Certified Book Addicts's Reviews > The Cartographer's Secret

The Cartographer’s Secret is the latest release from Australia author Tea Cooper. While I have always been always been aware of Cooper’s books, it wasn’t until she ventured into historical fiction that I read my first book. Now when I finish a book by Cooper, I am eagerly waiting for her to release her next one. I always learn something from Cooper’s books which is my favourite aspect of the genre. From The Cartographer’s Secret, I learnt many little gems, two being that explorers from the nineteenth century often went missing and maps were made by women. Being a different era, the women shockingly had to sign their husband’s name on the map. In this story, Ludwig Leichardt is the explorer who really did disappear a couple of hundred years ago and, the fictionalised cartographer, Evie Ludgrove. Setting The Cartographer’s Secret in the Hunter Valley N.S.W Cooper has written a dramatized account of an Australian mystery.

Cooper uses a dual timeline and two protagonists to tell the tale. In 1880, Evie is an unusual young woman. She has a love of drawing landscapes and nature, a gift from her father. Evie’s father was obsessed with the explorer Dr Ludwig Leichardt, whose final resting place is unknown, and he has the paperwork to prove. When a reward is offered for proof of where Leichhardt met his demise, Evie is determined to provide the answers. She sets off on a journey that will change the course of her family history.

In 1911, Letitia (Lettie) Rawlings is a wealthy woman living at home who craves independence. She is sometimes able to achieve this dream by driving her brother’s Model T Ford. The unfortunate death of her brother sees Lettie embarking on a car ride, partly to escape her mother’s plans but more importantly, to inform her great aunt Olivia of his passing. A seventy year old single woman, Olivia, like Lettie, leads an unconventional life for the times. When Lettie unexpectedly finds a map that belongs to her aunt Evie, her need to uncover the truth will uncover long buried secrets.

The Cartographer’s Secret is an exquisite holiday from the comfort of your home with themes of family, secrets, death, love, roles in society and cartography.