Description
The enchanting novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Santa Montefiore 'Let the wind take me and the soft rain settle me into the Irish soil from where I came. And may my sins be forgiven.' Arethusa Clayton has always been formidable, used to getting her own way. On her death, she leaves unexpected instructions. Instead of being buried in America, on the wealthy East Coast where she and her late husband raised their two children, Arethusa has decreed that her ashes be scattered in a remote corner of Ireland, on the hills overlooking the sea. All Arethusa ever told Faye was that she grew up in a poor farming family and left Ireland, alone, to start a new life in America as did so many in those times of hardship and famine. But who were her family in Ireland and where are they now? What was the real reason that she turned away from them? And who is the mysterious benefactor of a significant share of Arethusa's estate? Arethusa is gone. There is no one left to tell her story. Faye feels bereft, as if her mother's whole family has died with her. Leaving her own husband and children behind, she travels to the picturesque village of Ballinakelly, determined to fulfil her mother's last wish and to find out the reason for Arethusa's insistence on being laid to rest in this faraway land. 'AN ATMOSPHERIC, MESMERISING READ' My Weekly 'PASSIONATE AND INTRIGUING' Woman's Weekly ***PRAISE FOR SANTA MONTEFIORE*** 'Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore' JOJO MOYES 'An enchanting read overflowing with deliciously poignant moments' DINAH JEFFERIES on Songs of Love and War 'Santa Montefiore hits the spot for my like few other writers' SARRA MANNING 'One of our personal favourites' THE TIMES on The Last Secret of the Deverills 'Accomplished and poetic' Daily Mail 'Santa Montefiore is a marvel' Sunday Express 'One of our personal favourites' The Times
About the Author
Hi, I m Santa Montefiore and I ve been writing a novel a year for twenty-six years now, which is quite astonishing as I didn t really think beyond the first book, which took me five years to write. I didn t think I had another in me, but here I am, celebrating my twenty-first and polishing my twenty-second for publication next year! Most of my novels are set partly in England and partly in a beautiful location, like Argentina, Italy or France. I write primarily for myself so I figure, as I m going to be living in my imagination for the best part of six months, I might as well choose somewhere lovely. I adore nature, so I tend to plant my characters in rural settlings - by the sea or in the countryside - and most of them are stand alone, except Last Voyage of the Valentina and The Italian Matchmaker, and my recent trilogy, The Deverill Chronicles, which is set in Ireland from 1910 to the sixties. It started out as three books, but is now five: The Secret Hours is number 4 and The Distant Shores is number 5. I suppose I just loved writing about that family so much, I didn t want to stop. But I have now... I think The Distant Shores is the last!
I love writing. I ve always enjoyed stories, both reading them and writing them. I can t imagine life without them. Not only are they entertaining, but they teach us so much about life - and enable us to live vicariously through characters who experience more drama than we do! I m emotional. I love to be moved. There s nothing better than sinking into a novel and empathising with the characters as they journey through the novel, experiencing both ups and downs...I love to laugh and cry and I want the book to stay with me after I ve turned the last page. I don t need a happy ending, but I need a satisfactory one. I hope I deliver satisfactory endings in my own novels.
I also write children s books with my husband, Simon Sebag-Montefiore. The series of four books is called The Royal Rabbits of London, about a secret society of MI5 style rabbits who live beneath Buckingham Palace and protect the Royal Family from evil. Our son came up with the idea when he was six years old and it s now being made into a movie by 20th Century Fox, which is beyond exciting. To see our characters in animation will be magical.
In 2020, during Lockdown, I wrote the first of a new comedy series, Flappy Entertains, which was published in spring 2021. The second, Flappy Investigates, will come out spring 2022.
I live in London but rent a cottage in Hampshire, which is where I bolt to when I can no longer take the pace of the city and need to spend time in nature to find peace. We have two children, our daughter Lily and our son Sasha. We also have a Labrador called Simba who is definitely the most spoiled member of the family. My husband Simon is a historian, novelist and broadcaster. We manage to live and work in the same house without killing each other. My favourite place to write is at the kitchen table because it s near the kettle and the fridge. If I start a packet of biscuits I can t stop so I try not to start... but marmite toast is another matter, and a very serious one; nothing can separate me from that.
0
0
