A tale of those baby-boomers who we keep hearing so much about, attempting to build a new life for themselves while reminiscing on the past.  It is all very idyllic until old attractions surface and an ancient burial site, discovered on the estate, disrupts plans.  The whole thing rather dramatically climaxes over the Christmas period when all are gathered.  It’s lovely stuff, astute, insightful, at times humorous and tender and full of very realistic characters.  She is a clever writer.

Comparison: Elizabeth Buchan, Kate Morton, Joanne Trollope.

Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Iris and Ruby comes a novel in which a group of old friends reunite to start a new stage of their lives. Miranda Meadowe decides a lonely widowhood in her crumbling country house is not for her. Reviving a university dream, she invites five of her oldest friends to come and join her to live, and to stave off the prospect of old age. All have their own reasons for accepting. To begin with, omens are good. They laugh, dance, drink and behave badly, as they cling to the heritage they thought was theirs for ever: power, health, stability. They are the baby boomers; the world is theirs to change. But as old attractions resurface alongside new tensions, they discover that the clock can't be put back. When building work reveals an Iron Age burial site of a tribal queen, the outside world descends on their idyllic retreat, and the isolation of the group is breached. Now the past is revealed; and the future that beckons is very different from the one they imagined.

Reviews

Acclaim for Lovers and Newcomers: 'Novelist Rosie Thomas is one of the best storytellers around
Daily Express

'A wonderful story that explores relationships, history and change'
She

'An evocatively told story of friendship, families and relationships, sharpened by the arrival of the outside world into their idyllic country retreat'
Choice Acclaim for Rosie Thomas:

'Rosie Thomas writes with beautiful, effortless prose, and shows a rare compassion and a real understanding of the nature of love.'
The Times

'Heart-rending and beautifully written!I read it in one delicious go, tears pouring down my face. You cannot fail to be moved'
Emma Lee-Potter, Express

'A terrific book, beautifully written! questions about identity, belonging, infidelity, dying and forgiveness make this a very moving study of the human heart.'
Australian Women's Weekly

About the Author

Rosie Thomas is the author of a number of celebrated novels, including the top ten bestsellers White, The Potter's House and, most recently, If My Father Loved Me. She lives in London. Once she was established as a writer and her children were grown, she discovered a love of travelling and mountaineering. She has climbed in the Alps and the Himalayas, competed in the Peking to Paris car rally, and spent time on a tiny Bulgarian research station in Antarctica.   More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation