The Beloved Girls
On sale
19th August 2021
Price: £14.99
‘A gorgeous epic . . . Wholly absorbing. I adored it’ MARIAN KEYES
‘This sweeping, absorbing story is a treat’ ADELE PARKS
‘A compelling story of female friendship, dark secrets and family bonds that pulls you in and won’t let go’ ROSANNA LEY
‘If you love atmospheric stories about old houses, families and secrets, this is for you’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘A gorgeous story to get immersed in’ Prima
BY SUMMER’S END, THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE . . .
‘It’s a funny old house. They have this ceremony every summer . . . There’s an old chapel, in the grounds of the house. Half-derelict. The Hunters keep bees in there. Every year, on the same day, the family processes to the chapel. They open the combs, taste the honey. Take it back to the house. Half for them -‘ my father winced, as though he had bitten down on a sore tooth. ‘And half for us.’
Catherine, a successful barrister, vanishes from a train station on the eve of her anniversary. Is it because she saw a figure – someone she believed long dead? Or was it a shadow cast by her troubled, fractured mind?
The answer lies buried in the past.
It lies in the events of the hot, seismic summer of 1989, at Vanes – a mysterious West Country manor house – where a young girl, Jane Lestrange, arrives to stay with the gilded, grand Hunter family, and where a devastating tragedy will unfold. Over the summer, as an ancient family ritual looms closer, Janey falls for each member of the family in turn. And she and Kitty, the eldest daughter of the house, will forge a bond that decades later, is still shaping the present . . .
‘We need the bees to survive, and they need us to survive. Once you understand that, you understand the history of Vanes, you understand our family.’
‘Bewitching, beguiling and utterly beautiful, The Beloved Girls will pull you into their mysterious and enchanted world and never let you go. With a cast of compelling characters and a labyrinthine plot, it’s a page-turner of the most luxurious kind – a real escape.’ VERONICA HENRY
Compelling, immersive and luxurious, THE BELOVED GIRLS is the outstanding new novel from the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author of The Garden of Lost and Found and your perfect summer escape.
‘This sweeping, absorbing story is a treat’ ADELE PARKS
‘A compelling story of female friendship, dark secrets and family bonds that pulls you in and won’t let go’ ROSANNA LEY
‘If you love atmospheric stories about old houses, families and secrets, this is for you’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘A gorgeous story to get immersed in’ Prima
BY SUMMER’S END, THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE . . .
‘It’s a funny old house. They have this ceremony every summer . . . There’s an old chapel, in the grounds of the house. Half-derelict. The Hunters keep bees in there. Every year, on the same day, the family processes to the chapel. They open the combs, taste the honey. Take it back to the house. Half for them -‘ my father winced, as though he had bitten down on a sore tooth. ‘And half for us.’
Catherine, a successful barrister, vanishes from a train station on the eve of her anniversary. Is it because she saw a figure – someone she believed long dead? Or was it a shadow cast by her troubled, fractured mind?
The answer lies buried in the past.
It lies in the events of the hot, seismic summer of 1989, at Vanes – a mysterious West Country manor house – where a young girl, Jane Lestrange, arrives to stay with the gilded, grand Hunter family, and where a devastating tragedy will unfold. Over the summer, as an ancient family ritual looms closer, Janey falls for each member of the family in turn. And she and Kitty, the eldest daughter of the house, will forge a bond that decades later, is still shaping the present . . .
‘We need the bees to survive, and they need us to survive. Once you understand that, you understand the history of Vanes, you understand our family.’
‘Bewitching, beguiling and utterly beautiful, The Beloved Girls will pull you into their mysterious and enchanted world and never let you go. With a cast of compelling characters and a labyrinthine plot, it’s a page-turner of the most luxurious kind – a real escape.’ VERONICA HENRY
Compelling, immersive and luxurious, THE BELOVED GIRLS is the outstanding new novel from the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author of The Garden of Lost and Found and your perfect summer escape.
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Reviews
'A gorgeous epic . . . Wholly absorbing. I adored it!'
'This sweeping, absorbing story is a treat'
'Bewitching, beguiling and utterly beautiful, The Beloved Girls will pull you into their mysterious and enchanted world and never let you go. With a cast of compelling characters and a labyrinthine plot, it's a page-turner of the most luxurious kind - a real escape'
PRAISE FOR THE BELOVED GIRLS:
PRAISE FOR HARRIET EVANS:
'Comfort reading of the highest order'
'A sweeping novel you won't put down'
'Richly layered . . . Unforgettable . . . This is a story to get truly lost in'
'She reels you in and then you're hooked, right to the last page'
'Atmospheric and altogether wonderful'
'I love it on so many levels, the immense feeling of place, the slow, irresistible sense of being drawn deep into the family and its story, and the strange hovering of menace somewhere in the idyll. Wonderful'
If you love atmospheric stories about old houses, families and secrets, this is for you
'Spellbinding'
'Gripping'
'Gorgeous'
'A poignant story of love and loss'
'I can't remember the last time I was so enthralled'
'Epic, absorbing ... Full of intrigue and emotion'
'By turns painfully sad and heart-lifting, with characters that stay with you'
'Authentic and satisfying. An immersive mystery'
'A poignant tale'
'A gorgeous story to get immersed in'
'A thumping good read . . . Completely absorbing'
'A compelling story of female friendship, dark secrets and family bonds that pulls you in and won't let go'
'A compelling family drama'
'Taut as a drumskin and thrumming with tension . . . You'll stay up well past your bedtime to finish this atmospheric read'
'This immersive read is a real treat'
'A gorgeous, Gothic and gripping big-house mystery'
'An absorbing, sweeping drama to get lost in'
'A compelling read . . . With a strong sense of place'
'A compelling and atmospheric read'
'Full of evocative description of time and place, the sense of "something about to happen" keeps you turning the pages'
'A rich and sweeping tale as dark and delicious as the hive's special honey'
'This is the most gripping, atmospheric book, heavy with mystery and intriguing right till the end. I loved it'
'Wow, was this book stunning or what? It stole my heart and never gave it back. '
'Wow! This book pulled me in from the beginning . . . A five star read'
'I'm still reeling from reading this book . . . Wow!'