The background to this satisfying tale is the troubles in Ireland and the film industry. They give added depth and colour to the characters who all seek happiness of one sort or another. Told from two points of view, it is compelling, evocative, beguiling stuff. A lovely read.
Louise and Rebecca, good friends since their BBC days in Belfast, work for a film company and are scouring the south of England for a suitable location to shoot a movie about Elizabeth I. As they stumble across Wooldene House, they meet Diana and Henry, who own the property. Diana, widowed, feels her life is slowly crumbling along with the house, and yearns for new romance. Diana spends her time looking after their aunt Lucy who, as she senses time is running out, begins the share the startling secrets in her past. And Henry, retired from the Army after a stint in Northern Ireland, is increasingly drawn to Louise - but their shared history, which places them on opposite sides of the troubles - threatens them both...
Roisin McAuley grew up in a big family in a small town in County Tyrone in the 1950s, went to a convent boarding school, and then to Queen’s University, Belfast, to study history. She joined the BBC in Northern Ireland as a newsreader and announcer, going on to become a reporter for BBC programmes such as Spotlight, Newsnight, Panorama and File on 4. She has also produced and directed television documentaries for ITV and Channel 4 and written and presented programmes on BBC Radio 3 and 4. She lives in Reading with her husband, Richard.
