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The Girl in the Letter: A home for unwed mothers; a heartbreaking secret in this historical fiction bestseller inspired by true events

On sale

4th April 2019

Price: £9.99

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Selected: Paperback / ISBN-13: 9781472255099

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Read her letter. Remember her story…

Gripping. Mesmerising. Haunting. Heart-breaking. Once you’ve heard her story, you will never forget The Girl in the Letter.

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Rachel Hore and Kathryn Hughes, this page-turning, moving novel of separation and long-buried secrets will stay with you for ever.

In the winter of 1956 pregnant young Ivy is sent in disgrace to St Margaret’s, a home for unmarried mothers in the south of England, run by nuns, to have her child. Her baby daughter is adopted. Ivy will never leave.

Sixty years later, journalist Samantha stumbles upon a series of letters from Ivy to her lover, pleading with him to rescue her from St Margaret’s before it is too late. As Sam pieces together Ivy’s tragic story, terrible secrets about St Margaret’s dark past begin to emerge. What happened to Ivy, to her baby, and to the hundreds of children born in the home? What links a number of mysterious, sudden deaths in the area? And why are those who once worked at St Margaret’s so keen that the truth should never be told? As Sam unpicks the sinister web of lies surrounding St Margaret’s, she also looks deep within – to confront some unwelcome truths of her own…

Reviews

Lesley Pearse
A great book, truly hard to put down. Fast-paced, brilliantly plotted and desperately sad at times - all hallmarks of a bestseller
Sophie Kinsella
Compelling, twisty, heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. A novel that stays with you
Fanny Blake
What a heartfelt emotional story, made even more so because it's based on a shocking truth. I raced through it, involved, moved and gripped