The Book of Revelations

A beautifully written blend of memoir, first-person stories and social history that uncovers the most enigmatic yet revealing aspect of human behaviour: secrecy

The average person is keeping thirteen secrets at any one time, five of which they’ve never shared with a soul. Secrets can thrill, but they are just as likely to torment; and the deepest ones echo far down the generations. They are private, but they also tell us a great deal about our world.

The Book of Revelations explores the changing nature of the secrets held by three generations of women. It unlocks a period of significant transformation, from the restrictions just after the Second World War, through the emancipation of the 1960s and 1970s, to the opportunities and dangers women meet online today.

As we travel through time, we encounter deeply moving first-person stories, rich social history and Juliet Nicolson’s own experiences of secrecy. We witness long-buried family secrets shared at last, their keepers set free. Finally, we are forced to wonder whether, after a steady upwards curve, women are once again in danger of being curtailed by censure, caution and fear. But could learning from the secrets of the past help protect our future?

Review

Utterly engrossing and timely... told with immense empathy, intelligence and compassion... an important work of social history and as gripping as a beach read. I cannot recommend it highly enough -- INDIA KNIGHT ― Sunday Times

A book about the stories we don’t tell, written with such truth-telling compulsion and compassionate honesty... a true act of bravery and sisterhood -- ELIZABETH DAY

With incredible intimacy and deep compassion, Juliet Nicolson has woven together the stories that make our lives, but which so often remain hidden... This is a dazzling and surprising book, and I was changed by the experience of reading it -- CLOVER STROUD

I gobbled this book up. It's a gem, packed with nuggets I wanted to share. Nicolson is brilliant at contextualising personal stories in the bigger historical picture. All the women we meet are heroines, and their honesty is inspiring -- HELENA BONHAM-CARTER

A time-travelling investigation... Juliet Nicolson’s book has a depth charge and a sense of the now that is so timely and important -- JEANETTE WINTERSON

I loved this book. The combination of personal, social and historical is fascinating, and beautifully done. The range and quality of its psychological insights make it truly valuable -- JULIA SAMUEL, author of Every Family Has a Story

Bold, brave and brilliant -- JUSTINE PICARDIE, author of Miss Dior

A gripping exploration of the secrets women keep. Raw, revealing and deeply human, The Book of Revelations is a bold ode to womanhood, love, and freedom -- MIREILLE HARPER, author of Timelines from Black History

An amazing achievement - teeming with life, vivid history rolling alongside personal stories.... A precious testament to sisterhood and trust -- HANNAH DAWSON, author of The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing

Juliet Nicolson is a hugely gifted social historian, one who never fails to startle a gripped reader into a new understanding -- MIRANDA SEYMOUR, author of I Used to Live Here Once

I read this straight through with the excitement of reading a detective story... I cannot recommend it too highly -- ANTONIA FRASER, author of Marie Antoinette: The Journey

Kept me up until 3 in the morning. Absolutely topical. Unputdownable. An amazing book -- ANNABEL GOLDSMITH

About the Author

Juliet Nicolson is the bestselling author of three works of social history, The Perfect Summer: Dancing into Shadow in 1911; The Great Silence: 1918-1920 Living in the Shadow of the Great War;and Frostquake: The frozen winter of 1962 and how Britain emerged a different country; as well as a family memoir, A House Full of Daughters. She is a mother and a grandmother and lives with her husband in East Sussex.