Writer and author of "What Would the Spice Girls Do?" Lauren Bravo talks about Eva Rice's 2008 smash-hit The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, a book that's part Nancy Mitford, part Dodie Smith, and entirely delightful. The book is set in 1950s London, and follows Penelope, a shy 18 year old girl and heir to the crumbling mansion Milton Magna, as she befriends Charlotte and her cousin Harry. Harry is a magician and in love with an American IT girl called Marina. He bribes Penelope to be his girlfriend to make Marina jealous, and the two end up falling for each other. Lauren and Caroline discuss the era, the call of America, the power of music and mutual adoration of a pop culture icon, and how exactly the parakeets ended up in London.

Music by Harry Harris, artwork by Gavin Day. Recorded at Acast and produced by Hannah Varrall.

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