For fans of Downton Abbey and Atonement – Kate Williams follows her sweeping novel The Storms of War with a passionate, sweeping tale of 1920s London and Paris
In the aftermath of the Great War, the de Witt family are struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of their lives.
Rudolf and his wife Verena, still reeling from the loss of their second son, don’t know how to function in the post-war world. Stoneythorpe Hall has become an empty shell with no servants to ensure its upkeep.
Celia, the de Witt’s youngest daughter, is still desperate to spread her wings and see more of the world. To escape Stoneythorpe and the painful secrets that lie there, she moves to London and embraces life and love in the Roaring Twenties.
The second novel in the spellbinding De Witt trilogy, from bestselling author and historian Kate Williams
‘A beautifully conjured family saga. Fans of Downton Abbey will love it‘ – Alison Weir
‘Brilliant – a passionate and poignant story of a glittering family on the precipice of a vanished world. Spellbinding, gripping and beautiful – a must read‘ Lisa Hilton
‘The terrific saga comes with a fascinating twist . . . Williams has a gift for showing how great movements in history affect the lives of people caught up in them’ THE TIMES
‘Rich in sumptuous detail and full of twists and turns‘ HEAT
In the aftermath of the Great War, the de Witt family are struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of their lives.
Rudolf and his wife Verena, still reeling from the loss of their second son, don’t know how to function in the post-war world. Stoneythorpe Hall has become an empty shell with no servants to ensure its upkeep.
Celia, the de Witt’s youngest daughter, is still desperate to spread her wings and see more of the world. To escape Stoneythorpe and the painful secrets that lie there, she moves to London and embraces life and love in the Roaring Twenties.
The second novel in the spellbinding De Witt trilogy, from bestselling author and historian Kate Williams
‘A beautifully conjured family saga. Fans of Downton Abbey will love it‘ – Alison Weir
‘Brilliant – a passionate and poignant story of a glittering family on the precipice of a vanished world. Spellbinding, gripping and beautiful – a must read‘ Lisa Hilton
‘The terrific saga comes with a fascinating twist . . . Williams has a gift for showing how great movements in history affect the lives of people caught up in them’ THE TIMES
‘Rich in sumptuous detail and full of twists and turns‘ HEAT
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Reviews
Williams has created a resonant evocation of life in the aftermath of the First World War in which the shadows of the conflict loom large, but also explores the psychological and emotional worlds of the individual.
An epic, romantic read set in the roaring '20s.
Williams has a sharp eye for the contradictions and mysteries of human nature and a vivid turn of phrase . . . she uses her historian's knowledge to brilliant effect'
This novel is rich in sumptuous detail and full of twists and turns.
a Downton Abbey-style drama about a grand family down on their luck in the Roaring Twenties.
Told in two distinct time frames - mid-20th century and Maude's contrasting experiences of the 1890s and early
1900s - and full of colour, detail, tension and adventure, it's a compelling read.
Williams draws expertly on mysterious, fawed characters coming of age in a displaced world in this gripping period novel . . . A haunting piece of historical fiction
Gripping from the first page, I absolutely love this novel... It's a must-read.
TV historian Williams revisits the De Witts, the Anglo-German family introduced in her previous saga The Storms of War. Her insight into the aftermath of the First World War and shattered society shines out of every page, enriching a powerful family saga.
The de Witt family's struggles are a compelling, vibrant and poignant fictional reflection of living history and if the next chapter of their story unfolds with the same emotional power and extraordinary resonance, then we are in for another treat.