From the no.1 Sunday Times bestselling author Fern Britton comes a powerful novel about an ordinary woman living in an extraordinary time, and her small but vital place in history.
Good daughter.
Good woman.
Good servant.
She tried to be them all…
1932. Dunfermline, Scotland.
Marion Crawford, a bright, ambitious young teacher, is ready to make her mark on the world. Until a twist of fate changes the course of her life forever…
1936. Windsor Castle.
At first this ordinary woman is in a new world, working as the governess to two young princesses, in a household she calls home but where everyone is at a distance. As the course of history changes, she finds herself companion to the future Queen, and indispensable to the Crown. And slowly their needs become her needs. Their lives become hers.
It’s then she meets George, and falls in love for the first time. Now Marion faces an impossible choice: her sense of duty or the love of her life.
Reader reviews for The Good Servant
‘Such a tremendous read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This latest novel absolutely blew me away’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This was my first read by Fern Britton but won’t be my last!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Well-written and researched’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Being an avid fan of Fern Britton and her Cornish novels I was not sure what to expect from this one BUT it is brilliant’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Well written, with a riveting storyline and well developed characters that I loved’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Absolutely loved this’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I really loved Marian’s story and knowing it was based on a true story made it extra special’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A little different from her other reads, but no less brilliant’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I was hooked from the beginning’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling novel!
Three women. A chance to rewrite history…
1918.The Great War is over, and Clara Carter has boarded a train bound for Cornwall – to meet a family that would once have been hers. But they must never discover her secret…
1939. Hannah has always been curious about her mother’s mysterious past, but the outbreak of the Second World War casts everything in a new light. As the bombs begin to fall, Hannah and her brothers are determined to do their bit for the war effort – whatever the cost.
2020. Caroline has long been the keeper of her family’s secrets. But now, with her own daughter needing her more than ever, it’s time to tell the truth – to show Natalie that she comes from a long line of women who have weathered the storms of life, as hardy and proud as the rugged Cornish coastline…
From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a sweeping, epic novel of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and a love that lasts a lifetime…
Cornwall is only a page away...
*The heartwarming new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Fern Britton for a wonderful Cornish escape.*
She arrived in the village on the spring tide and hoped to be at the heart of it, knowing its secrets and weathering its storms.
It was to be a new beginning...
It's springtime in the Cornish village of Pendruggan and as the community comes together to say a fond farewell to parish vicar, Simon, and his wife, Penny, a newcomer causes quite a stir...
Reverand Angela Whitehorn came to Cornwall to make a difference. With her husband, Robert, by her side, she sets about making changes - but it seems not everyone is happy for her to shake things up in the small parish, and soon Angela starts to receive anonymous poison pen letters.
Angela has always been one to fight back, and she has already brought a fresh wind into the village, supporting her female parishioners through good times and bad. But as the letters get increasingly more personal, Angela learns that the secrets are closer to home.
With faith and friends by your side, even the most unlikely of new beginnings is possible.
Praise for Fern Britton:
'Incredibly atmospheric' Sun
'A heartfelt novel about family secrets and atonement' Woman & Home
'A book to truly lose yourself in' Sunday Times bestseller Milly Johnson
Ella comes back to the beautiful Cornish coast to heal her heart after the death of her beloved grandmother, Adela. There she finds her home again and discovers a new life, but she also opens a treasure trove of secrets.Twenty years ago Ella's mother Sennen ran away from Cornwall. Sennen had been a young single mum and, unable to cope, had left their children with her mother Adela...and a part of her with them. She's spent the years since hiding from her past, hiding from herself.Now it's time to come back to Cornwall. To face her mistakes. To pray for forgiveness. And to hope for a future with her long-lost daughter and son. Will she be welcomed back with open hearts?
The new witty and warm novel from the Sunday Times best-selling author and TV presenter, Fern Britton.Secrets. Sisters.
The summer that changed everything . . .Life in the Cornish village of Pendruggan isn't always picture perfect. Penny Leighton has never told anyone why she's estranged from her mother and sister. For years she's kept her family secrets locked away in her heart, but they've been quietly eating away at her.
When an unwelcome visitor blows in, Penny is brought face to face with the past. And a postcard, tucked away in a long-hidden case, holds the truth that could change everything.Young Ella has come back to the place where she spent a happy childhood with her grandmother. Now she's here to search for everything missing in her life. Taken under Penny's broken wing for the summer, the safe haven of Pendruggan feels like the place for a fresh start. Soon, however, Ella starts to wonder if perhaps her real legacy doesn't lie in the past at all.
The new Sunday Times bestselling novel from Fern Britton.In the Cornish village of Trevay, not all is as it seems...A lifetime of friendship. A lifetime of secrets.As they grew up in the Cornish fishing village of Trevay, life for four friends seemed all mapped out. Jesse Behenna would marry the beautiful Greer Clovelly, uniting two great Cornish families. And Loveday Carter was happy to live in Greer's shadow whilst Jesse's best friend, Mickey, loved her from afar.What seems so simple in the innocence of youth is far more complicated than it appears. Under intense pressure from his family to marry Greer, Jesse faces an agonizing choice, one which could change the course of all their futures.All these years later, secrets and lies break to the surface in Trevay, threatening to wreck old friendships . . . And possibly lives too.Sit back and relax with this year's perfect holiday read from Fern Britton.
The new wonderfully warm and witty novel from Fern Britton, the bestselling novelist and TV personality.Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Jill Mansell.When the residents of the Cornish seaside town of Trevay discover that their much-loved theatre is about to be taken over by coffee chain, Café au Lait, they are up in arms. It is up to Penny Leighton, hotshot producer and now happily married Cornish resident, to come up with a rescue plan. Armed with only her mobile phone and her contacts book, she starts to pull in some serious favours.The town is soon deluged by actors, all keen to show their support and take part in a charity season at the theatre. One of the arrivals is Jess Tate, girlfriend to TV heartthrob Ryan Hearst. His career is on the rise while hers remains resolutely in the doldrums. But when opportunity comes calling, it isn't just her career prospects that are about to change. Trevay is about to put on the show of its life - but can the villagers, and Jess, hold on to the thing they love the most?
The latest wonderfully witty novel from Britain's favourite TV presenter, Fern Britton.Two sisters, one house, a lifetime of secrets.Set on a Cornish cliff, Atlantic House has been the jewel in the Carew family crown for centuries. Each year, the Carew sisters embark on the yearly trip down to Cornwall for the summer holidays, but they are as different and vinegar and honey.Prudence, hard-nosed businesswoman and married to the meek and mild Francis, is about to get a shock reminder that you should never take anything for granted.Constance, homemaker and loving wife to philandering husband Greg, has always been out-manoeuvred by her manipulative sibling. But now that Pru wants to get her hands on Atlantic House, Connie is not about to take things lying down.When an old face reappears on the scene, years of simmering resentments reach boiling point. But little do the women know that a long-buried secret is about to bite them all on the bottom. Can Constance and Pru put their feuding aside for the sake of everyone else, or will this family holiday push them all over the edge?
The best-selling novel by Fern Britton author of The Holiday Home and The Seaside Affair. Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Celia Imrie.READ BY FERN BRITTON Helen Merrifield decides to start afresh and put her old life behind her in the picture-postcard Cornish village of Pendruggan. Throwing herself into the local scene, Helen finds herself at the mercy of the rather desperate Vicar, but she is secretly drawn to the brooding local historian, Piran.Meanwhile, Helen's best friend, Penny, decides that the village is the perfect setting for her new TV series. When the cast and crew descend, the village is thrown into a tizzy, but Helen has her hands full fending off her philandering ex-husband, who seems determined to charm his way back into her bed.Should Helen hold on to the past? Or will Cornwall give her something new to treasure?
A warm, witty and wise debut about the ups and downs of life as a TV presenterWhen Christie Lynch, journalist and single mother of two, appears as a guest on a daytime TV talk show, she could never have imagined that it would lead to a new career. Spotted by hugely successful talent agent, Julia Keen, Christie can't help but be impressed by Julia's charm and stellar client list. And once Julia takes Christie on as a client, Christie's life changes for ever as Julia secures her a high-profile presenting job on a daily chat show.Christie is immediately thrust into the limelight and, despite the intrusion of the paparazzi in her front garden, she starts to enjoy her new-found wealth and fame. But as her career soars to new heights, her home life starts to suffer when she's forced to spend more and more time away from her children.Will Christie find a way to balance her role as a mother with her increasingly demanding job? And can she make it in the cut-throat world of entertainment? Whatever happens, Christie's going to give it all she's got...
Fern Britton, the much-loved presenter of This Morning reads her inspirational story in the abridged, downloadable audiobook edition of her best-selling autobiography.
For years now, Fern Britton has been widely loved as the presenter of Ready Steady Cook, and, more recently, co-presenter of This Morning with Philip Schofield. Never one to shy away from a good laugh or cry on national TV, she has none-the-less never talked about herself to the public, preferring to keep her private life private. Her warmth and humour, empathy and compassion, have made her feel like a best friend to millions on a daily basis, but no one knows the woman behind the sparkling smile.
Now, for the first time, she is going to tell her story, in her own voice. And it is one that will strike a chord with women everywhere. Life as a child was not always easy, and she faced private and public challenges with her personal life, appearance and her career as she climbed the ladder to fame. Now a full-time working mum, with a very happy marriage to her second husband Phil Vickery, she is at the top of her game, and ready to tell it like it is. So put your feet up and get ready for a great listen.
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