Multi-million copy bestselling author Joanna Trollope expertly depicts how grief can tip the family balance head over heels in this beautifully written novel about change and hope through adversity. Perfect for readers of Elizabeth Noble, Erica James and Amanda Prowse.
'Extraordinarily powerful' -- Mail on Sunday
'A devastatingly acute picture of a harsh rural world' -- The Sunday Times
'Certainly one of her best' -- Daily Telegraph
'A richly satisfying novel ... compulsively readable' -- Sunday Express
'Kept me interested - twists and turns - great character development - well written' -- ***** Reader review
'I couldn't put it down and finished the book in just a couple of days' -- ***** Reader review
'Excellent' -- ***** Reader review
'A wonderful book, a wonderful story, wonderful characters - a must have' -- ***** Reader review
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A FAMILY IN CRISIS. A CATALYST THAT THREATENS TO CHANGE EVERYTHING...
The land running down to the River Dean has been farmed by the Meredith family for generations. Robin Meredith bought the farm from his father, just before he married his wife Caro and now he and his brother Joe work on the land. But now Caro has died, as much as a mystery to the family as she was when she arrived twenty years ago, and the whole family feels her loss acutely, none more so than her adopted daughter Judy.
Into this unhappy family comes Zoe, Judy's London friend, an outsider with an independent spirit and a disturbing directness. Everyone underestimates Zoe's power as a catalyst for change as the realities behind the seeming idyll of a rural community become ever clearer...
Two generations of Merediths farm the land running down to the River Dean. Robin Meredith bought his dairy farm just before he married Caro, his enigmatic Californian wife, while his father Harry is an arable farmer on the adjoining farm, working the land, with the help of his other son Joe, just as his father and grandfather had before him. But now Caro had died, as much of a mystery to the Meredith family as she was when she arrived twenty years ago, leaving Robin and the rest of the family to cope with the loss.
With Caro gone, her adopted daughter Judy feels cut adrift, while for Joe the despair at her death is far deeper than the family suspects. And into the midst of this unhappy family comes Zoe, Judy's London friend, an outsider with her strange townie appearance, independent spirit and disturbing directness. Everyone underestimates Zoe's power as a catalyst for change as the realities behind the seeming idyll of a rural community become ever clearer.