Product Description

Six months after her husband's sudden death, Leonora Galloway sets off for a holiday in Paris with her daughter Penelope.  At last the time has come when secrets can be shared and explanations begin...

Their journey starts with an unscheduled stop at the imposing Thiepval Memorial to the dead of the Battle of the Somme near Amiens.  Amongst those commemorated is Leonora's father.  The date of his death is recorded and 30th  April, 1916.  But Leonora wasn't born until 14th March 1917.

Penelope at once supposes a simple wartime illegitimacy as the clue to her mother's unhappy childhood and the family's sundered connections with her aristocratic heritage, about which she has always known so little.

But nothing could have prepared her, or the reader, for the extraordinary story that is about to unfold.


From the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38053 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-29
• Released on: 2007-05-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Set in England during and after WW I, this is the story of three generations: the two Leonoras, mother and child (and their husbands, both handsome, adoring, young army officers), and of Penelope, who at length unravels the twisted skeins of her mother's and grandmother's past to discover herself. In the prologue, the younger Leonora, now a grandmother, takes her daughter Penelope to France to visit the memorial to those killed on the Somme in 1916. Her father, Captain John Hallows is listed there, but, Leonora points out, he died more than a year before her birth. By way of explanation, Leonora relates the story of her childhood as an orphan in the mansion of Meonsgate sp ok in Hampshire, under the tyranny of her greedy, power-hungry step-grandmother. Young Leonora eventually escapes to a happy marriage and finally discovers the truth about her parentsespecially about her mother, who had been described to her as a whorethrough the device of a stranger's tale: not an ancient mariner's, but an old soldier's. But there is more, and Penelope is the one who hears the true storyor is it? Goddard ( Past Caring ) has crafted a marvelously intricate plot, deftly and subtly unveiling, through different narrative voices, the mystery at the core of this intense, shocking tale. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In the best tradition of British storytelling, here murder, deceit, family honor, and intrigue are intricately woven into a compelling drama of decadent British aristocracy set during World War I. Leonora Galloway, who has for 50 years meticulously shunned discussion of her unpleasant childhood at the family ancestral home near Portsmouth, reveals her past to her daughter. In a controlled and measured way, Leonora recounts her tale, which includes discussion of Leonora's own questionable parentage, the details of an unsolved murder that occurred before she was born, her father's desertion from the army, and the ignominious end of a revered family name and a noble house. Enthralling to the final page. Literary Guild Alternate.Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. at Carbondale Lib.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"One of my favourite books of the year...I recomment it to all ages and both sexes"—Sarah Broadhurst, Today

"A superbly plotted romantic thriller"—New York Times

"A novel of numerous twists and turns and surprises"—Sunday Telegraph


From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews

One of the best books I've ever read!!
If you haven't ever read Goddard, start here, please! This book, despite dealing with some really thorny issues such as war, mistaken identity, blackmail, and abuse, retains such a misty quality about the narrative that you feel as if you are walking in someone else's dream. The mystery, far from being, shallow and gorey, like some American thrillers, insteady takes it's tension from a deep, involved and complicated series of realtionships and webs of lies that intruige the mind.

The story begins and ends with a mother taking her daughter on a walk through the WWI battlefield monuments of France, and explaining what has consumed her for most of her life: who her father was. The answer, given to her by a strange old artist, will surprise you.

If you want a deep, intelligent mystery, you must read this book!

Hard to Put Down
With so many plot twists and turns this is a book you can't put down until you've finally finished it. Most of the book is set during the time of World war I. Without being preachy the reader has insight to how the characters feel about the war, and how it changes their lives. Few, if any WW I vets are left to tell their story, I think that Robert Goddard gives us a little understanding into what fighting in the trenches meant, and the waste of lives that ensued. All the characters are well developed, but yet the author still manages to surprise the reader. Just when the reading thinks he/she has worked out the plot, there is another twist that leaves the reader breathless and wanting more. This is my favorite Robert Goddard book.

Engrossing!
It was poignant reading this book the week of Remembrance. While I have read many books about WWI, I never cease to be affected when I read another. This book is very well written. It has that soft, English quality with depictions of stately manor homes, weather, proper English gentlemen. But it also uncovers the seedy underside that is so often depicted about Victorian-Edwardian England: perversion, abuse, dishonor. This tale though has some very unusual twists to it and every time I thought I had figured the whole story out, it took yet another one.
I have read one other Goddard and this is by far his best!