"Bloomsbury presents In the Heart of the Garden by Leah Fleming, read by Nano Nagle
Iris Bagshott strolls down the paths of her ancient garden, close to Lichfield in the heart of England, wondering if it is time to sell her house and land for development.
She is unaware that around every corner myriad family secrets from the past unfold.
From a Saxon clearing to a monastery, Tudor dwelling to the present day, this sacred plot has nurtured her ancestors. Generations of Bagshott women have found refuge and solace tending it through years of plague, civil war and beyond.
This is their story. P 2019 Head of Zeus P 2019 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC C 2019 Leah Fleming"
"High above the Mediterranean, on the French Riviera, stands a beautiful pink stucco villa. Once a playground for the rich and glamorous, now - in the aftermath of World War 1 - it is a convalescent home for sick and wounded nurses. Scottish Flora Garvie is here recovering from four traumatic years on the ambulance trains. And here she will meet again charismatic but troubled Kit Carlyle, a regimental chaplain who no longer believes in his calling and certainly doesn't believe himself worthy of Flora's love. Their dramatic rollercoaster of a story will take them through death, separation and war, until a terrifying game of cat and mouse in Occupied France seals their fate."
"A warm and uplifting novel about love, friendship and new beginnings on the beautiful Greek island of Santaniki.
Sara Loveday ditches her cheating fiancé at the altar and flees with her best friend to the beautiful island of Santaniki. Here, amid olive groves and whitewashed stone villas, where dark cypress trees step down to a cobalt blue sea, Sara vows to change her life. Spotting a gap in the local tourist market, she sets up a wedding plan business, specialising in 'second time around' couples. For her first big wedding, she borrows the olive garden of a local artists' retreat, but almost at once things begin to go wrong. To make matters worse, a stranger from Sara's past arrives on the island, spreading vicious lies. Can her business survive? And what will happen with the gorgeous new man who she's begun to love? This is a gorgeous, warm-hearted and uplifting novel conjuring the local colour, traditions and close bonds of island life.
Praise for the author: “A born storyteller” KATE ATKINSON
“Whether you're dreaming of your first trip to the Greek islands or, like me, dreaming of returning one day, The Olive Garden Choir is the ideal book to conjure up the unique atmosphere of that lovely part of the world” WHAT CATHY READ NEXT
“It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth” RACHEL HORE
“Fascinating and unputdownable” TRISHA ASHLEY
“A fabulous story of people, places and pearls from a master storyteller” LANCASHIRE POST"
"1939. A compelling romantic saga set on a remote Hebridean isle.
As children on the island of Phetray, Minn Macfee, a cottar's daughter, and Ewan Mackinnon, the Minister's son, are bound together by the accidental drowning of Ewan's sister. Ewan is blamed and Minn shunned. As the two children grow, they must go their separate ways grieving. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War Ewan returns to Phetray, now a handsome sailor. He falls in love with Minn's fragile beauty and enchanting singing voice. But they are separated again when Ewan joins the Special Boat Squadron and embarks for France. Throughout the years the two always seem to find their way back together, but fate always steps in to intervene...
Touched by tragedy, misunderstanding, and the weight of family disapproval, their love seems destined to die."
"In the shadow of loss, disgrace and ill-health, unmarried mother Netta Nichol must watch her child being brought up by her farming father and stepmother. Exiled from her beloved Galloway, she seeks refuge in a Yorkshire mill town where she finds solace in sewing for her son. With the help of local friends, she makes her dream of creating beautiful wedding dresses come true, believing this is the one dress she may never get the chance to wear; in a time of rationing and shortages, no small achievement. As she begins to win back her self-respect Netta makes one last attempt to claim back her child."
"A heart-warming story of female friendship in the tumultuous days of the Suffragette movement...
Sophia Seddon and Grace Thompson are poles apart - the one a member of the notorious Seddons of Plover Street, the other the vicar's spoilt only child. But their childhood friendship is revived when they find themselves fighting a common cause: women's rights. And the ties of friendship prove stronger and more enduring than those of background or family, even in the face of danger.
Both incredibly moving and engrossing, this is period drama for fans of Dilly Court, Margaret Dickinson and Annie Murray, from an experienced and acclaimed storyteller."
"From the acclaimed author of The Last Pearl and Dancing at the Victory Cafe, this is a beautiful novel about dark family secrets, betrayal, love and redemption.
1666. A child is born in the farmhouse at Windebank, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Named Rejoice (Joy) by her dying father, Joy grows up witness to the persecution of the farming community for following a banned faith. Defying the authority of the local priest, she joins a group of Yorkshire pioneers travelling to the New World to form a colony close to Philadelphia - a passionate, rebellious and courageous woman fighting against the constraints of the time. Will she find peace and love?
2014. A leather-bound book is found buried in the walls of the Meeting House in Good Hope, Pennsylvania. Its details trace the owner back to a Yorkshire farm in the Dales. And so a correspondence begins between Rachel Moorside and the man who found the journal, Sam Storer, as Rachel uncovers the tumultuous secrets of her family's history."
"FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER AND DANCING AT THE VICTORY CAFE, this is a beautiful novel about one magnificent gem, and three lives bound together by fate ...
1879, York.Greta Costello must rely on her wits to survive. She finds refuge as a Saturday girl for an old jeweller, Saul Abrahams, and her eye for detail, her long fingers and appreciation of beauty persuade Saul to train her as a pearl stringer. This skill will lead her through hardship and pain towards a new life.
1879, Scotland. Jem Baillie knows the immense power of a perfect pearl. His father was a fisher on a tributary of the Tay river in Perthshire, Scotland, and together they found the rarest of pearls, a great white pearl they call Queenie. When this is stolen from them, Eben vows revenge.
Spanning generations and continents, tracing the rivers of Scotland and the Mississippi, The Last Pearl is a sweeping novel of desire and revenge, of family and freedom, and of one woman's journey to open the shell she has built around herself to reveal the true beauty within.
Praise for Leah Fleming
'I enjoyed it enormously.It's a moving and compelling story about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth' RACHEL HORE
'A born storyteller' KATE ATKINSON"
"2002, Australia.When Melissa discovers a postcard addressed to 'Desmond' among her recently deceased father's effects, she is determined to discover this person's identity and his relationship to her father. She soon embarks on a journey that will take her across oceans and into the past…
1930's, London. Caroline grew on a secluded Scottish estate with her 'Aunt' Phoebe. Now, the shocking realisation that Phoebe is actually her mother fuels a rebellious streak in Caroline, who elopes to Cairo to get married. But her marriage quickly turns sour and leads to an affair with an old lover, and to a baby boy, Desmond. With her personal life in tatters and WWII approaching, she volunteers as a secret agent, smuggling valuable information into Europe for the British government.
When Caroline finally returns from the war, Desmond is gone; he was secretly taken to Australia by his nanny years before. Will Caroline be able to track him down? And how will her journey to find her son lead to Melissa's mission to uncover her father's past?"
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