Athens, 1942 two sisters divided by politics and tragedy... In 2008 Antigone Perifanis returns to her old family home in Athens after 60 years in exile. She has come to attend the funeral of her only son, Nikitas, who was born in prison, and whom she has not seen since she left him as a baby. Nikitas had been distressed in the days before his death and, curious to find out why, his English widow Maud starts to investigate his complicated past. In so doing, she finds herself reigniting a bi...

'Among the hottest books of this blazing summer' (Daily Telegraph): a bold, lushly written novel that will compel and disquiet in equal measureA BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 - CHOSEN BY THE OBSERVER, NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATORIt is the 1970s and Ralph, an up-and-coming composer, is visiting Edmund Greenslay at his riverside home in Putney to discuss a collaboration. Through the house's colourful rooms and unrul...

'Funny, sad and beautifully written' Telegraph'I was completely absorbed from the beginning' Mary Portas'A brilliant depiction of a complex sprawling family with a charismatic lovable rogue at its centre. It is both tragic and funny, but ultimately heartwarming' Lily DunnWhat do you do when you're not allowed to attend your father's funeral?This is the question facing Alekos's far-flung children from many ma...

Faringdon House in Oxfordshire was the home of Lord Berners, composer, writer, painter, friend of Stravinsky and Gertrude Stein, a man renowned for his eccentricity – masks, practical jokes, a flock of multi-coloured doves – and his homosexuality. Before the war he made Faringdon an aesthete’s paradise, where exquisite food was served to many of the great minds, beauties and wits of the day.Since the early thirties his companion there was Robert Heber-Percy, twenty-eight years his ...

SECRETS FROM THE PAST, UNRAVELLING IN THE PRESENTFrom the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping and moving story spanning 25 years and World War II, secrets, family and enduring love.The streets of Paris hide a dark past…September, 1937. Kitty Travers enrols at the Conservatoire on the banks of the Seine to pursue her dream of becoming a concert pianist. But then war breaks out and the city ...

'This is a story of courage, brutality and fear, of loyalty and betrayal, of love and hatred, of despair and unquenchable hope. As always, Victoria Hislop brings vividly to life a horrendous episode in the history of the beautiful island of Cyprus. Excellent, in every way' Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐In the golden city of Famagusta, Greek and Turkish Cypriots alike enjoy a life of good fortune.Invasion comes without warning, bringing chaos and terror....

From Lake Como in Italy to Oxford, a wonderfully compelling novel about lost love, fate and second chances from the Sunday Times bestselling author.Lake Como - beautiful, enchanting, romantic...For Floriana, it is the place where the love of her life is getting married to another woman. And she's been invited to the wedding.For Esme, it is where, over sixty years ago, she fell in love for the first time. So often she's wondered what happene...

If you love Karen Swan and Elizabeth Edmondson, you will love this perfect escapist read.'The story started at dawn on the fourteenth of September, 1943 . . .'All her life, London-born Angelika has been intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now planning her wedding, she feels she must visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in.Angie's estranged elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She welcomes ...

*PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS The Art of Love*Absorbing and escapist, The Villa on the Riviera is perfect summer reading for fans of Santa Montefiore and Rachel Hore.Polly Smith is struggling to make a living as an artist when her friend and patron, Oliver, invites her to the south of France. But her world is unexpectedly turned upside down when she digs out her birth certificate to apply for a passport. Her parents are not who she beli...

Escape to the beautiful Cornish coast with this heart-tugging, romantic story - perfect for fans of Fern Britton and Rosamunde PilcherWhen artist Maddie inherits a house in Cornwall shortly after the death of her husband, she hopes it will be the fresh start she and her step-daughter desperately need. Trevenen is beautiful but neglected, and as Maddie discovers the stories of generations of women who've lived there before, she begins to feel her life is somehow int...

'Victoria weaves an effortless tale that draws you in and makes you forget the world outside exists. She has the ability to make you step into the pages, to transport you to Thessaloniki as you live the story yourself. She writes in such a beautiful way and her characters have depth and credibility . . . Exceptional' Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐Dimitri Komninos is born as fire devastates Thessaloniki, where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five year...

Be swept away by The Villa in Italy, the perfect escapist readFour very different people are named in a will. All are summoned to the Villa Dante, home of the late Beatrice Malaspina. But who was she?While they wait to find out, the villa begins to work its seductive magic. With its faded frescoes and magnificent mediaeval tower, it’s unlike anywhere they have been before. Slowly, four characters who have gone to great lengths to hide their troubles find that chang...