The year is 1935 and stationmaster Ted loves working on the railway in Dorset to the point where he never takes any time off. All changes, however, when he meets one of the passengers, Annie Galbraith, and falls head over heels in love. Unfortunately, with the railway due to close and a terrible accident occurring at the station, his life is about to change forever.
In the present day, recovering from recent heartbreak, Tilly leaves London to stay with her railway volunteer father in Dorset. Finding a diary hidden in the old stationmaster’s house, she soon becomes engrossed in Ted’s story and makes it her mission to find out exactly what happened on the day the railway closed and why it had repercussions for so many people…
Kathleen McGurl is one of those authors where, as soon as I know there is a new book coming out, I have to have it! I was so pleased, therefore, to be one of the blogs opening the blog tour for her latest dual timeline novel. I love how the two stories in her books gradually come together, giving you a complete picture of what happened, and this was definitely the case in The Stationmaster’s Daughter.
If I had to choose, I would say that the part of the story set in the past was my favourite. Ted is one of those instantly likeable characters and I found myself rooting for him from the start even though you just know that things are not going to turn out well for him. I was transported back to a completely different time where circumstances prevented him from being with the woman he loved, even if I did feel that the woman of his dreams, Annie, didn’t help his cause a great deal! This part of the story was a direct contrast to what was happening in the present day with Tilly, who, although going through a tough time, was able to deal with her situation in a much more practical way.
The Stationmaster’s Daughter has a fantastic setting and Kathleen McGurl really takes you back to a time when life moved at a slower pace than what we are used to. A perfect summer read with an emotional backdrop, the author has, yet again, written another intriguing, entertaining story. I look forward to the next one!
With thanks to Net Galley and HQ Digital and also to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the blog tour.
Take a look at my reviews of some of Kathleen McGurl’s other books here:
The Daughters of Red Hill Hall
Go Buy The Book 
August 20, 2019 at 8:59 am
Thank you so much for a lovely review, and for being such a supportive blogger!
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August 20, 2019 at 9:23 am
You are most welcome!
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August 20, 2019 at 9:10 am
I loved this book. This was my first by this author, I was sucked into the story… I was supposed to read a few pages then prepare lunch. I forgot lunch and read the book.
And I am generally not a fan of historical fiction.
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August 20, 2019 at 9:24 am
I’m glad you loved it! Kathleen McGurl’s books are brilliant – try The Daughters of Red Hill Hall as that one is my favourite.
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August 20, 2019 at 10:53 am
Will do. Thank you so much ❤️
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