’s artist father.

When an attractive patient arrives at a hospital, the doctor on call finds herself drawn to him. She also discovers that she and the patient share an unusual connection—one that goes back generations. Doctor and patient realize they may have the chance to fix a mistake, if they can find the courage to follow their hearts. Co-authors Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig offer readers this storyline in the surprising novel The Forgotten Room.

In 1892, Olive comes to the Pratt mansion to work as a maid and to fulfill a mission: to take revenge on the Pratt family. Her father put his heart and soul into designing the seven-story luxury home for the high society family, but when the bills came due Mr. Henry August Pratt snubbed Olive’s father. He couldn’t bear the humiliation and financial ruin, and Olive knows she must find evidence to prove that the Pratts owe her family a substantial balance on the house plans. But when Olive gets to know one of the young Pratt men, she realizes that revenge may not be as simple as she originally thought.

At the start of the Roaring Twenties in 1920, Lucy finds a way to join the Manhattan law firm of Cromwell, Polk, and Moore as much to assert her independence as to find a way into the office of Philip Schuyler. Schuyler has a connection to the Pratt family, and Lucy thinks she may too. The only way to know for sure is to gain access to Schuyler’s files, but she may have to become more than a secretary if she wants to learn the truth about her identity.

The novel begins, however, in 1944 with Dr. Kate Schuyler who works in a hospital in New York City. Lately the number of patients has increased dramatically. For military personnel coming back from the war in Europe in desperate need of medical attention, Dr. Schuyler’s hospital is one of the first stopping points. The hospital is at capacity, but there’s no sign of a decrease in the flow of the badly injured.

On a rainy night a medical team brings in Captain Cooper Ravenel, and Kate can see that he’s in critical condition. As she cares for him and gets to know him, she starts to see him as a man as much as a patient. Beyond the physical attraction, Kate comes across information that draws her to Cooper because he seems connected to her past. But Kate is already fighting a battle to gain validation as a female doctor in a field where men dominate. Does she also have the guts to fight society and offer herself to the man she clearly has begun to love?

Co-authors Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig work together in a novel that will simultaneously charm and intrigue readers. The authors’ seamless style pays great homage to the essence of Jane Austen’s work: smart women protagonists who need a little bit of help from serendipity and plucky secondary characters to bring them to the important stages of their lives. In a wide departure from Ms. Austen’s work, though, main characters Olive, Lucy, and Kate don’t always land where readers will expect or maybe even want—and those delightful discoveries will carry readers all the way to the end.

While the aforementioned serendipity in many books may come across as over constructed, in The Forgotten Room readers will enjoy those moments of Fate. Readers, take note: you can’t make any assumptions about the story. The minute you do, the authors will offer some great surprises and do what good authors always do: convince you to keep reading.

I highly recommend readers Bookmark The Forgotten Room.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.)

I am relatively new to some of these authors. Karen White is brand new to me, I read Lauren Willig only once previously (The Other Daughter) and Beatriz Williams has turned into a favorite of mine since reading about a couple of the Schuyler sisters (hummm, same name coincidence there?). Also reading one book by more than one author is also a new experience, seems to be a trend these days.

To be very honest when I requested this book I think I was caught up in all the media hype surrounding it that I really didn't even pay attention to the synopsis. Sometimes going blind into a book is a good thing and other times not so much. With The Forgotten Room is was a good thing.

This book grabbed me right from the beginning and didn't let go. Well, that is once I got over the urge to solve the mystery and figure out the connections within the first three chapters, then I just sat back and enjoyed watching the stories unfold. Half way through The Forgotten Room it finally dawned on me that this was penned by 3 different authors and I had forgotten that just because of the simple fact that I couldn't tell when one finished and another began, the story just flowed along at a nice pace and with no glaring disjointed scenes.

The Forgotten Room is a story about forbidden love and not being true to yourself. There are secrets, deception and heartache in the lives of Olive, Lucy and Kate and it wasn't hard to feel their pain and frustrations. Dual time periods are a favorite of mine, it keeps me on my toes and usually I am trying to figure the connections before revealed by the author(s). The Forgotten Room had me captivated right from the beginning and keep me guessing with the twists and turns.

I would have loved some authors notes here, not just about the story or time period but about process, how 3 authors penning this. (ie who wrote what? Did each take a character and share them?)

As much as I loved the cover, it is subtle and rather romantic but I didn't really think it matched the story. I am thinking narrow curved stairway, that ruby pendant or even the wall mural would have done justice here. Remember just my opinion.

All in all a great read and great way to start my reading for 2016 and thank you to the publishers for the chance to review this one.

I always like stories with different generations of a family - - in this case, 3 generations of women. It's an interesting concept having three authors, each giving the point of view of a different character.

I think I would have enjoyed the book more if each chapter had been a little longer. The constant back and forth between characters was distracting and - for me - would have been easier to read if a little more time was spent on each character before moving to another.

Sometimes the coincidences were a little hard to believe, but hey - it's fiction!

The Forgotten Room is a well-written historical novel that integrates the talents of three authors—Karen White, Lauren Willig, and Beatriz Williams. I’ve read and enjoyed books by White and Willig in the past, and based on how much I liked this book, I’m going to have to give Williams a try, too.

This book is the story of three generations of women. In the early 1890s, Olive goes to work as a servant for the Pratt family in the grand new mansion designed by her architect father, who was ruined and committed suicide when they refused to pay for his work. She hopes to find some way to vindicate his name but finds her revenge derailed by the charismatic artist son of the family. In the 1920s, Olive’s daughter Lucy takes a room in that same mansion, now a women’s boardinghouse, because of questions she has about her mother’s mysterious past and the nature of her relationship to the Pratt family. During World War II, Lucy’s daughter Kate works as a doctor in the house, now converted into a hospital for returning soldiers, but is completely unaware of its connection to her family. For each of these women, the house—and in particular the “forgotten room” of the title—plays a pivotal role in her life and her love for a man.

Unsurprisingly, given their background in writing novels with strong historical settings, all three authors do a great job making the different time periods come alive in their sections of the book. The voices of the authors are integrated so well, flowing seamlessly from one section to the next, that it’s hard to believe that this novel is a collaboration rather than the work of a single person.

The real draw of the novel is the complicated web of family history and relationships that surround the main characters and the love story that lies at the heart of each woman’s part of the narrative. Although I figured out the broad outlines of the story relatively early, there were some unexpected twists that made the book more interesting. In each romance, I found myself rooting for the couple, even while knowing that both Olive and Lucy would lose their true love for some reason and hoping that Kate would escape the same fate.

A highly recommended read for anyone who enjoys historical novels flavored with romance and family secrets.

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will be the first to admit that this book can be confusing at times. Any book that jumps between three main characters in three different eras can end up confusing some of the time. However, it is so worth it. I didn’t even realize that the book had three authors until I finished it. You can not pick up any difference in voice or style, it all goes together beautifully.

As I said above The Forgotten Room: A Novel is told by three women. We first meet Kate in New York City in June 1944. Kate is a doctor at the Stornaway Hospital. She can’t believe that she is actually working in the hospital in what was a fine old mansion. Her mother used to walk her to the mansion when she was a child. She told Kate that she had lived there for a short time when the building had been a boarding house for respectable women. Now she is working in the hospital helping to treat soldiers wounded during the war. There is no room left, when a critically wounded officer arrives and Kate is forced to share her attic room with him.

Next we meet Olive in December 1892. Olive is a servant in the Pratt Mansion. She is not just any servant, she is the daughter of the architecture that built the Pratt Mansion. Olive is there to right a great wrong that happened to her father.

Finally we meet Lucy in July of 1920. The Pratt Mansion is now a boarding house and Lucy is living in it. The only room available in the house is the attic room. Lucy is there trying to find answers about her mother and her past.

The stories are woven together beautifully. You unravel the total story bit by bit through the tales of each woman. Part love story, part mystery.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. It is a novel about three women from three different eras, but their stories are all connected (sounds confusing and it is at first). Olive Van Allen Is working as a maid in the Pratt mansion in 1892 to find information that will help clear her father’s name (and get a little revenge). Lucy Young is working as a secretary in a law office in 1920 and trying to find out about her birth father. Lucy found out recently that the father who raised her is not her biological father. Kate Schuyler is a doctor in 1942. Captain Cooper Ravenel is brought in with a bad leg. Kate saves his leg and nurses him back to health. Cooper (delirious when he arrives) calls her Victorine and that he has been drawing her face his whole life. Captain Ravenel has a small miniature portrait that resembles Kate. How is this possible? How are these women connected and what are their stories?

I do not want to say too much and give away the novel. The Forgotten Room drew me in right away. I enjoyed the story. You would not know that the book was written by three different writers. The book is very well-written, engaging, and a delight to read. I just kept reading until the book ended. I love how all the storylines tied together into one beautiful story. The first 31% of the book is a wee bit confusing, but then it will all click. The Forgotten Room is a pleasure to read. The story has romance and mystery that are beautifully woven together. I give The Forgotten Room 5 out of 5 stars. I hope you will give The Forgotten Room a try (you will not regret it).

I received a complimentary copy of The Forgotten Room from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three women, three generations​....what is their connection?

​Olive, Lucy, and Kate are the women. We learn about the​m in alternating chapters from 1892 to 1944 as the connection is hinted at it while we the reader try to figure out just how it all links together.

A house, a ruby necklace, a law firm, and an injured soldier start the connection and get the pieces together in this beautifully told story filled with love, loss, revenge, and secrets.

​The house belongs to the Pratt family where Olive worked as a housemaid in​ 1892 and the housemaid that was forced to be painted by one of the Pratt's sons.

The ruby necklace is one that Kate's mother gave her but would never wear.

The law firm is where Lucy worked and where Lucy was trying to find out what she could about the Pratt house and Harry Pratt.

The injured soldier is mesmerized by Kate and said she looks exactly like someone he knew a long time ago.

I absolutely loved THE FORGOTTEN ROOM.

The three main characters were colorful, interesting, and perfectly portrayed the time period they were representing. Their connection is gradually revealed as each chapter adds more details to each woman's life and adds answers to how they are connected.

Ms. White, Ms. Williams, and Ms. Willig flawlessly combined their talents and put together a brilliant, intriguing, amazing book that has twists, secrets, and history.

THE FORGOTTEN ROOM is a book that historical fiction and women's fiction fans will devour.

Don’t miss reading THE FORGOTTEN ROOM. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

When I found out that three of my favorite authors were writing a book together, I was totally on board. The Forgotten Room is a great time period book that spans three generations of women (Olive from the 1890s, Lucy from the 1920s & Kate during WWII) that are somehow all connected (sorry, not telling). All three women are pushing the boundaries for women during their time and they also find that they have an unexplained deep connection with someone that they meet in the book. Each women tries to understand some aspect of their past and to set right the wrongs of that past along the way (some characters succeed while others do not). This is a story of regrets (sometimes having to live with them, sometimes undoing those regrets and sometimes being the cause of them) and how choices set certain events in motion. This book is heartbreaking at times, but it also gives hope for the future. Trust in other people and the trust the women have inside themselves is an important aspect of this book as well. I found that after reading this story I was devastated for certain characters but felt elated for other characters. You will not be able to walk away from this book unaffected. However, you realize that because certain unpleasant outcomes happen that there are possibilities for even better experiences. Even though there are three distinct characters, the three authors write this book in such a way that it is a seamless transition between each story (which author wrote which character???). You will become invested in each of these characters and try to guess the mystery surrounding the three women. I sincerely hope these three authors team up again, because this was a fantastic story.

This beautifully written book captured my heart, often holding my breath as its lyrical style rendered me unable to put this book down until I finished - and then, stayed in my mind, wanting more. I felt like I was in a dream world, enmeshed with the characters of Olive, Lucy, and Kate and the mysteries involved with the ruby pendant, the forgotten room, the loves of their lives, the eras they lived in - alternating 1892, 1920, 1044 all woven and intertwined seamlessly. This book demanded my attention, it was exactly like the quote on page 318..."--all the pieces in the puzzle slowly circled in my brain, each trying to slot itself into the correct space." Dr. Kate Schuyler's care for Captain Cooper Revenal's wounds from the war is riveting. She learns of a portrait he has that sets forth her need to know why it looks exactly like herself, and why is she wearing that ruby pendant. What will that knowledge uncover and how? All that follows in each chapter fortells clues that set in motion the history of these women and it changes the perspective just when you think you might have something figured out. This brilliantly written poignant book often brought tears, and yet, hope for the depth of the feelings and loves these women endured. I am still thinking about how seamlessly these three authors wove this extraordinary saga together. I tried I had guess who wrote which chapter, but alas...I am probably wrong. I wish there were more than 5 stars to give- it deserves more. I loved this book and recommend it highly.

I loved this book, BUT.....it can be confusing at times as it jumps around in three different time periods because of the three main female characters in this book. I know it's just a writing style, but I dislike movies that do this too. Yes, the plot thickens as each three layers are exposed to the readers which creates even more mystery. The stories of these three women twist and turn as they have lost a lover(s), found compelling new love, and the huge mystery of a forgotten attic room in the Pratt Mansion. All three women have lived in the mansion during different generations. #1) Olive is a housemaid at the mansion who seeks revenge against the owner regarding her father. #2) Lucy is Olive's daughter who is seeking the truth about her father and is a secretary in New York. #3) Kate is Lucy's daughter and was a nurse in WWII. She seeks equality in the male dominated medical field, and she falls in love with one of her patients. He came into her hospital with a slim chance of living. When Kate pulls back the blanket she is mesmerized with his handsome appearance. She immediately feels passion for him, and she feels it's forbidden since he's a patient of her's. A well-written book with many plots revolving around these three women and three different time periods in history. It's ironic that there's three authors of this book too. You certainly wouldn't know it though as everything seems to just glide smoothly.

The story of Olive in 1892, Lucy in 1920 and Kate in 1944 - and how their lives all lead to the Pratt Mansion in Manhattan. Each tale is absolutely fascinating - the twining and inter-twining with twists and turns that keep those pages turning at a great rate! I'm hopeful that my fellow reveiwers won't attempt to outline the entire story, as that would be robbing the reader of the pleasure of working it out for themselves. Yes, it's complicated, and it involves keeping straight the events of three lives, but the effort is more than worthwhile. Filled with "aha" moments, the rewards are great!

This collaboration of three great writers is an all-out, over-the-top success - as the writing is seamless. You won't be able to figure out who is writing what - you'll just be amazed that the three protagonists each clearly hold their own characteristics throughout the story. There are many characters who are easy to love, and some who are purely unlikable.

There is a feeling of authenticity in the settings, the behaviors of the times, the descriptions of life events and the feelings of the participants. You find yourself transported by the realism.

I didn't want this novel to end - and my first thought was to project a second collaboration, which would take the next generations to 1965, 1990 and 2015! I will hope this happens!

Set aside the time and a special place to read this fine novel. The Forgotten Room is an unforgettable reading experience - and they don't come along that often - so savor this one!

I am a fan of White and Willig, so I was pretty excited to see them team up with Williams for this book. (After reading this one, I'm thrilled to hear they've teamed up again!) This book tells the story of 3 women whose lives are all impacted by a certain family and a certain house. The three stories are artfully woven, so that at first you believe that each story is completely different until subtle clues begin to slip through. I listened to the audio version and began to make time to listen so I could find out what happened. The history is so carefully researched and applied with the barest touch so as to paint the story instead of engulf it. The 3 women are utterly relatable and terrifyingly similarly even when they don't know it. If you love women's fiction and historical fiction, you will adore this book.

Karen White is one of my favorite authors. I am totally unfamiliar with the other two (Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig). I read the premise and figured that I would like at least 1/3 of the book.

After reading this in one sitting with three bathroom breaks and two Diet Dr. Peppers, I am happy to add Williams and Willig to my favorite author list. The premise, at first, seems to overly convoluted with three different time periods, three different sets of characters and one necklace. It spans the 1890's to 1940's. At the heart of the book are choices--choices the ladies make and the consequences.

I don't want to delve too deeply because it would spoil the mystery. It would not spoil reading the book because all three authors do a fantastic job tying the book together. Olive, Lucy and Kate are all strong women and it was a pleasure discovering parts of their personalities.

Key characters...and what is going down with them...

Olive, Lucy and Kate...this entire book is about a locket, a tiny painting, the mansion with the little domed room on the top floor and trying to determine how these three women are connected. The book encompasses three different eras...from the late 1800's to the mid 1920's to the 1940's.

What I thought about this book...

I think that I am not enamored with books that have more than one author. I love each of these authors. Their separate and distinct works are truly wonderful. For some reason I just did not enjoy reading this book. I couldn't really connect with the main characters and I didn't love the story.

What potential readers might want to know...

I am not sure what to tell potential readers...I had a difficult time getting through this book but it could have just been me. It's a mystery and it's about finding out how these women are entwined but it just was not a book I loved.

I am going to be very honest and say that this book was very slow going for me. You have to keep up with three women in three different time periods. The chapters rotate between the three women and their time periods. There are a lot of similar last names and it can be a little confusing at first. It took me quite awhile to get through this book, much longer than usual. However, I was interested in the stories from each of the women and I wasn’t going to quit it. I figured out early on how the three women were connected and had ideas of how the men in their lives were connected but I wasn’t 100% right. I liked that the book was different, I have never read a book about a room in three different time periods.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for something different and a time jump sort of book, then this is for you! If you have a hard time keeping up with characters and enjoy fluffy reads, this would not be your cup of tea. I was glad I read it, but it won’t be making my list of top books of 2016. Not all books can, you know? It had a really good idea, and I wish it was executed better.

Rating: 3/5

*I was provided a copy of The Forgotten Room by the publisher and author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Every time period leaves traces of the present for the future. In this case, The Forgotten Room is a beautiful room designed for an artist and is at the top of a mansion in New York City. The mansion was built as a testament to the nouveau rich - excessive and grand. The room witnessed three different love stories in three different times. Olive, Lucy and Kate - Grandmother, Mother and Daughter all fell in love in this room, each in their own time.

The Forgotten Room is a story told in sections (chapters) where the three stories all are running concurrently chapter by chapter. You can hear the distinct voices of Olive, Lucy and Kate as they grapple with secrets and love in their lives. The Forgotten Room is a book written as a venture between Karen White, Lauren Willig and Beatriz Williams, making me wonder if each author wrote about one of the three major characters.

I loved how the book was set up and how the stories slowly allowed the relevant details to link the stories together. Each portion was well written and allowed the reader to become entranced with the characters. A wonderful story reminding us to grasp love with both hands.

This book jumps back and forth between three time periods and is somewhat confusing. I have read several other books that go back and forth between places, time frames and people and did not find it hard to follow the storyline. This one was the worst. Every time the setting changed I had to reorient myself and stop to remember what was going on before. The title is very intriguing and some of the storyline was as well. I love family mysteries so was anticipating a great read here but this one was strange and definitely not my favorite. It also seemed a bit unrealistic. How often do three generations of women continue to look exactly like each other? The only difference seemed to be in the color of the eyes. A somewhat unbelievable scenario.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Three women, three generations, three authors - genius! To dive right in, I want to say that I loved having three of my favorite authors come together and put a book together, but I was nervous as to how they were going to do it and it feel like a one seamless book. But this one worked! To have each author write one of the generations of this twisted family story, was just perfect!

I loved all three women characters, but for some reason Kate the doctor's story really stood out for me. I don't know if it is because it was the most contemporary or because I felt like she was finding out the truths of both women that came before her, but her story seemed to encompass the other two and it was the one I kept really enjoying through the book. But to clarify, Olive and Lucy were just as entertaining and I never didn't enjoy theirs - Olive was the foundation of the story while Lucy was the middle trying to not live by her mother's story but create her own.

I enjoyed this story centered around the Pratt family's Gilded Age mansion. The novel was written by three writers and follows the stories of three women whose lives are connected in interesting ways. Dr. Kate Schuyler nurses a wounded Captain Cooper Ravenel in 1944 and wonders about a small minature painting he carries of a woman who resembles her. In 1920, Lucy Young is working as a secretary for Philip Schuyler, and through her work meets John Ravenel, an art dealer from South Carolina with hidden motives. The third woman, Olive Van Alan, is a servant in the Pratt mansion in 1892, working incognito because her architect father designed the mansion and soon after committed suicide. What family secrets in each woman's life connect these three stories?

The plot is told in a non-linear fashion, following each woman and moving back and forth between the three time periods. I found it a bit disconcerting at times to shift back and forth and try to remember what had happened two chapters earlier. Perhaps this is a problem with the structure chosen or maybe it is because three different people wrote the stories. However, I enjoyed the characters and I believed their stories and the secrets in their past. I kept reading at a fast pace to find out their connection. I would call the book light reading with plots that will keep you interested. Each author places an idea in the story that pays homage to her own writing. For example, Karen White mentions the Tradd Street in her paranormal series.

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig is an epic historical novel about the power of love. The three authors flawlessly tell the story of three women who capture your heart from the first page: Kate, Olive, and Lucy. Each character's story is beautifully written and captivating as their lives are intertwined by love and loss and mystery.

The Forgotten Room spans three generations of strong women, each with a secret that centers around a house on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Each story is as powerful as the next. This is one of my favorite books of 2016, so far. Yes, I know it's only January, but once I started reading, I didn't want to stop.

I was a little worried about a novel written by three different authors, but my fears were soon put to rest after I began reading the novel because their styles blended perfectly. I only hope White, Williams, and Willig decide to collaborate again in the future. Because this story was . . . wow!

I selected this book thinking it was going to be an anthology. I didn't know Karen White but I am familiar with Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. Both authors have written more books than I've enjoyed than not. "The Forgotten Room" isn't an anthology but a multi-generational timeline where 3 generations of women tell their stories in alternating fashion. I'm presuming that each author was assigned one of the characters.

It is an interesting premise but I think I would have preferred the cut and dried anthology format because the narrative became confusing for me and it felt like the strengths of the two writers that I was familiar with didn't have their usual flair. All in all, it is a commendable exercise but didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I expected more. The book deals with 3 different time periods yet there is very little historical back drop. No real sense or feel for the time that each story was suppose to be happening in. The character develop of pivotal secondary characters is sparse. lacking any real detail or feel. As a short story or even an novella this would be alright but as a book i expected more"meat". I look back on the story and and left wondering why any character loved, and loved with a deep earth shattering love, and other character. The book was choppy. The chapters did not flow evenly one to the other. Frequently because of this and the lack of in depth character development it was very easy to become confused at times. I certainly did not become engaged......and just when i started to become interested a new chapter and a new time period would start. The other problem was that the basic storyline was predictable with no real surprises. In the end it was a nice romance novel but nothing special.

Three women, Olive, Lucy, and Kate, are generations apart, yet are joined together by one mysterious room in an old mansion. Olive, from the 1890’s, gets a job working for the Pratt family in the mansion, curious about the mansion, because her father had designed and built it. Lucy, from the 1920’s, lives in the Pratt mansion as a boarder. Kate works in the mansion-turned-wartime hospital, as a doctor. All women resemble one another, sharing more than a mysterious room in an old mansion.

This is an amazing book, where Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig weave three lives together in an intriguing mystery. It jumps around in time, revealing secrets little by little. This book is tender, mysterious, and impossible to put down!

I was waiting and waiting for the release of this book. Then it came out and I let myself be swayed by some poor reviews and the price. I'm so sorry I did that. About a week ago I downloaded the sample and was immediately drawn into the story. I had to buy it and while I don't like high Kindle prices, this book was totally worth it!

I love the writing. I love the characters and I think this is one of the, if not THE best book I've read all year.

The three stories going at once did take some getting used to but I found I got the hang of it pretty quickly. It's also not necessary to remember every detail and keep it all straight because the authors do a great job of tying it all up in the end.

I absolutely loved this book and will be reading more from these authors. I would love for them to do another joint book together. It turned out so well!

Definitely not unrequited love. Unfulfilled is the more correct term, because the love is strong, so strong, between the couples. And similar situations arise twice--two adjoining generations--with links between the players. Too coincidental? Maybe. But these three authors weave their tales so well, that it is believable.

But there are three generations involved. And what evolves in the love story of the third generation, reveals what really happened in the first and second. All woven together, the three stories keep the book moving along at a pleasant, strong pace.

Writing is very good, and the three authors fit together so nicely. They almost write as one. It's somewhat amazing.

There is a good balance between happiness and sorrow. There are plenty of surprises, even though the characters are very well developed.

I'm very glad that I chose this book to read. It was well worth my while.

I find it hard to give an opinion. I enjoyed reading the different stories, but must admit that I didn't find the story, the main theme, better done or more interesting than other "like" novels that I had read that was done just by one author.

The writing was of course well done, the authors are distinguished and known. And really good. Though something just did not seem to fit, not really and I found the ending too pat.

But I guess the biggest problem was my unfortunate sense of humor. Those were the nurses' names? Really? I have to admit that everytime I read the names I was thrown out of the story and I had a fit of giggles thinking of the associations I have with these names. Other names in the story were irritating too--Prunella? There just seemed to be a lot of "tongue in cheek" passages... not quite what I expected.

3.5 stars

This is a well written historical fiction that takes place in 3 different times but in the same place. 3 different couples have experiences in one attic room of a huge mansion. The mansion goes from a private family dwelling, to a house for just women, to a hospital. So many things happen in this one place, but the people who are drawn to the attic room all have something in common. This is a story about time and space, mistakes and missed opportunities, and finally coming full circle. I really enjoyed this book, and even though it's written by 3 different authors, the story is cohesive and flows perfectly.

I don't want to give too much away. This is a story that should be read with a fresh perspective, I don't want to color anyone's view of this wonderful book.

I'm usually too lazy to write reviews unless a book is exceptionally good or bad, This book was exceptionally excellent. Three seperate, yet compelling stories and characters all connected in time. The authors did a mangnificant job with each story and drew me into each character. I could not get enough of the book and was so bummed when it was over. This book will stay with me for a long time. It is a wonderfully crafted collaberation between the three authors. I happened to listen to the audio version and the narration was quite impeccible and professional. Nicely done!

The Forgotten Room is a wonderfully woven historical romance that is perfect to loose yourself in during the cold winter months. It is written by three different authors but the story flows so seamlessly you would never know it. It is is told by three main characters in alternating chapters; Olive, Lucy, and Kate. They all fall deeply in love with men who for some reason seem destined not to be theirs until the summer of 1944 when Dr. Kate Schuyler meets a wounded Captain Cooper Ravenel. Together they discover that they have a shared history and they embark on a path of discovery. But will it bring them together or will it tear them apart?

I so enjoyed reading this book,I couldn't put it down but at the same time I didn't want it to end. Highly recommended.

Whew. This book really took some smarts to stay focused and to remember who everyone was and how they were related to other characters in the book. At some stages, I almost thought of writing it down in like a family tree sort of style.

With that being said, it really was a beautiful love story, or stories, for that matter. It tells of three women in three different time periods, 1893, 1920, and 1944, who all have some ties to a particular house. Yes, that's right, a house. I don't want to give any spoilers, and IMHO you shouldn't put the book down for longer than a day or you will have to go back and figure out who is who, but it really was a "well-worth-it read".

Karen White has written several "family secret" books. Each of those books has well developed characters and an unpredictable plot. This book has neither. Being unaware that her two co-authors wrote romance books I expected another great read. I was sorely disappointed. The writing was very repetitive. The characters were interchangeable in their reactions. The great "family secret" was neither great nor a secret.

I could not have been more excited to read The Forgotten Room and it did not disappoint. The book flows so seamlessly, you really can't fathom it was written by three different authors. Each character and time period seems genuine and authentic. The mansion itself is such a prevalent part of the story, that it nearly becomes a separate character in the book. The descriptions are so vivid you can easily picture the mansion in your mind. Each storyline is equally compelling and being fans of all the authors, I found myself trying to figure out who had written which part. I really hope these three authors collaborate again and I will be first in line to purchase their next book.

Three women authors come together to write this amazing tale of three generations of women who all live at some point in their lives in the Pratt Mansion. The women are a housemaid who works in the mansion during its glory years in around 1892; her daughter, a secretary in about 1920; and her daughter, a nurse, in about 1945. It's a complicated and engaging story that will keep you guessing throughout to solve the mystery that ties these women together.

I am not a romance novelist reader. Most do not appeal to me as the writing is too simplistic, the story too predictable and the characters too perfect. I like messy characters who are flawed and imperfect. I like stories that surprise or shock me. So, I did not know what to expect with this book but hoped that it would offer something different and it did. Although it is mostly a romance it is also a sweet glimpse into three historical settings and a bit of a mystery. It is a very easy read; flows well and leaves the reader content if not challenged or thinking. I liked it; I didn't love it.

The Forgotten Room tells the story of three generations of women - Olive in 1892, Lucy in 1920 and Kate in 1945. Each woman has a problematic relationship with a man considered inappropriate for various reasons. The relationship situations are somewhat similar, and a single author might have had problems differentiating the characters. But these three authors styles mesh seamlessly while making their own characters and time periods distinctive. It's a very successful collaboration. Not every storyline has a happy ending (which is obvious once all three women have been introduced) so romance fans who demand an HEA should proceed with caution.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a book that captured everything so perfectly? Well, this is that book for me. The Forgotten Room is a beautiful book that tells the story of a love that knows no bounds.

I was fascinated by the plot of this book and it was amazing to see the twists and turns in this book. The characters were intriguing and I didn't want the book to end. I took my time with this book. I usually devour these kind of books but I had to slow my pace to truly appreciate the minute details that we woven into this book.

These authors blended their writing together wonderfully! It is a book that you need to take your time reading, so you can follow the details. I started listening to it, then realized that this is a read only book for me. Wonderfully written love stories intertwining three generations of women!

The Forgotten Room is a novel about three women: Olive, her daughter Lucy and Lucy's daughter Kate, and the men who love them, who are also a man, his son and his grandson.
Olive is working in the Pratt mansion in order to avenge her father's death. As the architect for the mansion, when Mr. Pratt refused to pay Olive's father for all the work he had done, he knew his name and reputation were ruined and he killed himself. Olive is working as a maid to find proof that the Pratts didn't pay her father for his work. She's also working as a maid because she and her mother are now destitute. Henry Pratt is one of the twin sons of the elder Pratt and he becomes enchanted with Olive and asks her to pose for him in his attic studio. Olive is reticent but lets Henry sketch her, then later poses for a portrait. They fall in love but Olive is certain that Henry will lose interest in her and Henry's sister Prunella has threatened to share something about Olive's father that will hurt her mother and further tarnish his good name.
Lucy is a young independent woman. Her parents are both dead and her father's mother has told her that she wasn't actually her son's daughter. She heads to Manhattan where she boards at what was previously known as the Pratt mansion, a building her mother had had some connection to. She sets out to discover who she really is and in the process, falls in love with a man she can't have, a man who recognized her from a miniature portrait by his father.
Kate is a doctor working to save the lives of soldiers returning to New York from WWII. She works in an old manor house that has been turned into a hospital. She lives in a small attic room until the hospital is so full that she has to give her room up to Captain Cooper Ravenel, with whom she feels an instant connection. After saving his leg from amputation, Kate and Cooper become close. Cooper is engaged and Kate is dedicated to being the best doctor she can be but they each feel pulled toward the other. The more time they spend together, the more their shared past comes to light. Will they do what their parents and grandparents did or will they give in to the love they have for each other?
This book is a little bit cheesy and a little bit predictable but I still enjoyed it. It's not completely chick lit.

I found this book hard to follow, as the three different stories in different generations were easily confused as they kept switching back and forth; it was hard to keep them straight. The writing also was a bit too melodramatic and romance novel-like for my taste. I liked the story but it just wasn't well-executed. Though I stuck with it to the end, i wouldn't recommend it.

This is such a beautifully written story of love and loss of love that goes back and forth between three generations of women, Olive, Lucy and Kate. I was drawn into the story right from the start, although at times I did have to go back to remember who was who. I felt the characters were very well developed. My heart ached for Olive and Lucy, and I was hoping for a good ending for Kate but will not share here if it was a good or bad one so as not to spoil the ending. Such a wonderful book!! I highly recommend it!

Interesting mystery, with the romance. I figured out the relationshio between the three heroines fairly early, but to figure out how could have happened, and who these men were in relation to them, and why, some of that was not revealed until the end. I was brought up short everytime we switch to another time, however. But a very satisfying read. I enjoyed Olive's story the best.

LOVED LOVED LOVED! If you love any of these authors' own works, you will especially love this group effort. This book read like a single author wrote it, and wrote it well. I LOVED it, and I loved meeting the authors and listening to them describe their process. The characters are still living in my mind, months later, and their worlds are still real in my head. I want more!

This was such a charming book! Told in three alternating POVs and time periods; 1894, 1920, 1944, this was a fascinating book written by three authors! You're kept guessing about the relationship between all of the characters but through it all is swoon-worthy, sweeping romance and powerful heartache. The romantic in me is sighing with love. It was a beautiful, magical tale and I would love to see a movie adaptation! It was simply perfect! Oh and the cover is gorgeous.

This novel is written by three authors but is done seamlessly and there is no indication that it isn't all one author. The story is about three women in three different time periods who are connected by a painting and a house. I can't go into a lot of detail without giving away important plot points but believe me when I tell you that once you start this book, you aren't going to want to put it down. Its a little bit mystery, a little bit romance and a lot of intrigue. I loved it!

I was fortunate to attend a library fund-raiser/author talk with all three authors last week and purchased the book there to help out the library. I just finished last night and felt this book was wonderfully written, had seamless transitions between author sections and delivered a thought-provoking story. While usually hesitant to read books that have more than one author (have run across some bad ones), these three did a fantastic job of weaving a tale that was hard to put down.

I enjoyed reading this novel. I had map out a family tree through 3 generations to keep track as I was progressing through the story. What annoyed me was that Lucy's parents and Kate's parents were "conveniently dead" during the Lucy and Kate chapters in the novel. I felt as though Lucy and Olive never mentioned anything at all about their pasts to their child.

I was initially attracted to this book because Karen White is one of the authors. I’ve read quite a few of her books and enjoyed them all. This, of course, has two other authors. I haven’t read them before, but after reading this I’ll be seeking out their books in the future. I have my suspicions about which sections Karen White wrote, but I enjoyed the entire book. This had all the elements I love in a book - a multi-generational story that takes the reader back in time, with romance and a little mystery. It jumps back and forth in time, and early on I had to pay attention to keep up with which time period we were in, but after a while it became easier to keep track. The characters were interesting, and there was a good feeling for the different times and settings. Overall, I very much enjoyed the three storylines in the book, and look forward to reading more by Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig.
Copy provided by Netgalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an unbiased review.

4.5 stars. Gradual, steady and interesting stories of grandmother, mother and granddaughter... There were moments I thought it could speed along, however, it resonated much better just as it is written... Enjoyable... It's not a page turner, more like a cup of warm tea next to a fireplace during a winter storm....

I was intrigued by the description of this book when the store or a book blog recommended it to me. My husband's stepmother is named Katrina (Katie) Schuyler (her maiden name). According to her, the Schuylers were a prominent Dutch family in the founding days of New York. So I wondered if the characters with the Schuyler name were upper-class in this book, and indeed, they were. I found the 1940s romance to be satisfying. However, I found it hard to believe that one character can so completely disappear and take on another persona. Then come back to the location of the character's birth and upbringing as a prominent person--and no one recognizes that person! I know there was no Internet back in those days, but still people in New York can't have been THAT unaware and were bamboozled!

THE FORGOTTEN ROOM is an above average novel in the category of historical romance/suspense. Three popular novelists writing in the genre have collaborated in the novel that also has three alternating skeins featuring heroines Olive, Lucy and Kate from different time periods. Olive's story is set in 1892, Lucy's in 1920 and Kate's in 1944. The three women are mother, daughter and granddaughter and are also linked by a Manhattan mansion and a necklace. This is pretty typical fare for regular readers of romantic suspense but all three parts of the story are well written and they connect together well despite having different authors.

​The Forgotten Room spans three generations of women in the same family and the love of their lives. I enjoyed this story, once I was "into it". It took some time before I felt a connection to our heroines as there was so much jumping around in time. I was given an early copy to review.

An excellent book could not put it down.The book is divided into three stories all part of one story. Three women wrote the book; dealing the story of three women's lives. I could not tell where one writer stopped, and the other began. This book is set between 1892 until 1944 and uses all the glamor of the 1890's and the depression of World War II.

The stories of three generations of two families seeking, finding and losing the loves of their lives interwoven beautifully. Finally, the grandson and granddaughter of the first couple overcome all odds, learn from those who came before and love triumphs. Truly a sweeping saga! Enjoy!

The Forgotten Room is at the top of a New York City mansion originally home of the Pratt family. The house features prominently in the story as the three heroines come to be residents of the mansion in one way or another throughout the 1890’s; 1920’s and 1944/5.

I quite like multi-generational stories; however this one was harder to follow than most what with people changing their names and such. It was extremely hard to keep track of who was related to whom. I don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that the book is written by three different authors – it’s just a confusing story.

Convenient coincidences are used to the point of trickery in order to make the story work which, more than anything else put me off.

Great story about three generations of a family in New York. Romantic yet realistic in the historical settings the characters find themselves in. The jumping from one time period to another kept me wondering if I was keeping up. Good book to read.

I loved this story. It was like putting together a puzzle. My only criticism is that it was hard to follow at times. I found myself stopping often to try to figure out how people were related and it sometimes got confusing because it was told from three different points of view in three different time periods. The writing was great and the story was enthralling but I would caution readers that it does get confusing so just be patient. Overall, I highly recommend.

When I first started reading this, I was getting confused by the chapters that started with someone's name. I persevered and about halfway through the book I realized how it all tied in together. I finished the book with a great admiration for the authors of that book. It was worth all the time that I took to read it!!!!

I couldn't put this book down! It was a bit confusing at first - I actually created a genealogical chart and kept adding to it as the story unfolded and I could eventually keep everyone straight! Seamlessly told by 3 great authors, this book was a treasure, just like the women in the story - and of course, their men!

I must admit I got confused about halfway through the book with the characters and how they were inter-related. This continued for several chapters. This did not dim my enjoyment of the book. I have read 2 of the authors books. I am not familiar with the writing of Lauren Willing. Very enjoyable book.

This isn't a bad book although I did find it to be a bit disjointed. It's interesting that this does have three authors, but for me, it just didn't work. That sure doesn''t mean that it won't work for you. It's worth a try. this isn't a book I can recommend, but it's not one I ca really dis either.

Can always trust Karen White for a well written story. Lots of ups and downs - lots of characters to keep up with but in the end it all comes together. Liked it a lot and would recommend to anyone who likes mysteries.

I loved this book telling the story of three generations of family joined together by a ruby necklace and a house. The authors did a wonderful job of tying the stories together..Had a hard time putting it down...Good historical references...Well worth the time spend reading it!

Intricate story of three different time periods with characters intertwined with one another in sometimes surprising ways. My advice is to commit yourself to steady reading of the book in order to stay familiar with the characters in each time period. My confusion was my own fault because I had many starts, stops, and breaks during reading this story. Loved the references to Charleston and NYC!

I very much enjoyed this book. Written by three different authors. Their writing styles flowed seamlessly. I never felt lost or confused. It is the story of three women whose lives are connected. The story comes together nicely with a very good ending.

I found the story line to be confusing at times. Each chapter was very readable but it was difficult to keep track of the relationship of the characters from one generation to the next, and then going back and forth. Just too confusing to fully enjoy.

Epic story set in NYC before the turn to the century from 1890 to the roaring twenties to World War 2 1940's. I loved it but I am a sucker for historical fiction with a touch of mystery an a dose of romance and where the characters are strong.

I’m typically not a huge historical fiction fan but this story was told over multiple generations and had many twists and turns regarding who was connected to whom. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s amazing to me that three authors wrote it. The styles were like it was written by the same person.

A lovely, but heartbreaking, story about three generations of star-crossed lovers. Olive in 1892, Lucy in 1920 and Kate in 1944. How the decisions of Olive affected Lucy's life and how Lucy decisions affected Kate's life. Beautifully written.

The Forgotten Room is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. It's a very badly written book ( with it's 3 different writers for 3 different periods of time), it's one -dimensional, slow , rather pointless and very boring, I didn't care about any of the events or any of the characters, thank goodness I didn't buy it got it from our local library.

This book was well written and engaging...I couldn't put it down. I cared about the characters and I think the authors did a good job sharing the task of writing each woman within a different time period. This would make a great movie!!