April 2008 Book of the Month.

I fell in love with this book when it was first published in 1997. It did moderately well but not as well as it should. I think one of the problems was that up until then James Long had written adventure spy stories, he was formerly BBC correspondent and certainly knew his stuff – but then he produced this enthralling, tangled love story. As so often happens when author’s change direction, his publishers (Penguin) were not keen, so he went to HarperCollins and, if it were today, it would have been published under a pseudonym, as his other historical novels are (Will Davenport) – but that did not happen and the book rather fell between two stools. Now he is to write its sequel so yet another publisher (Little, Brown) is reissuing this and this time round it’s going to be noticed by everyone. It is such a wonderful, uplifting and unusual story of a couple settling in Somerset. As they renovate their house they discover its history, meet a previous inhabitant and unlock its secrets. Mysterious, exciting, immensely rewarding, it is one of those memorable books that has to go on your shelf of all-time favourites. Please read it.

Comparison: Audrey Niffenegger, Will Davenport, Diana Gabaldon.

Ferney's poem to Gally

Let not our divided hearts be sworn to any other,

There's love that stays and love that parts and love of sister, brother.

Our halves are nothing on their own but half and half make one,

And halves, divided, stand alone when the adding's done.

Half-hearted I should never find my matching half elsewhere.

Without your half, my sister kind, my sum will be despair.

Synopsis

When Mike and Gally move to a new cottage in Somerset, it’s to make a new start. But the relationship comes under strain when Gally forms an increasingly close attachment to an old countryman, Ferney, who seems to know everything about her.

What is it that draws them together? Reluctantly at first, then with more urgency as he feels time slipping away, Ferney compels Gally to understand their connection - and to face an inexplicable truth about their shared past.

Reviews

'A story of love and self discovery that resonates across the ages' Nicholas Evans

'The book grips . . . It belongs to the unputdownable, so goodbye sleep. I love it . . . the whole story sang' Mary Wesley

'The book is a lovely puzzle . . . an enthralling, ambitious novel with distinct echoes of Hardy' Mail on Sunday

About the Author

James Long was a BBC TV news correspondent until the end of the 1980s. After two years starting and running an international TV station out of Zurich, he returned to England to concentrate on writing, which had always been his first love. He wrote four thrillers, then went back to a story he had begun many years earlier and which grew into Ferney. The book was originally born from his disappointment at being unable to buy a derelict cottage he had found near the village of Penselwood and that house became the centre of the story. Many more novels followed, including two written under the pseudonym 'Will Davenport.' He moved into historical non-fiction in 2007 with The Plot against Pepys, co-written with his oldest son, Ben. Since then, he has co-written a play with his middle son, Harry. He lives with his wife, Annie and daughter Matilda in Totnes, Devon. His interests range from archaeology to motor racing. He is actively involved in the creative writing charity, the Arvon Foundation and tutors from time to time on Arvon courses. He is also a patron and adviser to the Dartington Literary Festival, 'Ways with Words.' More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation